Whispering_Jack

The word on the street here in Liverpool, UK, is that the Montagna to Essendon deal is dead in the water. Also saw that on twitter.

Beatle: beat-lnoun 1. any of numerous insects of the order Coleoptera, characterized by hard, horny forewings that cover and protect the membranous flight wings. 2. (loosely) a performing insect that is capable of kicking accurately with each of its six feet verb (used without object) 1. to move quickly; scurry: He beatled off to catch the train

Last night we ran into a couple of characters who resembled the two in the photographs immediately above. We were at The Cavern Club which is directly over the road from Liverpool's original Cavern Club where the Beatles rose to fame in the 1960s. It's a dingy underground club area with an atmosphere pungent with beer smells and literally hundreds of mad fans going off their heads over the songs sung by a Beatles cover band that sounds remarkably like the original which I saw at Festival Hall on 15 June 1964. Let's not forget what happened a little more than three months after that.

I checked Post # 1626 and I wasn't the author but I do agree with the view that there's a strong possibility of multiple infraction notices issuing to both NRL and AFL players over the supplements scandal.

Why am I sober or why I am on holidays?

I don't know what the Ox said but I heard a listener wishing him a happy birthday.

Apparently, his name has been revived in despatches and the fact that he played at the Oakleigh Chargers with Jack Viney wouldn't hurt out chances of attracting him. I just have this feeling that GWS wouldn't mind having a dominance over the top of the draft table as it has done in the past two seasons. A super trade that includes him as one of two midfielders coming to Melbourne in exchange for pick 2 and/or a player would not be beyond contemplation.

... except where I am in Liverpool, England it's late morning and everybody here's pretty much stone cold sober.

Love his spirit, determination, work rate and discipline but if he doesn't improve his disposal, particularly by foot, then he will find it harder and harder to get a game as we improve the calibre of our midfield.

True, but it's some of the alternative scenarios which have been suggested that frighten the crap out of me.

I don't really understand the angst about the suggestion of placing Fitzy on a wing. I was once at a pre game MFC briefing held by Chris Connolly and he asked where people thought Fitzy might play. I offered "rover". He looked incredulous but why limit your imagination just because a player's over 200cm? The above conversation did not take place in premises called "the vault" although if I recall correctly, some other members of the audience distinctly looked like Zulus. The other connection with ENYAW's OP is that Connolly's response was also incoherent.

Perhaps the "issues" comment has something to do with this - Bad blood - coaches Andrew Collins and Nathan Bassett get physical at half-time

Yesterday Redleg hosted a visit to the Beatles Museum and Magical Mystery Bus Tour of Liverpool to locations of note in the history of the Fab Four. The bus guide was a bloke called Jay Johnson, brother of Holly Johnson of the controversial 1980s Liverpudlian group Frankie Goes to Hollywood. I must confess that while I was swept up by the Beatlemania phenomenon in the 1960s, the main focus of my musical tastes remained elsewhere (see avatar) but I still got a lot from the tour. Also, having studied the economic history of the region, I expected all northern England towns to be highly industrialised and ugly. Not so Liverpool. We visited some of the older areas of the city, but on the whole, I found it quite beautiful with lots of green areas (but no banana plantations in this neck of the world), interesting historic and modern buildings and friendly people. Sadly, very few people with who to discuss Melbourne's recruiting developments (Redleg's otherwise heavily distracted at the moment by the forthcoming nuptials) although one of the guests is a Collingwood supporter who's working in London with the groom. This year's events and the loss of Daisy and Heater seem to have knocked the stuffing out of such supporters. The old arrogance is disappearing. It appears that Melbourne's recruiting output in our absence has stalled. This needs to be fixed up to help with our breakfast conversations at the hotel. The Americans here who do nothing but drone on about how the shutdown and debt ceiling issues are afflicting their country at the moment are amazed when I tell them that my football club back in Australia has been in that condition for seven years.

Holger Osieck might not understand anything about the game but he is available.

I would settle on Crouch and Vince actually.

And if he finished outside their top 10 then he can't come at much of a cost.

aka "HOUSEHOLD CROW"

Vince and Lyons for the compo pick we get for Colin Sylvia sounds fair (assuming its a band 3 in the early 20's). Lyons is the son of a former player Marty who was a real goer in a short career at the club. I liked him. If we were to add Cross, it gives us some experience in the midfield while we develop what we have now and what we recruit in the short term. I would almost be tempted to announce to the world that we're hanging on to pick 2.

Like the concept of trading 2 for a player and ending up with improved draft position as well (and if it were possible trading out a player instead of pick 22 sounds good to me if it's the right player to go). However, the fact that names such as Elliot and Seedsman are coming up indicates how poor and lacking in imagination our own drafting was going back just two or three years ago. These two players were both cheap buys for Collingwood and now they're being considered (and quite validly so) as bargaining chips in deals that might net a draft selection as high as pick 2. The Pies have several players who have exceeded expectations when drafted. How many do we have?

I'm not as charitable about Craig and his role at Melbourne as are some others. He was a nice enough bloke and diplomatically worked away around the minefield he found himself in, particularly after Mark Neeld's tenure ended so abruptly during the year but he was in charge of "high performance" at the club and was also Neeld's mentor so, in that sense, you'd have to conclude that he was also a failure. Then, as coach of the club over the last 11 games, his record was hardly any better than that of Neeld in what was arguably the easier half of the draw although I suppose that anyone who took over at that point in time had to be on a hiding to nothing. In the end however, there wasn't much about his coaching that was particularly innovative or impressive. He was merely filling time because it was clear that he was no super coach. In stark contrast, when Roos took over at the Swans after Rodney Eade was sacked, he was so super impressive with his people skills and match day tactics that the Swans were forced to flick the almost anointed new coach Plough. From all reports, Roos still has it and I like the idea of him overseeing the transition from his coaching stint to that of his proposed successor. It's not a new idea but it's bold and demonstrates that, unlike Blight when he went to St. Kilda, Roos wants not only to rejuvenate but also to leave a lasting impression on the club and its culture. I think what they're doing at Essendon is disgraceful and deserves no success going forward. First, they extended Hird when the club should be showing remorse. Second, they appointed one of the offenders in the sorry story as stand-in coach. The players might buy into this but they might not have a choice and they wait while some careers are tenuous at best. Craig, who is a career coach, has walked into this with open eyes and I suspect a heavy heart.

The basic concern of the ACC is the importation of prohibited substances into the country, the control and sale of them once they enter and the influence of criminal elements in corrupting society. Match fixing is one of the areas under close observation. In the course of it all, the link was found to two of our major codes and there's a common denominator there with one person who has yet to be interviewed by ASADA. Stephen Dank's evidence, if he ever gives it should be illuminating.

I've always believed that in the long form of the game, you need solidity at the top of the order and once the storm is weathered, the runs will flow.

Played a beautiful dead bat to every ball bowled. Still, yet to score any runs after 9 overs.

Is this thread about Viv Michie?

Don't worry about him. He once aspired to be a great method actor and even got a role as a river person on a movie called "Deliverance". Last role he ever got but still lives it every day.Meanwhile in Liverpool, I've made another startling discovery. Nobody here has a Beatles haircut.