POST GAME - ROUND 1

[norwood_demon 196]

I've had an hour and a glass of excellent red wine to "cool down".

Yes, there were positives today. Viney is everything and more than we expected. His father would be very proud of his son today (but not his football club). Matt Jones was commendable. Nathan Jones, Grimes, Clarke & Blease (who must never be sub again) tried against the odds.

Now the negatives! On Thursday night, I watched Norwood beat the other Port by 10 goals. Yes, it was only SANFL but the principles are the same. Norwood were drilled to produce pressure all over the ground. They had "structure". And they had structure because they were fit enough to run to position and they wanted to run to position. On not one occasion were Port allowed to switch play to the fat side. There was not an un-manned Port player on the ground when we didn't have possession. The coach's name is Nathan Bassett. Neil Craig has probably got his phone number.

I do not need to tell Demonlanders how different my Sunday football experience was. I do not yet blame the coach. I blame experienced players. They are either not fit enough (which I don't believe with Misson and Craig there). Or they don't want it (which has to be the conclusion). Sylvia can make a few cameo appearances and appease some MFC supporters. But he's now a veteran in this side & must do more. In Q4, he flew for a mark on the forward flank, landed, then walked with his hands on hips. His junior opponent chased the ball along the boundary & moved it forward for a goal. Col, you've finally lost me. And I cannot defend Watts any longer. Two kicks in that rabble in your 4th season with 55 games. I don't think I saw you break into a canter. Neeld can start by putting these two prima donnas back to Casey for 4 weeks (or longer) until they have the desire of a part-time player in the Norwood SANFL side. Frawley, Dunn & Garland are also one game from getting dishonourable mentions here.

I will withhold judgement on our moneyball players for a few weeks and after some more good red wine

[MH. 88]

... Even the early 80's weren't this bad.

You mean you missed the 70's ?

[Roost It 1,434]

A classic example of why I and my family haven't and won't be renewing our memberships.

Complete and utter drivel. Can someone organize a load of cow manure for training this week

I'm happy to chip in $20

How bad are Dunn and Watts? Just Wow. Why doesn't the coach make him accountable? I don't understand having a near 200cm, 96 kg bloke running around on the last line by himself. Can someone explain why you would let that go on for 4 full quarters. That's some really bad coaching right there. What about Frawley? My god is he ordinary now. Then there's Sellar, Pedersen, Gillies, Byrnes, Rodan. That's 8 totally ineffective players and they leave Blease on the bench until the 4th quarter is underway. I am missing something or is that just plain poor coaching. We don't run hard enough, we don't back up our teammates and we have poor skills and make bad decisions. Poor Jesse Hogan. A year at Casey and then part of this.

[Ungarieboy 439]

Don't normally comment, but just have to vent.

If the football Department insist on this uncontested basketball style of footy we seem determined to dish up, then they should be also held accountable. I don't know whats more embarrasing them or the Australian Cricket Selectors. Well seeing they both are struggling with the most basic of simple concepts I'm gonna help.

Pick the best team based on form:

This will remove Gillies, Pederson, Tapscott, Nicholson, Sellar, Byrne, sylvia, Rodan

- and put a big question mark on Frawley, Garland,

Then tell them to MAN UP - all game! Complimented with a simple 1,2 handball and clearing kik. Then Run, Run, Run (with attitude and desire; not 10 bl@#dy paces behind) - it's actually all in the mind (the desire to get the footy) and many of our players are being found out.

and I note the irony that we play a contested stle of football, but refuse to make a contest of it once they have cleared it.

Oh and as for the Aussie Cricket Team, well

"if you pick a one day side to play test cricket, don't be suprised that they only play for one day!"

[Longsufferingnomore 1,631]

No heart, no talent and soon no supporters.

[Trisul 664]

Just waiting for the presser to be uploaded. Waiting.

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,602]

yeah i want to see self flaglation in that pressor!

[Biffen 12,943]

Don't normally comment, but just have to vent.

If the football Department insist on this uncontested basketball style of footy we seem determined to dish up, then they should be also held accountable. I don't know whats more embarrasing them or the Australian Cricket Selectors. Well seeing they both are struggling with the most basic of simple concepts I'm gonna help.

