Some fans may have given up hope, but players haven't

Chris Dawes article on the Age website.

After reading that article, does anyone really need convincing that Dawes was a good choice anymore? The guy has what we need.

Somewhat surprising the club has allowed this to be published, as it is pretty damning of the playing group. I feel it doesn't have as much credability coming from Dawes, being so new to the club, but he is in the leadership group so I guess that counts for something. Can't help but feel he is just sticking up for Neeld, who no doubt played a role in getting him to the club

Some fans may have given up hope, but players haven't

Great article Dawesy....I mean it.

But PLEASE CARRY IT OUT....THE DEMON ARMY WILL RETURN...I/We are just tired of getting the heart ripped out each week.

Life is hard enough as it is.

I like Dawes, especially when he speaks, but that article is absolute fluff that I'm sick of hearing.

I like the article and am happy these things are coming out of the club. While I think players always stick up for the coaching staff when asked during interviews regardless of their actual position, writing it in an article and putting your name on it is different.

What interested me most was the GPS numbers comment. Neeld referred to our running and GPS numbers in the press conference last Sunday too. Personally from watching I don't think we run hard enough when we don't have the ball, and possibly don't chase hard enough either.

If others have the same observations as me, but the GPS numbers say we are on par, I'm wondering if we're running hard at the wrong times? Are we doing more work in another part of the game than we should?

This may be the zone many people are complaining about, or something else.

What do people think? I certainly don't think our forward lead and double back and lead against. Etc as hard as other teams, and I certainly don't think our mids spread as fast or as far as other teams.

I like Dawes, especially when he speaks, but that article is absolute fluff that I'm sick of hearing.

The players admitting that they're not playing well enough is "fluff"? If you're sick of hearing the truth, then stop reading the paper and the forums.

What do you want to hear? Lies about them all being injured or something? It's pretty straightforward - they're not playing well enough. Dawes admitted it. Garland admitted it, all the poor sods asked to be captain have admitted it. It's not fluff, it's a pretty obvious fact.

The players admitting that they're not playing well enough is "fluff"? If you're sick of hearing the truth, then stop reading the paper and the forums.

What do you want to hear? Lies about them all being injured or something? It's pretty straightforward - they're not playing well enough. Dawes admitted it. Garland admitted it, all the poor sods asked to be captain have admitted it. It's not fluff, it's a pretty obvious fact.

It's fluff because all we ever hear are the apologies and the remorse... "Ohhhh we didn't see it coming" "Ohhhhh we need to try harder" wah wah wah....

Get some balls. Tell us something to get us up and about, not just the same old tearful sob stories. Sick of us being such an apologetic club.

Stop apologizing for what you should have done, and do what you're supposed to do!

I think the players have given up hope before the supporters have. They sure play that way.

Its all good and well from Dawes to write that stuff, but I think the majority of us a sick of hearing or reading about this kind of stuff. More on field action, less off field talking.

Far too much talk IMO

There is a lack of effort in some players and that effects the whole team performance

Its time for Neeld to pick 22 players that are willing to RUN and be accountable for their direct opponent

Basic accountable man on man football is a starting point to actually see what he has got and not rely of who looks good in a training scenario

This is a team sport and sharing the load will go along way to avoiding getting smashed in one quarter

Geeze if we do it for 4 quarters we just might be in a winning position

Its also why Port is in the 8

Neeld's senior coaching career is over if he cant

When you can do that THEN lets see if your game plan can work

You can have an extension if it does

I think your already history as its what i would have done in GAME 1 SEASON 1 of your tenure

Swampfox

I've been hoping the past few weeks when it looked like (and did) get belted by 10+ that Neeld would throw caution to the win and play a bit of man on man footy. If we got done by 10 goals so be it, but at least there were 18 blokes out there against 18 fighting tooth and nail for the ball.

I'd scrap "the so called" gameplan this week and from the first bounce get them playing man on man football from the start. It couldn't be any worse from the 6 slop fests the've dished up already could it?

After reading that article, does anyone really need convincing that Dawes was a good choice anymore? The guy has what we need.

He looks like he would be a good choice for FD boss or CEO in waiting, what we need him to be is a gun forward. That's what he is being paid well for.

Garland commented on something similar in his interview, that players were running, but not always to the right places or at the right times. He also made a comment in an earlier interview, that in the AFL, if you hesitate for a split second, it's already too late, and that that hesitation was making us look slow.

Dawes' point about time that should be put into improving as a team, now having to go into working on the basics, is an excellent one - albeit depressing. I like what he says and what he brings - a future coach I suspect. It's also great that he's now out on the field - not only to lead by example, but because now his input and leadership can come from the inside, and will carry more weight. Just a shame that the Jacks and Mitch aren't out there beside him.

