An Experimental 2008

[the fork 357]

Amongst all this banter about, lists, delistings, goners and the like. Just thought I’d share my opinion.

We need to commit to the idea of an experimental 2008.

It seems we just want Dean Bailey to make right what Neale Daniher got wrong.

To me this desire relies on the assumption that we have seen the absolute best from our list. Are we willing to judge our players and their potential based on what Neale Daniher got out of them?

Under Dean Bailey our players will approach the game very differently next year. It seems that he is willing to play every player, not purely on what has been, but on their ‘true’ merit as he (a immense football brain by all accounts) sees it.

While I believe there are players on our list that have to go, we as a club must be willing to allow Bailey to get to know the true worth of our players, to experiment and most importantly, discover their potential under him.

[Guest fatty]

We need to commit to the idea of an experimental 2008.

Nice post Fork and good to see a positive sentiment although I prefer the word “developmental” to “experimental”.

All Bailey has done is passed the interview and my mail is he “terrified” the board into giving him the job. We have no idea if he is a good coach or not – and even if he is, can he get the most out of his charges? Its all ahead of him.

I just want to see an improvement on 2007. Anything more than this would be icing.

[the fork 357]

No worries fatty, I'll run with "developmental", I opted for the term 'experimental' to give Dean plenty of room to make inevitable mistakes. Mistakes we have to make along the way.

We made plenty of mistakes in 2007, all of them with a backward thrust. I would much prefer our mistakes to me made in developing (there's that word again) our players and our style of play.

We as a group of supporters have to do just that, support. Hence my optimism for Bailey.

I am a youngish Demons supporter, but old enough to have felt "the pain". What I think so many older Melbourne supporters, particularly on forums like this, often loose sight of is that those who really love the club must remain positive. No matter what. It's hard and I'm not particularly great at it myself, but great clubs don't come from the depths of cynicism.

[Yze_Magic 3]

Ill bet Bailey is licking his lips at the prospect of nurturing Sylvia, Bate, Newton and Dunn

He could turn them all into absolute stars

I have a feeling he has big plans for Matthew Bate and COlin Sylvia especially.

[Jarka 767]

Ill bet Bailey is licking his lips at the prospect of nurturing Sylvia, Bate, Newton and Dunn

He could turn them all into absolute stars

I have a feeling he has big plans for Matthew Bate and COlin Sylvia especially.

I'm very, very happy to hear he thinks Bate and Dunn should be played in the midfield and not forward, i hope that also extends to Sylvia as well. I believe he's played his best footy their where he can play his 'impact' style of footy.

[AzzKikA 2,369]

So far i like the cut of Bailey's gib.

Like many others i can't wait to see what he can give us all at MFC.

Also i cannot wait to see what his plans are for our players.

[deanox 8,628]

All Bailey has done is passed the interview and my mail is he “terrified” the board into giving him the job.

what do you mean by this fatty?

[Guest fatty]

what do you mean by this fatty?

It was a comment made by one of the board members that Dean Bailey is a very tough character. They were scared what he would do if he wasn’t given the job. Was a joke only.

My point was that Bailey has done little more to date than passed the interview. The delistings of Ward & Godfrey were expected and were not born from the mind of a coaching genius.

Turning Godfrey into a "Chris Judd" clone in the offseason – now that would be something!!!

[QueenC 74]

The delistings of Ward & Godfrey were expected and were not born from the mind of a coaching genius.

And yet it has only just happened.......

I believe that Bailey will hold onto a couple of the more unpopular souls (maybe a Miller, Johnson or Warnock, or the like) that are still relatively young and have shown some potential, to see what he can do with them under his coaching and his conditions over the next twelve months (and twelve months only).

This should be expected to a degree and we should support it, especially given we can't flick everyone we want in the one go !!!

[deanox 8,628]

It was a comment made by one of the board members that Dean Bailey is a very tough character. They were scared what he would do if he wasn’t given the job. Was a joke only.

My point was that Bailey has done little more to date than passed the interview. The delistings of Ward & Godfrey were expected and were not born from the mind of a coaching genius.

Turning Godfrey into a "Chris Judd" clone in the offseason – now that would be something!!!

cheers