old55

You never name who you're proposing we trade - so typical of your weasel approach.

I've acknowledged that you have a good theory and even provided Essendon as an example that supports your theory. The key is could a new coach have built a bridge from Bailey's plan to Geelong - or did we need to go back to the drawing board. The coach selection panel has indicated the latter by choosing Neeld. I accept that is a change of direction and there's a question about whether they really knew enough to make that sort of decision. But the bridge plan is no sure thing either. Yes there's much rework involved but I raised the recruiting component because I think that's a step too far and I illustrated why using example and comparison - how else do you want me to assess and discuss the validity of your claim that we recruited the wrong types based on a discarded game plan except by looking at the data? You and Ron Burgundy make a good pair on this - maybe I'm missing something in my reasoning armoury?

I think you and Jake Niall are over-playing this card. There's no evidence that Strauss cannot win contested footy (and kick it well) he hasn't had a chance to show his wares yet. Good players are good players, Blease has run and spread attributes that will be vital if we progress beyond the basics of Neeld's defensive style - yes he'll have to learn defensive structures and win his fair share of his own ball too - Adam Cooney was pretty effective last night, hopefully that's the direction he can develop. Bennell might be a bust because he's too small and can't win enough contested football but my understanding is that the Eagles were going to take him with the next selection, they play a contested style and recruit suitable players - sometimes it doesn't work out and he was pick 35 after all. Maybe you can explain why the Eagles picked Tom Swift in this context? It went Blease, Shuey, Strauss, Swift but apparently we stuffed up and according to many they're geniuses? Scully, Trengove, Gysberts, Tapscott were the other early picks and all have contested ball winning skills. I think our list is being written off prematurely - hell the Scully picks aren't even on the list yet.

It's an interesting idea. I had a look at rpfc's 2011 measurements - particularly contested possessions and clearances, the mainstays of Neeld's gameplan: http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/25041-rpfcs-measurement-of-2011/page__view__findpost__p__472599 In 186 the differential was -48 and -21 and yet according to your theory we "play a "Geelong" style of footy"? I think whoever took over as Melbourne coach needs to address these issues. It so happens that's Neeld's style requires us to address them head-on. If Sanderson had taken over he would have faced the same challenge. The questions are: Does Neeld have anything else up his sleeve once he gets these fundamentals squared away? We should see an answer in time. Could Sanderson have got these fundamentals sqaured away while retaining Bailey's corridor attacking based style or would he too have had to strip back to a contested style? This is the core of your argument I believe. Maybe Essendon provides a supporting case - they played an attacking corridor style under Knights and have been able to translate that succesfully under Hird-Thompson.

Amongst other good creative play, Watts missed 2 contested marks - one in the backline in the 3rd which he should have taken (a stretch to even call it contested) and cost a goal and one in the forward line within range in the 4th which was harder but I'd expect him to ultimately clunk - if he takes them, we quite possibly win with the associated momentum shift and he's the match-winner. I'm thinking glass half full - it was a move in the right direction. If we try to spot up Davey in a contested marking situation against an opponent who is 15cm taller again I will spew up, we continue to do this - and yes I'm talking to you Chip amongst others. FFS if he's the only option (which he wasn't in the Chip case) then kick it along the ground and give him a better than 50-50 chance.

best outcome from my perspective would be an Opel patch that the shop can put on with their number applicataion machine - jumper says "no iron"

Spencer!

So many daleks and cybermen

Maybe they got the list management sheet mixed up with the team sheet?

That shot is not from Base Camp, we have made some progress since it was taken, even through the Bailey years, although some find it hard to believe.

Hodge, Ball and Judd were unanimous top 3 in 2001 and the Eagles had pick 3 - yeah they backed themselves to pick the one that was left. Or he took one look at the Junction Oval facilities ... well done Einstein! Next it'll be Napoleon and Hitler invaded Russia because of their love of biathlon.

No the eagles pounced because he was still there at 3. Next you'll say they would've taken him at 1.

With free agency, the opposition analyst position does have an overlap with recruiting and list management. A million monkeys and a million typewriters ....

Port Adelaide?

Quite a few of the expedition leaders fell in a crevasse on the Khumbu glacier - we're back at base camp again with new leaders, yes.

Drama queen.

Better tell Jake Niall ...

It's quite clear you're hangon007 resurrected - no-one else could post so "distinctively"

Hang on a minute - speaking of monkeys - I think the penny might have dropped!

TGVITHODL

A million cynical monkeys and a million typewriters later ... You're going to spend Tom's $6M dining out on the fact that you called it early - I reckon you've only got about $31 left.

FFS, they've got back stock with Energy Watch on them and they're not going to sell them until they have a suitable replacement - how hard is that to understand. Have a look at this thread - they don't want more of this trouble: http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/29939-for-those-with-reach-jumpers/

The 1st sentence of the post was simply to point out that stevethemanjordan was talking crap in between insulting people. The 2nd part was my conjecture - that BP wouldn't have left if he was satisfied with his job, particularly when it's incomplete (see Scully picks) - there's a number of reasons with he may have been unsatisfied though. You'll note that the paragraph starts with "I don't think". Can I make it any clearer to you that I'm not presenting it as fact? When I'm presenting a fact I'll say some like "I know for a fact that BP didn't leave because Mark Neeld forced him out" but I didn't say that did I?

That's simply not true - he was opposition analyst for us before he became head recruiter, now he has gone back to that role with the Blues. I don't think BP would have left if was satisfied in his role - he had the Scully compo picks to use and I imagine he would have been keen to use them. Unlike others I don't blame him for picking Scully - he was the unanimous #1 pick for 2 years prior. But there's no telling what made him unsatisfied - one conclusion is that he didn't like the change of FD or they didn't like him, another is that there was discontent prior to the arrival of the new FD - it's ambitious to speculate without some concrete knowledge.

Yes please post updates as you hear them - I have 2 jumpers that need fixing. Jaded suggested I could get an iron-on patch from Spotlight or Lincraft but the jumper label says "100% Polyester - No Iron". The best solution would be a new BOJ sponsor patch that goes on like the numbers, that they can put on in the shop if you take your jumper in. A replacement jumper is too expensive for the club IMO and I'd rahther live with the pain.