sylvias dukes

those two players are terrible. We are a joke cause of our midfielders. If they happen to win the ball its just a hack forward, when they lose it though its a clear break. Sewell ran out of the centre first clearance of the day (what a joke). Unless we can get someone to support nath jones we will continue to suck big time. Trengove is a lot worse then Watts

Garlands has had a good start and his last couple of weeks have been especially good. The stats stating his kicking prowess are rubbish though. Although Kennedy beat him, bad match up by our laughable coach, he has shown great intensity in the back line. It shows how meaningless stats are sometimes as his defensive work has been good whilst his generally kicking appears okay. He merely just hits up targets I expect him to hit. Hasn't created outrageous options yet he's the third best kick according to the stats in the league. Stats lie occasionally but he has been very good this year

Tom Mcdonald just had 5 kicked on him by Darling. He is a horrendous kick and decision maker, however I can't help feel that there is some upside in his game as he does have a crack.

Are Melbourne still sponsored by the Age? I know we were recently. It's actually quite a shrewd investment. Sponsor a club that appears so conflicted it will sell plenty of newspapers. Sure beats sponsoring the Hawks or Cats. Nothing to reveal about their off-field internal rumblings

I meant by established teams everyone bar GWS and GC. If we beat Port and Bulldogs and maybe Essendon again then that's three wins. Remember we got beaten by the dogs and the power last year so its not a definite. It will be interesting to see if we improve for one, and whether Mark Neeld will continue to play such a negative predictable hug the boundary line style. It didn't seem to work at all. Sides aren't pressing as much with sides like Sydney excellent at breaking through the press. I want to see more attacking football and to see players express themselves and show their ability

Haha no it wasn't. It was actually the players brother, hence why it is reliable

when you look at that the outs compared to to the ins it is hard to see us improve drastically on last year and beat more then three established sides. All the older recruits have massive question marks. Dawes is slow and has come of a dreadful season. Pederson couldn't get a game ahead of Robbie Tarrant....... Shannon Byrnes is getting on and will be interesting to see how he goes in a team without stars. And David Rodan got delisted from Port Adelaide. To expect anything drastic from first year players is unlikely. I honestly can't see the so called "clear sky ahead." Hopefully the club improves but gee whiz Neeld isn't mucking around. Am I the only one slightly worried about the future of our club? The list hasn't improved one bit, in fact gotten worse. I started this post trying not to be too negative (stuff it). Schwab is a cancer of the club (off topic but the rant will go on). For him to have a relationship with a senior coach that was so diabolical that they couldn't be in the same room together is unforgivable. There is something majorly wrong at Melbourne. I heard from a reliable source that a GWS player who is being chased by a few Victorian clubs received an offer from Melbourne in which his manager laughed at saying "it's the worst running sporting club in Australia." It makes sense. When you agree to sack the CEO, then in the same week give him an extension, the word professional should be immediately removed. It's amateur hour at the MFC and this trade week has done nothing to change my opinion. Did we not get screwed over in one trade?

As said before sounds like Trengove is going to poll well at our b n f which is odd. Also our leadership selection appeared to be a wishy washy attempt. Every player was rated on certain values out of 7. Maturity and experience was not a trait. Leigh Matthews was not the most popular player or coach but an outstanding leader. Leadership cannot be summed up by cliche traits. Not a knock on the Jacks but I would have preferred a different approach to our leadership group so that the laconic Garland and the bunsen burner Bartram weren't included.

Gysberts was injured. He had some kind of arm injury and first game back broke his jaw. Missed quite a bit of football and came back and played well for Casey and received only one game in the afl before being dropped. Needs to get fitter and stronger but shouldn't be delisted.

Big rant and calling Petterd a superstar or close to is a bit extreme, however I get your jist. Neeld had me worried after his ridiculous round 1 press conference. The media didn't know how to react with his over the top calls and stupid expressions. Looked a man out of his depth and the only response was "he'll learn." To be fair he did, as he was a lot calmer in press conferences, but the thing that concerned me most was that he distanced himself from the playing group by lumping the whole result on the players. Does he realize that his job is to get the players to perform? He also said he doesn't want to put 'blind faith' in players. Wait he makes Trengove and Grimes captain neither having played much AFL footy, and although Grimes was okay this season, both failed to deliver to expectations. Claims that it was a decision made by the players, administration (wtf are they doing involved) and coaches. Funnily enough when it was coaches and players who elected the leadership group in 2011 Rivers and Moloney were both in it. Having finished top 2 in the b n f in 2011 surely they wouldn't be cut. Neeld needs to show that he can develop players and make them reach their potential. Make Gysberts follow Jones all pre season cause he can be a player. Instead Neeld is preoccupied with playing Sellar, not up to AFL, and Bate, why didnt we trade him to the dogs? His treatment of Stefan Martin is bewildering also. Dermott Brereton believes that he would have good trade value. Wouldn't surprise me if we traded him and kept Sellar. We better bloody improve!!!!!!!!

