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I reckon he does a bloody good job.

I don't for a second understand the Nicho hate. Here we have a kid who isn't afraid to take the game on, is the fittest on the list and has never to be questioned desire. He's going to make mistakes but that's all part of developing kids. I also believe his skill execution will improve when his team mates have the work ethic to spread into space. Support the young lads. They're out future.

Is it unethical for a mod to call a poster a self-indulgent knob, close the thread and give him no right of reply? Oops.

Allow me to retort. Posters of your ilk were slammed for posting hysterical nonsense in the opening stanza of Neeld's tenure. It was an untenable scenario to sack a first year coach 5 minutes into his reign. Who was going to replace him in 2012 anyway? Malthouse? I'm not going to bother pointing out the obvious reasons why that wouldn't have happened. I had no problems with posters such as Rhino Richards being skeptical of Neeld because usually it was backed up with more in depth analysis than: "We're crap. It's all Neeld's fault. We should sack him now. Mick is waiting. Herp de derp tee tiddly derp." I often railed against those who were hijacking every thread with their pointless sack Neeld agenda in 2012. Just because some wanted to give Neeld more time than half a season to prove himself didn't make them naive idiots who thought he was a lay down misere to take us to a flag. Just because some were calling for his head 5 minutes in to his tenure and he was subsequently gone 18 months later doesn't make them footballing Nostradamuses whom everybody should bow down to. The Neeld era was a tragedy and a travesty but if headkicking your fellow supporters whose greatest crime was optimism about a new coach while giving yourself the title of football prophet floats your dinghy - carry on!

What if it was a foreign cyclist or Chinese swimmer making that statement before competing against Australians. The nation would be up in arms demanding the athlete step down.

He's an arrogant [censored]. I'll never forget that day Steven King kicked Jeff White's face in, and Bomber joked that White put his face in the wrong place and deserved to be suspended. At that stage White had been rushed to hospital intesne surgery as his face was caved in. [censored]. There's a reason he's not spoken about in the same vein as Leigh Mathews, Paul Roos, Mick Malthouse etc. It's because even though he coached Geelong to a few flags, it was mainly player driven, and everyone inside the footy world acknowledges this. Then you have the issue of his off field discretions, getting involved with players girlfriends, wives, etc and being out on the [censored] and reportedly experimenting with drugs also. Now he's involved in the Essendon drug scandal too and says he wouldn't go near a Melbourne coaching job on AFL 360 the other night. He wouldn't be welcome here anyway. The guy is a scumbag. Avoid.

Or more accurately:"Thaipantsman told you so", said thaipantsman.

You are a dead set parrot.

If he started putting out anti club articles I'd worry, but otherwise it's fluff and feel good that is only hurts when the wheels have fallen off like it is now. If we won 5 in a row we'd all be on the MFC site reading all he could offer each Monday. See it for what it is. Enjoy the cheerleading in the good times, get some (maybe false hope) in the bad times, and (like I'm doing now) don't read it in the horror times if the nature of it doesn't rub with your take on reality. Basically there are many departments in the club that need our anger and scorn. To use it on this dept would be misplaced.

Nicholson is not within a bull's roar of Rodan or Magner at this point. Yes, when he's given the ball on a platter he runs harder and faster.....and then, more often than not, delivers the ball on a platter to our opponents at a higher percentage than the former 2. Magner gets the ball himself and works hard both ways. He averages more uncontesteds, contesteds, effective disposals, inside 50's and tackles than Nicho so far this year. Why you would want someone so rubbery as Nicho in the team to try and run off HB when you already have Garland, Terlich and Blease is beyond me. Neeld and Craig have been way off the mark on this one all year. Give me more rotational grunt through the mid field anyday at this point and use those 3 off HB. More than enough run. And if Blease and Terlich can tidy their disposal up a little more .....oops, hang on, i almost forgot. How silly of me. Blease is woeful in this area, in fact worse than Nicho. I think he's running at a tad over 52% disposal efficiency at this point with approx 5 effective disposals per match. Nicho 63.5% with approx 9 effective disposals per match. Out Blease, in Nicho lol (or another running HB from Casey???) Neither are good enough at this point! And if we're supposedly replacing people, we still haven't replaced the loss of a very sub par inside mid in McKenzie yet. Magner is the only choice for that replacement atm until Viney returns.

