G'borough Demon

Demetriou, get your head out your a*se! The AFL has sunk to an all time low today. Bailey should be sacked, he done all he could to lose us the game today when the players were putting in 100%. How can he command respect when he criticises players for not putting in effort week in week out and then make management decisions like he did. I don't know how he could even face the guys in the dressing room after the game. He has done more damage today than good.

I agree that the playing group are (or at least should be) focused soley on winning games and ultimately a flag or two. I guess I'm trying to define a "Football Club" as more than just the playing group. I'm relatively new to Melbourne so the past 40 years without a flag did not distract me in making my choice of which AFL team to follow for life.

Great thread H, very refreshing topic. I would love to see the mighty Dee's win a flag. In fact, I would love to see us sustain a dominating period at the top of the ladder for many years. However, I voted B and for a very good reason (IMO!) When I arrived in Melbourne everybody told me that I had to pick a football team. It would have been very easy for me to pick a team that was top of the ladder, had the most supporters etc etc. After some research I found I wanted to be part of something more. I wanted to be part of a team that was swamped in tradition and had a proud history....... Considering this, there is only one team in Melbourne! I'm certain that at the begining of the year the main focus of the playing group and support staff is to win a flag. However, a football club is not just made up of the playing group and support staff. As a supporter and a member of the club I want to enjoy the journey and have few memories (good or bad) along the way. If we win a flag, even better.

Yeah lets be like Carlton, tank our ar*se off, pay over the salary cap, get loads of potential superstars and still be a crap team.... ruthless!? Your all dreaming if you think 2/3 PP's are going to guarantee us a Grand Final win. I'm all for trying out the young blokes for experience and I hope we turn the Swans over and any other team that stands in our way. Go Dees!

Her dull tones kept distracting me from the game. I had to mute the TV after she called Ablett "Geelong's favourite son" for the millionth time. Nice try by Ten to spice things up but didn't work IMO.... get her off!

Yep, seen him and rate him. But not pinning any Grand Final hopes on yet another young kid. People put too much emphasis on PP's, especially when it comes to winning (or 'tanking' in some posters views) games.

Agreed, win all the way. Since when has the AFL been about winning draft picks?

Yeah, he is a showman. I don't know if you made it to the Geelong game? When he kicked his 400 there was not much of a celebration then. This was a classic sign that the team was not fully functional and there was no enjoyment in their game. It's hard to bring back that passion when things are hard going but I think a good goal celebration helps. I think it gets the crowd going as well

Well said! I like Robbo for his excitement and would pay every week to see him take some of the marks he has. Agreed some of his second efforts have not always been there but he has just come back from a serious injury. I would rather see Robbo use his energy to make 3 or 4 consecutive leads as a target in the forward 50 than wear himself out chasing shadows. It never has been part of his game and never will be, you can't teach an old dog new tricks! As for celebrating goals, what is wrong with that??? It's the first time for ages that I have seen the players actually look like they enjoyed playing for each other. I think this was evident in the whole team not just Robbo.

21500.... I'll be there rain or shine!

Could not have put it any better myself. I wonder if DB's game plan has stopped the core players you mention above (other than green) taking that next step to be really dominent??? I'm with you CarnTheDees, if they don't show any improvement in playing as team by the end of the season DB should be shown the door.

No, I definately meant 'dribble'........ I'm not necessarily talking about results / wins when I say how many games, I'm talking about how we contest games and gel as a team. My point is that Bailey's game plan is not effective or understood which is making us look a bad team. May be he has a great game plan but he can't express it to the players in a way they understand. May be Bailey is a good skills coach but when it comes to motivating the players and build confidence through a solid game plan he can't do it. A lot of people critisise the playing group and suggest a few priority picks will be our answer to it all, I'm not sure it is. Coincidently there is an article on the AGE web page today which I think stresses some of my points. <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/insipid-dees-have-many-worried-about-game-plan/2009/06/22/1245522784150.html" target="_blank">http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/insip...5522784150.html</a> Just a comment to Ron Burgundy, I'm not sure what is more gutless, blaming the players or the coach!

