INTO DARKNESS: THE BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS

[stuie 7,374]

Come on Stuie, this goes far far deeper than just Neeld. Blaming one person is too easy. We are all well aware of your constant anti-Neeld ranting. He had not been a great choice, but our downfall is not all his fault. There's many Melbourne people who will be madly ducking for cover this week, and Neeld will probably fall, but to say that's all there is to it, that it is his fault is just plain simplistic.

Re-read my post, I said the reason we are THIS BAD is Neeld. Not the reason we're bad, but the reason we are as bad as we currently are.

[DemonFan 12]

Hey I just watched Neelds press conference...

I have never seen him look so [censored] relaxed!!!

I think he knows he will get a tap on the shoulder this week.

I would feel relaxed as well, get the sack, therefore no longer connected to this shite.

[stuie 7,374]

Wasn't too bad.

He was measured and aware. He 'jots a few things down.'

Expect another cull.

Absolute fool.

[DemonFan 12]

Hey I just watched Neelds press conference...

I have never seen him look so [censored] relaxed!!!

I think he knows he will get a tap on the shoulder this week.

I would feel relaxed as well, get the sack, therefore no longer connected to this shite.

His suffering will be over by the end of this week.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

His suffering will be over by the end of this week.

I don't think so.

He'll see out the year.

[Mydee 288]

He was hopeless on the after match report - we have made no progress under him and a fish rots from the head Neeld is a particularly ugly head Go and go now!

[McQueen 17,867]

Mckenzie is a tagger and not a bad one at that. So why in hell is he being played in the midfield as a ball winner? He can't get the footy and he can't kick it. Should only tag.

Dunn showed some form down back before injury. He trained down back all pre season. Neeld then decides to make him a tagger on one of the best players of all time. Yeah that will work. Dunn and Mckenzie in the midfield made me want to take a blowtorch to my eyes.

This.

Neeld preaches about keeping on the path, staying the journey with the game plan etc and then he goes and swings changes like this?

The guy's off his nana!

[Courtney_Fish 183]

The coach didn't see it coming. Players are arguably really better than that. So what's wrong? I would get someone to conduct interviews (eg psychologist) with each player and member of the football dept. with a guarantee of anonymity and listen to what they say and report it back to the top people. If they aren't playing for the coach, why?

[McQueen 17,867]

Won the clearances, rebound 50's.... And clangers....

Sorry for my earlier posting. "Don't worry we will win this" was auto corrected on my iPhone. What I meant to say was "good to see some rainfall in western Victoria, hope it passes through with good snow coverage for falls creek and mt hotham."

Alright I've gotta admit though, as an overly optimistic, trusting supporter, the positive's I can draw from today were "when our playing group see Clark, grimes, trengove, hogan, Dawes, toumpas and potentially Dion prestia and/or daisy Thomas in the team, we will all walk taller" well pessimistic me found the voice to say "well Jordy Mckenzie will probably be grey headed by then, sellar could pull in a mark and nicho/macca could kick a drop punt to position."

Then the "well I told you so" voice in my head reminded me that I used to follow Geelong as a wee 9 year old, but after gazza snr retired, jumped on board a wooden spoon demon outfit. I still remember the fight the dees put up against nth Melbourne on The Friday night prelim in 98 after smashing Adelaide who later won it, I still remember dismantling every team in 2000 with our run, dare and risk taking, (bar the scum), our 2002 semi final loss to the crows where I honestly think we had the group to go all the way, and lets not forget losing to freo when we were undermanned in 2006.

I fit in well with all (both) of the fans who still think we will turn the corner quickly and go on a 8-0 run and get in the 8. I still buy my red leg membership even though I rarely get to games because I play on Saturdays and Sundays I get the frozen beans out and lay on the couch.

I've always loved the dees, always will. Will always hate Carlton, will always hate essendon. I'll never like another team in the same way I Like Melbourne. But(for lack of better/censored word) GOSH, I genuinely feel worried for the welfare of some players, long term supporters, all of our sponsors, demonland regulars and the statisticians for our tackles/uncontested possessions.

The bad thing for our playing group, is we have played all of gws, GC, pa, Brisbane, last years bottom teams bar us, and we are 1-6 with 50%.

Sacking mark need has never crossed my mind as I genuinely have thought he could be the bridge to our clubs gap, he could be the leader to throw enough challenges down that cleared the dead wood and got the best out of players.

What I watched tonight was Lyndon Dunn, James frawley and Jordy Mckenzie do nothing to increase their trade value, James sellar, Shannon Byrnes and Rohan bail do nothing to to stay on the list, and our coaching department do very little to get the best out of pickles Evans, Matt jones, Strauss tapscott and terlich's run, nor did they look after the endeavour of jones (dirty night) Sylvia (the guy genuinely wants to do the best and stay at Melbourne). The biggest disappointment is how played with deficiencies still haven't been coached stronger techniques to eliminate these errors. Jeremy Howe still can't kick for goal, players like Dunn, Mckenzie still turn short handballs over, or when they kick it, it's a bomb down the line. Is it hard to find a 25-35m option across the ground and keep the ball but open up the ground??!? What about our delivery 15m over the top of gawn/Dawes/tapscott after they had lead so hard to get 2m in front position? These are mistakes that haven't changed since Matthew bate, Daniel bell and brad millar used to do weekly. Back in 2007...

Where to from here? Do we teach viney, m.jones and toumpas to keep making these underage mistakes? The errors they keep making are not acceptable. Sure all of us would wear a holding the ball or a in the back, but it's so frustrating watching a 30m kick miss it's target by 5 m, generally to a 1 on 3 contest 70 from goal. Can mark neeld tape Geelong, or hawthorn or freo, and show our players how much reward you get from running hard to every contest, wether that contest is 1.5m away, or 150. We always seem to be jogging. With no/low intensity.

