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A great business man. not quite sure that is true anymore. GTV 9 are still trying to recover from his sackings, particulary the news dept. I'm still trying to recover from lkg at Tracy Curo's cleavage. Sorry but it's like Lkg at your grandma's cleavage. Mc Chins thought that GTV 9 needed to go down the King St style of ratings. A BIG flop as a corporate CEO and left without the publicity it deserved. Instead of being sacked he was given a few shows to produce. They are on the flop. Even the footy show is going down hill. I have to say McChins has the class of a filth supporter. His radio slot is dying/dead, his shows will go soon and he behaves like spoilt privileged child, but he had canned tomato soup as a treat growing. The filth are the easiest club to run. The Man Utd, Barcelona, etc! He did not create their success! It's built on a group of ppl who consider a win as good as a holiday to Dromana at Xmas. Their yearly holiday. Spoken like a true toffee.

Funny you should mention him... I was just about to propose Larry Emdur as our small forward solution in the other thread!!!

Land is extremely tolerant, you have no idea what you're talking about. (IWUAEIIUE)

I stand by my comment about Jamie Bennell. You can keep me on notice if you want, but I saw last night what I saw last season from him. I said something negative, but I was specific in my criticism and gave what I see are the areas he needs to improve on. I was also disappointed by Jack Watts, but more because I just so desperately want him to magically come out, kick butt, and shut everyone up about him. Take me off your list, I beg you. I won't be able to sleep at night if you don't!

Couldn't agree more. I listened to SEN for the first game and watched the replay this am. Watts's intensity was fine (despite what is being said on the Jack Watts thread). I watched the second game live down the pub and again thought his intensity was good. Sure Brennan out bodied him on one occasion but thats to do with his strength not his application. I was a pretty big critic of Watts' intensity in 2010 and felt he really needed to step up in this area to make it as an elite player (little lone fulfil his potential). As i have written previously i thought he was terrific in this regard last season. I can't quite understand the pretty negative vibe of many comments about his game (s) last night or where he's at

Well, I finally got a chance to watch the games, and all in all I'm less worried than I was last night. I think things were significantly better than the radio coverage made them out to be. Game one we were killed by small things that stopped us from nailing regulation scoring opportunities. The chemistry between Watts and Clark isn't quite there, a few players missed shots they would normally have nailed and the out of bounds rule hit us pretty hard. While we probably should have won anyway, I think it's pretty clear that we outplayed them for most of the match but didn't put them away on the scoreboard. Game two looked to me like the players were under far more rigid instructions. The first half they were told that they would only play plan A, regardless of the situation. It seems pretty clear that they were ignoring options they were taking in the first game and following the plan of push down the line and force a stoppage. This is basically what Sydney did in their premiership year, and while it is a failure in the NAB cup due to the aforementioned out of bounds rule, it is a way to win ugly. The second half they were given a slight change of playing primarily plan A with the option of using plans B or C if they had the time and opportunity. This is where we saw the gameplan actually work. We suddenly had the option of the fast switch if there were no choices down the line, and also made use of the quick handball to a runner as a way to get the ball quickly into the forward line. Both of these plays worked well and aided us in scoring. To me it looked a lot like Neeld was teaching our players a bit of a lesson. They played a half using only a single set play and held the opposition to seven points, then played another half using only three set plays and won. Whether this was always the plan for the second match or it was a reaction to the loss in the first I will probably never know, but that is how I see it. I also think that the radio coverage was unduly harsh on certain players. Watts, despite his low numbers, was actually not bad. He put a lot of tackling pressure on and presented well in the forward line. He could easily have had a couple of goals in game one had Clark not charged in and spoiled him. Bennell I still say can't be trusted in the backline, but in the middle or forward he is a viable option and did some good things. I also see why people raved about Tynan. He's a bit like the Waterboy. He sees the ball and gets the ball. Overall, nowhere near as bad as I expected. There were signs there that we have a side that will be able to win ugly if it needs to and possibly win pretty when it has the opportunity. We now have some serious beast in the middle as well, which is always a good thing.

OUT: whoever needs a rest IN: whoever needs a game

I would love it were Magner to become a ball magnate - maybe even own a few and get good returns on his investment.. And, he is already a ball magnet.

Could have meant Dawes from last year? Eddie is a bully and make such threats all the time. Last week it was GWS, the week before it was North, this week it's us. If your going to the AFL to tell them we have too much money, don't forget to mention your able to pick up any of our sponsors you like. Perhaps they could take some money off us and also give you a less favourable draw so other teams have the same opportunities to attract those sponsors. Please dont pass yourself off as charitable with the QB fixture. You can have it as a home fixture but, perhaps we could take a few of your Friday night games and swap them for our Sunday's? The real charity is the favourable fixture the pies get every year which provide the opportunity to grow. We would take that over cash any day of the week. So stop passing yourself off as the givers when you are the receivers!

thought he was awsome last night! could almost pencil him for round 1. loved his bump and shove on jonathan brown! tough as guts this bloke :D

Jetta has been training as a defender this preseason, and his preseason has been interrupted. I think from Davey and Blease as the quick men and guys like Sylvia, Petterd and Jurrah as dangerous match ups that we can find enough X factor, but we still need to get the structure right. Clark and Howe are 2 guys who are hard to out mark, so goes for big Jamar, if he has a run at the ball he'll either mark or bring it to the ground. The next step is to get the players at the fall of the ball.

