Harrisonrules

Every coach has a philosophy, known or unknown. It is implemented by a plan (eg team rules) and let me say markers (Neelds words). You sound as though youv'e bought the spin that is being thrown up and that you are happy to accept that we had to bottom out. Perhpas your right but as this is my club (60 years so far) and not Mark Neelds. This is his job for a few years and so I reserve the right of a supporter to ask questions when we hit bottom. Were you happy that for the first eleven minutes after they left Neeld North scored 4 goals to zip, then the next time he had an extended time with them they came out and had three goals scored against them in four minutes. Analysis by Neeld is important, but it better be right.

Each week now we are getting talk of how we performed against our 'markers' from Neeld in his after match report. What if the markers are wrong. We can improve on them all we like but if they are wrong what's the point. To be more precise your markers are built upon one's philosophy of the game. It's obvious to blind Harry that one's philosophy has to do with the speed and efficiency of ball movement. (a la Hawks) Defense is then developed to support this. (a la Hawks) Whoever happens to have gone to the past North games will know that they have 'pantsed us' for some time because they have a a philosophy closer to this than we do. I need not analyse all other teams but from the first game against the Lions this is what has been happening. This week he commented on how slick they moved the ball, but that wasn't his concern it was more to did with our b.... markers. Neelds philosophy and therfore markers are off the mark and unless he changes we will be changing our coach sooner than he thinks. Someone said middle of next year. I suspect it will be a little longer, but at this stage he'll be very lucky to survive his contract.

This is one of the sicker threads we come across on this forum. It brings out the worst self destructive fickle minded supporter. RR I think you are at the head of the list and should find another club. If you think the club is going to replace a dozen at the end of the year you obviously know nothing about list management. Try the filth.

There is more significance to this game than you might think It will highlight two different philosophies of football. North ...A hard and powerful offensive running machine. Dees....Defensive preoccupation with running as an afterthought.

Rhetoric is the great folly of our era. We were told we would be the hardest team to play against and we all breathed in the air of excitement following the Bailey era of so called attack (although I question its effectiveness in comparison to the top teams). I supported Neeld's renaissance of the football department and swalled the summer reports. Bang! the season started - with a whimper The attack was in disarray and apart from Mitch Clarks super hero efforts it was as bad as I could ever remember.Where was this defense. Very very modest. Yes two of the seasons positives for me have been Nicholson and Tom McDonald, but defensive mentality is not better than it ever was. Maybe different, but certainly not effective. The statistic that measures the necessary balance between attack and defence is percentage. At this point I am not expecting a Hawthorn like percentage, but one has to be around the 100% , perhaps 90 to 110 as the minimum acceptable. But 60 % is a red flag that something is horribly wrong. Percentage measures the differential between attack and defence in the context of the other clubs. With such an easy draw, even with only two winds, we should be be at least in the 80's which is abysmal in its own right, but that would reflect the few wins we have had. I am not expecting finals at the moment, not even a few years but I can no longer appease my patience with the excuse that the players are adjusting to the new game plan. I must entertain questions about the coaching staff. The basic philosophy of, 'we will be the hardest team to play against' is pure rhetoric and has not an ounce of evidence to suggest it is progressing in that direction or will improve significantly in time. It may but one has to find signs of progress to place trust in this coaching team. I would love to, but it is not wrong to ask questions, it would be irresponsible not to. Can anyone find a Melbourne percentage that has ever been this bad.....RED FLAG

Yes a thoughtful thread, but just a variation on a theme. What you haven't done is assess if that foundation is worth while. To conclude he is better than Bailey is meaningless. One has got to be better than Hird, Clarkson, The Scotts, Worsfold etc. I cann not find any evidence for his approach being effective in any shape or form. The worst percentage in Melbourne history says an aweful lot about both defense and attack.

