drdrake

What Paul Gardner, the Board and Steve Harris has done is take MelbourneFC away from being just a footy club to a business and that is the only way an AFL club can be run sucessfully. Although, I don't like the way that the whole week was done through the media the end result was correct and needed to be done. ND role is to prepare the team to win games and ultimately a premiership his record shows that over the 10 years at the helm the MFC had under 50% win loss ratio. Now the tough part starts for the club, the next coach will make or break this current board. They have been fantastic getting our finances under control and finally getting our home base started but we need the success. No more accepting defeat, on thing the Essendon ferrals do is expect to win and not to bottom out for long periods of time, we should be the same. Not only finding a coach but we need to find out which players on our current list are required, what younger players can play at this level and what older players are no longer needed. We have 9 games to go a bottom 3 spot is likely the board and club have some futher big decisions to make.

I think Sandy have a bye this week, we have to play Buckley, CJ, Frawley next week. All players that need surgury get it over the next month and be ready to start preseason in October. To the following players thanks for your service but its time to go Bizz, Brown, Ward

Sorry to say this but he got towelled up by a second rate ruckman, Laycock smashed him. Where to from here the games I watched him live he has been beaten in ruck contests. His value around the ground is good but our midfielders aren't getting first use of the ball. Tonight I thought we actualy looked better with PJ in the ruck.

He has been our backline coach for a few years, what is the weakest part of our team? IMO our backline, so no.

So who plays on Lucas, Biz to slow, Bell will have to. Maybe Brown, Ward, Biz will also retire after tomorrows game. Riley will be given the directive from the board to play the kids, so expect a few more to come in next week.

Yep , not a fan, with what look sto be a highly talented list he can't get them playing well. One season and Freo have the same problems we have, senior players go missing when things are tough. When all is on song they look like premiership contenders but like us they often throw up terrible performance when a win is needed.

Fingers crossed we see him out of the square with Neita, rotating with Robbo on the Half forward flank to switch things up and catch the Bombers defense out. I like our forward line hopefully it look like Davey Neitz Newton Sylvia Bate Robbo Three guys that are pure goal kickers two proven at AFL level and the kid with a crumbing small forward and two young guns in Bate and Sylvia.

It is a problem, but we do have some kids to be excited about also. We have a handful of players that have been on our list for a few years to long which meas we may not have the depth of kids to come through, but we still have Mclean, Bate, Jones, Sylvia, Dunn, Newton, Frawley, Petterd, Bartram, Garland that all look like they can play at AFL level ad have good futures ahead of them add in Rivers, PJ, Bell , Davey and Moloney, thats 15 players that should be around for another 5-10 seasons. Hopefully CJ and Buckley can get games and show they will also be around for a while. We have got some handy kids as well, once the new coach gets rid of Ward, Brown, Biz, Holland. Pickett thats 5 players around 30yo we will only have Yze, Neitz and White, Jmac 30+ that will still have 1-2 years left and 5 new kids to get exited about, one will be a top 4 pick and we will get another inside top 20. It's not gloom and doom

Guy McKenna, a couple of reasons, all he knows is success and he has been in clubs with the best facilities and the best manage clubs is the com. He was key part to the best defense in the 90's, with one of his backline team mates already a premiership coachand is now involve with Collingwood who to many have a average list but the coaching staff is getting everything out of his players. He has no emotional link to any players at our club so the tough calls will be easy for him to make and his role at collingwood involves picking the other teams weaknesses and strengths so he will know what we need.

My main issue with Voss is will the first club be his education so he is reaady to coach Brisbane when Matthews Retires. For me I would go after Guy McKenna, he is footy smart, well spoken, done time as an assistant, played in the most successful team of the 90's he is ready to coach. He has been by Malthouses side and like it our not Malthouse and Collingwood get the utmost out of their players, if Guy can do that at Melbourne getting all players to play their best footy it will be exciting times.

