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Dawes will prove himself to be another good recruit IMO - on and off field. Good to hear his insight into what's happening 'inside' the club. IMO it's clear that the focus of this football department is on nailing the underlying fundamentals. They've also consistently said it's a journey and that we started well behind the pack - but they are diligently putting in elite systems and processes, such that success will/should come. In time. Some here wanted success within three weeks of the commencement of this season. It was never going to happen - nonetheless, several here have been religiously and, I think, wholly irrationally baying from Neeld's blood. Much of their patience seems to stem from the fact that we've been rebuilding for literally ages, but for most of this period Neeld wasn't even at the club. That mentality is the very reason countries like Italy will never get back on their feet. They flip and flop around like feathers in the breeze. We need to stick to the program - it has clearly been well conceived, even if Neeld may not ultimately be the coach to take us to the ultimate glory - the systems he is introducing are clearly in the best interests of the club. Chopping and changing wreaks of incompetence and gutlessness IMO. That said, I think everyone has been a bit surprised at how uncompetitive we were in those first three games - but I trust the football department's assessment of the list and the quality of the pre-season etc. After all, more than a few of them have come from elite AFL club environments. Relevantly, I think many people here (and in the media) also underestimated the quality of the midlfields of Port and the Dons, as against ours, in those first couple of games.

Can't believe no-one has raised the issue of the MFC not having a boot room yet!! No wonder this club can't win games, what an absolute disgrace!

Maybe its time for us to keep a coach. Stick with Neeldy and lets back the game plan and start to get a settled team that can play over 100 games together. If we get someone else and change the message and game plan again, i think its the worst thing we can do. The players seem to back him in, so do i.

Quite a good read this .... Demons winners, just not yet

We've only had 6 coaches (not counting brief care-takers in transition) in 30 years - Barassi, Northey, Balme, Daniher, Bailey, Neeld - and only 3 in the last 15 years. R1 provided sufficient evidence for me that the job is beyond Neeld and I haven't seen anything, including the first half against WC and the last quarter against GWS, to change my mind. With Jackson not starting until 1 May I accept there won't be any sudden changes until he has had time to analyse the situation.

You = a bigot Strauss has come back from a shoulder reconstruction and a more recent broken leg- tell me how that is soft.

Robbo might be [censored], but at least he watches games. Caro wouldn't know what a kick or a handball was - and she thinks a 1%er is the amount of truth that needs to appear in an article she writes.

I say we shave his hair and tan him up and try to pass Hogan as Dawes for this week. They'll never know, and if they find out, lets just say we had 'never formally employed or had direct contact with the beautician who undertook this makeover'. It'll be fine.

Thats crap, the MFC is a viable business with no debt, we attracted 20,000 to a game last week against GWS, if we play a decent Victorian side we always attract a decent crowd, there one top season off 42,000 members, if they can get it done on the field it would be sky the limits, but as we know thats a big IF, its not as bad as your doomsday posts make it out to be.

Daniher was the longest serving coach to never get a premership. Apart from him no coach has lasted more than 5 years since the 1964 premership. Since 1975 we have had 9 coach, Neeld is our 10th, his predecessor (Bailey) was coach for 2 years Over the same period: Collingwood has had 7, Buckley is their 8th, his predecessor (Malthouse) was coach for 11 years Geelong has had 7, Scott is their 8th, his predecessor (Thompson) was coach for 10 years North Melbourne has had 7, Scott is their 8th, his predecessor (Laidley) was coach for 6 years The only other club to have more coaches than us is St. Kilda with 12 I think its important to keep Neeld. High turnover in any industry isnt good for a number of factors. Particulary culture. Football is a strategy oriented game - its important to give the right people the right time to let their strategy come to fruition or fail - axe crazy this early isnt a logical timeframe.

When we have Dawes ,Hogan and Clark up forward with Gawn resting there, we will be virtually unstoppable up forward. This is what we have to sell to an A grade midfielder, in the hope of luring him across next year.