If Jetta can get himself fit and have an uninterrupted pre-season for once, I'd like to think he could do a great job as a small forward. He has excellent pace over 5-10 metres. His tackling and harassment are his strengths, rather than goal kicking admittedly - but if he made this a focus in his training who knows, he could improve in leaps and bounds. It's not like Wonna was amazing in front of goal either, most of his goals were scored running off the back of the pack and dribbling it through before doing his frog-leap. Maybe Jetta needs to be given this role and told to concentrate on it - it might be the job that gives him the confidence to be an above average player and avoid the low paid obscurity that Bennell seems to be drifting ever closer to. I've always wished we had one of those players you could be confident of - with a sixth sense for a crumbing goal... I'm thinking a Betts, Lyndsay Thomas, Rioli, Ebert, Milne, Kraquer, LeCras.... The last really good one I can remember us having is Jeff Farmer. One of the greatest. Maybe Yze to a lesser degree. We're just lacking some sparkle and have done for a long time.

It will mean that there has been no improvement, rather regression since last season. I can't believe that every other team has the scope to improve as much as the Demons. Aside from listeneing to Melbourne radio (being Perth based) I read all available media about the club and peruse with adequate enough interest that of other clubs. I consider the changes at MFC in comparison to other clubs much more significant and I have faith that they will deliver results a lot faster than many think.

Whilst not being privvy to Neeld's teaching, if he is a good teacher I suspect he would have spent one meeting laying out his expectations of the players on the more mundane aspects of team/club discipline, made sure everyone understood and then moved on quickly to "football". A teacher who "desperately" tries to maintain discipline is usually symptomatic of a bad teacher. Also, we are not privvy to how late Sam Blease was or his explanation. I suspect the explanation of "the dog ate my homework" would meet with a different response and discipline to "the dog ate my family".

Well in relative terms to top class mids I would agree it's not as big a priority but in isolation as an issue of discussion I would disagree - no problem each to their own. It is this kind of sentiment where this site suffers IMO. This is as relevant as any other thread. Do we dimiss any discussion about our rucks (they won't have any top class mids to palm the ball to), do we dismiss any discussion about our defence (they won't have any top class mids to kick to)? Our forward line is an important part of the ground - especially as we develop a forward press. We've discussed the need for a tall target for some time ( to the point where some promoted the idea of pick 12 for David Hale), such discussion didn't lose it's relevance simply due to our need for more midfield class. A small crumber is another component of our forward line, the club needs one beyond Davey and the discussion of this is as relevant as ever.

Agree with those saying classy midfielders are the priority in terms of holes in our list. A quality small forward would be nice, but is more icing on the cake than a high priority. Personally, I would go for mids in the draft rather than trade for one, as they seem to easier to predict and can usually step in and have an impact within a couple of years. In saying that, will be interesting to see how free agency pans out.

If we trade those picks, it will be for a mid. If we use those picks, we will use the highest pick on a mid. We need a good midfield before we worry about getting a small forward.

haha mate speaking to the wrong bloke here i love that kinda stuff, as long as hes getting a kick he can carry on all he likes! B)

Losing to the Toigs is unacceptable to me . This mob needs to be kept in their box .

Just as long as he doesn't start doing hand-stands and strutting around with chest out!

WRONG - While some fall for Eddie's clap trap - he does not do the fixture (in spite of his rants to the contrary). Collingwood have an agreement with the MCC (endorsed by Vlad) to play 15+ games at the G. They cant all be home games. Each year we make certain requests for the fixture. One is that we have a home game v Collingwood on QB. The AFL have gone with it to date. The only thing Eddie Mc Bullyboy can do is request against this in 2013 - he cant demand it. We don't have exclusive rights to this day and neither to they.

Kevin Dyson

Neeld is only doing what any good leader and teacher ought to do ... define acceptable behaviour, set consequences and follow through. The alternative is what we see in many schools ... kids mucking around endlessly and not taking learning seriously because the parameters and high expectations aren't set, and wishy-washy teachers losing control because kids realise consequences never follow from unacceptable behaviour. Maybe Blease is the sort of guy who's a bit disorganised and doesn't manage time effectively. If so, there's an element of unprofessionalism, and his suspension from the NAB game is a justified kick up the bum. You can bet he won't be late for the next one.

This is the problem with Demonland, you cant speak your mind with any negativity at all (i thought my post was quite balanced) without being told that your opinion is wrong and that you are pathetic and have no idea.

I think that winning games and elite compliance can be interchangeable. Elite compliance to every part of training, games plans, attitude and discipline should result in winning games.

Ok, this thread took those games on Sat Night far too seriously...

