Leaderboard

I managed to sneak down to training during the week, although I am a bit late I thought I'd give a quick report: Joel Macdonald and Stef Martin were doing some basic skills work, every five minutes a trainer would run out with a tub of Vaseline and apply liberal amounts on their hands Jack Trengove was trialling a new pair of boots, with lead stops and concrete soles. Much of his training involved no look handpass drills and making "grass angels" on the ground. Sam Blease and Brent Moloney did their training away from the main group over in the one-way back streets of Richmond. Nathan Jones spent the whole time in the gym, I overheard David Mission say they were trying to better condition Jones to being able to carry 21 players on his shoulders. Jordie McKenzie did the whole session sitting down, with only a limited amount of time available to train the coaches felt there was no point teaching him how to kick now. Matthew Bate looked to have his right foot heavily strapped, word is he used it twice in the VFL on the weekend and the club weren't willing to risk it again. Colin Garland showed good leadership, taking charge and leading the way in a "worst option available drill", Rohan Bail also excelled here. Jake Spencer did all his ruck work blindfolded. Colin Sylvia dislocated his finger after being told to "pull his finger out" for the 73rd time in his career. Cale Morton was the only notable player missing as he had tickets to the advanced screening of "Magic Mike".

Good plan, tone. We can sack Neeld now, have a new coach come in next year, start from scratch again, and when we finish THAT season 2-22, we can sack him too and do it all again next year. FMD.

They've done it again, those Casey boys. Won the curtain raiser by a point with a kick after the siren from Michael Johnson who was given a free kick from outside 50!

Nathan Jones is having a great season under such adversity. I hope every player in the team could emulate his work rate over the pre season.

Every time Spencer plays I'm waiting for Ashton Kutcher to come out and say we've been "Punk'd".

i dont care about their politics as long as they can kick it .

I watched out of obligation, and not very closely at that. As I said last week, i'm beyond frustrated and now i'm just bored.

Gysberts, can he run 10 metres before being carried off and given oxygen yet?

Top thread. I'd just like to add that Jack Grimes spent his time delivering pin-point chest passes to the few brave souls watching on from the boundary.

LOL! Sam Gibson: "We knew we needed to be hard and strong at the contest because that's what Melbourne bring every week." I don't know if he's watched any Melbourne games this season...

We should be proud. Every game we play you see really great footy. From who ever we play.

lol I didn't even think this was possible, you have taken a positive - made it a negative - and blamed Neeld. Again, not everything just slots nicely into your pre-determined argument. All it does is make you seem a tad foolish. Let's see your argument in a sentence: "Howe has improved, but if Neeld wasn't there he would have improved more." How do you know that, TPM? I have knowledge of alternate realities, rpfc. Oh. Are you taken more seriously in that alternate reality? Not so much, no. Ah.

All this crap about Neeld is doing my head in. He is supported by some very competent people and assistants. Neil Craig Jade Rawlings Leigh Brown Todd Viney Brian Royal (don't start another bashing) The other line coaches and FD staff. Not for a scond do I believe that between all of these heads that there is an issue with the direction of the club and the strategy that they have all bought into. If there was, surely there would be noise in the media and murmurings within the corridors of AAMI park. The only people who are looking disgruntled about things are a few of the players and it's due to a new level of accountability in regards to fitness, discipline and a defensive, contested style of football. We know, from the ample proof and general consensus scattered through many posts that the majority of the list is not up to it and never will be yet we have still have some supporters shouting for Neelds head. He knows we're rubbish and is coaching to a plan that is sorting the sense from the senseless so that trade week and drafts are as fruitful as possible. Next year will be in stark contrast to this.

Whilst I generally agree with you, I can't accept that Frawley's gone backwards. Our midfield is deplorable, the opposition gorge themselves on the Sherrin, week after week our defenders find themselves under more pressure than a deep dea bathysphere. So, given the fact that he's facing a footballing tsunami every weekend, I reckon Frawley's doing fine and cops unwarranted criticism. Today's match is a good example. North had 62 inside 50s, Petrie, who's red-hot at the moment, kicked four, one of them on Sellar (good match-up, eh?) in the opening minute of the game - for mine, Frawley did a good job against a fine player in trying conditions. If we had more players like number eight, we'd be in much better shape.

I get bored watching us dish up the same stuff week on week, so I turn the TV off. Then I can't bear to not know what's happening, so I turn it back on again. That's been my last few weeks. It's probably different for people who go each week. I think what keeps me going is not loyalty, but the fear that when the "happiness train" arrives that it will leave without me. I could withdraw my emotional investment, but I choose not to, because I want to be able to truly enjoy the moment when it comes and I don't think I could if I dumped the club during the hard times. Every bit of pain is a credit in the bank that I intend to reclaim when success comes. It better bloody come.

