i had never left a game early.....

[Gorgoroth 12,950]

the cr@p i was forced to watch made me and most members around me furious and i must say that i was ready to murder someone, (must have shown too becasue the saints supporters next to us in the afl members never said a word)

by the 15 min mark of the 3rd quarter i was ready to go (as i have a very early flight, im waiting for it now) so a nice 4.30 am get up was already on my mind, by the 2oth min mark i left

it felt strange and wrong but i could not watch the cr@p that was on offer, i agree with sam newman, 60 possessions per goal is something i dont want to watch

i heard on the radio at 3/4 time ND blasted the players and it made me laugh, now why would he do that? it was his brilliant game plan they were executing, instead he should have appoligized to them then walked to every member and apoligized to us as well

the worst thing is the saints didnt even play well

the best thing is if we never play that style again we may have a chance

but something tells me this year wont be an improvement

[grazman 7,436]

the cr@p i was forced to watch made me and most members around me furious and i must say that i was ready to murder someone, (must have shown too becasue the saints supporters next to us in the afl members never said a word)

by the 15 min mark of the 3rd quarter i was ready to go (as i have a very early flight, im waiting for it now) so a nice 4.30 am get up was already on my mind, by the 2oth min mark i left

it felt strange and wrong but i could not watch the cr@p that was on offer, i agree with sam newman, 60 possessions per goal is something i dont want to watch

i heard on the radio at 3/4 time ND blasted the players and it made me laugh, now why would he do that? it was his brilliant game plan they were executing, instead he should have appoligized to them then walked to every member and apoligized to us as well

the worst thing is the saints didnt even play well

the best thing is if we never play that style again we may have a chance

but something tells me this year wont be an improvement

I was watching it live here in Canberra on Main Event. I stopped watching after the third quarter and let my daughter watch Kim Possible instead.

She said: "Don't you want to keep watching football?" (but really wanting to watch her cartoon)

I said: "No I've seen this one before"

[CARN THE DEES! 14]

I feel exactly the same thing, we played shithouse last night and i hope we played like we did in the 4th and do one thing KICK THE FREAKING FOOTBALL!!!

[Jaded No More 68,915]

Speaking of the reaction of ND.... someone explain this one to me....

"We played very dumb football in those second and third quarters."

Demons must rebound, says Daniher

If we were playing dumb football, why didn't you do something about it?!

Why didn't you change the game plan, stock up the forward line, instruct our players to play their natural game where kicking is not punishable by death?

You could have saved the game at half time, instead you let your side, the one you've been teaching for 10 years now, go out on the field and handball to stationary players.

Well, at least we didn't "run out of legs" again!

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Speaking of the reaction of ND.... someone explain this one to me....

"We played very dumb football in those second and third quarters."

Demons must rebound, says Daniher

If we were playing dumb football, why didn't you do something about it?!

Why didn't you change the game plan, stock up the forward line, instruct our players to play their natural game where kicking is not punishable by death?

You could have saved the game at half time, instead you let your side, the one you've been teaching for 10 years now, go out on the field and handball to stationary players.

Well, at least we didn't "run out of legs" again!

Welcome to the dark side Jaded.

Many of us have this have been arguing this now for almost three years now.

Was anyone else frustrated by the lack of forwards? Moreover, Bruce and Davey playing in defence?

Of course the players are going to over-use the ball and look to hand pass, when they have no one to kick it to!

[Dreamin' Demon 10]

That game plan failed in the NAB cup, yet we continued with it in the main season - whata joke. Hopefully this will be the last time we see it. Better a loss now.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

That game plan failed in the NAB cup, yet we continued with it in the main season - whata joke. Hopefully this will be the last time we see it. Better a loss now.

What really gives me the "runs and curry" is that at the start of the game when Melbourne were leading, they weren't using this stupid tactic.

They had a forward line and they were kicking the ball long and direct. As a result, they were leading.

Then at the end of the first quarter, McDonald waved his arm to signal to the Melbourne players and the St Kilda players that they were going to stop trying.

What happened?

The ball was chipped around the back line four or five times and in that time no progress was made up the ground. St Kilda then got an easy interception in their forward line, but lucky for Melbourne Goddard sprayed his kick wide.

And people talk about how good "tempo football" is.

From that point on Melbourne never went back to the tactics that were winning

them the game early on.

Here's the equation:

Forward line + long, direct, fast moving footy = good football = win (First quarter)

No forward line + "tempo football" + "runs and curry" = bad football = loss (Last three quarters)

Personally, I don't know which one is better. Because after all I'm just an "uninformed" spectator.

