I blame linguine arms Morton

I blame bennell. which one? ... ... ah both of them... I blame both of them.

Thought the match was pretty depressing, but was nothing compared to reading a few pages of this thread. Plenty here are just kidding themselves.

While we're counting on a bunch of under 21 year olds, some of whom have only a handful of games, performances are always going to be all over the shop. You look at some of the players who we're having to count: Viney, 40 games, Tyson 45, Gawn 31, without even starting on Brayshaw, Hogan etc. Maybe when there's a 1 before all those numbers we'll be able to start going into melt-down for losing "must-win" matches, but until then ...

It takes years, there's no way around it. It takes years to get the personnel in place, but then it takes more years for them to learn to play as a team. Just the way it is.

Western Bulldogs tonight

Fletcher Roberts 16 games

Michael Talia 24 games

Lachie Hunter 26 games

Marcus Bontempelli 27 games

Caleb Daniel 2 games

Jake stringer 40 games

Jackson Macrea 45 games

Josh Prudden 1 game

Jack Redpath 6 games

Jason Johanisson 47 games

We lost to their VFL rejects with our best 22.

We had this coming.

Yes but the exact antithesis of what you are saying is what others are complaining about: that we bombed long and aimlessly into the enemy's hands

I didn't mean to say that every kick from the stoppage has to be a sky high bomb, but rather that instead of stupid handballs that were ineffective and turned the ball over, time and time again, a kick to a player away from the pack would have been better. That is exactly what the Bombers did and it then allowed them time and space to set up for goal.

We won the stoppages, but if you watch the game again you will see us with first hands on the ball, then a handball, then a turnover and then a Bomber running away with the ball.

Sylvia...it actually wasn't that wet or blustery

Yes we have to continue to be patient but most seem to be forgetting that we played kids today who wanted it more - they ran back to defend, pressure, get numbers around it - this is why we were inaccurate today (for those who couldn't get to the game). We weren't given any set shot opportunities by 'our bunnies'

Forget about naming names (apart from T Mac who we expected to do nearly every job today) - we are a team who doesn't have the winning psyche & wanted the opposition to set the tone

Absolutely filthy

Sylvia...it actually wasn't that wet or blustery

Very little rain. No wind, except from BBO next to me. Foul.

Being stuck up here in Noosa I was debating whether to watch the match on Fox or go fishing. Haven't seen anything of the match and I definitely made the right decision although I didn't even get a nibble but I was fully relaxed and not agitated for the afternoon and got some sun as well. Reading the aftermath here has left me depressed and I want to know what it is that we do to induce opposition forwards to kick straight? Cloke 7.0, now Daniher 5.0. Every time those guys play someone else they will kick 2.5 or 1.4. Then we would win. The other question for me is Max's dominance in the ruck but we barely won the clearances, his efforts should have set us up for a win.

Being stuck up here in Noosa I was debating whether to watch the match on Fox or go fishing. Haven't seen anything of the match and I definitely made the right decision although I didn't even get a nibble but I was fully relaxed and not agitated for the afternoon and got some sun as well. Reading the aftermath here has left me depressed and I want to know what it is that we do to induce opposition forwards to kick straight? Cloke 7.0, now Daniher 5.0. Every time those guys play someone else they will kick 2.5 or 1.4. Then we would win. The other question for me is Max's dominance in the ruck but we barely won the clearances, his efforts should have set us up for a win.

Read post 354.

Read post 354.

RL this lack of midfield clearance smarts has been a problem for years. Can you coach it to improve or is it imbedded in your mids. They either have it or they don't? You watch The Dorks and at every centre bounce they seem to have plenty of space to offload the ball to one, then another team mate, then they are off. With us it just a tap to someone who tries to barge through a pack, gets tackled and draws another ball up or as you say puts out a short handball to another in similar traffic.

Cannot think of much to say tonight.....just so sad that having loyally following this club that teases so uncaringly for so long that I actually thought that this outcome was quite predictable.

Just so inept.

Just so little to look forward to as the next weekend approaches.

An occasional teasing surprise, then this predictable crap.

Jesus, the Essendon supporters who've overtaken the game day thread on BF are insufferable.

I literally could not despise a more ignorant, pathetic, braindead bunch of morons any more than Drug Cheat supporters.

