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Out Royal. Has anybody noticed that this guy is coaching poison. In 2010 we had a good developing backline coached by Sean Wellman. Fast track to 2011 and Royal takes over suddenly the backline leaks goals like a sieve. In 2010 we had a midfield that held a lot of promise. Fast track to 2012 and Royal is the Mid field coach and the mids are a pathetic rabble who are not competitive.

I envy my wife. She hates sport, she seems so much happier.

... and waste.

I can guarantee that there are 20 or so suburban/ammo footballers running around right now in Victoria who would have it over half the players on our list for skill, toughness and heart. Jimmy Magner, BOG for us two weeks running, is proof of this. I don't think there has ever been as big an assignment in football as the one Neeld faces right now.

I was thinking this the other day, I'd like to see Martin "tag" Naitanui if that is possible with ruckmen.

I had to go to the physio a few days ago - my hip flexor's stuffed. This guy is very well regarded in sports in Sydney - he services several rugby clubs etc. I asked him if he knew Dave Misson. His response, "not very well, but I know who he is". I then asked what he thought of him in terms of capability. He said, "absolute specialist in that particular field - very, very good". BUT, he then said - "getting that list up to speed will take a long time - not just one pre-season. He'll only be trying to tweak the older players, because he won't be able to rebuild them and it would be inefficient to do so. His main focus will be on the young guys. In three to four years from now, you won't recognise them - but be prepared, these elite fitness regimes take years to implement." Probably obvious stuff - but a timely reminder nonetheless. I reckon we'll get pumped today, but we need to give the new guys (Neeld, Craig, Misson etc) time to turn this ship around. I really think they know what success looks like and they know what they're doing (even though the 'game plan' most likely adopted today, and not properly executed by the players, may give a slightly different impression).

Look, it's development of our recruits that is troubling, but... It is still a red herring in terms of explaining our current plight as the best teams of today are not those formed from 2007-2011 (the drafts we worry we didn't do so well in). Geelong: Corey, Chapman, Enright (99), Bartel, and Johnson (01). Hawthorn: Hodge, Mitchell (01), Sewell (02), Roughhead, Franklin, and Lewis (04). Collingwood: Ball (01), Jolly, Maxwell (02), Shaw(03), Cloke (04), Pendlebury, and Thomas (05). We have Green, Jamar, Rivers, Davey, Sylvia, Bate, Dunn, Jones, and Batram from 1999 to 2004. These are the drafts we are paying for, and/or the development we didn't get right.

Bartram's selected on his effort. He was at one stage matched up against Dean Cox because he was the only one willing to do the work required to man up the forwards after yet another quick transition from the Eagles' defence. He'll continue to get games until people with better skills are prepared to do the work he does. Bail is similar, but he has more upside, more pace and slightly better skills than Barty.

He has HUNGER - it looks as if most of the others have had it too easy

Bennell 3 touches and red vested. Should never ever play senior football again.

I'll just preface this with saying I rarely complain about umpires, but... I have never been more [censored] off at the umpiring of a game of football in my whole life. A few sloppy high tackles in the 1st...fair enough. Soft frees in the middle, many of which when we have won the clearance, and refusing to pay us anything...pissing me off. We are having a dip which is what I wanted to see. Skills are ordinary and we are having a bit of a flashback to the Bailey days with the going forward with a completely empty forward line. We are down by 8 goals, probably 4 or 5 with some respectable umpiring. They will even the free kick count up a little bit, but they will be token free kicks paid in ineffectual parts of the game well after the game has been won or lost.

and who is in Water 's face after the bump on Grimes? No one.

Let's get something straight, Grant Thomas isn't a journalist. Outside of Gerard Healy and one or two other bright ones, the ubiquitous ex-footballer we see on TV and in print doesn't know the first thing about journalism. Most are morons. It's true, journalists sometimes get things wrong by not being able to speak to every key person involved in a story, but every one worth their salt makes the effort. If you hear a piece of information second hand, like Thomas did, the first thing you do is put the allegation to the person involved. It's journalism 101. This is why the trade is going to the dogs, because [censored] like Grant Thomas are accorded such status. The guy is a bomb-thrower and anyone with half a brain can see that.

Our outside work has been no existent under Neeld imo. i dont think we are strong with these types, and he will teach it eventually. I am happy we have won the contested ball though shows some hunger atleast, and under Bailey we were the opposite "bruise free" game. Winning the amount of hard inside ball we have been is a trait that the tops teams share, we just need to develope this and further parts to go with it before we start taking bounds forward.

