Worst season ever?

[DoreenDee 59]

Sorry to bring the board down with more negative topics but I was just curious as to what has been our worst season on record? Is it this year being that we look like winning 2 games out of 23 played? I honestly stopped investing as much (emotionally, unfortunately not financially!) as I usually do quite a few rounds ago, but I'm just hoping that if this is as low as it get's then all is not lost and as they say it's always darkest just before the dawn. So if this is rock bottom then everyone should climb back on and enjoy the ride back up.

[jazza 1,323]

it is

we will be on the right track now

[Young Dee 1,303]

Couldn't really care less which season was our worst - I am sick of breaking records (and not of the good kind).

The only way to look is up!

[Jarka 767]

Nah, we had one season in the 70's where we just won one game, which was against the bullies and only because Flower took a mark and kicked a late goal. I was really young at the time, so others will probably correct me in some way.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,507]

Didn't we win only one game (and only just) in Barassi's first year as coach (1981, I think)?

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,507]

Nah, we had one season in the 70's where we just won one game, which was against the bullies and only because Flower took a mark and kicked a late goal. I was really young at the time, so others will probably correct me in some way.

We're probably thinking of the same season - I thought it was 1981.

[daisycutter 28,660]

Sorry to bring the board down with more negative topics but I was just curious as to what has been our worst season on record? Is it this year being that we look like winning 2 games out of 23 played? I honestly stopped investing as much (emotionally, unfortunately not financially!) as I usually do quite a few rounds ago, but I'm just hoping that if this is as low as it get's then all is not lost and as they say it's always darkest just before the dawn. So if this is rock bottom then everyone should climb back on and enjoy the ride back up.

22 not 23

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,507]

22 not 23

Just our luck. I'm sure we would have won the 23rd.

[DoreenDee 59]

22 not 23

Oops. Either way if we won only one game that year (1981?) would this year statistically still be worse as there's more games played?

[rpfc 27,611]

Oops. Either way if we won only one game that year (1981?) would this year statistically still be worse as there's more games played?

From a mathematic POV - no.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,507]

Mind you in the second half of the 60s and through the 70s we were consistently bad which meant we rarely made it onto TV. Those were the days when there were 6 games on a Saturday afternoon with no live TV broadcasts.Football Replay was must viewing on Saturday night but Melbourne rarely appeared. In short, if you didn't go to the game you barely noticed Melbourne's existence. There is an argument that it was less depressing because there was less bad football to watch. But throughout that time Melbourne was a virtually invisible team.

[Sir Why You Little 34,752]

I think this team is far worse than 1981.

We are about to get smashed in consecutive weeks by the new franchaise teams.

It totally sucks

Whiteboard Wednesday......remember!!

[daisycutter 28,660]

a comparison based on for/against percentages would be interesting

1981 1 win 63.5%

2013 2 win 53.6% (as of now)

[Hannibal 5,814]

Nah, we had one season in the 70's where we just won one game, which was against the bullies and only because Flower took a mark and kicked a late goal. I was really young at the time, so others will probably correct me in some way.

It was 1981. And I beg to differ.

That year we had a percentage of 63 at year's end compared to our current 53.

Also, we had players of the calibre of Flower, Gary Baker, Laurie Fowler, Gerard Healy, Peter Giles, Steve Smith, Cameron Clayton, and even other players past their best, or no world beaters in Crosswell, Pinnell, Michael Byrne, Kelly O'Donnell, Zantuck and Craig Hutchison. We even had Jacko kicking goals.

This year is EASILY the worst that the MFC has ever had.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,507]

It was 1981. And I beg to differ.

That year we had a percentage of 63 at year's end compared to our current 53.

Also, we had players of the calibre of Flower, Gary Baker, Laurie Fowler, Gerard Healy, Peter Giles, Steve Smith, Cameron Clayton, and even other players past their best, or no world beaters in Crosswell, Pinnell, Michael Byrne, Kelly O'Donnell, Zantuck and Craig Hutchison. We even had Jacko kicking goals.

This year is EASILY the worst that the MFC has ever had.

Greg Hutcheson, perhaps? And I'm not even sure I spelled his surname correctly.

[Ted Lasso 17,023]

how about we have a good season at some point in the next 100 years?

