P-man

Does not and will not work. Because of the nature of his posts, he continually gets quoted. I have him on ignore and it does next to nothing to blank out his presence.

Wouldn't be high on my to-do list. Out of curiosity, he thought Sylvia was finished with the club or finished as a player?

No worries. - Argue the points of discussion, not the people involved in the discussion - Avoid Racial, Political or Religious discussions - Everyone is entitled to express an opinion but with that entitlement goes responsibility to observe the code of conduct and use common sense Satyr shows flagrant disgregard for these rules. Practically every post he makes breaches at least one of them. Every critique of the club, no matter how reasonable, is met with abuse. There is little interest in discussion, merely a mindset of placing anyone who is critical of any aspect of the club into a box labelled "naysayers who think everything is crap" and treating them with contempt. It is completely childish and cumbersome, and quite clearly I'm not the only one who feels this way. For someone who takes it upon himself to represent the club, he is doing a terrible job at it, certainly on here, and I doubt the club would be overly impressed with it. I will admit I have lost patience with Satyr's conduct and may have stepped over the line on occasion in responding to his posts, but when it's every second thread he is hijacking to attack people for merely expressing an opinion, the only conclusion I can draw is that he has been given a free pass to do what he likes.

More stupid than "all politicians are morally corrupt", or casting everyone in the banking industry as untrustworthy? We're talking about an elite field of stupid statements here.

Luke Ball, recognised as one of the more intelligent players going around, was asked on 360 for his thoughts on Melbourne. He said he didn't feel sympathy, but more a feeling of empathy, having been in a similar position in his early days at St Kilda. He did however observe when playing on QB that the team was "bereft of confidence", his exact words. We can talk about the poor standard of the list, but I will never waver from my view that confidence plays a massive part in this game. This Neeld led side seemingly has none of it. Is it entirely Neeld's doing? Impossible to say, but he certainly has a large role to play in it. Get them believing again. Make them actually believe they can take it up to anyone, and beat them, rather than constantly drilling into anyone who will listen that they won't be worth a damn until they've played X number of games.

Pm24, you had me nodding along until being open to the possibility of allowing Neeld until the end of NEXT season. There is no way on God's earth the club can afford a THIRD season in a row like the last two. We'll be playing in front of 10K crowds and calls for QB to be taken off us will become alot louder. I'm open to him staying til the end of this season, but it would surely require a monumental turn around in order for him to be coaching this club in 2014.

Quality stuff from arguably Deeland's most respected poster. Posts like this help keep you motivated as a supporter of this club.

In the current team? You're limiting the field there a bit. I've already stated that I think Magner has performed admirably when played in his natural position. Certainly well enough to hold down a spot in this team. I'm not sure what point you're tyring to make exactly? That there is a reason VFL players are in the VFL? Tell that to Brett Goodes, or Sam Dwyer, or Kyle Martin, or Dayne Zorko (QLD but same principle applies). The bottom line is we are CRAVING midfielders who know how to find the ball and are willing to gut run for four quarters, and we have two of them sitting there ready to go. I believe right now, we need to be picking our most competitive 22. It is imperative that we start putting in competitive performances, for so many reasons. In a fortunate twist, our best 22 includes alot of youngsters, so we are ticking off that "development" box. Couch's consistent performances this year have earned him another soiid crack in the seniors, there is absolutely no doubting that. He and Magner WILL make us a more competitive unit. When Casey are beating Collingwood seconds by 15 goals, and our seniors can barely get a kick, something has to give.

I am somewhat amazed that even in our current state, this habit of pigeon holing players as being "VFL standard" persists. On current form, Couch and Magner should both be inclusions. There is simply nothing to lose and everything to gain by playing them.

Tom Couch has played three AFL games. So...that's it then? He's done his dash to prove his worth at AFL level? Bollocks. Give the guy a proper chance. Admittedly turnovers were the major cause of pain on the weekend, but let's not pretend we don't still have major issues getting our hands on it in the first place. As for Magner, he has been admirable when he's placed in the guts. He is ferocious, and by god do we need a bit of that. Sure, he won't be a part of any Melbourne premiership side, but you could provide a far worse example of work ethic to the youngsters than James Magner.

They could not possibly be doing more than they currently are to earn a spot. How the hell can anyone turn their noses down at two "VFL standard" players who are smashing up oppositions every week with 40+ possession games? Not good enough for OUR midfield? Really? Mags should never have been dropped. Bloody stupid.

Agreed. It stood out like dog's balls because it was a superb kick entering our forward 50. Perfectly executed. Best kick of the year (lol at this concept but certainly relevant for where we are) was Davey against Richmond I believe. Running down the wing, kicking it back inside and threading it between 2 or 3 Richmond players to hit one of our boys on the chest. It was poetry.