If anyone comes out with "there was nothing wrong with the plan, it was just poorly executed" then I suggest they take a very long cold shower.

[TonyMelb 7]

Welcome to the dark side Jaded.

Many of us have this have been arguing this now for almost three years now.

Was anyone else frustrated by the lack of forwards? Moreover, Bruce and Davey playing in defence?

Of course the players are going to over-use the ball and look to hand pass, when they have no one to kick it to!

The performance last night was a repeat of the NAB game against Hawks and in both cases our handball happy gamestyle has made the other side look impressive! Saints played OK but were not great but they at least handled the ball surely.

The MFC version of run and carry has an a familar look - a la Neil Balme style and will have the same result as his last year if not changed.

If ND concedeswas dumb football then who is responsible for that???? The coaches! Grant Thomas on SEN said 2 salient things -1. Demons were disciplined -(clearly followed drills they were taught!) but wasnt working and 2. amazed at total lack of reaction or adjustment to way Ross Lyon (who may have been coacging his first AFL game???) wanted the game to be played!!!

MFC could improve both its on field perfomance and off field financial perfomance by sacking all the coaches which would save $1.5 to $2m in wages and remove negative impact on playing group..Win win!!!

instead of MFC buildiong upon the foundation of last year and a style that won 12 games at the G, which is what you would expect the team has gone backwards. Worse start than last year. Capitulated early, many looked underdone and wouldnt chase!

And this morning the papers have Cam Bruce in the best player. WTF???? by the stats in the screen he had 6 kicks early in last qtr. Maybe I was at a different game?

Looking at the brighter side I am about to take my boys to the Junior members footy clinic! last one was after 2nd drubbing by Carlton last year. Its being held in the Melb Aquatic centre - basketball courts. Should suit us fine as is indoors and so a lot more handball and less kicking!!!

Thankfully for MFC a lot of us have already paid our 2007 memberships. last night effort would not have convinced any doubters to pay up. :angry:

[NO MERGER 20]

No excuses, only solutions.

Posession football has been a lingering disease at Melbourne since the days of John Northey and Neale Balme.

It needs to go.

[Demon15 0]

[quote name='TonyMelb' date='Mar 31 2007, 09:43 AM' post='62932]

The performance last night was a repeat of the NAB game against Hawks and in both cases our handball happy gamestyle has made the other side look impressive!

[WonnaJurah 5]

it seems that every coach in there first game wins

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

it seems that every coach in there first game wins

That's because their first game is always against Daniher.

[WonnaJurah 5]

true that

[Kiss of Death 755]

I also left the game early last night, at 3qtr time, yes i felt bad for it, but the point was that the Dees i went to watch didn't turn up. The signs were there when Wardy was running into the defensive goalsquare and he just randomly thumped it 45 out to a 2 on 1 instead of popping it through, and when Aaron decided to try and drop Baker (using his forearm to the neck/head).

The horrible thing is that small events like Robbo's ripper of a goal and Whitey's first big leap (looked like MOTY if he'd taken it, i was on the other side of the ground though) were the only things that were really keeping me there past half time. A huge fat racist saints fan spouting rubbish near me certainly didn't help either.

It really does gut you that you watch the beginning of the game and think "yes, that NAB cup rubbish is behind us" and we boot 3 quick goals going long and direct into our forward line, and it's undone by an insistence to handball into trouble less than 5m away. Wouldn't it be better to kick it into trouble 55m away? Then again, i'm just a fan, what would i know

I'm just interested to see whether Hawthorn will start going handball crazy again and we can go next week to watch the equivalent of handball drills at training

[WonnaJurah 5]

il be at the hawks game tonite , friends dragging me along see how they go

[Guest dee'viator]

Speaking of the reaction of ND.... someone explain this one to me....

"We played very dumb football in those second and third quarters."

Demons must rebound, says Daniher

If we were playing dumb football, why didn't you do something about it?!

Why didn't you change the game plan, stock up the forward line, instruct our players to play their natural game where kicking is not punishable by death?

You could have saved the game at half time, instead you let your side, the one you've been teaching for 10 years now, go out on the field and handball to stationary players.

Well, at least we didn't "run out of legs" again!

Jaded, i feel the same way, but in reality we really didn't play well last night. I watched the taped replay for ours last night rewinding & slow-mo etc, we started off well but stkilda just kept winding the screws (of defensive pressure) on more & more & plugging the spaces ahead of the ball which forced us to overuse the handball. This was Lyons plan to cause the turnover than attack to their tall forwards who by then had space. They played great last night & fully deserved to win.

