timD

Sarcasm is a post that would pass for intelligent posting on this site atm is far far too subtle. Next time, try putting everything in capitals.

Speculation about Bailey's coaching ability is something that most of us, including me, do and should do. The problem is always one of data - what info do we have to make our assessments and what info do we not have that would influence our understanding? Kind of like rumsfeld's 'known knowns' if you get what I mean. Bailey has given some pretty strong hints about stuff, but you have to be a tea leaf reader to put them all together. He was given the job, in part, because of his knowledge of the list, undertstanding of game plans and ability to inspire as seen by the selection committee. I think it was nathan burke (i think?) who said that he would have liked to play under Dean. He has led the side to two bottom finishes, getting draft picks in the process. FWIW, this strikes me as deliberate. It is my opinion that Bailey does not rate the talent that he inherited and has made a deliberate effort to get more talent and try to see who could do what from the group he decided to keep. This means that we are left with a group of not quite NQR players and a group of talented youngsters (who themselves are a bit of an unknown quantity). Bailey himself is also learning as a coach - he is not the finished product when he begins (nor could anyone reasonably expect him to be). So, we've a bunch of old players who cannot lead effectively, kids who are new to it and a brand new coaching panel. Couple this with a poor midfield, no established or competent forwards and the worst facilities in the land and what do you expect? My guess is that the missing 'structure' is part deliberate - Bailey is testing the squad to see who has the skills and drive to improve; and part the fault of players not executing the way they are instructed. Bailey has spoken to us before about poor skill levels and a need to take the game on. We have players that do not do what he says. Problem is, they are the only ones we have. The only way to get better is to play kids, minimise bleeding and get rid of players too stupid or too inflexible to do what he says. Bennell gets picked because he tries to do what is instructed. Strauss will for the same reason. Players who are 'coachable' will get a gurnsey and everyone else will be extremely talented or phased out. As for issues of players playing for the coach, well, i think this is bunkum. players should be playing for each other, the jumper, themselves. THe coach needs the playing group to hold itself to standards - something geelong does extremely well. THis group doesn't and that is another agenda running along the whole time - something that Bailey has targetted from early on too. It is complex, and there are lots of things that we don't know. i'm not convinced about bailey, but he's not lost me either. Wish i had 2 hours with him so that he could explain what the hell is going on!

Cynically, it may be the best way to cope with the inevitable thuimping coming this week. Drop a few bigger names, make some public statements about standards, get some kids in who have a go (even if they cannot cut it) and then defend the massive loss by saying that we'd prefer to play blokes that care about the jumper than blokes who care about their image. Quitely reverse this trend by week 4, get a win and hope that Morton, jurrah, bell, watts, wonna, garland are all ready by round 8-10.

I love footy. I just hope my love does not remain unrequited

Good for you, twosheds. I've kept my eye on this thread every now and then. I hope the luck stays with you.

He's not kiding. He also told me via phone that wonna pinged "the other" hammy. Seriously, when the hell will things start to shift our way?

stranga, I thought there was no game next week.

Thanks KC - its been great seeing the updates for us poor socially isolated obsessives.

Rapt to have Aussie back. Just rapt. Also pleased to see how little Tommy Mac goes - he is very young still and I wonder if he's going to be one of those blokes that just slowly develops. No idea how he'll go, but best of luck to him. Aussie, my only request is that you come through without injury. I don't care if you have donuts. All I want is game time and being injury-free.

Andy Maher is the male version of the steretypical hysterical woman (Before the lynch mob descends, please read the use of the key word....stereotypical - as in not real). He is all about drama - empty vacouous drama, with the veneer of sociability. Urrrggh.

I think that a lot can change quickly. Basic stuff like holding chest marks and not being garbage will do it. Love to see Strauss start on the ground. Also need to really focus on physically competitive midfield. Get into the fight from the start and start hitting bodies and winning the footy. Just do the simple stuff well. When you start winning footy and winning contests, you'd hope that game plan starts to come more easily.

Maybe he is starting to learn what he can do with his body, now that it is a bit bigger and heavier?

Other than the obvious parts of the story, there is a significant little nugget in this piece for all armchair experts (that's almost everyone who reads this site, BTW): a lot happens about players, clubs, planning and contracts that no-one knows about. Now I'll just wait for someone to become hysterical about the fact that the club didn't tell us tha tAdeliade was trying to pinch one of our players.

