http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-v-demons-no-debate-now-20130516-2jo9h.html

Can someone explain to me what the point of this article is - how does this type of journalism amount to anything more than kicking the weak kid while he is down? There is nothing new about this MFC-bashing of course, but it isn't even masquerading as having some sort of point/argument to it, it is purely just a whack.

He spends 850 words to delve no deeper than the obvious, yet pointless, sentiment expressed in the 6-word title .

This is really, really, really starting to get me.

Pissweak work by Connolly

The point of it is to kick us.

People like yourself linking it in disgust and then a bunch of other melb fans clicking on it and talking about it.

In all honestly i dont mind reading the Melbourne / Richmond articles. Its depressing as hell, but it is true, 2 or 3 years ago we were on par with each other. Now there is daylight between us and them some

Churnalism.

In all honestly i dont mind reading the Melbourne / Richmond articles. Its depressing as hell, but it is true, 2 or 3 years ago we were on par with each other. Now there is daylight between us and them some

Is that latent masochism on display?

Send Connolly a tweet, i"m about to, he actually replies if he thinks it worthy, got him for four yesterday

I didn't mind reading the comparison actually.

Mark Neeld should read it. Forget the text books and just get plain angry.

Even try saying the word "win" occasionally.

Might just work.

The truth hurts - a lot

It's taught me one thing.

When we get off the ground - and we will because it's only a matter of time - I will not be humble.

I will let the world know how good we are and do what Ted Whitten implored of his players once - "stick it right up em".

Pretty pointless article I agree, but it is a sobering thought that in 2010, the Tigers and us were practically neck and neck. I remember looking forward to a future rivalry between the league's two great underachievers of recent times. This dark tunnel is a bit longer than I had anticipated.

People seem to conveniently forget that Richmond went through a rebuild from around 2002. They haven't played in the finals for 4 or 5 years longer than us and languished near the bottom that whole time. I see comparisons in that we made very similar drafting mistakes as they did. Unfortunately it will take us longer as we stuffed up right before the expansion teams came in so our second crack at drafting was with a diluted draft pool. They still had a lot better picks second time around and got them right with Cotchin and Conca and a few others. So really Richmond have been rebuilding for quite a few more years than us but no one seems to remember this, something with journalists and short memories.

However as bad as we have been over these years the fact is we still have played finals before richmond has. We last played finals in 06. Since then we have been pretty crap but richmond havent made September before 06 and there are no guarantees this year.

People seem to conveniently forget that Richmond went through a rebuild from around 2002. They haven't played in the finals for 4 or 5 years longer than us and languished near the bottom that whole time. I see comparisons in that we made very similar drafting mistakes as they did. Unfortunately it will take us longer as we stuffed up right before the expansion teams came in so our second crack at drafting was with a diluted draft pool. They still had a lot better picks second time around and got them right with Cotchin and Conca and a few others. So really Richmond have been rebuilding for quite a few more years than us but no one seems to remember this, something with journalists and short memories.

Good points, well made

From the headline I thought it would be a calming reminder that regardless of our administrative or cultural problems, we simply don't have the talent to compete. That would be a useful article.

Instead we get paragraph after paragraph or unreadable dross whose sole purpose is to tell us something we already know - the absolute antithesis of what "news" should be about.

Shocking.

Wait, no . . . the other thing. Predictable. Yeah, that's it. Utterly predictable.

From the headline I thought it would be a calming reminder that regardless of our administrative or cultural problems, we simply don't have the talent to compete. That would be a useful article.

Instead we get paragraph after paragraph or unreadable dross whose sole purpose is to tell us something we already know - the absolute antithesis of what "news" should be about.

Shocking.

Wait, no . . . the other thing. Predictable. Yeah, that's it. Utterly predictable.

What do you expect?

After all, he works under Caroline Wilson.

It's rubbish.

Does anyone need an article to tell them that Richmond is better than us? Of course not, everyone knows that.

This article is just Connolly enjoying making fun of how bad we are, making fun of those like Voss and Lyon who said good things about our future in 2010, and pumping up Richmond (I assume in the hope that they crash again this year, providing more things to say).

As much as I don't like the article, it's only because it hurts to read how poor we've become. Imagine if the names "Richmond" and "Melbourne" were swapped in that article and how much we'd all relish reading the story. Richmond supporters will be loving what they read.

