demons27

Sorry to say that Newton has shown very little ability to hold down any position at senior AFL level. Newton's 6th law of motion is "when the football comes in my direction, even with no opponent in sight, I will drop it and accidentally knock it out of bounds".

Bailey has already proven himself ........as out of his depth in the AFL coaching caper. I cannot understand why we offerred him a one year extension......we keep shooting ourselves in the foot. This type of ill considered planning is yet another reason we have not one a flag for nearly 50 years.....that is enough time to rebuild a team nearly 10 times.

The players are meant to be led by the coach who provides clear directions and sets the expectations of the team. He should also be actively engaged in building spirit and commitment within the group.....we are sadly short on these two key ingredients. Bailey is a "suit" who is a big liability to a club which needs someone with passion and proven abilities in the football world. He has shown very little skill as a coach over the last couple of seasons. This is affecting team morale.....don't be surprised if we lose a few players to GC at the end of the year.

This is an excellent commentary on the team's performance, though I suspect the malaise at the club is quite deep. The playing group has not melded into a team and they are being "led" by a coach with questionable abilities. I fear our performances are reflective of a negative culture which is becoming quite insidious and self-perpetuating.

What was Melbourne thinking to offer Bailey another year on his coaching contract. His performances to date have been very uninspiring.... the players are also showing signs of not understanding his game plan (whatever it is). Many say we are in a rebuilding stage and need to be patient, but there is something missing at a club when they continually put in such insipid performances.. Do you see players competing at contests and showing passion and support for each other? If someone is felled unfairly do we show numbers and physical presence? Have we now developed a losing culture which is undermining any efforts to right the sinking ship. This could easily become a long period of darkness if drastic action is not taken soon. I say let's bail on Bailey and get a coach with some real drive, passion, tactical prowess and respect from the football community. Would we be doing better under Michael Voss, Rodney Eade, or even Mick Malthouse or Kevin Sheedy?

The Game Plan is clearly to drive all Melbourne supporters to an early grave as Bailey does his best to impersonate an AFL coach

What's the point??

What game plan....what a poor excuse for an AFL coach.....time for Bailey to bail rather than accept an extension for doing nothing except leading us down the ladder.

You make some very good points.....I do see our waste of talent being a reflection of not having a coaching group to develop this talent. Perhaps the coach is too removed from this key aspect of his role at the club?

They say be patient because they honestly believe they don't know what each week will hold. It is fine to analyse players, but even a team of better players will flounder if they lack inspirational leadership. The key ingredient missing at Melbourne is a coach that instills pride and commitment in his players. Selecting a coach from left field has seriously backfired. Bailey may do well with the corporate speak and press conferences, but he is not a proven performer at AFL level - be it as a player or coach. Hypothetically, would we be in a better position under Michael Voss, Rodney Eade or even Mick Malthouse or Kevin Sheedy??......most educated footballer observers would say yes. I also can still remember the pride I felt supporting Melbourne in the late 1980's when a group of largely good to average footballers competed in a number of finals series under John Northey......he was the key reason for our success.....and we could have even pinched a flag with some luck. The players are important, but the coach is the significant ingredient to on-going success at any club. Stop dissecting lists and look at the top for the real answers.

Don't bet on it, we will remain ordinary while Bailey is the coach.....you can sense the players are not behind him....they are questioning the game plan and not showing 100% commitment

Finally someone has the gonads to question the ability of the coach. We are meant to have the most promising list going around, but our performances are not reflecting this.....excuse after excuse after excuse.......if he was a CEO, Bailey would be at Centrelink now and the Board would hire someone with passion, commitment and good football credentials + a game plan that everyone understands.

Miller will not make it, neither will Jamar....they generally fail to make correct decisions under pressure, or miss the important shot for goal. We should have held onto Robertson for another year to support the younger players. The sense I have at the moment is that the club is lacking a passionate coach who people can look towards for real leadership. when things are tough. Hypothetically, would we be in a better position now under Michael Voss, Rodney Eade, or even Mick Malthouse or Kevin Sheedy? I think so, purely on having a coach with some standing in the game and the respect of the playing group. A decent game plan the group understands would also help.

Bailey is a master spin doctor who is clearly out of his depth as an AFL coach. If he had better judgement he would have knocked back the one year extension on his contract and thrown his hat in the ring near the end of this season, As it is we have a lame duck leading a group towards further loses. Melbourne supporters and players deserve better than this. I do not believe he is adding much value to the playing group. He was a mediocre player who is breeding a losing culture in a club desperate for success. Being able to predict his speal at his press conferences merely reflects his ineptitude and his lack of empathy and respect for long suffering supporters of the club. Please move him on ......Connolly would make a good interim coach....he is a true Melbourne man with passion and a leader of men.