Dumb, ignorant comment. If you ever watched that game you should have noticed that the reason he turned and ran was because the ball was nearby and he was trying to get it. Plenty on here live bashing Cale, if you're going to do it, at least get your facts right first.

I think Russian's poor performances are getting under the radar. He's gone seriously downhill this year and last year.

Actually . Our supporters base are weak ,short-sighted ,fickle and stupid.Our board is fine ,as are most of our picks .Our REAL fans are ,some of which are here ,are awesome ,loyal ,stuanch and maybe a bit masochistic .

Chased leather like all of them .The bathwater goes .The baby stays.

I go back to losing Scott Thompson, not giving enough game time to Jolly, keeping players like Brad Miller for too long, and then capping it off by giving our most loyal servant - Junior - the boot.

Better than your first few posts

Watts will be okay IMO. It's Cook over Darling, Maric over Selwood, Strauss over Zaharakis and Blease over Shuey that trouble me. And I know nothing about recruitment - but that's what worries me given that my Herald Sun opinions would've landed us a better list than the dudes paid to nail this for us.

No, I never thought it. Bailey was never going to be a premiership coach and that was made very clear long before 186. Neeld is changing the culture, the football department and the club as a whole. That takes time, especially when the list isn't all that it's hyped up to be. Reaching a verdict after 2 rounds is so premature it's pathetic.

Can we stop the Nic Nat thing? He wanted to stay in Perth . Jack Watts is good . If you hate yourself for being a Demon either take lots of drugs like I do or quit and barrack for GWS. FFS cut out the "I give up" stuff.

We have had these session in the past and not much seems to happen . I do however like the idea of the players being exposed to to what the supporters feel. Do they know how it affects us, how we get ridiculed at work because we support MFC, how our kids don't want to support this club because we are a joke. Or as I suspect do they just see us as simply a pay check. This club treats it's supporters with contempt.

I've seen this a few times now and I call BS on this - how can you lose the players after one pre-season? If it is true then it is an indictment on the players and not the coach - the players have to go not the coach. What right do they think they have to complain or whinge about the coach when most of them have been rubbish their entire careers? The mindset that would require that train of thought is just astounding. Or it could be the players are just soft lazy and rubbish. They were last year and it looks like nothing's changed.

We have a serious problem with our senior players and this issue dates back to the Daniher years. I'm not at all surpised at our current situation however recent drafting decisions have made things worse. My prediction is that things are going to get even worse before they improve, but Neeld is still the person to lead us

Over 50 years, including the deep dark 70s - rarely did I witness such a dispirited dysfunctional mob as we put on the park last week and this. Now I was prepared to make allowances for an emotionally and mentally draining week last week, but this was just unacceptable. There was no chase, no spark, no 'team spirit', no fight (apologies particularly to James Magner). For the first time in my life I don't really see myself having the mental strength to attend, or even listen for a while. I may check the scores from time to time, but I think if I keep attending I may permanently lose interest. The garden is looking more and more attractive- at least the plants and even the weeds are prepared to fight for their own survival.

Neeld has inherited a basket case and a culture where players get a go whether they perform or not. rather than a few half-arsed bans for Blease and Sylvia to try and instill a different culture, Id cut loose if i was Neeld and tell a few players that they're future at the club is nonexistent - i dont wnat to hear more 'home truths' that lead no where. heads must roll. i think the Bailey years are as far as I can see represent an unsuccessful rebuild, bad selections and the keeping of the wrong older players.

Decisions in the last ten years or so that have given me the $%#^ and are some of the things that are perhaps behind where we are at: 1. Losing Jolly because we refused to give him enough game time 2. Giving too many seasons to the likes of Brad Miller and Travis Johnstone (just saw Brad Miller kick a goal for Richmond) 3. Losing Scott Thompson (although this wasnt a decision of ours to make) 4. Losing Robbo, Bruce and ofcourse Junior when we needed their leadership. 5. Selecting crap players - so many players in the last ten years have been delisted from our side after a few seasons and then never make it in the next side (be it West Coast or RIchmond). 6. Choosing Scully and trengove when we REALLY need hardarse with some spine in the middle to change the culture of the club (Dusty). Watts will never be the player he perhaps could have been because like most of Melb in the last six or so years the media hype gets in their heads and they let it become a self-fulfilling prophecy. And I never want to hear any player on our current list say that they 'bleed red and blue' - ive never once seen a melb player play like their life depended on it - I remember watching Braun and Cousins in the midfield vomiiting. And I remember reading that Scully was shocked by how lax many player's training focus and preparation was at melbourne. And it really annoys me that Scully is being so clearly vindicated. So typical of Melbourne.