Pick the best team based on form:

This will remove Gillies, Pederson, Tapscott, Nicholson, Sellar, Byrne, sylvia, Rodan

- and put a big question mark on Frawley, Garland,

Then tell them to MAN UP - all game! Complimented with a simple 1,2 handball and clearing kik. Then Run, Run, Run (with attitude and desire; not 10 bl@#dy paces behind) - it's actually all in the mind (the desire to get the footy) and many of our players are being found out.

and I note the irony that we play a contested stle of football, but refuse to make a contest of it once they have cleared it.

Oh and as for the Aussie Cricket Team, well

"if you pick a one day side to play test cricket, don't be suprised that they only play for one day!"

You make sense, in summer or winter.

[Trisul 664]

yeah i want to see self flaglation in that pressor!

"We didn't see that coming," Neeld said after the game.

[titan_uranus 25,020]

The club deserved to be booed off today. If I'd been able to be there, I would have too.

Of course, we're going to keep playing on Easter Sunday and in other abhorrent timeslots whilst we continue to be putrid.

There is so much more than just our next flag riding on our on-field performances. Our effort today was disgracefully bad, and there is not one excuse for it.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

"We didn't see that coming," Neeld said after the game.

Neither did the supporters.

[Trisul 664]

Neither did the supporters.

Is it our job?

[monoccular 17,432]

L.A.Z.Y.

That is the biggest disappointment to me. Few prepared to run regardless of whether we have te ball, the opposition have it or it is in dispute.

Just plain L.A.Z.Y. - and obviously feel that by doung nothing they have done enough.

Very fed up and will find it hard to bring myself to attend again until they show some spirit and care for the club, the fans and for one another.

PS: the laziness isn't peculiar to Neeld's coaching: it has been present through much of the Daniher and all the Bailey eras.

I wish someone could explain why, and more importantly how to cure it.

Edited March 31, 2013 by monoccular

[Deecisive 1,709]

Heartless display coaching panel needs to go back to basics. My top 10 things MFC needs to do are.

1. Know the color of your own teams jumper and kick and hand pass to that.

2. Learn how to count and subtract, i.e. do not kick to out numbered and out gunned players. i.e. 1 melbourne player is not going to beat 2 or 3 port players. Clark was out numbered most of the day but we still kicked it to him, where the hell was the spare melbourne player?

3. for heavens sake stop with the spare man in defense it just leaves us a man short everywhere else, every side knows this so players peal off from their man to cover the free man, which creates another free man, etc..... dumb football why with so many coaches do they not see this.....

4. stop zoning, zoning is just a way to try to capitalise on poor disposal from the opposition. i.e. a way to get cheap kicks without putting your body into the contest or winning the ball, sets up a mentality of not having to go in and get it.

5. Man up, so many uncontested ball gets from port shows we were not even trying to make a contest of it.

6. Stop the stupid switch on the backline, players kick it to someone 40 meters out which switches it back to the back pocket, then switches to the other back pocket net gain Zero.

7. Look to men who are open, lots of times melbourne players were open and no one wanted to give them the ball, just wanted to take it down the line, all the opposition coaches know our tactics and use that against us.

8. The 2 Jacks should resign as captains, they are too young and have done nothing to deserve being captains. Let someone more senior and more worthy of the role take the job.

9. Support Casey better so they can get some better VFL players, no point melbourne players going back to play with Casey if they are just as retarded as Melbourne is, Casey needs to be successful to help our players get better. Hogan needs someone to deliver the ball to him

10. Remind all players that there will be another major reshuffle at the end of this year and that few players are safe. Drop those who demonstrated a total lack of effort today, Watts, Frawley, Sellars, Tapscott, Gillies for a start.

[Gippsland Dee 367]

well from all the games that i have been to to watch the dees, i have to say this was by the far the worst performance by them i have seen! another 3rd qtr fadeout with only a pt scored is unacceptable, and only getting 1 goal in the 2nd half, pathetic!

However there were some players who stood up in all of this:

1: viney. He was unreal, in and under winning the hardball, and out played Jones today imo (but he wouldn't have had a tag like jones would've). His goal in the 2nd quarter was great to watch.

2: Jones. He was his usual self holding up the midfield, however he did go missing in the 2nd half, but was definitely not the only one who did.

3: Grimes: while i don't think he had a great game, he was in the mix of it and was getting possies aroudn the ground and didn't seem to go missing in the 2nd half.

4: Toumpas. he had some good times in the game. from what i saw he didn't get much of it, but when he did he generally used it well and kicked cleanly.

