Mel Bourne

It’s nice to see so many have picked themselves up from the floor (where I imagine most of our comments on the “Closer To The End” thread were typed from), and resumed some of the regular muses and suggestions that allude to some kind of future. You must go on. I can’t go on. I’ll go on - Samuel Beckett (probably a Dees supporter).

Sure, since you asked, I’ll add to the topic. The Melbourne Football Club is the worst club in the league. This is a fact. The only measure of true success in our league is a premiership victory, and we have gone the longest without one. So yeah, fact. We all obviously either really like or love the game itself, or we wouldn’t be on this forum. So a lifetime of watching this game we so admire, but without ever witnessing the actual result we all yearn for, has had a completely predictable, degrading effect on the mindset of the Melbourne supporter base. The ensuing negative, frustrated and defeated attitudes we all express here are not baseless, nor the result of people being weak-minded or lacking in male genitalia, as you’ve clumsily (and as pointed out, kinda in a really sexist way - girls are not inherently “weak”) inferred. People here have more than a right to be fed-up with this club. And to be honest, the indiscriminate (and often strangely vitriolic) optimism you seem to taunt others with is not only unhelpful, but makes you come across as a little feeble of mind. Bet you wish I just drove by.

That’s four games. Repeat, four.

I often wonder what the process of switching club-allegiance would be like. Overwhelmingly, I think it would be kinda bollocks. A big part of the thrill of winning is factoring in all of the low points and feeling like you were on some kind of journey. So I never really consider it. Also it’s viewed with contempt from other followers of the club, and game itself. After 45 years though, I wonder again..... Anyway, I think we should start a petition instead of, or rather in addition to, climbing into the warm bath of Demonland with a packet of razor blades. Not to sack Goodwin, mind you. I don’t think that would be taken seriously. Just viewed as reactionary and churlish. But to say that if Goodwin brings the club in bottom five at season’s end, the following signatories will not be renewing their membership without the announcing of his sacking during finals.

Don’t be so dramatic. Oliver is in a form-slump. It happens.

Hore won’t be playing for a while unfortunately.

I’m not sure you can say Bennell is in our best team yet. It was indeed exciting seeing him on the park against the Blues, but maybe jets need to be cooled a little when we speak of “best team”. I would of course hope like hell he eventually becomes a staple fixture and that day isn’t too far away, but we’re not quite there yet. I don’t think getting a healthy representation of our youth in the side each week is the wrong attitude at all. This season is a bin-fire in so many ways. All the screwing around with rescheduling, re-homing, reduced quarters, no crowds, dud performances from gun clubs, blah blah. I mean, it’s fine to watch but I really have don’t have the usual amount of passion for this season and I’m pretty ambivalent about who wins whatever tattered flag is on offer at the end of it. It’s the perfect opportunity for a club like ours to get games into our future players, and also an opportunity to hand some much-needed reflection time on the sidelines to our under-performing “stars”. I’m specifically looking at Clayton Oliver. He comes across as a pretty arrogant dude sometimes, and it shows in his needlessly-flash approach to those dumb, quick handballs. He’s been talked up a lot in the press over the last three seasons as the next great midfielder, and it would have naturally gone to his head. Unfortunately the signs are increasing that he is not going to become much more than what he is right now - a great getter of the ball, but 60% of the time an abysmal user of it - and unless he pulls his head in and realises he has some distance to travel towards greatness, he’s not going to improve. Out: Oliver, Lever, Smith, VDB, Melksham In: Jones, Omac, Jetta, Bedford, ANB

And I get your point too, but I think some of our poor-kicking could be improved by addressing other aspects of the game rather than kicking technique itself. Namely composure, decision-making and a genuine lack of targets. I think certain players are actually getting worse at kicking because the confidence, conviction and intent behind so many kicks is simply missing.

The point being that players can improve their kicking throughout their career.

You do know a lot of teams have kicking coaches, don’t you? In fact Adem Yze began his career with Hawthorn as one. He improved their accuracy in front of goal from 48% to 57% actually.

I guess one hopes the club cooooaaaacches the players to kick better.

Disagree. He’s been average at best. Disposals have been all over the place.

Oliver gets dropped. Make it happen.

Brian friggin Taylor and the fake crowd’s over the top efforts to inject some excitement into this rubbish is just plain insulting.

God I hate the camera shots of that zombie in our coach’s box.

Oliver had a lone Petracca to kick to. Elects to do some other rubbish. He lacks brains.

How in the [censored] was that not a legit tackle on Martin???

I count ONE contested mark inside out forward 50 so far today.

May’s kick-ins. 9/10 times to a contest on his left side. Would be good to see some creativity in this area.

He needs to clunk more of those in front of the goals.

I mix albums for people. I’d love to have a crack at it.

The person in charge of the crowd sounds tonight is trying really hard to inject some vibe.

There is no debating that for the price of two first round draft picks and whatever large sum of money was handed over, he has not been worth it thus far. I want him, as I want every player at the club, to succeed and prosper. But in the case of Lever, he has zero laurels to rest on and needs to get at least one BOG for the club this year, or the price just cannot be justified.

I appreciate the considered response. Cheers.