Don't we all wish our club president could say that?

I'm shocked that we are even having the conversation about Terlich being in or not. Him and Matt Jones have been the good surprises of the year.

Does sound great but we need people in the middle to get the ball. We also need Frawley Watts and Garland wanting to play for the MFC.... We need all our listed players hungry for the contest....however we will potentially have the best forward combination in decades.

I thought it was a good article and courageous of Dawes to put his name to the assertion that the MFC playing group will come good on the field. In any behaviour / performance change process having players make public statements of their intention or the intention of the group only deepens the commitment of the player to deliver. He looks (and writes) like a man who has been challenged by the manner of him leaving Collingwood, to take his game and leadership to another level at Melbourne. Looking forward to Dawes getting onto the G in Red and Blue.

A good night. Got another 27 members on board. Had Jack Grimes dad in there working the phones and getting more members on board. Lovely bloke and an understandably very proud father. Also got a great message of encouragement for the volunteers by text from Jack. Was pretty proud of myself tonight, had a good one, bringing in just under $1000 for the club.

Terrible news for Rich and the Lions. Hate saying "great news" when someone gets injured, no matter how much it may help our cause. Just remember, we are one Nathan Jones injury away from shutting up shop.

https://soundcloud.com/triple-m-footy/eddie-replies-to-caro absolute gold, and absolutely spot on Calls Caro out on all her vendettas and obsessions with Brayshaw, Dane Swan etc etc Likens Caro to being a performing seal having stories thrown to her by the AFL. Eddie is awesome, dont care what anyone says.

I think it’s imperative that our 100 gamers are “guided” into breeding with tall sporting women.

This is excactly right. Everyone was calling for a change and a shake up of the club. Then once it happens and it turns out to be harder than we al thought they think well this coach has to be sacked. We all wanted change so we've got to see it through.

The salient point, that you seem to miss, is that with the departure of Leigh Brown, Buckley wanted (needed) a second-string KPF who could take on ruck duties. Dawes isn't really that player. Him leaving is not a reflection on where Dawes was at, it's a reflection of where the team and coach were at. While Cloak was at Collingwood, Dawes could never just be the KPF that he is. It's a bit like why Jolly left Melbourne, he was never going to get a run while Jeff White was there. Jolly was not a dud, or "not first 22".

Funny you say that, because they will decide his fate. If they back him, then they should show it. If they show it, he will keep his job.

But not enough car park allocation

Satyriconhome this forum would be much better off without you constantly sniping and insulting anyone that does not share your opinion. You are a broken record. I get it, you believe that the club can do no wrong and you are a supirior supporter to everyone else. Now either add something new to your posts or move on, I'm sick if reading the same post from you every two minutes.

Dawes' article in The Age also highlights that the MFC is now training and being prepared to the required elite level. It may take a couple of years at this level for it to become fully evident, but it appears to be going in the right direction.

What stats? Training time-trial records? GPS data? Or was it just a basic "we scored more in the last quarter under Bailey therefore fitter"? Neeld is trying to implement a modern game style which requires far more running at higher speeds for longer periods. This means that the players may appear to tire quicker but that is only because they are being forced to run both ways, to run back to set up defensive structures, to run forward to create options and to spread when we have the ball. Under Bailey all we really did was sit across full-back/half-back and burst-run forward of the ball when we won possession across the backline. When we had the ball via a mark/free kick there was virtually no run to create options whatsoever and when we had the ball on the run everyone ran to the same spots in straight lines instead of spreading to create options and spread the defense. Now clearly we are not on top of this yet and not able to implement the game style completely yet which means there is still plenty of occasions where you'll see the entire team stagnant with only one player moving to create an option however overall if you were able to analyse the teams GPS data I think you'd find they were certainly running further during games and at greater speed for longer periods than they were previously under Bailey.

I reckon Dawes would be still at Collingwood if Malthouse was.