I've just had a look and thought the Bombers supporters on there were fine. Mostly responding to other supporters (not Melbourne) trolling them about celebrating too much after the win. None of them really said much about us and are just happy their team won a game everyone tipped them to get smashed in after losing by 110 points last week.

There is a definite problem with us coping with big forwards - Cloke 7, Riewoldt 4, Darling 5, Daniher 5 over the past weeks. That is why Fitz has to come in - his form has been OK and at least his size allows him to compete 1:1. It's not rocket surgery.

Being stuck up here in Noosa I was debating whether to watch the match on Fox or go fishing. Haven't seen anything of the match and I definitely made the right decision although I didn't even get a nibble but I was fully relaxed and not agitated for the afternoon and got some sun as well. Reading the aftermath here has left me depressed and I want to know what it is that we do to induce opposition forwards to kick straight? Cloke 7.0, now Daniher 5.0. Every time those guys play someone else they will kick 2.5 or 1.4. Then we would win. The other question for me is Max's dominance in the ruck but we barely won the clearances, his efforts should have set us up for a win.

One of the knocks in our wins last year was commonly inferior numbers as to scoring shots but I think it was a matter of guarding space and pushing opposition forward possessions deep and wide. Without a careful study, I suspect we're still trying to attempt this but with a lot less success. And you got about as much nibbler as we did today.

Don't agree and think this is becoming an excuse up there with interrupted pre-season. Watch the bulldogs today they have 8 or so teenagers but don't appear to know that they should be all over he shop. If a player is picked they are should be up to the task. No excuses. We should have won today. The dons had 10 of their first 22 out. It was a third rate side and we lost. No sugar coating "inability to win" and " fear of favoritism" etc is sheer drivel.

Spot on, Samael.

Thought the match was pretty depressing, but was nothing compared to reading a few pages of this thread. Plenty here are just kidding themselves.

While we're counting on a bunch of under 21 year olds, some of whom have only a handful of games, performances are always going to be all over the shop. You look at some of the players who we're having to count: Viney, 40 games, Tyson 45, Gawn 31, without even starting on Brayshaw, Hogan etc. Maybe when there's a 1 before all those numbers we'll be able to start going into melt-down for losing "must-win" matches, but until then ...

It takes years, there's no way around it. It takes years to get the personnel in place, but then it takes more years for them to learn to play as a team. Just the way it is.

Come off it, how many young kids did Essendon have in today as well?

No excuses for today's effort, the only thing that makes it even more annoying is how bloody predictable it was. Was there any Melbourne supporters out there who didn't think "oh [censored]" as soon as Essendon lost by 100 points last week?

Why was McDonald thrown forward in the last

It very nearly worked!

Wow fancy that, supporters not happy with the coach after a loss.

I wasn't rapt with Roos today. But he can only do so much. He picked the team most of us wanted. He's known to coach a defensive and one on one based style. I'm sure he didn't advise the players to have terrible forward entries in the 2nd quarter and I'm sure he didn't ask for them to put in terrible efforts in the 3rd.

agreed GRRM

Geez i held back tears watching those Crows boys in the centre circle and then walking off the ground together. Unbelievably emotional. Well done to West Coast and their fans for the respect they showed those young men. They are going through hell, it is painful to see.

How Melbourne are we.....

(Sorry if someone already posted the same thing, but there just aint no way im reading this thread all the way through)

There is a definite problem with us coping with big forwards - Cloke 7, Riewoldt 4, Darling 5, Daniher 5 over the past weeks. That is why Fitz has to come in - his form has been OK and at least his size allows him to compete 1:1. It's not rocket surgery.

Lovely mixing of metaphors. Rocket science + brain surgery!! ;-)

Lovely mixing of metaphors. Rocket science + brain surgery!! ;-)

lCourtesy of the Coodabeens

You wanna make yourselves angrier than you already are? Go look at Jay Kennedy Harris' Instagram. Lovely photo golf him out on the booze with Vince post game all smiles. Petracca also with them. Reminds me of Beamer and Sylvia.

Hope that works

All above the shoulders this game. Just knew we would lose it. I don't know if they were cocky coming in to the game, flat from Darwin. Only played 15 mins of footy. Awful brand of football today.