Old Xav, you are all sizzle and no sausage. Nitnak beat no-one. Jurrah had to be dragged lest he inspire us to beat the saints last year. The gulf in performance is enourmous. Niknat is a poor mark, poor kick and break-even handball. He has no idea where to run (which doesn't matter when the play follows you). Why don't you spend your time explaining ow the litle ferret Didak is going to get a kick now staging is frowned upon.

Oh no. At the age of 19, Jack Watts has not figured it all out. Quick, let's trade him. talk about nothing beign said about nothing happening ending up making 'something'. Dear me, a 19 year old having to be told he's wrong - he must have an attitude problem. Given he is not physically ready to play full-time AFL footy at CHF at age 19, maybe BP drafted the wrong bloke? FMD

Nice stuff steamin. Dean sounds like a very interesting fellow. It may very well just be me, but the more I here, the more I like.

THe wiz leaving was pretty bad. Woey was a cult figure and I remember feeling numb for a few days after hearing that we'd traded him to collingwood. However, the departure that got me the most was Daniher. All those years, all those hopes, gone. Players with talent past their prime: a new coach required and cleanout inevitable. All of this on the background of a president at odds with the AFL and the media perpetuating their falsehoods. For me and the MFC, a dark time.

RPFC, it is not a tired argument, although you may be tired of it. I see two possibilities: that Watts will 'be the centre', or there will be no centre but rather a rotating feast.

Billy you are spot on. LJ is our most talented and high performing forward. He is not suited to the 'sole key forward' role a la fev. His speed, height and game sense make him a far more dangerous option running away from and then back towards goals. We would be best positioned with another go-to forward that LJ can play off. We used Dutchy to this effect when he playe dwith Robbo or Neitz.

My faith in Miller as anything more than a meat and potatoes tall is gone. However, the service to him has been awful for years. THe number of times passes go nowhere naer him must be dispiriting.

You are dead set full of it. I enjoy every loss you shocking people have but I won't go out of my way to see it. I will sit through hours of my team being shocking. I will go to games hoping thay lose and hating it. My utter loathing for your wretched club and miserable, egotistical, witless bogan army counts for nothing against my deevotion. It is a true tragedy that every morning, no matter what you hope for, you will always wake up a filth merchant. Troll.

OMG. Anyway, here's hoping that Colin gets back to where he was 15 months ago.

I hope you are kidding. You should be kidding. Just think it through - Ball is faced with several options. They include: staying and the saints; coming to melbourne; trying to stay away from melbourne and get to collingwood; trying to get to another club. The only way to stay away from us AND leave the saints is to say that he does not want to come to us and show no interest. It has always been an option. Bailey is just recognising the reality of it. He is also recognising the reality of not seeking divisions within your own list for the sake of a pre-season draftee. Ball is doing nothing different because of Bailey. Bailey is playing a fairly straight bat to it all. Everything else is hysteria. And today's papers seem to indicate that he's leaving ths saints.Only three options left

That option has always existed. Spoken or otherwise. Bailey did not 'call it into being' (he's not that powerful yet). Recruiting a player to a team, who wants nothing to do with the team, who costs a fair bit of coin and is there against his will and getting game time while players who get paid a comparative pittance fail...is a recipe for disaster. This is mainly because we are dealing with people rather than barcodes. Playing for the jumper is not outdated, but its meaning changes. It doesn't mean "the club and its history", it means "the blokes who wear it now with me". In a team sport, that notion will never be outdated. If you think it is, then you're kidding yourself. As for what people think of the club in the marketplace...well the last 18 months of financial disaster says enough about the wonders of intelligence of people in the marktplace. Perception changes awful fast. Let's see what some successes bring to the perception of the club. The other interesting assumption is about the universally negative interpretation of the club and how recruitment influences that. Finally, Ball is not an automaton. His manager will have discussed what type of club we are and what we are like. He could dismiss us with or without this. He does not live in a vacuum for goodness sake.

[censored], there is no 'entitlement' about being angry in this case. We do not know him, his situation, his thoughts or what the club has said, done or is thinking really. If you think that this situation of knowing nothing justifies anger, then I've got to wonder under what situation you'd ever advocate reflection.