Sitting through the first quarter of last Saturday's game was abysmal. The mistakes, the poor decisions, the time in Richmonds forward line amounted to what Matthew Lloyd declared on 3AW/693 that Melbourne's performance was the worst quarter of football by any team he had seen this year. I had sat there watching in total agreement. Some have taken solice from actually winning the following three quarters, 10g 12b 72p (22 scoring shots) to 9g 17b 71p (26 scoring shots). I believe such solice is head in the sand stuff. I did not detect a great improvement in the latter three quarters but did see Richmonds game deteriorate. One of the AW commentators called it the worst game of the year. Four years under Bailey saw some positives but glaring inadequacies. I can hardly identify significant development across our young players from the man who saw himself as a development coach. We started with so much hope under Neeld, with his plan to make us the hardest team to play against. Excuse me, we are our own worst enemy. In the Bailey era we speak of the Cat drubbing as the moment the wheels fell off. But the nuts broke free far earlier in the pitiful eagles slaughter out the west. We saw how inadequate his game plan was, and new disaster awaited. For me last Saturdays first quarter was a sign the nuts on the wheels are again loose. I wanted to call for Neelds head because I now believe his philosophical approach to the game is inadequate. Defense with little respect for attach has reversed the problem under Bailey. I have calmed down somewhat and believe that there are some redeemable features of Neeld. He has tried a number of things which I think is essential. (Unlike Bailey who was so stuck in his one way blinkered philosophy). No! changing the coach is premature and brushes any idea of more deep seated problems under the carpet. I believe we do need a comprehensive Geelong style review of the whole club otherwise another 186 disaster awaits us. ...and 10 dry years of mediocrity

Youv'e got to be joking. Too many on this forum have low expectations. Jordie is a very average tagger, but a good tagger for us. We are on the bottom group of the ladder. There is a reason for that. Jordie is good in the middle of the pack because he will never be adequate anywhere else. He commits the cardinal sin of footballers aspiring to be good, he loses his feet and plays to often on his knees. A solid performer, Greast courage and guts but who will be replaced if we rise up the ladder to the top end.

I can wait five weeks

So you think he was the only one who got a spray for the day. 8 goals before we scored. If Neeld didn't spray most of the team then he was derilect in his coaching. If you want to pick mistakes, you had better start a long list. Our performance as usuall was riddled with them. Yes that one looked bad because it directly ended in a goal. But where were the leads 'Collingwoodlike' that cut us up all day. While Morton was reluctant to just give the ball up everyone stood flat footed. It's our mistakes all over the ground that is killing us week in week out. Collingwood's passing was precise and effective. Don't single out Morton for that one if you want to indicate you understand what's going on all over the ground.

So are our computer bedroom judges

Bartram offers us little future. Has a bung knee and struggles to get up every week and for that reason alone has little future. That's what a bung knee did to Davey. Over 100 games and he's a very modest player. Get over him while we try some of our really talented young , Davis, Tynan, Taggert, Strauss, Nicholson

And yours is one of the most misguided comment ever

Brawn or brains That time Watts stayed down 30 metres from goal was brains. 30 mtres out from goal with no crumbers around. He could see the other three would be unlikely to . mark and had the sense to stay down. How many times did we have everyone flying and no crumbers only to see them collect the ball. In a similar spot Tapscott foolishly ran back into the oncoming pack hoping for the heroic mark , cleaned up Howe (I think it was). He should have had the sense to stay down for the inevitable crumb. By the way this thread is one of the worst. All it does is continue to break down the morale of the club. We have too many dumb supporters

Well you are in a position to see, have a good look. If they seem like steel they're probably dead. Courage is merely one attitude necessary. While I like lots about him I've got growing doubts about his game plan . Defense is one aspect, but you cann't jettison attack. The best coaches are multiperspectival. Bailey wasn't, he was lucky to get his four. I 'll give him two years to show more, otherwise I'll be calling to cut loose those 'jingle bells'

Bring on the rain. I'm sure Bailey would love his time over again with today's whether. It should minimise any similar damage and even if we don't get over the line I'm expecting a closer game. Last weeks game is showing we can adjust to Neeld's defensive game plan. Even a closer loss will go toward healing the round 19 debacle. What's more I think the Geelong attitude in round 6 will be a lot less ruthless than a round 19 game when gearing up for the finals. We have a lot to gain out of todays game.