Last point- 4 or 5 years ago Jordy Mckenzie used to have 5+ tackles a game. Today he had zero and half his teammates had less than 2. How can you stop knowing how to tackle????

Rant/essay done.

But please just show some intensity. Some care, some enthusiasm.

This guts me every day, not just weekends.

Great post. Replying so those who missed it can get to read it now.

[Lordweaver 235]

he had another whopping 7 possessions and 1 tackle today. I'm sorry but other than being a big body who likes to bump and bruise people I see no signs of improvement since his first game.

tapscott is ordinary and should be traded I reckon, some folks like his physicality but he doesn't do enough

[Ted Lasso 19,549]

I don't think so.

He'll see out the year.

If that clown is still coaching us at the end of the year, we will need to fold.

surely you can't be happy with what's being dished up? it's a terrible performance followed by him trying to justify it by saying we're a young side,

well so are gold coast, who have three wins this year, two against non expansion teams.

[Trisul 664]

Wasn't too bad.

He was measured and aware. He 'jots a few things down.'

Expect another cull.

Completely agree. I'm a little peeved at the people quoting the 'dont make it about me' line 1000% out of context too.

[P-man 13,366]

Jonesy never saw it coming this week. Strange how we never see it coming.

I admit I am now more concerned about our level of talent. I've previously put alot of it down to a confidence issue, but the fact is we still have ALOT of spuds on our list.

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,233]

We basically played three down on field today as our mid sized forwards in Byrnes, Bail, Tapscott, Kent and Davey had no impact. I struggle to understand those that have bagged Terlich and Sellar today both beat their man under strong offensive pressure.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

If that clown is still coaching us at the end of the year, we will need to fold.

surely you can't be happy with what's being dished up? it's a terrible performance followed by him trying to justify it by saying we're a young side,

well so are gold coast, who have three wins this year, two against non expansion teams.

True, DF26 but look at their list, please. Objectify some of your thoughts.

They got the best youngsters in the draft, arguably the best player of all time, truck load of money, AFL support, a few out of contract signings and it's all coming together for them.

Our draft picks may well bury us.

[Ted Lasso 19,549]

True, DF26 but look at their list, please. Objectify some of your thoughts.

They got the best youngsters in the draft, arguably the best player of all time, truck load of money, AFL support, a few out of contract signings and it's all coming together for them.

Our draft picks may well bury us.

They were good today, not taking anything away from them, but we should be at least on par with them, and it was at the MCG, 10 goals is abit crazy, i could have handled a loss if our effort was better and we were abit closer.

[stuie 7,374]

True, DF26 but look at their list, please. Objectify some of your thoughts.

They got the best youngsters in the draft, arguably the best player of all time, truck load of money, AFL support, a few out of contract signings and it's all coming together for them.

Our draft picks may well bury us.

Better coach too... Don't forget that.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

They were good today, not taking anything away from them, but we should be at least on par with them, and it was at the MCG, 10 goals is abit crazy, i could have handled a loss if our effort was better and we were abit closer.

Honestly, I expect 10-12 more players to go at season's end.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

Better coach too... Don't forget that.

Any names stu?

[stuie 7,374]

Any names stu?

Huh?

[Ted Lasso 19,549]

Honestly, I expect 10-12 more players to go at season's end.

Lets just hope that's 10-12 guys we choose to axe, not guys like Frawley, watts and sylvia who would rightly be sick of what's going on.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

Huh?

Coaches.

Blokes who have the cahonas to shake this club down.

Who would you get?

Biffen reckons ND has been approached, some say Ayres...forget Roos, he hates the Club. Matthews? Outta touch.

Well?

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

7 of our players did not lay a tackle, not ONE tackle, in a game where the opposition had the ball way more than we did.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

Lets just hope that's 10-12 guys we choose to axe, not guys like Frawley, watts and sylvia who would rightly be sick of what's going on.

No great loss...let's not turn it into a JW thread.

I like Chippa and Col is playing well this year.

[Deecisive 1,709]

We how do we find the silver lining out of all this darkness. I personally dont believe the players we have are as bad as they are playing at the moment, that playing there best we can be competitive and give even good clubs a run for their money. So how do we get them to commit and deliver.

1. Stop protecting space, today I say players standing around in vacant space with no GCS players near, while GCS players we left unattended. other times melbourne players were standing alone in the back 50 while their opponents were hunting the ball in our forward line and midfield - Man Up.

2. Help out team mates - Shepherd, talk to them, encourage them, support them.

3. Dont play on at all costs, quit a few times today we played on with no idea of where we were going, or who was around us, in the end lack of decisions caught us out.

4. Talk some more when going for marks etc... lets not have everyone up.

5. Scout the front of the pack not the back

6. Learn how to tackle, too many players played all game and did not lay one tackle, you have to ask why is that, where they always too far away from the action picking up easy kicks, or they just could not make tackles stick.

7. Learn how to kick to position, especially going forward, run a lot more drills on how to deliver the ball in front of the players, unless of course you are kicking to Gawny, then up high is probably ok withhim. too often we kick the ball too high so it makes it easier to spoil, other times we just kick it into the man on the mark.

8. Be aware of where your opponent is, - man up (it is worth repeating)

9. Learn to use your body in marking contests, both as a backman and a forward.

10. Accept that we have a crap mid field but get the ball back.

11. Give no easy kicks, none, zero, zip. make the opposition earn every kick, we did reasonably well in contested possessions, so make everyone a contested possession and who knows we may do better, cannot do much worse.