How about no games in Tassie. The team is called Melbourne and I will leave to you to figure out where it should play.

Watson says he knew he was taking AOD, but claims he's fine. This means Watson believes taking AOD is fine. This must mean one of two things. Either, they're going to argue that, at the time they administered it, it was neither banned, nor prohibited, nor anything, or they're going to argue that it should never have been banned/prohibited/whatever. They can't argue they didn't know; if it was banned/prohibited at the time, it's case closed. No matter what happens, Essendon deserves to be punished by the AFL for bringing the game into disrepute. If 'not tanking' gets you a $500,000 fine, surely 'not taking drugs' gets you the same, or worse.

I like this stance. Stressing the only independent voice on this issue is the AFL Commission.

So what's the good news?

And if the chimp is unavailable, they could always employ you.

thanks for the link i think a lot of confusion come from the term "prohibited list" there is an explicit prohibited list which actually names performance drugs in a list and then there is an implicit prohibited list (called code S0) which is a blanket cover for all new drugs not approved for human list the quoted article is true as far as the explicit prohibited list, but fails to mention anything about the drugs status under the implicit list S0 clear as mud right? of course the ACC is not the deciding body here, but such statements from a law authority are only going to aid essendon's defence

I think it was this one from the Australian Crime Commission's website which states (look particularly at the last line): AOD-9604 is a variant of growth hormone which has fat burning properties and may be used by athletes to increase power to weight ratios by better utilisation of fat stores. AOD-9604 is about to enter phase three clinical trials.12 During phase two clinical trials it was also found to have an anabolic effect on cartilage tissue and may promote cartilage creation and repair and have a capacity to enhance muscle formation.13 AOD-9604 is not currently a WADA prohibited substance. I don't think anything Jobe Watson said on TV makes a difference as I assume he said exactly the same to the ASADA investigators. I suspect that Essendon believe that they can either prove that WADA or ASADA advised that AOD-9604 was OK to take (even if the WADA/ASADA official who told them was mistaken) or that there is sufficient doubt about the status of AOD-9604 that it would be impossible to take action against the club or players. That's not to say the AFL won't take some sort of action against the club for its poor governance of the issue. In fact, Watson might have deliberately said what he did to exude the confidence necessary to get journos to start reframing the debate by writing something similar to what I've just written. Finally, I wish we had a captain with the on-field skill, off-field personality and obvious leadership which he gives Essendon. Edit: typos

He does a great job. He is not a journo but is a paid PR employee by the club. Of course he will take a positive spin on things. We are lucky to have him as he provides a depth of insight into the club for us supporters. Since he has come on board, myself as a member and supporter, has felt far more informed.

I reckon Burgs does a great job. And as for the article you mentioned. It isn't relly any different from Emma Quayle's article the other week. So it's obviously a shared view from others outside the club with no bias so I don't think we can acusse Burgs of spin here, just giving supporters some hope in the middle of what's been a difficult season.

Going by this post a congratulations is in order. Huzzah to thaipantsman! But it's Trengove, not Trengrove!

I think he does a great job. His work is the official club line, so don't expect it to be a Patrick Smith article every time. This season would've been especially difficult - imagine having to constantly write/pick out something positive after each ten goal flogging and getting the coach's feedback, when their job is on the line. I think that the amount of content generated each day is surprisingly good.

I reckon Burgs is great. We get a thousand negative articles a week written about us, its nice to hear stories that are not only positive, but football based! We need more of it..

Honestly, what do you expect? Harsh criticism?I think he balances his articles well.

