beelzebub

Theres a lot to this actually. More so than some may afford. knowing Theres one or two targets always going makes your work as a mid more directed. No need to hesitate as often , you're drilled to go there, kick here etc. Start that and the confidence builds dramatically. We havent worried other teams for years in this regard. For as bad as we have been our conversion inside 50 has been pretty good. its been the feed thats lousy. having some fire power from the middle makes it less of a certainty as well that its simply a case of backs on fwds keeping score down. Jonesy and Vince can kick it long. Tyson knows where the sticks are. it could be a very different ball game next season. with fwds like clark and hogan who will lead up, well, its going to be entertaining if nothing else

I think theyd risk Freeman and grab Bontempelli

who does Finey barrack for again ?

both are going to hurt a whiles..

they are rolling dice big time....painful 14 and 15 coming up

Back to the field - Who's sliding Well the silly season of trade is all but over. We can see pretty much the who and wheres of the new landscape. Its crystal ball gazing time. We often start looking at the ladder but without necessarily trying to lock teams into position there are those that will remain around the mark of where they are currently, some will climb, others by default will fall . All teams have their time ( still waiting here ) Some are primed some get a little too old and tired. I cant see either Hawthorn or Freo going too far , Sydney and Geelong intrigue me. Much hype about the Buddy Boy and they should remain strong but top 4 ? Im not actually convinced. might slide a little 5-7. Geelong have great depth, only have to look at their VFL side but not all good VFL players make good AFL players and we ought to know they have a good selection though but with recent movings on maybe their shine is dulling a little. Collingwood have an annoying knack of re-strengthening and i think Daisy is no loss, Shaw is more of a loss but they are getting a handful of decent trades in I sense they will be pushing the Geelongs and Swans for top 4 . I think Richmond will still hover around 6-7 for no other reason Im not sure who will press them. Carlton seem to fancy themselves as do Essendon but Im calling these two to slide way back to the middle of the pack and struggle. All of Port Nth and Crows will I think will climb 2-3 spots with Port being the one to watch, they seem totally reinvigorated. Strugglers....I think the Aints are in t\for a world of pain next season. Their backbone of experience is dissipating and the kids coming in will take time. Lions are a mess. new coach likely to take while to find feet. Slide. Giants. Lost some depth, looking to bolster their game but cant see them getting too far in 14...15 ...maybe the start for them. The Suns may well start to shine. Expect them to move into the middle of pack in 14. Dogs will tread water is my guess. Eagles have a history of surprising but the new coach may fire or not. They I think will stay about or drop a possie or two. And then there's us.. I dont think we'll be a slider Anything could happen and id love us to be 8th but I think we can in reality climb maybe 5-6 spots with a kind draw and leniency with injuries. i dont expect to recognise too much about us in 14 other than the jumper and even that will have new brands on it. So my thinking is Geelong, Swans, will slip a tad. Carlton Essendon and Lions to slide the most

DD36 I dont think thats being to outlandish. Hopefully they are just niggles and sorted. If not a serial 'injured' does little for us, good bloke or not. He'll have a limited preseason but he does train well. Its frustrating when we have talent and they cant take the track. he should have 5-6 good years ahead.. im hoping

The only thing about Pedersen I cant fathom is the extension. yes, mark me down as someone sucked in by the promo package. He looked a likely handy utility. FF a little and we all see what we see. Oh well we got dudded. ...FF a bit more and the guy gets signed for more...that to me is the only WTF !!

make it happen and we'll all buy you a beer

- Paul Roos - Senior Coach - Todd Viney - Manager Player Personnel - Josh Mahoney - Manager Football Operations - Mallory Smith - Football Administration Manager - Andrew Nichol - Player Development Manager - George Stone - Midfield and Strategy Coach - Ben Mathews - Midfield Coach - Jade Rawlings - Backline Coach - Daniel McPherson - Forward line Coach - Brett Allison - Head of Development - Brad Miller - Development Coach

I cant see us doing much today. PSd may unveil a smokey

Billy im not ignoring anything. PJ is being purely expedient , for the now. If he continues this I will think less of his actual vision regarding the MFC. Hes done well to date but i dont think you can suggest a;ll his decision may be perfect. He's acting as a receiver. They often do things differently to a longer visioned servant. time will tell I doubt anyone would disagree that a lot revolves around bums on seats.. A lot of this goes to the relevant memberships that clubs have. Melbourne's isnt brilliant. indeed it dropped by 10% this year. Continue to play out of town and it wont improve. It becomes a catch 22. Again we've wasted more money in the past than we gained from any 'away' deals. This is so easily overlooked. The supposed reimbursement for lost games doesnt always play out the way you think. There are still less games In Melbourne for Melbourne based supporters to go to, doesnt matter how you paint that you dilute the value . thats not your view...it is of a lot of people

birds of a feather Obviously a Roos recommendation, interesting CV Club's happy, I'm happy.

pretty much I do feel more inclined to do so than previous

when they need to, they dont need to give you or I a running commentary Any business informs its shareholders/members when it has something to tell., when appropriate. or if news. its not a big deal that we have no weekly update on this.

