rpfc

It might makes us look like amateurs. But we would given another year to someone who could contribute for only the price of the last rookie chosen - if indeed Bruce goes go. I don't think it will eventuate but appearances matter little to me.

A better effort of trying to argue for (and argue that we don't have) a plan B. But I reject it. Plan A is go through the corridor, Plan B is spread to the wings if they are in the corridor? Please... It's called kicking to, and running into, space. Hopefully through the guts, but sometimes down the wing. We do that. It's not Plan B, it's Plan A when there are blokes in the middle filling the space. You can think we don't do it properly but it isn't a new gameplan - which is what the 'Plan B-ers' are all about.

No-one watched The Practice evidently...

Spot on. Earned upwards of $600k this year. With half outside the cap of course. He should be looking at half that now. Probably why his manager might be stoking a few rumours. If he does go, bring Macca back.

I thought Plan B was to accuse the victim? How times change...

What I got from that is that you think the culture of the club is too timid. And that we are ruining Scully, Trengove, and Watts because of that. Would you like more fighting onfield? Beamer gives them boxing lessons so they know how... I'm so glad we have progressed to the point where you can put riders and clarifiers on interstate wins. We MUST be improving. We play a style similar to Geelong but the real lesson with Geelong is they play one way - no matter what the circumstances they back themselves to do what they have practised. We have a talented list that should develop the same mentality. In fact, when we lose, it is because we have abandoned our running, play on at all costs, sharing gameplan. Get the players to consistently play the gameplan and we will win a lot of footy games over the next decade. One game does not a conspiracy make. Scully and Trengove will line up against the might of Geelong next year. Again, look how far we have come that a fan can be so dismissive of such good displays against quality opposition. We match up well against them, and up until the Hawthorn game they were the biggest games of our season since 2006. Anyone who cannot see the progression is as blind as those that couldn't see last years progression. It's slow going. According to some of you; Rome sprung up out of nowhere one afternoon...

Some classic MFC Supporter Syndrome showing through in this thread. Wanting the future now, seeing the present as mirroring the failed past, and always, always, asking for more without cedeing what they have already been given. Jeez. And I want to know what JCB meant about this MFC female employee becoming 'emotional'? You didn't make her cry did you, JCB?

I'm not arguing the past tense. Besides, I saw your little meltdown from March was bumped. Do you have something to say? Dean, come over here. Now Clay, tell him you're sorry...

So we need a plan B because our backline is under more pressure, we get beaten at the stoppages, our forwards don't put enough pressure on their backs, we get beaten at the stoppages, and we haven't landed tackles? This talk of a Plan B is becoming so tiresome. A plan B is a completely altered plan like if we suddenly went around the boundary line with short kicks like the Magpies do. Having a less topheavy side is a structural issue - not a plan B. Not being beaten in the stoppages is apart of any Plan - A through Z. It certainly is apart of our plan. Our forward pressure is one area we have improved enormously this year, and again, you would struggle to find a 'plan' in the alphabet that doesn't include it. The same with landing tackles. Can we please stop with this Plan B nonsense? Geelong have Plan A, and when plan A isn't working, Bomber gives them a rocket and they try again. Same with Collingwood.

Expectations through the roof here. I have seen far better MFC sides go to AAMI and get beaten. PA had just as much as us, or even more with Primus looking for a job, to play for. The ladder also says they are a better team than us too. This is the first time we have gone to AAMI under Bailey where I thought we were a show. How is that a pervasive problem that needs to be addressed by the coaching staff and footy dept?

For varying, and a multitude of reasons - every game is important to a player. I can't say the same for supporters. And I can't believe people either can't see that, or don't want to own up to it. I mean, who cared more about the Hawks game last week than today's match? I thought so.

Clever. Deflections of arguments are always used by those who don't won't to argue. Tell me how you can say that this game was important and 'any game where Melbourne is playing is worth winning' and balance that with what we did, and some fans encouraged, over the last few years? We are running out of these pointless games I will admit. In fact this game may have been it. But it was still a nothing game.