We had 1 or 2 too many inexperienced youngsters in the side last night whilst trying to implement this new game plan, & we lacked marking targets up forward & play makers off half/back.

We have to give this new game plan 3 or 4 matches to see if we can implement it successfully before caving in.

Stkilda played at finals intensity last night & I for 1 was very impressed with their full on at it attitude, they barely let us breath.

I just read Danihers article & he's told it like it is, spot on. the personell were'nt up to it last night & lacked composure in the back half.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

I just read Danihers article & he's told it like it is, spot on. the personell were'nt up to it.

By personnel you mean the coaching staff, right?

[Guest dee'viator]

By personnel you mean the coaching staff, right?

well, that to.

[Gouga 569]

I get so excited about our prospects and it is not until I watch us play that I realise:

1) Our coach is not good enough tactically

2) If our midfield is not on top our defence crumbles

3) We starve our forwards of oppurtunity through stupidity

4) Our best players are not accountable

5) We will never see Brock McLean injury free

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,828]

I find it amazing that ND and the players kept saying "Round 1 is the focus, not pre season games". Perhaps if they made a concerted effort to take the pre-season seriously, perhaps they may have been better equiped to handle last nights disaster. After all they are dress rehersals!!

I saw the warning signs against Geelong and Hawthorn but I was seduced by everyone's optimism about us being a contender...and therefore ignored the warning signs.

Well we are not a contender and we'll seriously struggle to make the 8.

[Rampaging Demons 1]

I too left erly this evening at three quarter time....

By this stage I had seen enough of what I hope was a one off....

Neale Daniher was totally outcoached yet again and this time by a first gamer!!!

I thought that our backline performed admirably - the batle of Gehrig vs Carroll was a cracker. However, this batle emphasised the issues at the other end.. how many times was carroll left to defend their key forward on his own... how many times did neitz have three people to compete against... surely there were others that we could have gone through....

cameron bruce was matched up by jason blake... and he went with him everywhere except the midield...

this new catch phrase of gut running... did not see it because robert harvey showed us exactly what this is all about.....

one positve - we cannot get any worse!!!

[Scoop Junior 3,472]

Well we are not a contender and we'll seriously struggle to make the 8.

2006 Rd 1 Essendon d Sydney - Sydney lose GF by a point.

2006 Rd 1 Carlton d Melbourne - Carlton win two more for the year.

While we were disastrous last night and I was extremely disappointed, I don't think you can make such sweeping statements after Round 1. Very, very early days still.

[davey_magik 1]

Still early days, but ND must realise we have to throw the run and carry gameplan out the window.

We are not WCE. I'm sick of ND trying to copy sides. First he tried to copy the hard teams (True, we were soft) by recruiting McLean and Sylvia, then last year we tried to copy Sydney with the chip it around gameplan, now we're trying to be WCE by using run and carry all the time.

When we won games last year we did a mixture of all of those. We were the best tackling team in the competition, we kicked long and short depending on the situation and we above all were disciplined.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

To all of you who are asking for Daniher's head because of this so-called "new gameplan," consider this...

If we played our stronger game, kicking long and basically playing like we did all last year, we will win all our games at the G bar maybe one, and continue to get done by the better sides. If we want a repeat of last season, then we go the way most people are talking here. If we want change something has to be done differently.

The worst thing about all of this...

ND can throw any amount of gameplans at the dees, and sadly, only one works with the skill sets available to the current list. We will revert back to our A-game and win some matches, but the same crap will keep happening against WC and Sydney.

When you boil it down, ND isn't capable of teaching this list a different brand of footy. Maybe it's partly the team's problem in not being able to adapt? Maybe it's ND's fault? Maybe he doesn't have the trainers and support to bring about change?

Who knows. All I can say is we're in big trouble. My early season pessimism about the demons has returned, and I'm finding it hard again to get excited about coming weekends.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

To all of you who are asking for Daniher's head because of this so-called "new gameplan," consider this...

I think you would find that if you went back and watched the games from last year (easier said than done) you would find that in most of the games Melbourne lost, their main tactic wasn't to kick the ball long and quickly through the middle of the ground.

People have been complaining about "tempo football" and now "runs and curry" because we see that it doesn't work.

On the other hand we see how Melbourne played against Collingwood, Fremantle at the MCG and St Kilda (the first half of the first game) and realise just how well they play when they play long, direct football.

Moreover, I don't think that the fact that all these games were played at the MCG is what helped them play that much better than their opposition sides.