Cross was just another mid, an older one , at a club who are blessed with a good midfield and had the luxury of moving Cross on. If we were so blessed we probably would to but we arent. Neeld's stance seemed to be defend, defend, defend. and it never really ventured past that. Cross's signing ought to be verified in week or so Dont take too much from what or club or any puts on a public forum. They are hardly likely to bag anyone etc. There's a degree of pc about all that. Ive had whispers that no one, well few ( @club) were really that sad to Sylvia go but would have been ok had he stayed but would have been treated very differently, his grace period was up. in reality Col was never a mid...Bernie is . So we're improved for no other reason.. A mid for a non mid

What am ignoring Billy do tell. You seem to ignore much, especially the value to members who have already paid for the games You are looking at the benefit in a cash handout in isolation and not the big picture Im afraid. Again, and i dont really expect you to understand the hand out isnt THAT big in terms of the total business of the club. We have squandered many times that amount in poor decisions . Maybe we change that, oh hang on..We are. Theres a saying..its not how you make it , its how you spend it. Its not I out of depth. In case you are unawares, the league is addressing the imbalance of returns and the effects of gate v deals etc.

I'm sure will be informed of the new sponsors when its appropriate. PJ and DeC know their jobs. Little panic out there in the footy world about this on this occasion. I'm sure if there was a drop of blood to be had certain hacks would be into us. The club is under no warrant to provide us with info until it happens.

wayback machine ..lol

good ...lol

Thats right Billy..its about simple solutions inst it. Just take the short terms NT money and all is right. it akin to being given fish or learning to fish. I see noting wrong with the 'odd' game somewhere Be it China , even Darwin for that matter .ts when it being normalised thats thats what we do it becomes a mill stone to anything else. Yo wont get 30-35 at the G if you keep flitting off everywhere else and devaluing the value of Memberships. There is nothing wrong with doing promo work for either ourselves or the code in remote areas..But not during working thankyou I'l go to the games I want to ...and /or can but thanks for the advice. It's filed with the rest. The club needs to focus on its performance. That will tweak the eyes of broadcasters and in turn those that schedule things at AFL house. No one likes the graveyard games and dont see why anyone following Melbourne ought to particularly. You agree that much swings around performance but ignore the effect of a Darwin game . Our performance gain nothing from these. Billy you dont care if we play up there, I dont like that we do. Yes its about money but I m wanting the club , now it has better people and a better sense of what it ought to be doing to be able to find better solutions than nobbling ourselves for a handout. In reality it isnt a huge payout for the damage it does.

who for whom ?

Sorry frog, cant help but disagree somewhat I see the notion of Sylvia as a loss as an oxymoron. He was as much a liability as he was gifted. He added to a game as much as he stifled it. His value was just above zero ( for mine ) in a game. He didnt really add value to the midfield he was just there. He wasnt alone either . Vince isnt a replacement for Sylvia in this regard hes a giant upgrade. We lacked some maturity in the guts Cross will fill this role admirably in my estimation. he wont be fazed, he will calm things when needed. He also takes pressure off of Jones. If Trenners if fit and up then that alone is a plus over 13. Tyson seems determined ( already ) to impact. Seems a bit of a bull at a gate. I think he'll really stamp himself on the team. Jordie can stick to negating.. he does this quite ok. He can leave the ball skills to others . Toumpas will be better for another preseason. have No idea what Michie will or wont be but he wasnt there in 13 . We lacked 3-4 able bodies this year. Weve got them. We must be improved just for that. Add in #9 at some point and its another element. i really hope Roos goes for less shiny and more able. I fess to being intrigued as to what Watts might become as a tall running mid. he is immensely talented but hasnt jelled ( to date ) As a skilled outside type who can land a ball on a 10c piece , could be interesting. I think the midfield will benefit form some players playing through it whilst not being it per se. Cue Grimes. I like Garland at FB and Frawley at CHB and amongst the reasons is Chip imposing himself by coming into the midfield in play scenarios has promise and excitement. with , hopefully less game pressure on the backline , their offensive capabilities will come more into play. Viney will relish support as will Jones. The other support bit players can be just that, relief hitters , nothing special. But the magic of out bettering is George Stone.I really dont think we've been coached particularly well in the guts. I know you need cattle, but the decision making and direction taken at times was beyond confusing to be laughable. i reckon we'll get our hands on the ball at least 25-30% more and our efficiency with it to lift 50%. We now have some players with ability to link through the guts. Massive improvement potential. Just wait , you'll be hearing "Jones, to Viney handballs to Dyson who immediately pumps it to Vince as he runs to the arc ...GOAL" I reckon we now HAVE a midfield where we had only a bit of one before. Thats a huge improvement for mine.

Anything is possible. I cant see us instigating much but maybe someone might sweeten a pie by including us. We need a few names off the list...thats about all that might drive it. imho

In reality the essence of whats just happened is that prior to this trade period we simply didnt have a midfield. We had bits of one but nothing cohesive or capable. Now we have sufficient players to mould into something resembling a competent unit. Cue the maestro Stone and wave your wand. We really have no idea how good or bad until they play. Now we have something where before there was next to nothing . Thats not to take away anything from the likes of Jones and Viney But two legged chairs dot work too well. This is without doubt the major area of hopefully massive change in this team. We should present quite differently in 2014... but as to what ...well. Im happy to wait and watch. Effective clearances should get a boost. The old adage, one we get is one they dont. Momentum of games change. The confidence of the unit ought to grow and affect games even more. Quite a few games in 2013 turned ugly when opponents got big runs on us. I think this will stop. With more able players to hand they ought to be able to slow this down, indeed turn it around. When games blow out its all over.. Keep scores closer and outcomes can sometimes become coin tosses. With some quality injected into the middle those tasked currently to hit above weight can get back to their jobs in a more normalised pecking order. Its going to be fascinating to see how Stone changes things.