They still go to Boutique. Mate took an interesting photo of our captain. But who cares if they go to a nightclub when they have a 7 or 8 day break

Ratten is a good senior coach whereas Neeld isn't. Logical enough?

Saying that the title is dumb fair enough (it is). Saying the thread is dumb and not providing any reasoning, however is not fair enough. It may in your mind be stupid but the way I see it Melbourne needs to be cunning and dear I say it, without giggling, professional. Sorry Melbourne and professional aren't exactly compatible. Ratten is a proven senior coach who in my opinion is superior to that of Neeld. If available Melbourne should get him. You may act like Neeld is great and is trying to change the culture yada yada, funnily enough the same thing people said about Bailey, well believe all you want. I'm sick of believing in an untried and at this stage catastrophically deplorable coach. Everyone was unanimous in that Melbourne needed a senior proven coach not some rookie last year. After a season in which this untried rookie has led a season from hell and a proven senior coach comes on the market, fresh from the game I might add, surely it is not the worst opinion of all time. Pick holes in the theory all you like The Master did (or at least tried) cause hopefully I'm wrong and Neeld leds us to a flag

Stating Ratten is a better coach then Neeld somehow makes me ALP's chief strategist? Didn't know they had one to be honest. Appears to be rudderless ship (no pun intended) much like Melbourne

Ratten in Neeld out. Robert Walls wrote a great article in the Age http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/malthouse-a-big-risk-as-blues-err-in-axing-ratten-20120829-2514j.html I urge people to read it and before some idiot comes in and claims Robert Walls knows nothing just look at his CV. Bloke seriously knows his football. The article got me thinking and I have rated Ratten as a coach and the way he handled himself this year has been fantastic. He actually possesses leadership and is made of the right stuff. Has a win loss record of 53% and the only reason he is being booted is purely Carlton arrogance. Mick Malthouse is a great coach who unfortunately wouldn't even consider Melbourne but wants to coach Carlton, bad luck Ratten. This year has been a disaster of enormous magnitude. If prior to the season I'd said we'd beaten one non expansion side you'd all have had a chuckle. We haven't even gotten close to other sides,. This isn't all Neelds fault but he doesn't inspire any confidence. Deplorable in the media and that uninspiring cliche sprinkled pre game talk doesn't feel me with confidence. End of the day it comes down to who is a better senior coach though and you'd have to be one hell of a believer to choose Neeld over Ratten

Would be interesting to see if the Argus Report was at least looked at. I doubt it though. Will read with interest what Caro has to say about the issue. Not being involved with the inner sanctum makes it hard to do comment but he clearly polarizes opinion. Being apart of the boys club helped him big time though

The scapegoat. Always gets dropped after a big loss. By all reports he has been a consistant performer for Casey yet hasn't had a consistant chance. Played a very poor game against Hawthorn admitedly but clearly isn't one of Neeld's favourites. Neeld's favourites though are perplexing. Bennell again????? And Tapscott hasn't played a good game all year yet is a walk up starter. I rate Petterd and believe he has what it takes to be an AFL footballer and just hope he gets a proper run at it. I would have him ahead of quite a few in the side but you'd hope Neeld knows the team better then I

I never said trade him. I just said what is with all the hype. When young players get hyped I can see it. Hell you can see it in Watts, you could see it in Trengove last year, you can see it in Frawley. Even in other teams you can see it aka Cotchin, Heppell, Gaff. Ask quite a few Melbourne supporter an they'd chuck Grimes' name along with Watts, Trengove, and Frawley. Personally can't see it. I think he could be a good player but is he the core 4 to 6 players top sides have. When you see the likes of Jobe Watson, Dan Swan etc improve so drastically it shows that anything is possible and Grimes could well develop into an elite gun that will lead the club forward. Haven't written him off just not exactly aboard the Grimes bandwagon

spot on. We have a coach who has come in and taken the club backwards. I know some reckon Neeld is trying to strip back and reteach fundamentals yada yada but there is no sign of anything constructive other then being overtly negative with slow, wide ball movement. The comparision with Hardwick and Clarkson is not relevant as they didnt take over young sides that had been gradually building over the last couple of years. Of course its not all his fault but lets be honest from what he has shown there is nothing to be excited about. Neeld has to prove himself as a coach FACT. It's too early to tell whether he can coach but it drives me crazy that all these people are following him blindly just like with Dean Bailey, criticising anyone who holds reservations over Neeld. Time wil tell but no one would have predicted such a terrible first half of the year p.s his media work is cringeworthy