In my opinion your attempt was lame. I'm not qualified to coach and I doubt you are either, if you were you would not bother writing that dribble. However, I do agree that they practice skill work but they are not coached like an under 12 school kid which is what you make them out to be. I still stand by my comment that the game plan (or lack of it) causes more turnovers than basic kicking or handball skill errors. I doubt we will ever agree RPFC and I respect you standing by your opinion. But please tell me, how many games do you give Bailey to turn things around???

Old 55, it's called sarcasm ) My point is that the players at this level don't need to be coached how to kick a football week in week out. They need a solid game plan that they trust and can execute efficiently. Even the best players in the comp will look less than ordinary with a game plan that don't work for the team. I have never stated that I know better, unlike some people on this forum (RE: RPFC's lame attempt at deciphering Bailey's game plan). However, I have enough knowledge of the game to know that what Bailey is coaching is not working or is not getting through to the team (results speak louder than words). If I did know better, I certainly would not be wasting my time in a 9 til 5 job!! How many games is enough before too much damage is caused to a young fragile playing group? May be MFC should appoint RPFC, he seems to be keen on forcing his game plan........ he would probably have more charisma and passion than Bailey.

Roost It, are you in bed with RPFC? You both must be wearing rose tinted glasses. We will be lucky to win 2 games this year (worse than last year) and if we win 8 - 12 next year I will walk from Flinders to the G with my pants round my ankles! I know we are a team in transition but can you honestly say we are improving under Bailey? I'll follow the Dee's forever but I'm not expecting anything while Bailey is leading the troops. You say Robertson et al are all finished but lets face it, not many of the team have been consistant performers under Bailey. If you don't like the forum, don't post. The idea is people voice their opinions, even if you don't agree with them!!

"What is wrong with the game plan other than it's complexity?????" Hmmmm...... it don't work!!! " What game plan should Bailey employ?" Something the players understand and can perform for 4 qtrs If our midfield can't kick straight or run hard then what are they doing playing AFL??? It's the lack of confidence in the game plan and the lack of motivation from the coach which causes most of the skill errors. The buck stops with the coach in these areas. You only have to watch the lads in the pre-game warm up to see that they can kick and handball to each other. Bailey just can't bring the individuals together to make them play as a team and I doubt he ever will do. And by the way, if you think it is the players that are letting MFC down then we may as well pack it all in now.

Your nose must be too close to your back end.... Agreed the workrate improved in the early games but that is dropping again through lack of game plan and confidence. The "cattle" we have cannot be blamed for lack of game plan. We have a young side but so do other teams, if your good enough your old enough in my eyes. A coach earns his money by making the individuals a team. Unfortunately Bailey dont seem to have the minerals!

Agreed, Davey at half-back has brought him into the games more this year but clearly we are not making the most of his kicking ability. We need him delivering the ball into the forward 50 where he can hurt teams. His kicking from half-back hardly gets us into the opponents half where we turn the ball over most. His position at half-back is also now too predictable, the pies and dons gave him much less time on the ball which made it hard for him to work his magic.

I agree with you blokes! Everybody should be able to express their thoughts and sometimes the truth hurts...... Bailey out.... and he can take some of the dead wood with him! The entire time Bailey has been here he has been banging the "work harder" drum. He has clearly proven that hard work alone will not win you games. There also needs to be a game plan and desire to play for the coach which breads confidence. Bailey provides none of this, it is clear that the players don't know the system and the desire to put in 4qtrs is lacking. It's no coincidence that we tend to have poor 3rd qtrs. Bailey is so uninspiring I would fall asleep in his halftime talk! We need somebody that will bring a little bit of passion to the side and a game plan that fits our playing group. I can put up with young blokes getting beat every week, but it pains me to see a lack of improvement in our game plan and the dropping of heads from even our senior players. This has to be the coach's responsibility. I'm all for a long term plan but lets make sure we have the right man for the job in the first place. The club obviously hired Bailey based on finances, not on coaching ability. Until we wake up to this fact, nothing will change (I would like to be proven wrong!!) and I look forward to the same old excuses next week......