long and direct before the opposition get back to clog our forward line. when our forward line is open we are near unbeatable. Getting beaten by Carlton twice in 06 showed the rest of the league how to defeat us

“Last year our pre-season was more to do with run and carry. We focussed on that so much that we didn’t really get in to play the game and win the ball,” he said.

“Because of that we couldn’t get the ball inside 50 and our scoring opportunities were limited.”

Interesting...

I was probably the biggest critic of us doing it, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with it as a style of football.

It's just that it works best when you have a midfield with breakaway pace playing on an open ground. While we play on an open ground, we don't have breakaway clearance pace, and therefore it was never ever going to work for us.

As was said at the time, Sydney would never try it at the SCG, nor would West Coast try Sydney's style of footy at Subiaco. You play to your strengths, and for us that was a pretty potent forward line (before all the injuries).

After four years of constantly copying last years Premiers I'm looking forward to seeing what fresh approach Bailey brings this year.

-- edit: re the comments from Johnson - that's what the players were saying DURING the 06 season. White said it, Bruce said it, McLean said it. These guys all saw it happening from the beginning.

I was probably the biggest critic of us doing it, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with it as a style of football.

It's just that it works best when you have a midfield with breakaway pace playing on an open ground. While we play on an open ground, we don't have breakaway clearance pace, and therefore it was never ever going to work for us.

That's the important bit.

A quote from Chris Johnson in the article at http://melbournefc.com.au/Season2007/News/...px?newsId=52360 and though it doesn't deal with whether or not it was implemented properly or if it was/is a good game plan or not it's still a little bit interesting to hear it from one of the players

Johnson’s concerns don’t just rest with his own performance. Though still just 21, and yet to establish himself as a senior player, Johnson has plenty of ideas on how the side can improve.

“Last year our pre-season was more to do with run and carry. We focussed on that so much that we didn’t really get in to play the game and win the ball,” he said.

“Because of that we couldn’t get the ball inside 50 and our scoring opportunities were limited.”

Well he wont have to worry about that a St.Kilda next year. Neale's implementation of run and carry failed, but I have no problem with him trying it.

Yeah I supported Neale Daniher, he was a good coach. I'm hoping Dean Bailey will be better and the very early signs are good - but to do so he'll have to win a flag. Neale was given due opportunity at the club, gave it his best shot and achieved everything else except a flag - we've only ever had 3 flag coaches. Contrary to popular opinion he left our list in good shape.

For some teams it works quite well, but our problem was that we neither ran nor carried the ball.

It works well when you have quick midfielders against an opposition flood, and are able to run with the ball in numbers, then handpass when you draw an opponent. It doesn't work well when you stand flatfooted and handpass to a teammate who is also flatfooted who does the same thing until somebody is tackled or there is a turnover.

The runaway premiers Geelong (1.2) along with the 2006 premiers West Coast (1.1) had the highest handball to kick ratio in 2007.

Don't hear too many complaints about their gameplans.

We implemented poorly but the idea is sound.

Agree with that but I don't think we implemented it poorly, rather that we didn't implement it at all. What we were doing in the Nab Cup, the practice matches and the early rounds was not anything remotely like a run and carry style of game. That's why the whole thing was so laughable and appalling. I don't care what Dean Bailey calls it in 2008, as long as it turns out to be good football and winning football.

After four years of constantly copying last years Premiers I'm looking forward to seeing what fresh approach Bailey brings this year.

-- edit: re the comments from Johnson - that's what the players were saying DURING the 06 season. White said it, Bruce said it, McLean said it. These guys all saw it happening from the beginning.

It's a bit different for those guys.

It's hard to have a crack at the game plan when you're a young guy struggling to get into the team.

No good for us until we have at least 4/5 fleet footed midfielders with this skills to work under pressure. We have some great mids IMO but no genuine speed to break lines or the handball skills to "run & carry" my wish is for Bails to come up with a original strategy and instill it in our players for success. He has a clean slate to work with and as such should thrive in that

That's the important bit.

I remember watching the dees train at wang when they came up for the community camp preseason. They split into groups to play tempo footy and run and carry. It was cr@p no-one had a clue especially about where to position themselves. They continued this throughout the season proper. In 2006 we were the best tackling team, we moved the ball fast and barely lost at the G. Why change this? We effectively had the same personnel now (more experienced) so we could finish in the finals again in 08.

So is that a problem with the tactic, or a problem with Melbourne's implementation?

See where I'm going?

The problem was with the implementation - handballs travelling less than one metre to stationery players surrounded by opposition - the most ridiculous strategy I've ever seen - no wonder the season was shot 3 games in !!!!!!

The problem was with the implementation - handballs travelling less than one metre to stationery players surrounded by opposition - the most ridiculous strategy I've ever seen - no wonder the season was shot 3 games in !!!!!!

i disagree entirely...season 07 was shot 3 days in due to injuries...i know it is seen as a poor excuse but u must admit it didnt help neale

Anthony Koutoufides is absolutely scathing of Denis Pagan's approach in The Herald-Sun this morning.

"Denis just wasn't the right man for the Carlton coach job. His basic methods of coaching -- kick long and direct -- differed dramatically from that of Wayne Brittain's. It was if the clock had been turned back. Denis's game plan was based on long kicking. There were fewer possessions (my average of 20 touches a game dropped to around nine) and players became disillusioned."

Koutoufides said Pagan's approach to the game plan and even training had frustrated the players ... "We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was. Good on Denis for trying something that he believed in, but the game had gone past the old days of kicking the ball long to a contest."

If a team wants to win a premiership, they need an element of run and carry in their game. Geelong did it superbly. It breaks lines, applies pressure and moves the ball too quickly for the opposition to man up. Sure it looks totally inept when it's done badly, but unless a team institutes some of the technique, they will be doomed to a low possession, ineffective game like Pagan's Carlton.

KOUTA KICKS PAGAN

This is the environment the great Chri$ Judd has joined ....

what a tool! or should we say sooky la la! fair dinkum the guy cant cop a spraying from his coach so he crackas the shits.

enjoy ur winning culture judd!

that has changed my attitude towards pagan a lot

Anthony Koutoufides is...

I think that Carlton's poor list might have had something to do with them performing badly just quietly.