Well, seriously, what IS the game plan? Compared with the previous season it seemed to involve;

Kick it close to the boundary line

Concentrate on contested possession. Quit this nonsense of creating the loose man with handball! (if you want to continue to bag DB have a look at Dees v Swans in 2010, or Dees v Adelaide 2011)

Ignore forwards other than Clark (in the first few matches they repeatedly kicked it over Watts' head when he made possession)

Make Tapscott play out of possession. Does no-one recall the first games he played in 2011 deep on the back line?

And basically destroy the self-esteem of the few senior players on the list, eg Moloney.

No.9 is playing well today Beryl. Give me a look at the record.

Well someone suggests I buy in or bugger off! Having been a member for 40 odd years it's unlikely I will do that.indeed I'm signed up for 2013, and I desperately hope I'm wrong.

Leaving aside my views as to the coach, does anyone dispute that we've downgraded the senior players since the beginning of this year? Moloney,Green,Davey, and now Rivers. All leaders in 2011.

Does anyone dispute that we've recruited a number of players who couldn't get a game at their previous clubs? Byrnes,Pedersen,Rodan. Even Dawes who looks a good type and may add to leadership was dropped before the finals was he not?

Gysberts and Petterd both had almost zero preseason. The Club, in it's review mentioned Petterd's Achilles problems. At their relative ages I rate Petterd and Gysberts as better prospects than Rodan.

This afternoon I've watched the match v Richmond early last season. As with so many matches we were THRASHED around the packs. In the 3rd quarter inside 50s were 24/3. Yet what has been done to address this greatest weakness? Sure, in time Viney will no doubt help. But shouldn't this have been the top priority?

For those who think I am wrong re the coach, and again I hope I am wrong, isn't it true that we plummeted last year? And, please tell me, what exactly is the game plan? Having seen every game live or on tv I say quite honestly that I had no idea. And neither,I believe did the players

Yeah buy in or bugger off, sounds like this place is turning into a cult. Big mistake getting a novice coach in after all the troubles of the past few seasons. We needed an experienced coach who could come in and do some healing and bridge building. So what is the first thing he does? He gets rid of the previous leadership group. Must be an Einstein to work out they were no good after watching them train for a few months. And he replaces them with teenagers. Those that have have pop star appeal to keep the unquestioning fans happy. Then we are told they were selected by their peers as worthy to lead the club. Absolutely unbelievable porky that one. More like CS pulled the strings here to punish those who stepped on his toes. I would question whether Neeld is his own man or just a stooge.

As for our recruiting. I am happy with Hogan. He has a while to go and we paid a premium for him due to our lowly standing. Whether overs or a bargain time will tell. Viney was always coming to us and looks to have the goods. Dawes, I am of the opinion we got him mainly as an insurance policy for Clark and it appears we paid overs though the club denies this. With the history of serial porkies coming from the club I don't believe them. As for the rest, just replacing our duds with other teams duds man for man. So what do we have? A defence less Rivers who to a man can't kick the ball. A midfield that looks like will be pieced together with VFL snails and established players who also can't kick. Now these guys are somehow expected to become productive to serve the hoard of forwards we recruited. Looks like we are going to be more top heavy but painfully slow. As for the game plan, your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps Neeld will finally unveil it now.

Edited October 27, 201212 yr by america de cali

Dawes, I am of the opinion we got him mainly as an insurance policy for Clark

How to out yourself as knowing nothing about footy.

ADC thinks it's everything but the players. That not only shows his lack of football knowledge it also shows he is an ignoramus.

I don't pretend to be a football expert, but I do know we've been rubbish for six years. 2011 was fool's gold IMO - beating up on interstate teams at the G and the Suns. We got whipped every time it counted.

Neeld is turning the Titanic: the players are becoming defensively stronger, fitter and more disciplined. The weak culture that has clearly infected our playing list is being cleared out, as are the NQR players (Stef Martin, anyone? Couldn't hit the side of a barn door as a forward and lacks stamina as a ruck.) Frankly, I'm delighted.

Jared Rivers is the only one I wish we'd kept, but I don't blame him for leaving to chase a few wins at the tail end of his career. As for Moloney, if I hear one more word about his B&F last year I'll spew. I'm only interested in performances against quality sides, which means Moloney would have finished about 28th in the 2011 B&F.

Can't wait for 2013. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. We're about to get something different.