Gysberts will be fine and will play out most of the season if fit. He will benefit when the likes of Blease and Bail hit the their straps and inject some speed into our midfield. For 2012 I think we need to get right into the congested style of play (As boring as that might be to watch) as we need to master that trade before we can move forward with an attacking game plan. We are not just changing our game plan, we are changing the behaviours and the culture of the MFC including what we want to stand for. It will take time but Sat night we got a taste of it...and I liked it!!!

Plus there is the clothsline tackle on Harbrow last night. If he does more of those I will be a happy man.

Had to smile when he welcomed Jonathan Brown to the bigtime .

OK, so we win our next 28 or so matches and we're set, right?

I disagree on Gysberts - I think he will be huge this year.

Yep. Davey seems to be everyone's new whipping boy (after Morton), but last night it was evident how important his creativity and skill was compared to just hacking it forward. Another thing that need addressing is, apart from Tapscott and Strauss, most of our defenders have flawed kicking actions which require everything to go right for them. Bartram, Rivers, Grimes, McDonald, Macdonald, Garland, Bennell and even Frawley all lack penetration and accuracy with their kicking. Frawley makes up for it by breaking the lines and balancing himself. We are desperate for some laser-like kicks.

What a complete joke some of the comments here are. IS it school holidays again? At this rate we won't be able to field a team of 22 because they have all been earmarked by the geniuses here for trading at year end. No point playing 'em if we are going to trade them. Sheesh. Breathtaking. Better stop reading until about round 10. It'll be suicide watch for lots here after rds 1-9...

Bate has played 90 games and has a solid body. Its obvious Neeld wants players who won't get pushed off the ball. Bate has a lot to offer, and is to be commended for the way he he changed his body and fitness regime over summer. These players don't fall out of trees and you don't get rid of them without first trying every conceivable way to get them to improve. Some of geniuses who have marked Bate's card already should pull your heads in and respect the fact that Neeld knows a bit more than you do.

Bate is the classic example of a footballer versus athlete. Paul Roos' stupid comments about the Sydney Academy delisting 16 year old kid because of aerobic capacity points straight to Matty Bate. He has a huge cumbersome turning circle, is slow off the mark and has iron hands in easy marking competitions. But when it comes to the basic skills and awareness of being a footballer I reckon Bate is above many on our list. For whatever reason Bailey did not rate him but he is too good not to be in our best 22 and he is as strong as an ox. I still cannot beleive that Lynden Dunn got played ahead of Bate last year.

And is that physicality going to happen ? What if it doesn't ? We all want it to happen but maybe we have to start accepting Jack for who he is - A highly skilled athlete who is best suited as a Utilty / Rebounding backman / Pinch hitting forward . Not a CHF , not yet anyway . Sellar or Martin could be our best bets at CHF . Rotating these 2 with Watts in a pinch hitting role at CHF may be the best case scenario . My opinion on Jack is not based on last nights game , though I didn't see anything different from the last 3 years . Cheers ®

That was wet weather footy. Not our game plan.

Forged through adversity unfortunately!

Good point, very hard to make too many assessments due to the weather and NAB format. I felt that with the playing the wings style of football and knowing most of the kicks OOB that gave the opposition the ball would normally result in a contested situation the season proper, we would have controlled the play more often and kicked more goals. After the first half of the GC game the mrs turned around to me and said "you have a man crush don't ya" refering to Mitch Clark.....I think I just might!!

Nothing more heart warming than a blossoming love affair

Does anyone know why Sellar didn't get that free for high hit at 10 minutes in second half. He was actually hit in the head twice and the Fox Footy boys were stunned, as was I, after seeing the replay.

It has not stopped raining on the Gold Coast, since Noah disembarked the Ark , We lost the first game by a bees appendage and won the second by the same margin. What we saw tonight was a coach who was willing to make changes when necessary, back a bloke like Bate- I love Matter for what he has been through and how is he has survived - and Neeld not giving too much away to achieve a par score. Fasten your seat belts Dees, we're in for one hell of a ride. A damn good ride,

Ha! This is going to be a funny year on Demonland. Get used to watching games like that. Everyone was so keen to get a defensive coach, but as soon as they see us playing defensively they are gobsmacked. We will hug the boundary, focus on stoppages and strangle the opposition. Honest players will play before silky players and we will have low possession numbers and low mark numbers because of our style. Get used to it.

Oh...really? No chance? I give the boys a chance. Btw, nice avatar

And now for the million dollar question... Were we playing for real or did Neeld use this as an extra practice match and have them running specific styles/drills/plans for the different halves? I ask this because there was such a marked shift in the style of play in the last half aagainst Brisbane. It sounded like they freed up the running players and attacked far more. Did anyone notice if there were obvious changes in theme from half to half (to half to half)? I wonder what MN has in store for us next week?

And I will accidentally wet my pants with excitement.

One of these days, Stef is going to accidentally kick a bag of 5.

Thread closed. Personal attacks on Nixon are not necessary. The guy needs to get his life together.

Eddie is apoplectic... So he is going to steal our sponsors, end our handouts, take the QB receipts, rape our women, and drink our mead!! Simple is as simple does.