[praha 10,329]

I wasn't alive in the '70s but everyone I know that was says this is arguably the worst Melbourne team they've seen, maybe even one of the worst AFL clubs of all time if you consider the room and flexibility the club has had to build a respectable squad. GC had 2 seasons and is looking finals bound in 2014, GWS might not be far behind with some of its talent. IMO next year won't be much better, even if the club does land a super awesome experienced coach with magic powers. Not expecting any more than 4-5 wins.

TBH I just want a win against a decent side. While off finals yet.

[DeeVoted 582]

1919 would be our the worst season. 16 games played Wins = 0 43%

I can safely say I wasnt around back then, but perhaps WJ can shed some light on some of our performances he watched that year.

I cant remember any team playing as insipid as this current lot.

Edited August 9, 2013 by DeeVoted

[rufus 916]

Given that we are in a day and age where the professionalism in top level sports has reached such a great height, and at all other AFL clubs (even those that are struggling to win games) you can see a real care from the players and a real willingess to make the sacrifices required to be successfull, then yes this is possibly the worst season ever seen in VFL/AFL football.

It really shouldn't have been like this. We have obviously been poorly coached and poorly administered for some time, but the genuine lack of committment to contest, chase, harrass and fight for the jumper has hit an all time low (going past the low set last season).

Even after changing coaches to a man who is apparently well liked by the players and universally respected in football we were afforded perhaps a few quarters of proper AFL standard committed football before the malaise resumed.

If the players don't drive us out of this mess with a changed attitude over the next 2 years we are dead meat and will have no reason to complain as the tripe we serve up is painful for us supporters to watch. It's painful for opposition supporters to have to watch their players run around witches hats, and painful for any neutral supporter who just wants to sit in front of the TV and watch some good quality competitive sport.

[Maldonboy38 5,997]

1981 was a shocker, but there were many things that kept us interested:

the hope (that never really arrived) of having Barrassi back a the club.

Players like Flower and others mentioned above had some skill and flair.

We kicked a few decent scores and ended up with 63%

This year has lacked the vital ingredient of hope.

This year no player has stepped up and played spectacular footy (Howe's marking, Clarke's presence, Blease's run etc...)

I don't want to remain emotionally involved due to an absence of hope but I have supported the Dees for so long I just can't help it.

[Hellaintabadplacetobe 4,099]

It was 1981. And I beg to differ.

That year we had a percentage of 63 at year's end compared to our current 53.

Also, we had players of the calibre of Flower, Gary Baker, Laurie Fowler, Gerard Healy, Peter Giles, Steve Smith, Cameron Clayton, and even other players past their best, or no world beaters in Crosswell, Pinnell, Michael Byrne, Kelly O'Donnell, Zantuck and Craig Hutchison. We even had Jacko kicking goals.

This year is EASILY the worst that the MFC has ever had.

Agree entirely.

I grew up as a teenager with all those names. We didn't win many games in the 70s n 80s but we always had a crack and often took it up to more fancied teams only to be beaten in the last quarter.

This year, most matches have been done by quarter time and become painful and boring to watch.

Certainly in my lifetime , this is the worst year by a street. 2012 was the worst up until this year... Going well aren't we!

[Hannibal 5,814]

Greg Hutcheson, perhaps? And I'm not even sure I spelled his surname correctly.

Significant stuff.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,507]

Actually, I think there's more hope for us now than throughout the 70s. It's got nothing to do with how we play today - which is as bad as it's ever been - but everything to do with the structural changes made to the AFL (then called VFL) in the mid-1980s. The salary cap, draft and trading rules give no hoper clubs a chance to fix themselves if they have competent administration and coaching. Back in the 70s and early 80s, teams like Carlton, Richmond and Collingwood bought success by plucking the cream out of WA, SA, Tasmania and struggling Victorian clubs.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,507]

Significant stuff.

As is this

[CHAMP 347]

1919 would be our the worst season. 16 games played Wins = 0 43%

I can safely say I wasnt around back then, but perhaps WJ can shed some light on some of our performances he watched that year.

I cant remember any team playing as insipid as this current lot.

Statistically it might seem quite bleak but it should be noted that the club was resuming after an absence due to The Great War.

In 1918 only 8 teams competed, in 1919 we became the 9th. It would have been a very scratchy side (very likely with a number of NQRs and hand-me-downs).

Give the big tick to 1981, I went to most of them and it wasn't a lot of fun. Not as gut-wrenching as the past two seasons however.