From what I can tell, his modus operandi is pretty simple. A step by step to being Satyr: 1. Search for threads where someone expresses an opinion that is not entirely supportive of the club's direction, or anyone directly contributing to that direction; 2. Respond to that person in the most antagonistic/condescending way possible, claiming they either have some alterior motive or don't know what they are talking about. Using names like "orc" or "keyboard hero" work best in catching people's attention, and such labels also allow for grouping people together in a simplified manner; 3. Once the initial reply achieves an equally antagoniistic response, point to the language in the response as evidence that the person doesn't wish to contribute constructively to the topic; 4. Always take the highest ground possible and lay claim to a noble cause of bringing the club's detractors to task, and essentially saving the day; 5. At any and every opportunity, drop the names of people you have spoken to at the club. Give the impression that you can speak with authority on the club's behalf, and that you have Don McLardy on speed dial; 6. Suggest to the person that if they are so upset about the club, they should run for a position there, preferably on the board. Remind them that failure to do so removes any right to be critical; 7. If the conversation has progressed beyond this point, it's time to make this sh!t personal. Assure the other person that you lead a much more fulfilling life than they do. And there you have it. 7 easy steps to being an insufferable git.

I am glad you got your hope back. I cannot agree with your view of the match as it was largely another deplorable effort to my eyes, which only served to underline just how far this team has regressed. But if a supporter can find genuine hope, whatever the source or reasoning, that can only be a good thing. That probably comes across as a bit condescending which is not my intention. On an individual level, I think Jimmy T took another step forward, and I am now convinced that Matt Jones will be a long term player. Those two things gave me hope. By and large though, hope isn't in large supply. At least not until PJ steps in with broom and we can finally put this nightmare period in our history behind us.

This forms the bulk of the debate around here day in and day out. Personally I think it must be a combination to produce a team as poor as this. I fail to see how opposition players are able to get free so often, whereas we struggle to get it out of our back half. Why are we still so susceptible to the press yet most other teams find a way through it? EVERY time it is chip, chip, chip across half back, then pump it long to a pack. Every time. It's ridiculous. Some of this is natural decision-making but surely a large part of this is instruction. Use the space! It's a BIG ground. But it's also the skill errors when entering our forward 50. Excruciating.

Alcohol helps. Normally a shellacking on QB would have me seething, but I find I'm becoming more numb to this. What's another approx 100 point loss with 100 less possessions between friends? It's the Neeld way. It's actually staggering when you sit back and think about where this club sits now. It's just...sad.

Most of the time it looked as though they had cobbled together a bunch of strangers and told them to go out there and beat Collingwood. Some individual efforts were there today, but there is just such a lack of team cohesion, coupled with shocking skill errors that continue to plague just about everyone, it's very hard to see them winning another game for the year. Time to grit the teeth and ride this one out. Again.

You make some valid points here, but my opinions of Watts are not formulated by the media. Once again, I am not making any comment on how Watts' debut impacted upon him mentally, only he can honestly answer that question. I'm merely saying that I disagreed with the manner it was carried out, and would add that a 17 year old should never have to shoulder that much responsibility in lifting a club's profile.

You're an angry, angry man. And I doubt anyone is saying his entire career was dictated by one tackle. I am merely saying that the BIG REVEAL of our No.1 draft pick (read skinny school kid) on the biggest stage our club has probably wasn't the best decision at the time, and I think that was reflected in the game, although you seem to have a very different recollection of his debut. Either that or you're just having fun disagreeing with people.

I find myself agreeing with you quite a bit, but not on this occasion. Boycott other fixtures if you must, but not this weekend. I am seething at what is happening on and off field as much as the next person. But it is vital that we do what we can to keep QB attendance levels as high as possible. Neeld will be gone soon anyway, don't make this about him. I'll be there travelling from interstate. If you still care about the MFC you'll be there too.

Are you serious? I thought it was widely acknowledged that debuting Watts in that manner was the wrong decision. It was like watching a lamb get slaughtered. He was clearly a target for them to make a statement. His first touch he was smashed from all sides by about four Collingwood players. Alot of people formed their opinion of Watts in that game and haven't wavered since. This is fantastic of Jackson. We need to retain Watts. The kids love him for one thing (I know that doesn't seem to rate as very important in the minds of some which I find odd to say the least), but if we ever become a good team, he'll have a big role to play. Slowly but surely I've noticed his physicality improving as well. Small but positive steps.

Deeland Big Brother. I love it. I doubt Satyr would care about being voted off. He'd put it down to everyone being out of touch with reality and simply return to his awesome and well rounded life. Damn, I keep forgetting to take him up on his offer for tips on good restaurants and favourite live bands..

Will no doubt pike at the last minute.

As much as I detest this idea, his political history should remain outside of the debate.

"As we move to the end of this media contract, which is five years, we ought to be giving consideration to having a strong Melbourne brand and I think that is a combination of the North Melbourne and the Melbourne clubs. It would make a lot of sense." Vote 1 - Jeff Kennett for Melbourne FC President.