He would actually be of use had we not cut him. If he can stay on Hawthorns list for two years then a one year contract plus causes enabling him to a have a second year was not an outrageous demand. Bruce knew the writing was on the wall as we had just sacked our captain and had just offered him a one year contract. Bailey and co have created mayhem at this club. Sacking your captain and running your vice captain out of the club is an absolute disgrace. Now we have two young players who still have to a lot to prove to the AFL community as captains. Bruce was fading but was an outstanding servant of the club who finished top 10 in our best n fairest every year except his first (2000). I read an article in which Isaac Smith praised Bruce as a mentor. The crap he receives on this site is outrageous. He was a true professional and in a club that currently resembles an amature shambles would have helped set the standards and develop the youngsters

I have no qualms with him in the team however his ability has been overstated in my opinion. Rivers is the hardest, most courageous player in the side and was very noticable how vulnerable our backline was without him on Sunday. He always leaves his opponent to help a team mate and takes a dangerous forward generally. Grimes is a steady player in my opinion and the comparision to Kirk is a bit extreme. Grimes is hard at the footy but not to the extent Kirk was.

Seriously though. People will come on here and say his been injured yada yada which is true. He has not been able to string any sort of football together through his career but then again why is he captain? Why do supporters love him? I read comments that he will be elite but he has no elite trait. Went at 38% disposal efficiency on Sunday, has no real speed, is not a good kick, doesn't win much contest ball etc. Am I missing something when it comes to Grimes? I have him on par with Ben Howlett from Essendon which I dont mean as any disrespect but there is no hype around Howlett yet mention the name Jack Grimes and for some reason Melbourne supporters froth at the mouth. I hope I am wrong with Grimes but I can't see an elite footballer in him just an honest servant

Thanks for the comments Cam. I rarely comment on Demonland rather casually browse through whilst at uni. I enjoy the corporate side of the work you have done for the club. Energy Watch and this apparent new looming sponsorship has demonstrated that the club now seems to have created an efficient business module. This is your job and kudos for being successful. However, what is not your job is becoming involved in football matters. This is for the football department. Last year it was widely reported that there had been a rift between you and the players, in particularly the leadership group. Prior to the Geelong debacle esteemed football writer Caroline Wilson said you were to be sacked and the decision was essentially complete. We all know what happened that day and the bullet that was heading your way found its way towards Bailey, which in my opinion was long overdue. I don’t confess to know all that goes on behind the scenes but this kind of rubbish does not occur at other clubs. I assume the leadership group who petitioned to remove you for what they deemed was excessive interference contained our top two finishers in the b n f (Moloney and Rivers), Green, and Davey who were all dumped from the leadership group recently. I say this because I read that the selection of the leadership group included the coaching group, the players, and the administration. Did you therefore have any input into the leadership of the club which is widely perceived as a joke?

When Bailey got sacked the media and public alike agreed that Melbourne should leave no stone unturned for a highly credentialed senior coach hence why we offered a contract to Clarkson. Although Gary Lyon denies it I believe we also tried to lure Ross Lyon, I would be disappointed if we didn't to be honest. All that Malthouse talk as well. The theory was that if Melbourne had a proven coach then we could really see how good the list is as the coaches ability couldnt be questioned. I'm not disappointed about Neeld's appointment but he is an untried coach who I hope is a success. Telling blokes that they shouldn't do media work to the media in an attempt to create more publicity about how uncomprimising he is seems a bit hypocritical does it not. It's okay to have that opinion but why express it to the media

I know all those players and they have some talent but are only young. I'm saying if the perform then they will be moved up the ranks. The fact of the matter is Matt Cosgrove made the most runs in the shield last year and I think Quiney made the second most believe it or not. No one really stood out with the bat. Khawja has made runs and has a good first class record and Pattinson has bowled well and has also good a record, hence why they have both been in the aussie squad. Ferguson only averages 34 in first class cricket so forget about him. Tim Paine has made only 1 first class ton so there are genuine question marks around him. Wade in my opinion is better. Marsh and Cummins are only young and need to perform in first class cricket. Marsh took a 6 for which was good but he has got to keep performing and hopefully make some runs as well. Cummins has only played a few games of first class cricket and averages in the 40 with the ball. Has undoubtable talent though. Warner is not a test quality batsman and will be found out against top sides. Admitedly he does play straighter then people think but one score is not the be all or end all. Tom Cooper made 98 and 200* in the same game and he is a journeyman. Look what Katich had to do get back in the test side after the 05 ashes, he had to set a record for most shield runs in a season to be recalled and flourished. It is a honor to play test cricket for Australia and it is not like AFL were you blood players. Look what happened to Smith and presently to Hughes as they have been exposed. Shaun Marsh had 10 years first class cricket were in only the last 2 or 3 years he made serious runs but it has all been a positive experience cause he knows his game and the mental application it takes to make runs. Same can be said about Jonathan Trott from England who was not plucked as a young fella rather made lots of first class runs and was just recently named the best player in the world. Mike Hussey played lots of first class cricket as well. I'm sure you can list lots of prodigy's who debuted early, i.e Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, except they all would have dominated first class cricket and are superior players to those you just listed.