How they are escaping all the media bash for there on field performance is beyond me..! I watched there game on the weekend and they were woeful! Surely the heat has to go on the coach? there midfield is above us in terms of experience and also talent yet they continue to get smashed around the ball and clearences.

And why aren't they getting stick aswell for not picking up Olive Wines when they had pick 6 and 5 yet still passed him on. They too were also very strongly in the hunt for him until last minute. Macrea and Stringer will be good players but they too haven't set the world on fire.

Am I going over the top or does anyone else think its been wrong how they have escaped criticism.

Its pretty simple... no one cares about them.

When I open the paper I read articles on the Dees, Hawthorn, Collingwood ect but the moment I see something about the Western Bulldogs I tune out.

With reporters these days, if it doesnt get you readers or clicks, then it doesnt get you money, and if it doesnt get you money then who cares!... and lets face it: who doesn't like to read a good Melbourne bashing article if youre from another club

Doggies have the fact that they are in rebuild mode for the first time not the 100th time like us on their side. Tigers received the the heat over the last decade because of their constant rebuilds and so have we.

Give them a couple of weeks and they'll be copping it.

Ps. H_T all over it!

- They were undeniably impressive in Round 1 against the Lions which kept the doubters at bay for a couple of weeks. Of course that performance has been cast in a different light having watched the Lions this year, but still, there was evidence of a nucleus of young gun mids to build future success upon.

- They haven't been belted by 148 points.

- Their injury list, whilst not horrific, isn't great - Wood, Murphy, Higgins, Dickson, Williams and now Griffen.

- Macrea and Stringer have only played 1 game have they not? Were they expected to set the world on fire in their debut?

Bottom line is right now if we were to play them, they'd still be favourites.

I also think it takes alot of gall as a Melbourne supporter to say no-one cares about the Dogs. Like we're top of the tree? The only reason people enjoy reading about us is because we've been an unmitigated train wreck, on and off the field. It's a fascination. A case of "what have they done this time?". Nothing more.

they walloped Brisbane who were the inform pre-season team and since have lost to teams they were expected to lose by and havent been beaten by 20+ goals in a match yet

They haven't been the archetypal 'so bad it's good' basket case the MFC has.

Footy Classified focused on them.

They have just started a re build and are not in the same position as MFC that are likely to go into their 3rd rebuild in 5-6 years and have squandered a raft of top draft picks. In addition, the Bulldogs don't seem to shoot themselves in the foot continuously like MFC

There time will come for greater scrutiny but they are no where to MFC yet.

Footy Classified focused on them.

They have just started a re build and are not in the same position as MFC that are likely to go into their 3rd rebuild in 5-6 years and have squandered a raft of top draft picks. In addition, the Bulldogs don't seem to shoot themselves in the foot continuously like MFC

There time will come for greater scrutiny but they are no where to MFC yet.

Unlike Melbourne, they have some quality senior players and onfield leaders in their midfield and playing group. I speak of some A grade mids too in Griffen, Boyd, Cooney. Other leaders in Murphy, Giansiracusa, Cross provide leadership, yet their team is consistently insipid. They have an older list, more experienced list. Their finish to the season last year should have rang alarm bells, yet thanks to our clubs own problems on and off the field. This has allowed the Bulldogs to travel along stealth like and unnoticed.

The sheer magnitude of melbourne's losses also commands more attention. But there are worrying signs at Whitten Oval.

Because they are playing at the standard that was expected of them this year. Everyone coming into the year (even bulldog supporters) thought that the Bulldogs would have a terrible year. The first round was a surprise but now they are back to playing the way everyone expected at the start of the year.

The difference with us is people expected improvement from us (especially going into the 2012 season) - we have had the talent/draft picks but have not used them. They have every right to criticise us for we seem to be the only team in the league that does not show consistent form and can not perform to the standard that our list should.

The difference with us is people expected improvement from us (especially going into the 2012 season) - we have had the talent/draft picks but have not used them. They have every right to criticise us for we seem to be the only team in the league that does not show consistent form and can not perform to the standard that our list should.

Not excusing this. But those same people underestimate our midfield weakness, as do many Melbourne supporters. Together with the 2nd or near youngest list, inconsistencies were always expected. At least, I expected it.

What I didn't quite expect was the very poor start to the season, the sheer magnitude of our losses and Port Adelaide's rapid improvement under a very good coach in Hinkley. The buck stops with the FD here.

They have good young midfielders - Libba, Wallis, Smith, Macrae, Stringer, Dalhaus, Koby Stevens that when supported by their experienced midfielders Cooney, Griffen, Cross, Lower and Boyd means they can play decent footy (Hence the Brisbane win).

But throw a few injuries in and their backline and forward line especially tall talent is rubbish. Roughead would probably be their best tall forward but they need someone down back, Jones is a reasonable prospect but Cordy is miles off it.

They are pretty much like us in reverse, where we have spent up on talls in Clark, Dawes and Hogan but are still along way back in terms of midfield development.