Heh. Hilarious. I'm pegging you as one of the enlightened that didn't appreciate the 'list management' and 'experimentation' that went on over the last few years? We didn't go out as winning as first priority... How dare we? Where were you on that sharp fence? I was deep in the 'let's be ruthless and do what has to be done to win a flag' camp. Does that make me a better supporter than those who wanted 'to win every game as you sacrifice the heart of clubif you don't' and those that claim a 'winning culture is more important than any draft pick?' It probably does. But I didn't run over any fans that thought that. I tried reason and respect. And sometimes condescension...

I'd back myself as a pretty good supporter of this footy club in good times and bad. And Junior's farewell game is an effload bigger than his 250th. I want to win, but this loss, after the fight they showed in an important game last week, does not hurt. At all. Last week was the equivalent of a final, and this game was the equivalent of a practice game in October.

I wouldn't be questioning Nasher's mindset as a fan of this club. Let's be honest with ourselves here, people. Aside from our horrific record at AAMI and the desire to turn that around - there was little in this game other than a chance to give players who, are or recently were, on the cusp being moved on further games (Newton, Bail, Dunn, Batram, Warnock), and getting games into our core talent.

I could name 12 to 15 core players that will be the nucleus of that flag team - the other spots are going to be taken by periphery players fighting for spots. I can see Bate being prominent amongst that group. A flag team never has 22 stars of the game, remember. Hard to fit under the cap...

A chance for finals, absolutley. A chance to win one? Maybe. A chance to get to a prelim? No. Then what is the point? I want to win a flag. What we do now will make a difference. Talent needs experience.

Nonsense. The majority of Batram's kicks are 20-25m kicks at the back to players standing on their own. Sylvia and Davey and others get their possessions under pressure at the business end of the ground. Stats have their own bias. Hoped for better from you, ID. But, Batram is an ordinary kick. He's having a great BTW, a career year, really.

Define 'legitimate.' As I have been saying for a couple of years now - I am willing to lose matches in the short term for the long term benefit of the club. Watts playing VFL does not help us get a flag. We need to pump games into our talent. And he has been pretty servicable since the break. Done some good things.

You know what they say about statistics... I know Batram is an ordinary kick. I believe my lying eyes...

Much like Stephen Colbert - our enemy is RAIN!! To those who laughed at that - well done.

Jeez, that was hard to read. I don't know if personnel will be the big change - more like mindset. Well - 'hoped for' change at least...

I don't know whether he is confident or happy with his body size, but he doesn't play like he is. He rarely looks for body contact and I have not seen a "Gee, that was tough" moment from him this year whereas I have from the equally skinny and young Jack Watts. He has problems with his defensive work, but I need him to show more physicality. I think he needs a more solid body to play regularly under Bailey. Good luck to the nutritional staff.

I believe he/she is questioning your appraisal of Bate and Batram. Batram, apart from his break out year in a very good team, has shown a lack of footy smarts, vision, and decision making skills. He has a sub-standard kick and, like the rest of his teammates, couldn't handpass to anything but shoelaces. He has always had fight and tenacity, but to say he has had more upside than Bate is verging on the ridiculous or, at least, the self-indulgent re-writing of history. Bate has a fantastic motor, excellent speed on a lead, good hands, kicks like a mule (in both length, accuracy, and style), and has vision and a decent footy IQ. His issues are his agility, his one-dimensional playing style, and his more often than occassional brainfade with the footy. Batram and Bate play vastly different roles but the talented one is out of form and the grunt with heart is in career form - that's probably why you think they way you do. Don't lose heart, a number of posters on here do... Was that arrogant enough?

It's selective history, WYL. I can't embrace the Invincible Whites even though we won the inaugral Victorian Premiership back when time began in white, because why? It's not what we are about now? Post 'Checkers' Hughes (played for Richmond by the way - I know, yuck...)? It's a non-colour/meaningless colour/colour of surrender (wouldn't say that in Madrid just quietly)? We only played in those colours for a decade or so? (Important effing decade.) I love the jumper and I would prefer not changing a thing, but we have to change the jumper in certain games I think you will agree. I would like the blasphemy have some meaning rather than have some ugly, meaningless red jumper with white shorts, just because it is still red and blue. Inverted colours? Where is that in our history? When were we called the blue legs? What I am saying is that you can't hold up history as a cause when you don't embrace all of your history.