The Chazz

The bit I found frustrating about CS' post was the strong focus on long-term deals, and not compromising our value. I can understand this stance, and I do agree with it, however, our value is only worth what someone will pay. What is it currently worth now that EW have gone? They were the only one that offered $2m a year, which let's face it, from all reports a lot of that was pretend money. So do we now have to re-value what we are realistically worth? I honestly think we do, and have been saying so since B59 started talking about the FoJ sponsorship. And while I'm all for long-term deals, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a short-term deal when required, and I think it's time to activate that now. We've had over 8 months to secure a lucrative long-termer, I just can't see how CS will click his fingers and come up with one now, especially after the month we've had.

Totally agree Bonkers. I would imagine the "true" inside mids that we had/have in Jones and Moloney was seen by BP/DB as starting the foundations. They added in Tapscott, and to some degree McKenzie, and of course Trengove, who can all go in and win their own ball. It will be interesting to see what Blease, Gysberts, Morton and Strauss are like when they are actually adults. I still think they are boys in this league, and the teams that have "grown up" (Geelong, West Coast, Hawthorn, and Collingwood and Carlton - the latter 2 I believe have only just become men), are just physically and mentally making us look insipid.

Cheers Tricky, was exactly the thread. Page 3 of the thread covers some of the concerns...

The game will always change. While we may not have had the players that could play "today's game", that doesn't mean that those players won't be able to play "tomorrow's game". For all we know, those players could be the ones changing the game, and will force other teams to make chages. I have no doubt Bailey thought the same thing, and sacrificed his coaching career believing it. It is now up to Neeld to make the tracks, not follow, because as histroy shows, and it's a certainty that the future will bring, the path we follow will change at some stage.

Sue - why would/should the AFL support us for "doing the ethical thing"? we were involved in a bad business deal, that's our tough luck and we have to learn from it. I think the AFL would do the same to all Clubs. In breaking news, the MFC were set to announce a multi million dallar sponsor in the aftermath of recenet events, however this sponsor has pulled the deal and in turn thought it would be in their best interest from a publicity point of view to sponsor Matthew Newton instead. Didn't someone post last year about an article on the ASIC website regarding Energy Watch re. owing money or something? Perhaps some of the elephants on here (ie the ones that don't forget), can help out a goldfish like me and retrace the link? Cheers.

Jamar seems lost when Moloney doesn't play. While he can be one of the top rucks in the league, he needs to address this ASAP. One of the most notciable things about the better rucks in the league is their ability to be multi-dimensional. They have 3 or 4 midfielders who know what position to run to, and that's where we need to get to. We should know at a stoppage that if Moloney isn't in the "right spot", that we have another 2 or 3 players that can run to where Jamar is going to tap it. At the moment, you'd love to be an opposition midfielder, especially in teams that don't have a dominant ruck, as you'd just rove to Jamar's taps all day long, especially if the bloke that's tagging Moloney can block him from the contest. If I can see how easy it is, imagine how easy it is for people that are actually experts in their field!

Halfway through 2010 I thought Bailey was tracking eerily similar to Thompson. The bit I got wrong was when his coaching career was questioned, we sacked ours, where Geelong persisted with theirs. But, it looks like we wait another 8 years until our window is open. From what people are saying on here, that's the standard time for good coaches to get a premiership. So much for being the Team of the Decade (2010-2019)...

It's a bit of the old "chicken or egg" situation. The easiest place to start is at the beginning. What is the beginning though? I would think being able to hit targets when not under pressure is pretty close to the top. However, if we haven't got the ball, it doesn't matter how good our foot skills are, enter improve contested possesion. At AFL level, I would've thought that at the very least, that our disposal is better than what it is. These players have been playing state-level junior footy, which you would expect demands a certain level of getting the basics right. It does make you wonder what the draft combine actually highlights, and which results we actually see as priorities. Maybe we need to do the "Moneyball" thing and just draft players that excel in kicking efficiency and teamwork during games rather than who interviews the best.

Anyone care to explain how this is "an AFL matter"? I laughed at someones comments that the AFL should subsidise us for loss of sponsorship income from the Energy Watch fiasco. It would be very disappointing if Eddie and his mates somehow organised a million dollar sponsor within a week. Fact is, we're $2m a year down on what no doubt was budgeted due to Energy Watch's deal. If we can get 2 companies to offer $1m each for the next 12 months, it would have to be considered.

Needing to rely on Pick 20+'s from the National Draft, any Preseason Draft Picks and Rookie-listed players to be our "stars". In good teams, these types of players can play the odd cameo, and for average players they can be made to look quite good with decent, well developed first round draft picks.

Jordie would benefit moving in with Cameron Ling for 12 months and watching his every move. Lingy was far from the quickest bloke around, his disposal was barely average, but by jingos he was a bloody good, honest footballer. That's where I see Jordie being a very valuable player for us, and well within his ability to achieve that type of role to the standard that Ling did.