Garland commented on something similar in his interview, that players were running, but not always to the right places or at the right times. He also made a comment in an earlier interview, that in the AFL, if you hesitate for a split second, it's already too late, and that that hesitation was making us look slow.

Dawes' point about time that should be put into improving as a team, now having to go into working on the basics, is an excellent one - albeit depressing. I like what he says and what he brings - a future coach I suspect. It's also great that he's now out on the field - not only to lead by example, but because now his input and leadership can come from the inside, and will carry more weight. Just a shame that the Jacks and Mitch aren't out there beside him.

I liked the way that Dawse took control of the forward line immediately motioning players where to stand. It was good to have a marshall down there. It would have been better if he had the ball delivered a little more often and when it did come in to have it delivered better. One thing when the ball came in, the monster backman was able to spoil so I would like to see him do a "buddy" and stick his bottom out so the backman cant reach far enough to spoil. Just a little thing but otherwise Dawes is and will bring a lot to this team and I like everyone else can't wait to get Mitch and Dawes and the ground at the same time. In fact I am looking forward to 5-7 weeks time!

Oh more platitudes.Sickening

If others have the same observations as me, but the GPS numbers say we are on par, I'm wondering if we're running hard at the wrong times? Are we doing more work in another part of the game than we should?

This may be the zone many people are complaining about, or something else.

What do people think?

I think we have - for several years - done most of our running just after the unmarked opponent gets the ball. We run after them.

Oh for some positive moves! Robbie Flower laments the stop-start-go-backwards lack of flow.

How must the stars of junior football who wind up at Melbourne long for the corridor, and remember tearing it up! Instead, they have been taught the counter-intuitive drivel of guarding nothing until the opposition are on their way to goal - and then we run...

Every cheap possession we give the unhurried opposition causes us to have another desperate chase. That's the bulk of our running. Exhausting and dispiriting, but implementing the Plan.

Good on him for saying it as it is. If it gets noses out of joints, tough.

"That sort of effort shouldn't need to be coached, and the fact that this week it does need to be coached is an indictment of the playing group"

Well said Chris.

For the morons calling this piece fluff, thank for reminding me of why I ignore you!

Oh more platitudes.Sickening

I envy you the life you must lead if an article in the sports section of the Sun is "sickening".

Get some balls. Tell us something to get us up and about, not just the same old tearful sob stories. Sick of us being such an apologetic club.

Couldn't agree more.

Neeld's senior coaching career is over if he cant

When you can do that THEN lets see if your game plan can work

You can have an extension if it does

I think your already history as its what i would have done in GAME 1 SEASON 1 of your tenure

I'd say Neeld's career is already over. All the players that didn't buy into the game plan last year are already gone.

The stop-start game flow touched on earlier in this thread has been going on for years and I desperately hoped this would disappear under Neeld but it has remained. Every opposition is all over that stop-start style of play .. years ago.

Some fans may have given up hope, but players haven't

> These ''suggestions'' are all changes for the sake of change that aren't going to achieve anything in the long run.

Change is coming from Peter Jackson, whether Dawes likes it or not.

The Dawes article was accurate as far as it went. Effort or lack of was evident, but the heart of the matter is why is this effort missing.

I suspect it's got a lot to do with low morale or a defeatist attitude - thinking that no matter what you do, it's not going to matter.

As Dawes correctly points out there is no silver bullet - but the team does need someone to inspire them and restore confidence.

And people still call for Neeld's head.

"Effort shouldn't have to be coached."

This playing group is lamentably poor. No ifs, buts or maybes.

I don't doubt the sincerity of what Chris Dawes is saying but there is an enormous disconnect between those thoughts and the way the team is performing out on the field every week. There could be a number of explanations for that - lack of confidence and self-belief, limitations as far as their ability both physical and mental is concerned, an inability to fully accept or take in the coach's tactics and strategies and generally succumbing to the pervasive political issues that have afflicted the club over the past two years.

Ultimately, Chris Dawes can talk till he's blue in the face but if the playing group runs out there and produces the slop that it presented us with last Sunday then, for better or worse, the public and the fans will continue to be non-believers.

After reading that article, does anyone really need convincing that Dawes was a good choice anymore? The guy has what we need.

Intellect?

I don't doubt the sincerity of what Chris Dawes is saying but there is an enormous disconnect between those thoughts and the way the team is performing out on the field every week.

I didn't need to read any more of this post. Spot on.

That said, it's important for the brand that the club faces the adversity front on and doesn't just hide underneath it. Then we'd have a REAL Fitzroy case on our hands.