From the bizarre to the ridiculous and back to the bizarre.

Gerard Healy who I cant stand got it very right today. We lack midfield quality and midfield depth. We have alot of players who just play forward and just play defence but they are not keys. That is either poor recruiting or poor development. If you dont play in a key post you MUST in todays game understand how to play through the middle or at least have the work rate of a midfielder. It is time to start pushing players out that lack the flexibility to play through the middle. Our effort when near the ball was ok but we lack polish and the courage to run.

We are the weakest excuse for a team that I have seen for some time and I have been a supporter for over 40 years!

Carlton players always talk about trying to measure themselves against Judd, pies about the way swann, thomas and pendelbury go about it, hell even Brisbane have Black. We have no one and have had no one for a long long time.

I think the development of our young players is held up by the lack of genuine A-graders on our list. A kid who gets drafted by Geelong or Collingwood is going to develop quicker and be a better player in most cases as they have Chappy, Bartel, Selwood or Swan, Pendlebury, Thomas to train with and setting the example for them to follow. Who do we have?

I don't know, I can't think of a logical explanation. Why did Neeld want to retain him if he was only going to use him as sub? Bate should be [censored] and I don't blame him- he wanted to leave for more game time yet we deny him that chance to give him a little more than a quarter of a game. Cruel!

Too much talk about history and not enough about tomorrow is one of the MFC's biggest problems. The press conferences will i hope be a highlight. Thanks Brad Green i think you have played your last.

Jones and Magner (and to an extent McDonald) have done their bit.

Demonland has blocked all advertisements from Energy Watch from appearing on the site in solidarity with the club's decision to dump the sponsor.

The whole time I'm watching this I'm thinking ... if you handpicked 22 of the toughest, play-with-heart types from the ammos and suburban footy, they'd be twice as good as our side.

Mark Neeld should be ashamed for sitting on his hands all day. We are being humiliated and his only move Is to flood the back line. Honestly, watching this makes me want to cry. It's just beyond belief that we could have regressed so much!

It's rebuild time. Bye bye Bennell. Bye bye Batram, bye Mcdonald, bye Rivers, adios Dunn. Dare I say ta-ta Watts?? Trade Jamar whilst still holds value. Use compo picks on fresh talent, and hope for the best. See you again in another few years!

It's days like this I kind of wish the MFC would just go belly up and put us all out of our misery. Then maybe I can go and watch some real footy for a change and be entertained instead of just being stressed all the time.

Jamar can go to GWS....donuts is back

Why are we so bad. why do we have no heart? we should be at the stage where we can compete with anybody. our club is in huge huge trouble

Frawley is really starting to [censored] me off!

We are the laziest, most concentration-lacking, bunch of unorganized players I've ever seen at AFL level

I dont know why you would tag Natanui the limited possessions he gets are usually second efforts at the stoppage. The only difference for mine between us and West Coast is how well drilled they are and stopping Priddis and Kerr. Dont give them easy ball through the midfield and we should put up a decent effort.

I suspect that it's a case of Demetriou, with the aid of some friends in the media (who are now painting Mifsud as a saint), deflecting from the issue of an employee of the AFL divulging sensative material to a member of the media. Mifsud should have been sacked on the spot for this, failing which Demetriou should have immediately accepted his resignation. In any event, Mifsud's position is now that of a lame duck. He's untrustworthy in the context of receiving confidences from the people he's supposed to be serving. On the matter of what Aaron Davey is alleged to have said, I think it's interesting that Mifsud is dodging Davey. Meanwhile, Melbourne is still in the competition and the coaches and players have jobs to do so they quite properly are focusing on that and not the media hype.

we are paying 12.00! Downright embarrassing. how predictable is it that the eagles will slam on a bunch of unanswered goals early in the first. Happens every time we travel.

I'm picturing myself with my mates Satan , Lucifer , Medusa , Incubus and the Devil . We're watching the game on a 14 inch Sanyo "Portable" whilst lazing about on our "Ikea" furniture . Us blokes have got our shirts off cos its a tad hot . Way , way upstairs they're all watching the victory in "4d" . I'm happy at last ( I think ) .