Grand New Flag

I agree. I would also like to add that having the worst midfield in the comp is a massive factor in our failure. If we could win more stoppages and be competitive at the clearances we would bring more players into the play which would help maintain our structures, which would put more pressure on the opposition, and gain us confidence across the field. I actually rate our team outside of its midfield. Our midfield is VFL standard. In my opinion the very poor midfield and lack of senior players are 99% of the problem. Both these things can be rectified in the off season. After going to a supporter night earlier in the week and taking the emotion out of my opinion, I would like to take back some of my earlier rants. At this point I give my support to the administration, coach and players. Argus, Schwab and Neeld were all very impressive.

Bossdog: We will see how you feel after we lose the next 3 games by 15 goals each and then lose to GWS at the MCG. This is going to happen. The reason is not just the wrong game plan (coaches responsibility), and the rape of our players confidence and self belief (coaches responsibility), it is also clear he has lost the players. In particular the senior players. I don't know how he has managed to do this so quickly, but sacking everyone of them from the leadership group was simply short sighted and dumb. It is the coaches job to get the most out of his players. This is perhaps the coaches most important skill. This is a skill Neeld does not have and why he must be fired asap.

I will put it simply. Neeld will not make it as a coach. A good coach creates a game plan that matches the strength of the playing group. A good coach creates confidence and self belief in his players. Confidence is everything in football. Unfortunately Neeld has set out to replicate an outdated Collingwood game plan. A game plan that suited a 25 - 30yo team and the strengths of that team, it is not a game plan that matches the skill set of our 18 - 23 year olds learning the game. He is right to address the teams weakness (defensive pressure) but it is dumb to have pushed a game plan that exposes our weaknesses rather than our strengths. Our players were recruited for a skilful run and carry game, now they are being told run and carry is girls football. Recruiting Neeld is the single biggest mistake this club has made since sacking Norm Smith. As a person who works in the financial markets you learn when you must cut your losses. Neeld must be cut. It will cost the club $500,000 but this is muchless than the cost of the loss of players at seasons end. I have donated significant money to the MFC in the last 5 years. I will not donate another cent until Neeld is removed. Further I will be letting my views known to the board. Every supporter should do the same. Neeld must be sacked and Neil Craig must take over before our players start looking for new homes.

100% agree. I hope these are the changes.

I read the first line but it did nothing to motivate me to pay the measily 20 cents per day to get access.

Honestly why would he want to come to the MFC? Not going to happen, even if we paid $1 Million pa

If it was on form JW would never have been dropped. He had one bad game on a night the all talls were smashed. Hell even Roo was beaten by a rookie. JW has been consistently in our top 5 every week for the last year. JW was dropped for not being hungry enough and not tackling hard enough. I am not convinced dropping him is the answer, this tactic could back fire. However, its the coaches call, if it creates fire in the belly it woudl be awesome. With Casey having back to back byes, Watts will be brought back next week.

Jack will play some games in the first half of the season but watch for the dreaded OP to set in during the second half of the season. Some rumours of drinking and womanising (whilst still underage) could also surface. I am super confident that if we finish 16-18, we will get him in the second round. The bottom 3 teams will also be given a comp pick by the AFL after the first round.

Pettard and Couch must be promoted.

Hate to say it but on current form we have the second worst midfield and we are also the second worst team. I expect a bottom 3 finish with 17th place, our current position, the most likely. Clearly we have a massive problem in the midfield and at clearances. In my opinion this is 90% of the reason we are so poor. My view is that all picks should be used on outside mids, pure mids, and small forwards. With the strength of the draft we should take all picks unless some other team is prepared to offer us a A grade midfielder under 23yo undervalue. If Jack Viney has a good season we will end up with him for pick 2. If he has a disappointing season we will get him with our second round pick (mid 20s). This is determined by other clubs and is out of our control. Regardless, there is still a massive opportunity for our club with these picks.

I actually thought that Davey ran and tackled well in round 1. Could not get his hands on the pill though and this got him dumped. It is extremly difficult for any small forward when the ball is only bombed with a kick and hope into a crowded forward line. Personally I would like to see him back this week for Bennell. Bennell was far worse. At least Davey ran, chased and tackled.