For much of the year several threads and comments (including one of my own) have highlighted the problem of pace notably the midfield. Leigh Matthews commented on 693 the other night when reflecting on the Melbourne team that a problem he saw with the backline was that it lacked pace. It lacks those who can break the lines. From my persepctive hard bodies are not the only means of creating pressure. Speed also kills and a Chip Frawley in form is the best we have. Joel Mac tries but skills let him down. Grimes is just learning and may develop this ability. Who knows about Tom Mac yet, just a bit early and he may end up on forward line. James Strauss was picked for such a role but such a broken journey makes it hard to know of his potential. Rivers, Garland and Bartram are all experienced campaingers have hit their peak and game style and won't change now. Others we await in the wings are Tynan, Davis and Taggert and perhaps Bennell and Nickolson. We await their development. But I agree with leigh. We need to improve in this area of our game.

A Great thread. Well done Pitchfork and PSD. Yes if you have played any reasonable standard of football you will know of the problem of the oval ball and its quirky bounce, the week in week out grind of training. The challenge of a good opposition, particularly the guy who runs two metres faster than you over 10, the 6'6" forward pocket when you are onloy 6"0" etc etc, the skill of picking up the half volley off your toes in the wet. yes of course training throughout the 10 degree wind and rain week after week or the 30 degree heat of summer, and having to play with an injury because the team already had too many injuries etc etc etc. Occasionally I let go on a demon player and remember I merely played in the suburbs. Enough of the practicality of the challenge. But a little more ethereal reflection.. All of life is a projection. What we see around us is merely a projection of what is inside us. Ever so true out on the field. All that passion and energy is telling us something about ourselves. All those grumpy old bums are really externalising something they are also internalizing within themselves. If they think the team is screwed up or perhaps some players, its telling us an awful lot about themselves...real screwed up. It's called vicarious living, living through someone else. Parents struggle with it all the time, as a parent I know its a tough gig. If all your entertainment is on TV / computor games etc., don't go to a psychologist for the shock would be too much. If only we could see that following the football is entertainment and not the real world. If you think it is , you ain't got a life.

If the team was to even possibily entertain this rubbish, it would mean they had hoisted the white flag. The history of Football is littered with extraordainary upsets. Any game the dees could cause one. A similar disastrous attitude is to assume one is going to automatically win, yes even against the Suns or GWC. One day one team will come with such an attitude and whammo..... Sorry to say it, but the old adage 'One game at a time.' is the only one that a team can ever entertain. Down at the cattery, its one game at a time, we might catch a complacent cats who figure they will at worst get a 50 point win. That's the attitude we want to meet. We must go with the belief that we are the one that will cause the upset, anything less will be as equally fatal. If by chance we do happen to get beaten, then the one day at a time continues, it just might happen the following week. The great number of demonlanders who have criticized our players for not putting in should be ashamed of themselves for entertaining a zip and 12 record. Utter hypocrisy. The controllers of this website should equally be ashamed for allowing such rubbish to have stayed on for so long.

This is not SCG. This is the Cattery. Very hard to bottle a team up down there, you have got to maintain spped. If Sellar goes, it may be the place to blood Fitzpatrick., although they may use Clark for an occassional run on ball to relieve Jamar. Martin is struggling with injury so I would be surprised if they brought him back yet. Also Watts has that speed and endurance. I'd keep him in on this ground. Watts has always struggled in the wet because his game is built around finesse and ball handling. Forget Friday night. Joel MacDonald will probably make way for Frawley. Sylvia will come up from sub. Couch to slow for Cattery. He would have to replace Dunn or McKenzie as that is who he is competing with for a place.

Hi Krazy....Yes Crazy according to some. But the general sentiment I am in agreement with. Although I think success is a lot further down the track. We are in a transitional period. The positives being that there are some good young kids that will be a very solid foundation for five years time. Very few if any of the 24/25 year olds will part of a successful era. I think the back line is less settled than you think. Almost every week we have a couple of new small runners on the backline. I am only prepared to think Frawley, possibly Garland. (Grimes if not playing elsewhere up the field) will be part of the successful era. ......................... But we have time on our side,...ha, ha, ha.

Right on

Really liked Bails game and effort. 50 more games and he will be really valuable to the team.

Wpould,t it be great if he wazs a super star before he gets to 10 games. Yes its about how best to bring him on. Just play him in the seniors or back and forth to Casey. I guess it will happen in time. I trust he wioll be an excellent player in time.

Can someone come up with the number of games per player. I reckon it will tell a story