Connolly has just done his job - and he's done it better than our team has recently. As always, the best response is to beat the Tigers on the weekend. Not only will a win make us feel better, it will make Richmond (and its supporters and the media) question their performance level. The longer Richmond stays out of finals the better, if only because (as I'm sure I've read somewhere else on Demonland) they're the only team without a finals appearance for a longer period than us.

You know what? Melbourne bring it on themselves. Pathetic effort week in week out.

We deserve it. Someone tell me why we don't??

The players have a lot to answer for here. Their efforts are frankly pizweak. Are they trying to kill the club.

How can we not tackle?? How can we not chase?? How can we not hit a target from 20m? How can we not kick in from a point? How do we let a team get 12 clearances in a row??

The players are killing the club. Its time we turned the heat on them. If its true they revolted after 186 its a disgrace. If it is still happening it is even worse.

I am not a MN fan but he is not telling the players to play like this He is telling them to pay with abandon - "don't worry about mistakes" "Take the game on" etc etc Are they doing it? No.

Why are they not under fire? My loyalty is to the club, its tradition and its colours. Players come and go - very quickly in some circumstances. If this current crop of players destroys that - which they are doing - then it will increase my anger even more.

Pull your fingers out of your clacker and try . Try harder. Run, Tackle chase. You dont need elite skills - just commitment.

well said big fella

you can hate the coach

you can want to leave the club

you may not care about your mates

but there is absolutely no excuse for not tackling

The media's role is to scrutinise.

It is scrutinising the club.

Don't be such a pansy like the club and get all offended by the true words of a fickle [censored] writing for a crap newspaper.

What he says is not untrue. But let him get his shares on Facebook. He's not wrong. He's really just a messenger. Don't hate the player; hate the game.

And Melbourne's game is worth hating right now. Without Melbourne's crap gameplan there is no Melbourne bashing. Solution: Pucker up and earn some respect.

People seem to conveniently forget that Richmond went through a rebuild from around 2002. They haven't played in the finals for 4 or 5 years longer than us and languished near the bottom that whole time. I see comparisons in that we made very similar drafting mistakes as they did. Unfortunately it will take us longer as we stuffed up right before the expansion teams came in so our second crack at drafting was with a diluted draft pool. They still had a lot better picks second time around and got them right with Cotchin and Conca and a few others. So really Richmond have been rebuilding for quite a few more years than us but no one seems to remember this, something with journalists and short memories.

Careful with some home truths around here. Its too easy to pot the journalist than actually harden up and face some reality

It is however a bit rum to suggest they had better picks when we have squandered the farm with some of the worst recruiting 2007-2010 which only compounded some really awful recruiting 2000-2007.

Since 1982 richmond. Have maded the finals 2 time, the dees have played two grand finals, 1988,2000,and 12 times made the finals. So 12 to 2 in 30 years

As pathetic as we are at the moment, I'd still back us to win a flag before Richmond.

You know what? Melbourne bring it on themselves. Pathetic effort week in week out.

We deserve it. Someone tell me why we don't?

.

Absolutely agree.

I am not a MN fan but he is not telling the players to play like this He is telling them to pay with abandon - "don't worry about mistakes" "Take the game on" etc etc .

Neeld is principally responsible for what happens on the field. He has coming into this Club telling them privately and publicly that they are not fit enough, they don't how to train properly and they lack leadership and the leadership is not good enough. He has shredded players that were looked up to. He has basically told them they are not good enough. He has killed any sense of belief, hope and confidence across the playing group without exception. It was bad enough last year but he came into this year expecting a competitive performing team. He got blown away in Round 1 and he stated he could not work out why. He did not have a clue. It's only just twigged to him in Round 2 that he has in 18 months annihilated their belief in themselves and his structures. The comments you referred to were before the Essendon game were the desperate pleas of a coach who had no idea what was going on. And do you think they believe the coach?? After 18 months under this bloke they're too scared to make mistakes and don't believe they can win games.

In fact Neeld flew the white flag before the GCS complaining about the lack of experience against the GCS. How can the players respond when the coach gives pre game excuses?

The players are accountable for individual performances. But the coach is responsible for how the team performs? On any metric Neeld is a disaster and its a matter of time before they sack him.

Edited May 16, 201312 yr by Rhino Richards