Completely agree Fat Tony, we must work on retaining possession, and creating opportunities rather than always kicking to a contest. We have a blue collar midfield which is in the weakest 4 in the league. Kicking down the line to a contest has a high likelyhood of ending in a bounce or throw in. If we are not winning 65%+ of the clearances this is a terrible percentage play. This has been a massive issue both games. We must paly to our streagths. I think the forwardline has the tallent to be a streagth if we can get the ball in their quickly and accuratly. I have barely seen a forward 50 lead this season. Most of the forward entries have come from stoppages on the half forward line that have resulted in a kick and hope, long bomb inside 50. Our opponents defensive field has already been set. This makes is very hard for our forward line. We need to learn to move the ball quickly from the half back line, taking the game on with spread, run and carry. I accept that we need time, but our performances are so far off the pace, the plan failing so badly, that the obvious definencies to the game plan need to be urgently attended to.

The main concern I have is with the game plan. Too often a new coach comes in and tries to establish a game plan that was previously successful to win a Premiership at their old club but does not match to the strengths of the list they have inherited. Bailey did this with the Port style but recruited a list to play it. Now Neeld is wanting us to play a Collingwood style. The truth is that niether these styles will win Melbourne a premiership. A new game style must be developed that plays to the strength of the players on the field rather than their weaknesses. The problem with Baileys plan is that it was absent of defensive pressure and was easily defeated by a well executed press which the better, bigger sides could easily apply. It required excellent foot skills and players were recruited who were supposed to deliver this. Unfortunately the pressure of a good press put these young, skilled players under too much pressure and the game plan failed. However our players do have these skills. It was more that Baileys game plan was superseded by the press and Bailey failed to adapt. Weaker clubs that did not have a good press were absolutely smashed by Baileys game plan yet strong clubs could easily counter the style with a press and as such the roller-coaster developed. Neeld has already lost my support because he is trying to implement a plan that does not suit that younger bodies and natural talents of our list. Simply it is far too defensive and lacks any sort of flare, spread or run and carry. Believe it or not our players do have the skills and flare and our players must be given freedom to play to their strengths. They have been playing on at all costs for 4 years, taking the game on and players who would be good at this were recruited. Playing on is their strength. Now confidence is at an all time low. Players are too scared to take the game on, have a too defensive mind set to run and spread and always kick conservatively down the line to a contest which is their weakness. They don’t use the corridor, run or carry. Playing a game plan that exposes our weakness will always result in thrashings. A game plan must be developed that suits our list, a game plan that incorporated a good defensive press and the run and carry that most of our players have been recruited by Bailey for. Players will learn when to go defensive and kick down the line and will learn when the opportunity exists to take on the game. At the moment we are far too predictable and thus easily countered. Every club knows Collingwoods Premiership game plan inside and out and just copying it will inevitably fail as other clubs know how to beat it. They know where the ball will be kicked especially when played by players less experienced, younger and less proficient at it. Currently our movement to the forward line is so slow our forwards have little chance. Kicking down the line to a contest 90% of the time is crap football. Bombing into the forward line to a contest 90% of the time is crap football. However our defensive press has been good. Our game plan should more resemble West Coasts, defensive press yet aggressive run and carry once past half back. Our current game plan is dumb football which is past its used by date and does not match the strengths of the list. It will not beat any club outside GWS and GC (maybe). I note that Neeld was happy with the execution of our game plan against WC for 2 and a half quarters yet we were still thrashed during this time. I have seen enough, our game plan urgently needs adjusting/overhauling. Keep the press dump the rest.

I am natually optomistic about the Dess. However, I give us no chance this weekend. Zero. It has not been since 2009 that I have gone into a game giving us no hope of a win. I did not expect to feel so lowly of our team for another decade. WC by 10 - 15 goals.

Very excited, but nervious and not that confident. Watts must play. I know Neeld may well be trying to send a strong message to him to attack the ball or play for Casey, in the long run leaving him out may well pay dividends, but it could also backfire. We are a much weaker team without him. Even when he plays badly he takes the #1 or #2 defender and sets up many goals often through cleaver tap ons and blocks, when he plays well he can be a match winner (v Richmond last year). His form midseason last year was excellent. He dropped off with the team in the last 8 weeks. He is almost 21, he showed the desire at Casey last week and I would much prefer he given the opportunity to show us this desire in round 1.