I criticised before the start of the season. My opinion TBT, just as you have one of your own. Mine isn't in the majority on this forum (could almost be the only one that shares it!). I have given the Demons a chance every year for the past 30+ years. I will continue to give them a chance for the rest of my years, or the Club's, which ever is terminated first. Does that qualify me to have my reservations of the current situation? I belive so. Time will tell if I'm correct in my concerns, I hope for mine and all supporters that I'm totally off the mark and Neeld and this current list can lead us to a premiership. I'll be stoked if Trengove is making the acceptance speech as skipper, but it won't be this year or next, so we could've kept that little trump up our sleeve.

The excuses about how far our players are in terms of fitness compared to the top teams. The excuses about how radical changes to football departments and game plans. Footy is a very simple game that we are all guilty of over-complicating. If you don't get the simple things right, it makes it very difficult to be competitive. While the players have a lot of responsibility to make sure they get the basics right, the coach has just as much responsibility - they are afterall, the first ones to get the arse if they don't. Mono-our fitness doesn't seem to be an issue when we dominate, such as Adelaide last year, and Sydent the year before.

Read it again Jordie. I said that making us the toughest team will take time, but working on the basics is something that should be achieved in a summer. Trengove one of our better players this season? He has far from inspired, and I don't expect him to considering he is at the start of his 3rd season.

One thing that I want to see is that Neeld stick to his game plan for the first half. He has faith in it, I hope he is right. If it's not working after that, and especially if the unconested possesion count is against us, I'd play man on man over the whole ground. F**K presses, zones, etc. Too many times on Saturday we had a player who had to leave their man to tackle a loose player, which in turn made their original opponent loose, which gave them cheap possesions. Neeld's instruction should be to find your number, and always know where they are. It will soon highlight who isn't working their arses off. Even though the rotations would make it difficult, if an opposition player comes off, our bloke follows him. Our guys need to rapidly find accountability and team work. Can't think of a better way than playing 21 taggers in a team, with the 6 forwards required to play a tagger role as well as a "be tagged" role. This season is screwed already, let's work on things that you can't work on during training.

Isn't it a standard thing for a Melbourne supporter to want to shift a player once they've found their position? Ie. Frawley to the forward line call that is often made? Leave Mitch forward. On the flip side though, there were far too many 1-on-1's that Mitch needs to win. Yep, kicked 5, happy with that, but he needs to take contested marks. The "excuse finders" will talk about the times he was 2-on-1 or 3-on-1, but let;s look at the 1-outs and why he didn't mark those.

So, how do we rate Neeld's performace after 2 rounds? All this juice flying around about Misson and the ability to get players fitter, well, we've failed to run out the 2nd half in both games to date. While I'm gald he wants to make us the hardest team to play against, I appreciate this will take time. What should not take time is getting the basics right. Neeld has not started his coaching career in very good style - far from a par mark. Look at the Crows - new coach, coming off a bad year, they are flying. I didn't hear Sanderson using excuses from early in the preseason. Still shaking my head at the Trengove captaincy appointment. Neeld made this decision, he has to live with it, but I will continue to criticise it, and question just how much negative impact it will have on JT's development. Amateur mistake from an amateur coach. And as someone mentioned in a different thread, we've got an amateur coach on the back of the Club claiming that we will go out and get the best.

Record or no record, the umpires paid what were generally as plain as day. I actually thing the umpiring for the day was pretty accurate, wasn't their fault that our tackling was crap.

Well, that could be on the mark DC. It feels lately that every step the MFC takes we are getting f***ed in the a**e by somthing/someone different against our permission!

I have no confidence in this part whatsoever McQueen. I will continue to support the Club, but at what stage, with all that has happened over the past 3 seasons, are they going to turn on this "unity" tap? I'm really disappointed with the team changes. Has Neeld backed up his presser comments? Absolutely - he has made 4 changes, so it is far from the same 22 going to Perth. Has he targeted the players that he put "blind faith" in? Well, Flash isn't playing, but Moloney is injured. Yet, he's decided to drop 2 kids, who I thought were not in our worst 4 on the weekend. I said after the game last week that I hope he (Neeld) doesn't do the standard "drop the battlers or kids". Alas, he did. FWIW, Green and Rivers should've been in the "outs". I don't care if that meant our teams was too young, I want players to have a crack. If they lose by 20 goals but all players walk off with nothing left, I'd much rather that.

That is based on the current coach/"game plan". No proof yet that it's the correct opinion...

6. Magner 5. Watts 4. Martin 3. Jones 2. Bail 1. Tynan An enormous difference between out Top 6 and the game's Top 15...

Out of today's game, who was most "useless" - Blease and Bate, or Green and Moloney? Interested to know what your opinion of today's performance was...

I've seen him coach in 1 game, so perhaps I have gone in hard early. However, I have expressed concerns about Neeld previously in other threads from more than 12 hours ago... I hope I'm wrong...

Shows just how important getting that number 1 draft pick is. We chose Watts and $cummy, and Trengove as number 2. Carlton have Murphy, Gibbs and Kreuzer. That's the difference, and why we won't win a flag unless we bottom out again sadly. Fcuk it. We should've picked Darling...