Edited October 27, 201212 yr by Squarky

Leaving aside my views as to the coach, does anyone dispute that we've downgraded the senior players since the beginning of this year? Moloney,Green,Davey, and now Rivers. All leaders in 2011.

Leaders on paper. Byrnes, Rodan and Dawes will show more genuine leadership and work ethic on and off the field than those 4 ever have.

In any case "we" didn't downgrade any of those, excepting Moloney. Green retired, Davey is still there, Rivers took advantage of FA.

What his 50 hitouts and 3 to advantage. Your standards of a 'great' game then must be a complete shambles.

Did you watch the bloody game........Much easiler to sit and whinge........I didn't count the hits to advantage but there were a lot more than 3......He beat his opponent.......took some good marks in the wet......Typical..... just keep knocking

Senior players who destroyed our culture and leadership around the club......i dont think we understood how bad our club was until we got some decent people in who are now cleaning out

go Neeld, Craig, Misson etc

Bring on the new leaders

Now we have a list of players who couldn't get a game at any other club.

Better than having a list of players who can't get a game at ours...

As a paid up member of 30 years I feel very angry that we have stuffed up on recent high draft picks. Now we are giving up those missed chances for B grade pickups. It's a total disgrace and one that MFC members should no longer tolerate. FFS if you recruit a first rounder - Get it right! develop them!

Gysberts? WTF....who apart from himself is responsible for his failure

Morton? Pick bloody 4. I am nonplussed.

This bloody club has to lift its game with recruiting.

OK, I confess. It was me. It's all my doing. I've been controlling the recruiting department of the MFC for years through a combination of bribery, blackmail, nepotism and in one case the gift of a custom-made fake rubber tree (don't ask). It is a small but necessary cog in my larger plan for world domination, the details of which would no doubt merely confuse other posters and as such will remain secret. I can however say that my confession of these acts, and indeed the OPs creating of this thread are all parts of the master plan.

OK, I confess. It was me. It's all my doing. I've been controlling the recruiting department of the MFC for years through a combination of bribery, blackmail, nepotism and in one case the gift of a custom-made fake rubber tree (don't ask). It is a small but necessary cog in my larger plan for world domination, the details of which would no doubt merely confuse other posters and as such will remain secret. I can however say that my confession of these acts, and indeed the OPs creating of this thread are all parts of the master plan.

Shouldn't you be somewhere stroking a white cat.

Shouldn't you be somewhere stroking a white cat.

Oddly enough, I do have a white cat. She's not overly fluffy though.

How to out yourself as knowing nothing about footy.

Its going to be long preseason for a guy who can only skip at the moment. More likely to see more of Dawes than Clark on the park next season. But I look forward in 18 months to the likes of Dawes, Clark, Hogan and maybe Pederson weathering like Easter Island statues waiting for our gun midfield to work out who to kick too.

Edited October 27, 201212 yr by america de cali

Oddly enough, I do have a white cat. She's not overly fluffy though.

You evil genius...

ADC i have long planned to put you up for membership for my super exclusive ignore club - but can't bring myself to do it. Your posts are so terrifically negative that they're almost artful. Not to mention very funny.

'We needed an experienced coach who could come in and do some healing and bridge building' - pure unadulterated comedy gold.

I could almost visualise say a Malthouse or Lyon coming in and getting all touchy feely with the poor old senior boys. Of course there is no way a senior coach like Malthouse or Lyon would say my way or the highway, shape up or ship out in the way that unfeeling brute of a man Neeld has done. They'd both all be about the healing. Just like Lyon did this year at the dockers - not!

Edited October 27, 201212 yr by binman

Yesterday I was talking to a junior coach at a Melbourne AFL based club who said that on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the coach does what the players want and 1 is the players do what the coach wants, in his opinion Chris Scott is a 9 and Mark Neeld more a 2 !

This would support the FIFO strategy outlined earlier in this thread.

Comparing Chris Scott and Neeld is like comparing a plane and a boat. Whilst they both get you to a destination, their methods and purpose are entirely different. Having seen Chris' preparation first hand before numerous games, it's clear his 'rating' is seriously inflated. With the list Chris 'inherited' he was always going to enjoy success as a coach. Chris is an excellent delegator and personnel manager, however he clearly lacks the skills to develop and nurture a young group (such as the one at Melbourne). The rating given to both Mark and Chris by this junior coach highlighs the difference in the 2 lists, not their coaching ability. Geelong has more likely 9 quality, experienced leaders on the park, where as well Melbourne.... haven't got any. Thus the reason for drafting Clark and most recently Byrnes, Rodan, Peterson and to a lesser extent Dawes.