When will people actually take some things at face Value ? I enjoyed what Dawes had to say and he confirmed for me that the pre season training not only sounded Good but was good at least in his opinion I like the look of Dawes and I believe he will contribute to the team as a whole. But like everything we will just have to wait and see, but we can at least give him the benefit of the doubt for now, at least till he has a chance to show us what he can do on the field when in the Red and the Blue

Stupid comment. Judd, Goddard, Watson and Ball all went to Private schools and they are not soft!

You are saying exactly what I have been just hoping about Trengove, but you are saying it in a credible and informed way. Thank you very much.

I'd prefer to read something like this. http://www.theage.com.au/comment/footy-supporters-lose-as-game-becomes-business-20130422-2iad8.html Twelve suburban teams played six matches each Saturday afternoon on a home-and-away basis, and parochial passions ran high before, during and after each match. Suppressed class, status, political and even religious and racial hatreds occasionally bubbled to the surface in the fanatical barracking of supporters. We Essendon supporters hated the North Melbourne mob and the Carlton mob. Collingwood and Fitzroy were the dirty buggers; St Kilda and Hawthorn and South Melbourne were the bunnies. Melbourne were the toffs. The Geelong mob were OK so long as they stayed down at Kardinia Park and Richmond and Footscray were tolerable as long as they were easy to beat It was much simpler then.

more talk.. what else is he going to say? I'll see Dawes playing well and Melbourne winning games before I commence any backslapping

another good article that helps to understand whats going on inside. its great to hear the players are excited with the changes, & how we're moving going to move ahead. the leadership IMO is growing, & this will inturn help the the club build a harder culture. # no passengers.

Neeld is showing his own growth and development as a front man for our Club. Much better - giving nothing, some optimism for us fans and little for the journo's to snipe at. We're all very critical and think we've got the wrong guy etc etc....might be worth checking out how Sando is going over the Crowville right now. He's starting to get a battering and not handling it as "warmly, welcoming, openly and positively" as he did the winning streaks last year. Perspective is a wonderful thing.....

What a ridiculous statement, how can you possible say that about a bloke who has played one practice match for his new club?, I assume you would of said the exact same about Mitch Clark when we recruited him from Brisbane? Let him play out the season before you right the bloke off, He’s 25, 6’4, 100kg’s, quick and agile. They don’t just grow on tree’s.

Sitting here in Melbourne I am told by this pathetic AFL site that I don't have international access!!!!! Whilst I am griping, it is the same site that never bothers to give a mike to the questioner at post game pressers....always a very one sided listen. EDIT: Just managed to get it from the second link, then when I went back to replay it I got the international BS once again. If anyone could put it on youtube I would be very grateful.

Nonetheless, it would be nice not to have to whip out the dictionary every time a person does an injury report.

BensonBet is offering 50,000:1 for the Demons to make the top 12 & 30,000:1 to make the 8 the following year... 2015, Demons to make the 8 will be 10:1. bets can be made via www.BensonBet.com.uk

Basically exactly what I and others have been saying all along. It's the players who are responsible for the good and bad performances we put in on the field.

What are the odds of nine different teams' planes crashing this year? Figure that out and you'll have deduced the odds of us making the finals.

Anyone wanting Kent selected this week clearly didnt see the Casey game last week, he was ordinary at best, I'm with BRFE on this one. Based on that game: Ins-Rodan, Blease, Strauss Outs-Clark, Viney, Jetta Spencer would be a deserved callup, but I dont think we can play three ruckmen and Pederson in the one side. Similary all those that say Fitzy isnt good enough also havent been watching his improvement at Casey. Last week was his first game for the year and he was fantastic. Sellar isnt good enough thats been proven, Dunn will need a run in the VFL before a recall, McKenzie unlucky after last weeks efforts. The good teams this year are cutting teams apart with pace (see Geelong with Motlop/Varcoe/Stokes, Hawks with Hill/Smith, Blues last week with Garlett/Yarran). Blease and Rodan offer pace and ball-carry, while McKenzie is the exact opposite. Anyone also notice Stefan Martins dwindling statistical returns in the Home and Away season this year after being hailed as a boom recruit during the NAB Cup? Hes averaging a whopping 4 kicks and 3 handballs a game.