My reading of it is as follows: Assuming we end higher that GWS but under Western Bulldogs: If we come 6th we will get picks: 11, 14, 15 If we come 7th we get picks: 11, 13, 14 If we come 8th we get picks: 11,12,13 If we come 9th we get picks: 11,12,13 If we come 10th we get picks: 10, 11, 12 If we come 11th we get picks: 9,10,11 If we come 12th we get picks: 8, 9, 11 If we come 13th we get picks: 7,8,11 If we come 14th we get picks: 6, 7, 11 If we come 15th we get picks: 5,6,11 If we come 16th we get picks 4, 6, 11

I am very sad. Jim singlehandedly saved the MFC from extinction by uniting its supporters and its traditional owner of 120 years the MCC. This enabled him to raise initially $5 Million from supporters to get the MFC out of debt and then another $2 Million to MFC endowment fund. MFC had been fractured since the sacking of Norm Smith in 1965 and its break from the MCC in 1981. Despite decades, the splits were so deep that no leader had successfully united the club until Jim came. Regardless of this achievement it is insignificant to his efforts with the Reach foundation and the 1000s of young lives he changed for the better over the last two decades. I last saw Jim in September, he recognised my face but not my name (spoken to him about a dozen times over the years). We spoke for a while, for the first time ever I saw him angry. He was disgusted with the dishonesty of Tom Scully. Tom had indicated to him he was staying and Jim took him on his word. I got the impression Jim was not someone who was lied to his face very often. Simply he demanded honesty.

I think this is a very dumb thing for Eddie to say. There is nothing that GWS would want more than a war with the most powerful and popular club. Think of the desperately needed publicity and interest in the game this would generate in the NRL heartland. If I was Gubby and Sheedy I would be rubbing my hands together striving to make as public a crack at Pendelbury as possible. Even if GWS fails the publicity will be gold. A life time war with Collingwood would be the best possible news for GWS. Eddie stupidly just egged them on. Eddie is normally smarter than this. Nevertheless for the record I wish he was a Dee.

As many of you know here I am close friends with Juddy and as such privy to exactly what happened at Carlton. There is much, much more that never made the press regarding Fev. Let me just say that under absolute no circumstances should we consider Fev. Simply he is a cancer who could kill what good is left of our fragile football department. What Carton would do to have traded Fev rather than Kennedy and kept their a first round pick in the Judd trade. This is the deal that should have been done and will cost Carlton a Premiership or two (a good thing). With what has gone on at our club this year and with several highly regarded players likely to turn their back on the dees in coming weeks, this is not the time to bring in this sort of one man show fool to our club. I am certain that our football department is also aware of all information and as such Fev will never be part of our plans. The poll on this thread is pointless. Fev will never play for Melbourne and is unlikely to play AFL ever again. This should be the final comment on the issue.

Clearly we are watching different games. Melbourne will be lucky to have another win this season.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/wifes-fresh-plea-to-lyon-as-stynes-ails-20110804-1ic8c.html http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/stynes-told-to-focus-on-fight-for-life/story-e6frf9jf-1226107744007 Would seem the end could be near...... I hope Jimmy can find the streagth to go another round. Simply terrible

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/how-demons-killed-the-coach-they-loved-but-saved-a-ceo-20110801-1i8az.html?comments=34#comments After reading Carlos article in the AGE I feel we are in very deep trouble. Scully is surely gone, and we will struggle to keep several other players. The players are ve3ry unhappy. We only have one hope and that is to take on a highly regarded, experienced coach preferably Malthouse, and if not Roos, Eade or Willam's and give them absolute power over the Football department. We should be prepared to pay big for the right person. Renege on giving Schwab an extra year and show Connolly the door as well. The new head coach should have significant say on who runs the administration side of the club as well. The administration side of the club should be seen but not heard when it comes to the management of the football department. I donated large amounts of money in the recent debt demolition as I love the club and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I am absolutely devastated with what have clearly become major issues inside our club that have spilt over to the football department. I feel ripped off. I did not make significant donations to see this sort of mass incompetence less than 2 years later. My heart bleeds. We are doing our best job of wrecking our opportunity.

After reading Carlos article in the AGE I feel we are in very deep trouble. Scully is surely gone, and we will struggle to keep several other players. The players are ve3ry unhappy. We only have one hope and that is to take on a highly regarded, experienced coach preferably Malthouse, and if not Roos, Eade or Willam's and give them absolute power over the Football department. We should be prepared to pay big for the right person. Renege on giving Schwab an extra year and show Connolly the door as well. The new head coach should have significant say on who runs the administration side of the club as well. The administration side of the club should be seen but not heard when it comes to the management of the football department. I donated large amounts of money in the recent debt demolition as I love the club and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I am absolutely devastated with what have clearly become major issues inside our club that have spilt over to the football department. I feel ripped off. I did not make significant donations to see this sort of mass incompetence less than 2 years later. My heart bleeds. We are doing our best job of wrecking our opportunity.

Vintage! I want to know the posters who have read this entire thread....... and the Scully one before this. Come on, put your hands up posters.

Can't see Murphy beating his captain Judd this year. Surely Juddy needs to just say injury free and suspension free to win.