Not that I'm convinced either of them are the answers but in some ways they should have got Dawes and we should of got Koby Stevens or another midfielder.

I think the Bulldogs and to a lesser extent St Kilda are suffering from blowback due to an extended run at the top without achieving the ultimate success. The older players are still good but you could forgive them for suffering a lack of hunger due to fact they are on their way down the ladder.

The fact that they pretty much put all of their eggs in one basket in going for a flag means that there is no raft of players coming into their prime to put pressure on for spots which leaves a catch 22 situation where you either gift games to kids who haven't earnt their stripes yet or keep a bunch of old hacks in the side who will keep you moderately competitive.

The Dogs have also been appalling at recruiting/developing KPP's & are having to play an array of NQR talls to fill holes. While the output has been poor it seems also that the players have a better relationship with their coach & there isn't the same colossal failure to grasp their gameplan. The heat will come if they fall into same completely uncompetitive hole that we have fallen into.

Out of our 5 wins since round 1 2012, 4 have been against the expansion sides. Out of the Bulldogs 6 wins only 2 have been against the Suns & Giants. Our win-loss ratio flatters to deceive.

they won a game.

They played in in a prelim in 2009 and 2010. Not that long ago.

Unlike Melbourne, they have some quality senior players and onfield leaders in their midfield and playing group. I speak of some A grade mids too in Griffen, Boyd, Cooney. Other leaders in Murphy, Giansiracusa, Cross provide leadership, yet their team is consistently insipid. They have an older list, more experienced list. Their finish to the season last year should have rang alarm bells, yet thanks to our clubs own problems on and off the field. This has allowed the Bulldogs to travel along stealth like and unnoticed.The sheer magnitude of melbourne's losses also commands more attention. But there are worrying signs at Whitten Oval.

It's going to be a long rebuild for the Dogs

.

Not excusing this. But those same people underestimate our midfield weakness, as do many Melbourne supporters. Together with the 2nd or near youngest list, inconsistencies were always expected. At least, I expected it.What I didn't quite expect was the very poor start to the season, the sheer magnitude of our losses and Port Adelaide's rapid improvement under a very good coach in Hinkley. The buck stops with the FD here.

I think most people expected us bottom quartile with midfield and other problems. No one predicted we would be so bad. After 2 botched rebuilds it includes this FD and the Board.

The Footscray Horror story will be much bigger in 2014-15.

They are still falling, although to kick 4 goals in a game is pretty strong evidence of the future.

I want the blowtorch left on the MFC. The club has to be strong.

We had 3-4 years of being in the shadows, let off.

It did us no favours.

Off-field is worse than on-field for them. They made 3 consecutive prelims not too long ago whereas off-field they're $10M in the hole.

The only thing worse about them talking about you is not talking about you.

Melbourne sells newspapers ha ha ha

How they are escaping all the media bash for there on field performance is beyond me..! I watched there game on the weekend and they were woeful! Surely the heat has to go on the coach? there midfield is above us in terms of experience and also talent yet they continue to get smashed around the ball and clearences.

And why aren't they getting stick aswell for not picking up Olive Wines when they had pick 6 and 5 yet still passed him on. They too were also very strongly in the hunt for him until last minute. Macrea and Stringer will be good players but they too haven't set the world on fire.

Am I going over the top or does anyone else think its been wrong how they have escaped criticism.

Because unlike Toumpas, both Stringer and Macrae shown something yesterday.

They were two shining lights in an otherwise ordinary day for them.

How many goals would've we kicked against Adelaide in the pouring rain over there? I doubt much more.

The issue for the dogs is that they were absolutely gutted by the expansion clubs. The two guys who should have been the core of their midfield for the next decade were taken from them with far too little given in compensation, and they now have a gaping hole between the aging stars and the up-and-coming youngsters. They are still reliant on the veteran 30+ year old players to keep them in games and face a bleak future as those guys retire in the next couple of years with nobody coming through to replace them. Add to that their consistent inability to produce a quality spine and you see that they are in real trouble in the near future. They have too many holes in their list to make up for in one or even two drafts. They need to trade for some more experienced midfielders, produce a better quality ruck from somewhere and find a couple of key forwards. Bad times ahead for the doggies fans.

Their players seem to be always having a fair crack.

They have not been flogged half as bad as us.

Agree it's a bit rich us having a go at them when we have the same amount of wins with a lot less % that they do.

We are copping it for being inept mostly since Norm Smith was shafted by the 'look at me Suits', who took charge of our Heritage, & trashed it.

now we're scrapping to get it back, with a hardened blue collar edge.

Their players seem to be always having a fair crack.

They have not been flogged half as bad as us.

Agree it's a bit rich us having a go at them when we have the same amount of wins with a lot less % that they do.

Agree with them having a crack and the floggings and it being a bit rich.

But you wouldn't know it, listening to some livid doggies fans who are just as fed up.