It's interesting to see it from the players perspective, it seems as if the players were physically, but not mentally prepared for the games. Do we have a sports psychologist or are they no longer in vogue?

I know Cols had a few doubters, but if you look at last year and so far this year,it looks like he is finally playing more consistent footy.

A spine ofClark Hogan Viney Macdonald Frawley With Gawn, Trengove and Toumpas in the centre Add 2 A grade mids, Howe, Jones, Tapscott, Garland, Evans and we aren't as far away as you think

This is not the way the law normally operates RR. The longer it takes the more innocent people get their reputations shredded. Your last line is just a put down and nothing to do with any thing in the discussion besides you shouting down someone who does not agree with you. I could make a number of smart comments about you but I choose not to use that technique.

What an enormous challenge CEO of the MFC would be, any one that takes it on and succeeds will show themselves to be a great administrator. We've probably uncovered all the [censored] below the surface and the temporary CEO will have 6 or so months to wash out all the garbage. There are plenty of people that love a challenge and we certainly are.

I know next to nothing, but I've followed Melbourne since the 50's. Recently I had lost my nerve, and was convinced that Neeld was not getting the players firing, and he had to go. But an in-the-end great win on Sunday finds me seeing it all differently, suddenly seeing the value in the good off-field stuff Neeld is putting in place, all that unseen stuff, and thinking maybe the players actually do want to play under him, no matter what personality issues anybody may say he has. So that I am backing off, admitting I haven't got a clue. Sit down and shuttup - how could any spectator really know? The confidence we had against Sydney a couple of years ago was wonderful. Fitness etc were non-issues that day. I'm not convinced that any of the truths we tell each other on Demonland are really so clear-cut and certain. Confidence broke out on Sunday - even though it was against a team that had entirely run out of puff - and it was wonderful and showed that we have got a lot going for us (even without Clark, Viney, Dawes, Hogan and just about Watts). Who knows what next? What a ride! I have typed out my opinions, in ignorance, rattled and disappointed, but I don't want to any more. Back to the pre-web-forum days for me, when you took it all in and had nowhere to be shooting your mouth off. (Because shooting your mouth off doesn't make it feel any better anyway...) Back to the engrossing heart-in-your-mouth thing of being a Melbourne supporter! Shout yourself stupid at the game, and then batten down to wait for the next chance - that's supporting, it seems to me. How much more we get out of our wins that the poor sods who are so used to it they are blase! How unpredictable the whole thing is, how intense the stress! Go, boys, go Neeldy, carna Dees!

Well Kent didnt do much at all at Casey on the weekend, so I'd hope we aren't considering giving him a game based on his NAB Cup form rather than his current form.

Absolute tosh. I know it's fashionable to have a go at Robbo these days, but the fact is he was a great player for our club and carried our forward line for years. You might as well claim that Ablett Senior was a crap player because he didn't tackle (no, Robbo was not in his league as a forward). I honestly don't care that he was light on the defensive pressure. It's only relatively recently that this has become a priority for forwards. What he did do is hold down CHF for years when we couldn't find anyone else to do the job and despite being well undersized managed to give a good accounting in the role. He also scored more goals than one of our highly regarded "champions" in Garry Lyon (who was also a little light on the forward pressure if I recall) at about the same average, topped our goalkicking four times and is third on our all-time goal kicking list. Jeremy Howe is a very good player, but he has a long way to go before he has contributed that much to the team.

There were a couple of occasions where he probably didn't even get a stat to his name, but just threw himself in like the Hulk and crashed body after body trying to get to the ball. You can't buy that sort of intensity. I really hope he keeps this up and makes HF his own for the rest of the season.