If he was not the captain would he be playing on Saturday or most weeks for that matter? Right now he is in the bottom 10 players IMO

I watched with some dismay Trengove attempting to run last week Either he has had a miraculous recovery or they are playing him dispite his inability to run or impact the game Give him a rest

agree... Schwab was a disaster

Agree with fuchsia and I'm also happy to continue with this supposedly ancient topic, the problem is discussion with anything about any topic on DL where the Club is criticized is that a band of merry men rally to the Clubs defense and throw in enough counter claims, and put enough doubt into the topic that the truth becomes hazy. The difference between now, and previous discussion, is what we suspected, is absolutely true, this Dam is busted. The cr@p at this Club had turned to stone but forums like this have been chipping away and now larger chunks are breaking off. Lets keep chipping I say.

what a corrupt arrogant atitude !! what have u got to hide..? thats what this clubs admin & boards have availed themselves of over the years.. keep things on the qt & keep the majority of supporters in the dark for long enough ,so that when it does show up,they complain about that being " old news." & that it doesn't help to bring up past misdeeds.. & the old stale & dated cliche. we have to" MOVE FORWARD". the truth being aired no matter how old, only helps !! as those who have nothing to hide hide nothing.. knowing the full extent of the past & airing same, makes the "conceited narcissists" with god complexes, who lack reality checks & balances to think twice before committing appalling behavior again.in regards to a public institution.. as well as them being weeded out before being allowed to inflict their incompetance on this club at least.. unfortunately journo's tend to drag the chain where the truth is concerned & as such supporters r treated like plebs... i want to see every dirty little detail & every person responsible ostracised so they can't pervade the halls of this club again.. thank goodness for GLEN ARCHER coining a new phrase on air about these types of creeps. LINIMENT SNIFFERS.who r only there to suppliment their own ego's & line the pockets of old boys club members. CS went from not needing the job in the first place in this tenure & only doing it to to please JS. to a legacy of borrowing 200k from club. alienating & treating with contempt; kaspersky & mission & hankook. which involved millions in lost deals.. which were set up by employees who were mfc supporters.in the first place. but he himself sought out a criminally bogus deal with the incompetant co. 'energy aust " manage to produce, direct, & star in the series that he hopes will be picked up in syndication.& reruns in: "whiteboard wednesday".. not to mention the old stylish charm of those pretentious old school jackets; & bugle boy.. disenfranchise the FD & playing group whereby the players went on strike ala "186" . after which he looked so bedraggled ( ruffled hair no jacket or tie ;when have we ever seen that before ?) & packing death. at the bailey sacking due to thinking he had lost his job & therefore income.. & his contract probably not being renewed in the remaining 6 months left.. to; having his contract renewed by his buddy donny mc;.6 months later. & with his hair coiffed full metal jacket & tie looking cool calm & suave & controlled & pleased with himself.. fall on his own sword, knowing he gets a big payout due to having a new contract in place.. at his sacking come resignation. 48 years of these types of individuals for crying out loud.after .. NS stated PUBLICLY !!! (to air & shame them.) that the club is "slipping its slipping" & we have to get rid of " these blokes"..( merger types ).. even hassa mann,in his hall of fame speech, named -"dr.don duffy" as the president who threatened him to keep quiet in 65. air all the dirty laundry & give it a jolly good cleansing, after all -"tomorrows another day" and its cathartic so we can all MOVE FORWARD. ..

It wasn't just Cook. In one of the threads around there is a list of high picks we're taken for ten years, and they run from picking guys for size, for kicking, for height, for speed. Post pick 25ish I'd say go wild and have a shot at what you think you'll need, but when you pick a Gys because 'he can find the ball (can't use it but wtf), or a Maric because 'he can use it (can't find it though), or Cook (we need a forward but Darling is a bit of a naughty boy), or Tapscott because he is hard (rather than Fyfe that can play the game) etc etc... It's why we have players with one good skill, and who lack others. It's why we had a chunky one paced midfield for years. Flower wouldn't have been drafted by us with any pick in the last 20 years. I'd rather us lose a player (waste a pick) for being a Pike or Fev than for being a Cook or Gys. Good players make a team. The also lift the B graders to want to be worthy of them. They also bring players to the club who want to play with them. Best available. Always.

For all Essendon's misjudgements, Watson is a star and comes across as a hell of a decent bloke i.e the offering of advice to our own Jack Watts. I'm staggered there are those baying for his blood when blind Freddy could tell you he is clearly a victim in this. There will be penalties but lets not wish ill upon the thoroughly decent.