5: Pedersen. I didn't see him for a large chunk of the game, but when he did have it he seemed good. his kick deep into the fwd line in the 2nd was good along with his mark on the goalline.

6: Clark. good first real game back from his foot injury. 2 goals in 2 mins in the 1st term, but didn't have an impact on the scoreboard after that, but did keep presenting. he did seem to tire but what do you expect when you've been out for 9 months! got carried off the ground in the 3rd which was worrying, but came back on in the 4th for a couple of mins then was subbed off.

7: Howe was good in the 1st half, but like a lot of his teamates did go missing towards the end of the game. he did take some good marks, and nearly got a hanger in the last qtr.

The rest were nothing to write about. Gillies was dissapointing, as was watts, frawley(looked slow to me) and dunn. Sylvia did very little (did lay a good tackle in the middle towards the end), Sellar did very little but he didn't have a few leads honoured (although i did he him leading for the ball and he was chasing his defender while doing it?!?), Blease was sub and when he came on he had a good passage of play in the middle where he blasted past a few players but he ruined it with a rubbish kick.

i'm still going to be going to a few games this year regardless of how we do (5-6 as i have a country membership) but am not as enthusiastic as i was before todays game.

Edited March 31, 2013 by young dee enthusiast

[cookies 4]

not going to another game this year...not watching, listening, reading not gonna bother until the players do.......need a break from the AFL......the spoon is ours..............so until until 2014..........(knee jerk perhaps but i need a break from this marriage, im getting no love in return)

[Jesse Christ 2,884]

Devastated that we didn't even try. I could have accepted a loss because of where we are at in our development stage but what happened out there today was just depressing. We are going backwards. Every line is gettting smashed and no one seems to care.

We are not a team. We don't play as a team, and I know there was a lot of debutantes in but that doesn't excuse lack of effort for your teammates in sport. Why are we so different from every other team out there? Where is our heart and passion?

I would rather get beaten by the same margin but actually show some fight as opposed to what was shown out there today. I'd wipe all the names off the team whiteboard and pick a team of goers and send the rest to Casey.

[diesel 420]

I can't believe that just happened

Have you ever seen a worse contrast between two sides in terms of the space/freedom one has over the other? Time and time and time again they had loose men everywhere, while we didn't seem to find one for the entire day.

Jack Watts had 2 kicks.

That pretty much nailed it. Right form the first bounce (clearance) Port were in front. Loose ball came to the members wing early on and Sylvie trailed his opponent by 5 metres running half pace. I thought to myself we're not on! How the f**k can you not be putting in an effort 5 minutes into the season?

[stuie 7,374]

Just waiting for the presser to be uploaded. Waiting.

Whereabouts? MFC site?

[Deecisive 1,709]

Team (including coaches) should be made to watch the replay with the tv commentators, and then replay it again with the radio, then read demonland and other bulletin boards to get an understanding how bad and insipid everyone thought they were. Coaches need a critical review of their efforts too, while the players should get a dressing down for lack of effort the coaches should for lack of game plan. There did not appear to be any plan B, i.e. once the wheels fell of in the first 15 minutes we did nothing except run around protecting empty space instead of manning up. This has to be playing to instructions.

[Trisul 664]

Whereabouts? MFC site?

That quote was from the MFC sites 'Dissapointing Dees downed by Port' (sic) - http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-03-31/dissapointing-dees-downed-by-port

[stuie 7,374]

That quote was from the MFC sites 'Dissapointing Dees downed by Port' (sic) - http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-03-31/dissapointing-dees-downed-by-port

Yeah I was thinking you meant video or audio of the press conference was being uploaded, would like to see it.

[Demon Jack 6,911]

The presser with Neeldy and Grimes

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=relmfu&v=ydvdf7xh2oo

[Trisul 664]

The presser with Neeldy and Grimes

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=relmfu&v=ydvdf7xh2oo

Not found

And yeah Stuie, spamming refresh on: http://www.afl.com.au/video/latest-videos/media-conferences

Edited March 31, 2013 by Spork

[Deecisive 1,709]

That quote was from the MFC sites 'Dissapointing Dees downed by Port' (sic) - http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-03-31/dissapointing-dees-downed-by-port

Hah,the article makes it sound like we just had a bad 3rd quarter, we were crap all day long.