Maybe you and Tone can join forces and start forming your ticket to challenge the board.

Nothing has changes this week vs most other weeks this year. Those who say Neeld can't coach - they don't know Those who say he can - they don't know. What we do know is that under any coach, we have a whole lot of spuds. That we do know. Terrible to say, and a lot of it is list management as much as anything, but it is the case. And it means more losses to better sides.

I'm sorry Nasher, you've reached your "FMD" limit of 100 this season. Any further "FMD's" may result in permanent damage. It's been that sort of a year hasn't it?

This brings me to an idea. More commenters on here should post their thoughts on the losing margin before the game. I reckon I would have picked at least a 9 goal loss today, as I couldn't see us kicking more than 10 for the game with that midfield and forward line. It's really irritating when people come on here and kick the coach, FD and players while completely ignoring the lack of experience and skill in the team that took to the field. If your going to be Mondays expert have the balls to have a dip on Friday.

Majority? - not what I see reading the various posts. A very loud, nasty and STUPID minority.

Want to bet some money on that PLEASE!!!!!

The problem is we have had a poor list for a number of years, unfortunately a lot of our supporters actually believed our list was full of talented youngsters; it's not. We have recruited too many players that just don't have the stomach for the hard work required to play the game nowadays and they never will; natural talent is no longer good enough anymore, that's what VFL Players have where there's no pressure. You can see the difference with Bennell, Dunn and Bate etc., they are fantastic at that level but that's it. Neeld may not be the saviour but he's a realist and can see that our current list is full of holes and it's going nowhere so to do his job he is going to have to cull the deadwood and there's a lot to be culled; only when he has will we be able to see if he can coach or not, No one would be able to do much with the crap we've got. I'll stick with the club and most will but dick wits like Bluey will get on here year after year telling anyone that will listen he's giving it all away.

I completely understand why some supporters wouldn't want to make such an early call on him, but I'm happy to. If I'm wrong I'll have to eat a healthy dose of humble pie. I don't see a quality AFL key forward with this guy.

If you think Jones is not better than Adams you have rocks in your head. 32 touches @ 84% with 10 clearances in a side that get's pants'd every week. Do you think he wouldn't be better if he had a Swallow, Wells and Harvey to help him out. Effort and structure is not costing us at present, skills and no forward target is. Outcome was as expected.

Probably won't matter. Our midfield is just on fire this year, which is why he has been struggling to break into our side. He was only listed as 2nd best on ground, so I think we will have to wait another 3-4 weeks where he gets BOG in at least 2-3, before he can get a crack in the juggernaut that is the MFC midfield.

What a laughing stock this club is, next year I will donate my money to a worthy cause, a more deserved charity case, RSPCA or boat people, or something,

I'm not against getting a player like Chapman (if we can) for a year or two. The whole "playing the kids" approach has backfired badly, the kids need solid players with a winning culture around them if they are to get any better.

Any good midfield coaches in the draft?

And.... Cue the doomsayers threads about Neeld and 3/4's of the list.

Narrow 54pt loss. Look out Gold Coast!

And the news just keeps getting better with Williamstown looking the winner against Port Melbourne which means Casey regains top place.

Dunn should seriously just punch someone out-it's all over for him .

Im not watching or going for the rest of the year for my own sanity. Im a member buts it just too frustrating and painful. I will say that I like Garland up forward more than Rivers. I thought id just drop by and see what's happening and it sounds like the usual.

I could just see that 15 second goal coming. I don't know how many times that's happened against Melbourne over the years, but it frustrates the Hell out of me!

Why the [censored] doesn't anyone run forward when we win the footy? Why oh why?! I feel like smashing my head against the level 3 railing. Nathan Jones is just about the only one preventing me from walking out. Someone please explain to me why we refuse to have a target up forward. Any target. Even Spencer. It's infuriating because North aren't great, and if we weren't such a shambles of a team, we could beat them.

Surely it is past due time to see Cook and / or Fitzy in the forward line as we don't have a marking forward.

Jones....gets better every game...is a star in my eyes....biggest heart in the club.

Good goal and smart play by Garland, that's two smart pieces of play in this game.

When we have the ball outside 50 marking options such as Martin, Sylvia are trotting around "thinking someone else will do it, is it my responsibility to provide a target ?" Lacking serious nous....

We all know we have an ordinary list, but we are just not doing the things EVERY football team does. It doesn't take talent to lead, run, go where you're told to etc etc... It seems something is wrong with the communication, either Neeld is saying the wrong things or the players aren't getting it, either way that should not be happening by this time of year.