My team would be as below Whelan Carroll Biz Buckley Frawley Bell Sylvia Mclean Green Bruce Bate Robbo Davey Neitz Newton White McDonald Jones PJ Petterd Pickett Wheatley In Newton, Buckley, Whelan, Neitz Out Ward, Holland, Yze, Godfrey No tag this week Godfrey isn't required

Its time to put Frawley on Lucus, we drafted him as a KP Defender.

Is Ox bitter or has he had a point that ND can't coach. If it is the second I agree with him and it is his role in the media to say this. He loves the MFC and to see the crap we have played on the games 7 have broadcasted would upset him as much as it upsets most of us.

As we have read from the posters on the sight and the chairman of the MFC our season is "gone and Dusted". We can focus on sacking the coach(which IMO has to happen or we can focus on getting something positive out of the next 10 games. Is winning the priority? IMO no if your not going to finish in the top eight you are better of finishing as close to the bottom as possible to enhance you Drafting and trading prospects. We all agree that our best 22 should be competitve but we need a ruckman, strong KPP and a fast midfielder with outstanding skills. I see no shame in finishing bottom two and winning less then 5 games to give us the best chance in securing what we need. Is Player development the most important or is giving players who are border line to be delisted a chance to get another contract more game time? Lets face it player development is the only thing to focus on. We have won the VFL premiership the last three season but our depth is not there. To me thats says we have good VFL players on our list but they can't step up to AFL level. They might play one or two good games to get us excited but they alwasy end back at Sandy. I'm talking about Ward, Godfrey, Brown, Wheatley,Ferguson, Holland and Bizz(only this season has joined that list the others have been doing it for a number of years). Godfrey excepted the rest of them are playing for their AFL future, the only reason Godders should not be include because he actually has been good for us this year but his future after next season will be questioned. Should we keep playing these playes how have been in the AFL system for 5-10 years, IMO no they are not good enough. Let them win another flag with Sandy then give them the good bye handshake. We need to see if CJ will become an AFL player, if Buckley can add that pace to our slow midfield, if the Hype around Newton is just that our can this kid be as good as most of think he can. Play Frawley as a key defender, Petterd as a HBF give them game time don't leave them on the bench for half a game. Can PJ become our No 1 Ruck for next year? These are the question we should be able to answer at the end of the season, but to do that they need to be played and when I say played it means given good ground time not sitting on the pine. Milestone game Give the supporters something to really take from this season. No MFC player has ever reached 300 games our Skipper all time leading MFC goal kicker and captain will reach this game this season. Plan it to be on round 22 against Carlton our home game at our ground the MCG, let us celebrate this at a ground we love and it is our home game. Not against Collingwood for their home game our the Bulldogs at Telstra. Hopefully this will happen and we can walk away form season 2007 disappointed that we didn't make the finals but optimistic about season 2008 ad hapy that we get to see something that has never happened at the MFC before. Please play the kids if we lose we lose but they will be better for it and give us Neita's 300 at our only home game left at the MCG.

Neitz would of struggled tonight our midfield is to inconsistant, we got smashed in the engine room and it happens to often, down blame Brock he is 21 and on the up, it the guys mid 20's with 100 plus games that should be consistant good footballers but always go missing we we need them the most, not just last night it happens whenever we are under pressure.

The board can't just take into account this season when making the decision they need to look back at the past 7 and this is why he needs to go. 2000 good season made GF, introduced some good kids 2001 Similar to this year a few injuries and some of our players thought it would be easy after 2000 2002 Good season won one final, went down to the crows but almost pinched it. ND identified that our spine wasn't strong enough. 2003 same as 2001 but worse, if the club had money ND should have gone then 2004 First half of the year we looked like premiers, hitting the top of the table only to lose around 5 straight too be knocked out in the first round 2005 same as 2004 but our late season slumped started after the break, we were woeful once agian dropping from a top 2 spot to be knocked out week 1 of finals 2006 it was like watching 2004/5 again but we lost our first 3 but we recovered to be top 4 by the break won a couple after then slumped again only just scraping into the 8 then beating ST Kilda before getting flogged by Freo in the finals 2007 2001/2003 all over again It has been frustrating as a supporter every year we get well ahead of ourselves and stumble. One year you can accept but it is a regular pattern, scraping into the 8 for 3 years after being in strong ladder positions late in the season is no acceptable, as I said once maybe twice you are psuhing it but 3 times enough followed by this year its time to go. Its about playing deep into the finals not just making up the numbers in the 8.