Story of my life right there ... :-)

Watched the game last night I see that bum Darling only kicked 3 goals 2 if he had kicked 5 they would have won. Very glad we took Cook!

Thompson has a nice cushy job back amongst his people. Lots of money, not as much gameday worry . Would be perfect for him. Happy for him to stay there. Win win

Hate to be harsh, but as soon a he opens his mouth on DeeTV, I am fighting off sleep. He has such a bland and monotonous voice. Who knows, maybe if we start winnig games and he, and his interviewees, have something to be happy about, he might spark to life.

I think the OP shows a critical misunderstanding of what the purpose of Burgan's role is. It's about generating content for the website, app and social media. Not providing accurate critical analysis in an effort to win a Pulitzer. Don't think MFC is alone in this either. Every AFL club has "digital media generators" that churn out articles in exactly the same manner. Often they only regurgitate quotes from players they get from radio transcripts and print media articles. Burgan's work is one of the better examples I have seen.

Wasn't Magner promoted for Grimes when he went LTI? If so, when Grimes comes back his chance is gone.

Matt does a great job. He is there to maintain the faith amongst the supporter base. We get enough of the other "stuff" from other media outlets.

The team above is as per the AFL website. The Casey Scorpions website has a different team:-B Panozza Gillies Davis HB Tynan Tynan Jetta C Strauss Couch Bail HF Magner Best Tapscott F Petropoulos Hogan Smith R Sellar Nicholls Gent Int Pollard Hill Drew Taggert Boland Barry Troutman Corry Riseley Someone's playing ducks & drakes. Take your pick.

Jab Watson -- LOL...

My facebook is lighting up with bombers fans complaining about jab watson being booed. These are the same fans that booed jack watts off. Flogs.

Nice play on words

Because doing their job has nothing to do with their bodies. If it was poor Robbo would've been retired long ago. If you want to performance enhance him he doesn't need peptides just to give up drinking and smoking. It's been a perfect storm that led to this. No AFL club has every systematically doped before so the players were unsuspecting. Dank came from various sporting clubs so he had a degree of trust. Bruce Reid the players trust with their lives. There was at some stage a presentation to the players that all was above board and the consent form sounds like the proof they wanted. All in all the players were duped mightily. It's easily to say how dumb they were in hindsight but now players will be on guard. Before players never had any suspicion that their own clubs would put them at risk. The AFL/Essendon have lined up a few good arguements. 1. AOD isn't actually banned 2. AOD isn't actually illegal it's just a substance not performance enhancing drug therefore like soap or honey it doesn't need to be approved for human use and if they fail 3. The players were duped fine the club and punish individuals but let the playing group off.

Thanks for the insight mordja. I actually believe that we are doing much better with our player development in the last two years, which has been proven in the number of debutants that have come in and contributed. I have no concern about Barry. Everything I have read about him has been positive and I reckon in 2 years time he could be a permanent fixture in the best 22. The thought of he and Blease breaking lines and sprinting down the wings is one thought that gets me pretty excited.

what an insane, paranoid comment

I was trying to enter into a business relationship with the footy club that was 99% to the benefit of the MFC, and let me tell you, they are impossible to deal with. Our family are Foundation Heroes and we have sponsored players, and dealing with the club is like dealing with an amateur theatre company. I think that we have been so mediocre for so long, it's heard to see a way out. What these sponsors say would not surprise me one bit. I will say, what we are good at is we generally run professional functions and our players are incredible accessible, even relative to other clubs.

I was having a good day till I read this thread. Gee perhaps the Freo people were telling us the truth!

This is what i don't understand Jnr. How could someone at the top be so blatantly poor at their job and remain there with extensions!!You DO NOT burn sponsors. They are giving $$$$. Dam right they should expect value.

Sadly its not. Sponsors expect something for their money. We have burned through a lot over the past 6 years because we have not delivered and their treatment has been poor. CS would sit by himself taking notes on the game rather than schmoozing sponsors at a game. Then he would annoy the coaching staff with recommendations about the the game. Thats not what a good CEO does. The Mission foods debacle was terrible. The Energy Watch was a very bad case of judgement - not in hindsight but at the time. Its my understanding we were warned but wanted the cash regardless.