Wow........another "cull the list" thread. Maybe take a moment to look through the recents and just add to one of the many on the same topic. This board is becoming very repetitive. I don't think that there is an award for starting the most new threads on topics already extensively covered!

Fantastic highlight video for his 250th on the MFC site; http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/tabid/8667/contentid/473191/default.aspx

least bad 18.

I find it somewhat ironic that when Bailey took over, the playing list he inherited was incapable of playing his gameplan. It was a squad trained to play a slow, long kicking, contested style of football who couldn't execute the run and carry style Bailey wanted. But over time the list turned over and those remaining from the old days plus the new guys gradually adopted the Bailey style. Nevertheless, it didn't ultimately succeed and some would say it was destined never to do so because the style had become outdated. (Not sure I agree with that last point - ie, that it was outdated - but it's now academic anyway). Exit Bailey and enter Neeld who has inherited a playing list incapable of playing his gameplan which appears to be a slow, long kicking, contested style of football. I don't think the playing list is as bad as it looks - it's just not yet capable of playing the Neeld gameplan. Will it ever? Probably. The squad needs to be fitter and stronger and it needs to be able to play the gameplan intuitively. Some of the current stock can do it now and some over time will be able to do so. And some won't because they are either not skilled enough, not interested or just not suited to the style - and those players will move on. But to criticise Neeld for the onfield performance going backwards this year is just silly. He has a long term plan. I imagine he expected a better performance than he's got, but it's always been about changing for the future rather than expecting success in the now.

Seriously if a number 12 draft pick goes at the end of the year without playing a god damn game then WTF is club doing?

Pretty amazing thread so far Had a great debut against the bench mark team of the time - when we were horrible he was the only one who put in Backed it up the next week against a top 8 contender Was on track against Collingwood the next week (eventual premier) before that dog Barham put his knees into his back and put him out for the rest of the year The following year (2011) when we were utterly horrible he put on some very good performances. Tackled relentlessly, gathered clearances, possession counts were good, was good against good and bad opposition (no flat track bullying) Suffers a late season injury, misses the rest of the year. Has an injury interrupted pre season. Neeld says he's fitness is way off par (for someone who is working in the guts as a clearance guy he needs a bigger body, something Bailey clearly didn't see fit to address) Neeld tells him to work on it in the 2, the guy breaks his jaw and misses over a month of footy, comes back and is working his way to the seniors Staggers me the expectation some people have on these kids. Give the Gys a full preseason and put him back in the engine room next to Jones / Viney / Grimes etc. and he'll be fine

It was a bit of a shock to the bigfooty experts, who generally had him going 10 places later. 2 teams universally lauded for their astute recruiting, the cats and swans, were both fans and were said to have been set to take him with their picks if he lasted that long. Instead they had to settle for Mitch Duncan and Lewis Jetta respectively. He'll be fine - has undoubted talent, but has been held back by poor fitness, injuries and I think a lack of leadership at the club has slowed his development (that's not to say he won't get there, just that he'll take a little longer than he may have at a strong cultured club).

Jesus, I'd take Cloke every day of the year over Stanton. Absolute spud Stanton. He's had one decent season in what, ten?

The improvements are in the approach. It is now professional and it is focussed on the underlying fundamentals, rather than some hopeful wish-thinking rhetoric about simply getting game time into skinny kids and then miraculously winning flags. Neeld (and his regime) did not select the current stock - and, from what I've seen of him, I expect our list would look completely different had he been at the helm several years ago. In short, this draft period is crucial. I expect Neeld will bring in a few more mature bodies, in addition to some talented young mids. It's the gap between reality and poorly directed emotion on these threads that is really frustrating. Blind Freddy can see where this list is at. We've also had a stack of injuries this year to key players. And our fitness levels at the start of this year were well below AFL standard according to all reports. And yet - some people here, notwithstanding the above, expect Neeld to consistently beat other more professional AFL clubs in his first season all of whom have more elite players AND more elite fitness levels AND superior club cultures AND more experienced lists in terms of age and games played. In short, the only mediocrity I consistently observe are some of the views expressed by certain posters on threads such as this one. Start thinking properly.

lol What kind of an argument is that? Would he sway you if he 'towed' the company line? (ie. if he disagreed with you?) Anyway, I have a heard that Viney and Royal came in and were shocked at where we were at and how coddled the boys were under CC and DB. Coming from Adelaide and St Kilda I guess the standards are different... I am happy that we have people from the Crows (Craig, Viney), Hawthorn (Viney), Collingwood (Neeld, Brown), Sydney (Misson), and St Kilda (Royal, Misson) and they know the deficit we have to those clubs and are trying to rectify it.