I have been supporting the demons for over 40 years. Despite all the suggestions of better times ahead....we are nearing 50 years without a premiership. Be patient they say, but half a century without the ultimate success is an indictment on this once proud club. The Bulldogs have made some good decisions over the last ten years to achieve their current position of being a realistic challenger for a flag. The demons on the other hand appear to be floundering. Stynes is as committed a President you could have, but he is only one man. Our troubles are deeply rooted in poor list managment, financial constraints and last but not least, having a coach who is a great "suit", but not motivator of men, nor a good game-day tactician. People say don't blame the coach...he is only as good as the cattle on the park. If a company is not doing well the CEO is often the first person put under pressure. Bailey's win/loss record is appauling and we reward him with a one year extension - because we are rebuilding and he handles the media??. He is now associated with a losing culture at the club and this is a cancer that needs to be addressed. We are already hearing in the media that the players do not understand his game plan....does anyone? For f***sake, MFC needs to move Bailey on and get a guy at the helm that has some passion and a track record of success and motivating footballers. We do not need a spin doctor who can give good presentations and front the media with yet another speal about being patient. The sad reality is we are revisiting the dark days of the 1970's and we are now the whipping boys of an expanding league. Enough is enough....MFC needs to think hard about its future and make some decent decisions, starting with the coach. I would like my children and their children to talk about their club with pride and not simply wish for better times that never seem to come.

You make some good points. IMO the bigger issue is having a midfield that can achieve the inside 50's to feed a winning score. As an aside, I like the defensive unit we are currently building....it's an obvious observation that lower ranking teams get more exposure to their defensive game plan.....but still, it is shaping up quite nicely and will do well when players are back from injury and have a solid pre season.

I empathise with you and all other Melbourne Supporters....45 years without a flag is far too long....even the woods pinched one in 1990 to break their drought. By the way I watched a replay the other day of the last quarter of the 1987 prelim at arctic park. Apart from the well documented "Stynes over the mark" incident, I was reminded of the easy shots missed by Campbell, Yeats and Eishald.....another bad memory DOH. Let's hope we have better fortunes over the coming few years....though I must say I do not think Bailey is the man for the job.....I am hoping Gazza makes his move into coaching and pays the Club back for the many opportunities he has enjoyed. He is clearly a passionate Melbourne man and still young enough to do a great job developing our next premiership team.

The issue is really with the club showing some good judgements on selecting players with the credentials to add value to the team.....I would take Valenti over a flashier player because of his 100% commitment and desire to make every contest count. He is highly skilled and poised under pressure....he also lifts others around him and is a real solid type. He should be retained and promoted to the 1's on a more regular basis. Newton should go before Valenti. Young Isaac has skills, but usually fails to deliver when it counts...we have persisted too long with him and should move "e=mc2" along with some real kinetic energy.

Really like the game of Valenti....he's a hard nut who while not the quickest going around usually makes the right decisions and executes......let's hope he get more opportunities at senior level next year (as an aside....the pies' Barham is looking like a 70's porn star...he needs a number one)

Let's hope 2010 is not a write off

Just make sure it's peak hour so you get a big audience

Finals experience even in the 2's is important for the development of young players. Playing in "pressure" games also builds character and resilence and really tests skill levels and decision making. Collingwood certainly has their share of younger players going around today. Bailey is doing a reasonable job with 2010 being the crunch time for his coaching career....if there is no major improvement in ladder position for the team then I believe he will be replaced. He has mastered the media to the extent he is cruising under the radar of major criticism, but this will change next year if we again show just promise and no significant improvement. Let's all hope our recruitment guys do the business in the coming drafts. We have a real chance to build the list with some quality youngsters and do not want to blow this one. Fingers crossed we enjoy improved results in 2010, but my suspicion is we will have a new coach by the end of the year.

Valenti like Cheney are goers....they have good judgement and normally execute well under pressure....most importantly they are really hard at the ball and have a go. We could do worse than having a few more of these types in the side.

Newton epitomises a long term Melbourne problem of persisting with players that will never make the grade at AFL level. In a higher performing team he would have been cut some time ago. Like Brad Miller he has talent, but does not have a sustained impact on matches.....more often than not doing something stupid when put under pressure or simply needing to execute basic skills. Move him on and give another youngster a chance - Hughes and Zommer look interesting.

We lack pace, commitment, talent, passion, hope and any other superlative you may choose....watching paint dry in winter sounds more appealing than witnessing Melbourne's insipid efforts in 2009.....will another 45 years go by without a premiership?