Nasher

Big Jim, I agree that members have the right to question the CEO. I disagree that they have the right to bring up their bothersome agenda in to every single thread when it has no relevance at all to the topic at hand. I can't blame Jose for getting agitated. Where's a bloody mod when you need one?

I can't help but feel if we traded him we'd see him go on to dominate for another club, then we get to spend the next five years looking like complete idiots. Then again it could prove to be another Travis trade. So glad I'm not the one who has to make these decisions.

That story made me feel sick. The things footballers have to do sometimes!

It's against their constitution, apparently (or was that Collingwood?). Never understood why the AFL didn't have the balls to veto that since they're so rigid on the clash strip rules, especially since our clash with Essendon is probably one of the worst in the whole comp. One rule for one club, one rule for the 15 or whatever others.

The club doesn't make Watts the main problem, that's just the supporters. I haven't seen anything from the club in the press at all about Watts. As for why does he get dropped - what do you mean? He got dropped once, and that was when he was the only one in the team that didn't lay a single tackle; that had to happen. Other than that I'd say the club has more than backed him in. That Sellar and Dunn keep getting games (both have been left out of the side at least once as well, by the way) - that's a separate issue. Sellar out of necessity, and Dunn out of something that I haven't figured out yet.

Come on, you've got to admit that's pretty funny

You're not telling me we (18th) might get flogged by Essendon (2nd)? GET OUT.

Exactly. We start winning some games, suddenly he'll stop giving a crap about all that other stuff. So will you and I, so will everyone.

It's probably because people keep responding to it and bumping it to the top, just like you did.

I'm really struggling to see the relationship between this and Viney temporarily filling the hole as the chief recruiter. Is Todd temping in a boring off field role the reason why your old man doesn't want to go to the footy any more, WYL?

It kept me amused for five minutes; time well spent I think.

Spot on, Robbie. The only type of people around at the moment as those who like to pee on us, and MFC supporters. In some cases, the two are one and the same.

Just out of pure boredom I thought I might give you some feedback as to why these ideas are absurd: He's barely played, and struggled when he has. I know beating up on Watts is fashionable and he's got issues with the contest, but you're kidding if you think Cook can't be worse. He can, and would be worse. You're messing with an area of the ground that is working just to squeeze in a personal favourite. I've said a few times now that when our defenders are dealing with a reasonable level of pressure (as opposed to the outrageously unreasonable level we've seen recently), they'll look just fine. Lo and behold, this week the midfield worked hard for three quarters, and suddenly Rivers, Frawley, McDonald, Grimes and even the bog ordinary Dan Nicholson had good to excellent games. As for Petterd - there's definitely a spot in the side for him: Lynden Dunn's. Come on, that's setting the bar ridiculously low and he's not meeting it as it is. If he can't oust Dunn for a spot in the side then he's not worth a cracker and should both will be on the heap at the end of the year. I want Petterd to make it, but he has a hell of a lot of work to do before he waltzes in to the side. To what end? He's not getting near it as it is, so push him further deep where he's even less exposed to the footy. I love his hardness but at the moment he's not offering much else, I really can't see him offering salvation to our small forward problems. Grimes has been, is, and will be fine. He occasionally butchers the ball, but he adds so much more that he's easily a net positive. As for Trengove - if he's labouring then he needs to be rested. I can't see his current issues being solved by time in the VFL. There's a spot in the midfield for a tall like Martin, it's called "the ruck". We've seen he can effectively play as a true midfielder with the ruck responsibilities. If he was playing well in his time in the ruck, there's no reason why he couldn't be afforded more time in the middle, but to date he's been crap and crap up forward as well. He's no worse an option than Sellar though. This is just hot air and won't accomplish anything other than give the bottom feeding journos more stuff to talk about. The players who are struggling should be aware that they are and it doesn't take a lot to join the dots and see where your career is going. It might make you feel better if Neeld did that, but it carries all sorts of risks and adds nothing to the process.

You said your definition of soft was not going, I said sometimes he doesn't go. I'm not sure what's got you so staggered.

The wider football community uses the wrong word then. Lynden Dunn, especially circa-mo, making an art form of shitting his pants and flinching when in contests is what I'd call "soft". The infamous Bennell, Davey and Morton shirks were soft. Those boys were afraid. It might be a subtle difference, but that "not going" is different to Watts' style of "not going". FWIW I agree that he sometimes doesn't go when he should, so this discussion is probably purely semantic.

I've been trying to work out all year what Dunn adds to the team. It's not toughness, hard running, good forward pressure or goal kicking. What the heck is it then? 87 games to his name now; there's enough rounds left in the year to become the worst ever player to play 100 games for the MFC, just in time to be delisted.

At risk of being inappropriately personal, Freak, I decided very early on in your posting career here that I was glad you weren't the coach, and not much has changed.

You know what annoys me? Losing. The difference between Watts and Gibbs is that Gibbs is in a good side and Watts is in a shit one. If we were at the opposite end of the ladder, I doubt anyone would even care if Watts was soft.

I still think soft is the wrong word, because I don't get the impression that he's afraid of being hurt or doesn't want to contest or anything like that that the word "soft" implies. I liked whoever described his performance as "limp" on the first page (Maldonboy perhaps?). It's like he just doesn't get that split second shot of energy that the harder competitors get when the ball is there to be won. He gives a considered attack where others give an adrenaline surge driven attack. That's just how it seems to me, anyway.

If it's useless then why is it depressing? I find getting smashed all the time so depressing that stuff like this doesn't even register.

It's not. Jackie used to post on here under the username "america de cali". Agreed - and his posting style is so obvious that you'd easily spot it if he starts posting here.

It's not RudeBoy "bashing". Given that he obviously has a strong LJ connection and he's not actually an MFC supporter, it's logical to conclude that his opinion (which as you've pointed out, he is entitled to) could be derived from his close connections. Of course he could just be making his own observations with no input from LJ and that's fine too (and FWIW it's what I assumed when I read his post), but surely you can understand why people are worried about it?

I couldn't agree more - I don't like seeing people get ultra personal either. Then again what they cop here isn't much different to what the neanderthals in the crowd yell out at matches (which I don't enjoy either). There's a good reason why players are told in no uncertain terms to stay away from these forums.

I don't think anyone is mad at Bennell for being picked in the side, hardtack. That he didn't choose himself doesn't make his selection or how he plays when he is selected any easier to swallow.

It, along with the subbing, tells me that Neeld thought Morton had a worse game than I thought he did. I wouldn't have taken either action but I don't have the same experience and the same information at hand - I'll bow to his judgement.