I have been sayinig this for 2 seasons, but we lack pace in our midfield, all of them are one paced and we look slow. He is the only player with explosive speed in our team. Other players may be able to run fats but don't have the aceleration of Davey. Saying that though Davey needs to be the crumbing forward, if he is not going to play that role then why did we get rid of Armstrong who could play that role, not with the same polis but hey he has a medal now.

Yeh he will just asked to be traded like so many of our younger players have, I believe 2 have premiership medals now

At the end of 2002 after being beaten by Adelaide ND came out and stated we will not be seriuos contenders until we get a KPP forward and back, that year Robbo was at CHF and Biz at CHB, 5 years on not much has changed. Look at tonight Robbo our No1 KPP forward and Bizz like wise down back. We have Rivers but he is like Bizz good at zoning doesnt have the strength to play on power forwards and we have a choice of 4 KPP forwards who were avaliable tonight Miller, Dunn, Garland and of course Newton, none of these were picked leaving Robbo one against 3 for the first half. Our season is dead lets see if Newton, Dunn, CJ, Buckley can play at this level they have been on our list for long enough give them game time and play them, don't sit them on the bench for 70% of the game like poor Petterd did tonight. Get Frawley onto a key forward, give him Lucas next week.

You don't have to go to far back, West Coast made us look silly and I dare to say if you look back over the past 10 seasons their is a common theme we struggle after a break, usualy in Adelaide so you can always we can't play at AAMI stadium but this year it s at the MCG

No way their is still 10 games to go we can have 12 wins and make the finals. Our season was dead 5 rounds ago

Why walk, I wouldnt walk away from a job that pays you over $500,000 per year why would ND.

What are we trading for? Draft picks, if your trading from draft picks you want first and second round picks, do we have any players on our list that we are wiling to give up for those picks. I think a club might give up a second round pick for Jamar, Richmond/Carlton and a few others need a ruck we might get lucky. Players on our list that might get you a top 10 pick- Mclean, Sylvia, Johnstone, Bate, Bruce, Rivers Davey Robbo. Of them are we wiling to give any up? Next 10-30 range players like Green, Bell, Jamar, Dunn, PJ, Jones and from there on I don't think we have much else to offer maybe Miller if we can get lucky. For a play depends on the player, Judd I'd give up TJ and second round pick, I would go after Warnock at the Dockers or Murphy that will cost a player like CJ Wheatley, Jamar and mabe a 2nd or third pick. One thing is for sure we will not win a flag with Holland, Ward, Brown, Ferguson, Biz and Godfrey(he has been great this year but his skills are not AFL standard) on our list.

Newton would have caught a cold out there tonight, the ball never went forward in the first half. We got smashed in the middle and down back.

You know what we are a financially poor club, the coach won't be sacked,the board don't want to pay him out. Also none of our assist coaches are capable of even being care taker coach. We will have ND until the end of 2007. My biggest problem with ND is in the 10 years as coach at the MFC every season we have looked the goods at some stage, but also every sesaon we have been the worst team in the comp. There is a huge gap from our best to our worst performances and we dont seem to be able to remain good for long enough. This is every season he has coached us, we are either loooking like serious Premiership contenders for a period of time to then quickly change to look like we belong on the bottom. We are unable to play even average it is good or bad. At least with a team like the Kangas or Bulldogs you know they will always try, not the Dees we give up when it is not our day.