I'm rapt the club managed to pick up Rodan and Byrnes, because they share a great work ethic and determination to improve their skills and that of their teammates that is sure to rub off on their midfield colleages. Seeing many observers slam the clubs drafting during the recent trade period, with comments about Rodan and Byrnes' age and inability to play a large number of games last year, just shows they are missing the reason we drafted them. It's not to win more games in the next 2 years (whilst it will have that effect), it's to allow the young leaders of the MFC to develop and mature and ensure their is enough on-field support to assist with their development.

For the last couple of years, the club has been led without any real experience or quality leadership. Green might have been a good player, but wasn't no leader. Whilst I (and for that matter Chris Scott also) belive that Grimes and Trengove are quality young men who will take Melbourne places, we must be patient.

Edited October 27, 201212 yr by The O

........

Concentrate on contested possession. Quit this nonsense of creating the loose man with handball! (if you want to continue to bag DB have a look at Dees v Swans in 2010, or Dees v Adelaide 2011)

...................

And you can have a look at 186.

It's not to win more games in the next 2 years (whilst it will have that effect), it's to allow the young leaders of the MFC to develop and mature and ensure their is enough on-field support to assist with their development.

Yes yes and yes, though not just the young leaders, the young PLAYERS. Byrnes, awarded Best Clubman at Geelong last year. Rodan already working in development of kids and doing community work through his role as multicultural ambassador. Work ethic. Leadership. Standards.

Culture.

ADC i have long planned to put you up for membership for my super exclusive ignore club - but can't bring myself to do it. Your posts are so terrifically negative that they're almost artful. Not to mention very funny.

'We needed an experienced coach who could come in and do some healing and bridge building' - pure unadulterated comedy gold.

I could almost visualise say a Malthouse or Lyon coming in and getting all touchy feely with the poor old senior boys. Of course there is no way a senior coach like Malthouse or Lyon would say my way or the highway, shape up or ship out in the way that unfeeling brute of a man Neeld has done. They'd both all be about the healing. Just like Lyon did this year at the dockers - not!

Well Malthouse said earlier this year that Neeld should basically loosen up and have a "love in" with his players to earn back some respect. Too much stick and not enough carrot combined with a game plan no one but Neeld understands. But then again Malthouse did say Neeld would make a great coach did he?

As for Lyon, he got a distracted and effette team who were [censored] off with losing Mark Harvey and got them into shape and playing his way seamlessly and almost immediately with minimal changes. Even got primadonna Pavlich buying into his game. And he did the same with the Saints too. Pundits were saying it would go pear shape for Lyon but it didn't. He knows how to earn respect. And Sanderson says hello too. Neeld is more like the proverbial bad tradesman. Blaming his tools for inept work and wanting new ones.

Edited October 27, 201212 yr by america de cali

Yes yes and yes, though not just the young leaders, the young PLAYERS. Byrnes, awarded Best Clubman at Geelong last year. Rodan already working in development of kids and doing community work through his role as multicultural ambassador. Work ethic. Leadership. Standards.

Culture.

Byrnes being named Best Clubman yet getting only a handfull of games last season says a lot about where his career is heading.

No.9 is playing well today Beryl. Give me a look at the record.

No.9 is playing well today Beryl. Give me a look at the record.

Ben Hur is that you real photo????

Ben Hur is that you real photo????

Do you like me ?

Byrnes being named Best Clubman yet getting only a handfull of games last season says a lot about where his career is heading.

This is where so many on here are mistaken, he doesn.t need to be able to get a regular game at Geelong he needs to be able to get a regular game with us.

And basically destroy the self-esteem of the few senior players on the list, eg Moloney.

You see self esteem - I see an unwarranted ego maniac. Smug, self-satisfied "look at me". Yet another Jane who thought he was Tarzan.

On bin night you simply sort out the rubbish from the recyclables. This club is shifting house - if it isn't recyclable, out it goes.

Need seriously looks like he is trying to save face real quick, going after two players nearly thirty and one with three serious knee ops.

David Rodan is one of the worst pics I ever have seen