Harrisonrules

His last three kicks, 2 were touched by the man on the mark, and the finalone out on the full while trying to pass..

Your glass is half empty

Better than Kreuzer

Col Sylvia and Liam J are perhaps spiritual leaders at Melbourne, at least as Icons of hope for the club. We are waiting for great improvement in both. Physically we cann't understanding why the powerfully built and multi skilled Col has not moved into the consistently A grade group. Liam for different reasons has still to cross that line. So the decision of the coaching staff chose them as the the players that should take the cut. The other 2 perhaps 3 were young guns, Marric, Nicholson and Tapscott (my guess for sub today- but who knows). So what about the backline. Chip, Riv and Col G are our experienced pillars of the backline and through all the other slaughters this year they remain unscathed even after last Saturday. Poor Nicholson and Tapscott had to take the rap for our three pillars who have shown signs of plateauing this year. They have been replaced by 2 re-treads in Bartram and J Mac both of whom, after 100 games each have shown they might have some strengths but glaring weaknesses. A statement should have been made to Col G or Riv that the backline needs to lift. It is functioning way below a finals backline. Warnock could have been given a game just as easily as Bartram and J Mac were used to make a statment.

I believe we are so lucky to have Gary and I'll trust him to do whatever he wants.

plus GWS and a few good injuries. Bring on the Colliwobbles. The season is almost here

It sounds dramatic but maybe not as bad as the press want people to make out. It can all be fixed relatively easily with at worst a few sackings ( I'm not advocating this). What you cann't fix quickly is a wretched playing list and we have a good one to build upon. I'm one who believes we have made the right decision with the coach. It was tough but right. The grief will last a little while. The worst we will do with the new appointment is Mark Williams and I reckon he would be an unexpected coup. Thus the hardest part of building a great team has been done. Stick tight and continue living with that confident smirk.

and whose family are mad keen tigers as he was and if he could he would do a deal to get there. After he gets his five million from GWS he probably will try in Judd like fashion (free agency). He has become a big risk for whatever club he ends up with.

The media are the most unreliable of all news sources. They cherry pick information and put their own slant on events. They must sell news papers or attract TV ratings to attract sponsors or get the sack. Why would you believe the sensational slant they put on the state of our club. Caroline Wilson was after Bailey's head earlier in the year. She's now got a new story because it suits her purpose. Walls gets angry about Melbourne sacking Bailey. 75% of the club members agree with the board. We actually develop better impressions of our club than many in the press. The Press are sensationalists. Trust the board. Stick tight together even if you are in the minority over Baileys decision. We will move forward well from this decision.

He's a loose canon

He's a loose canon

Don't worry that's history. The problems are not insurmountable and mature people work through these things. Our Board is mature. The press are not they thrive on the smell of anything. By Saturday the whole world will have turned 5 more times and the press will be giddy on their next fix. You may disagree with my opinion but whatever the process, the right decision has been made. I'm looking forward the a bruising game with the Blues.

So Mick thinks he will coach again in 2013. A lapse of 2 years (2014) would make it questionable - two years out of the gig would make it hard. Presumably he would now only accept a Melbourne based team as he loves spending time with his grandkids. So in 2013 what options might open up. Richmond...Hardwick....no way Geelong....Scott......no way North Melbourne.....Scott....no way Essendon.............Hird...no way Hawks.......Clarkson....no way (If Hawks cut Clarkson to take Malthouse ...we'll take Clarkson and we won't care about Malthouse. Bulldogs....Eade...we'll soon know what the new scenery out at Western Oval is, ....however I couldn't see Malthouse going back their. Carlton.....Ratten...(Blues would do anything). But they are going to be good for a few years and it would be difficult to cut Ratten for a few more years now. That means there really won't be any jobs on offer in 2013. So that leaves Melbourne for 2012 or Mick can forget coaching again..He'll be having some sleepless nights over the next two months. The club decision has put us one step ahead of Eddie.

Yes he is. He chose the coaching team. They made player management decisions. Responsible for team selection. Developed game plan.... what more do lyou want to hear. Good bloke,.. but what's that got to do with coaching

So you disagree

Stick to the thread

My reflection suggests that with the draft the gap between teams reduced greatly. This year it has gone in the opposite direction and become mammoth. The gap between top five and the rest is significant. It is no longer a game between the teams with the best players and those with the lesser. The new factor is the addditional system (flood, Press, corridor, spread and many other approaches I hardly understand). Was it Malthouse who said coaching was once like a game of checkers, now it is more like chess. The teams and coaches that understand systems, recognise that of the opposition, develop one themselves and move to a new one as the need arises are the teams who have risen to the top. The coaches without this skill fall off the pace and are prone to being slaughtered. It represents two sides to coaching, the micro (player development etc) and the macro, (mangaing the team as a system). I believe this offers part of the present uneven performance between the top and lower teams. It also explains our rollercoaster performance. Our potential comes out well against the lower teams because it is quality against quality. When it comes to systems orientated approaches we have been blown away. The team is far greater than the sum of the parts. As we look for a new coach, of course an experienced coach must be looked at first, but experience must come with the ability to both micro and macro coach. If it is not possible to secure such an experienced coach, then as long as the first timer can cover the broad spectrum of contemporary coaching I'll be happy. Sadly for Dean, he focused purely on the micro coaching. He just had no comprehension of the macro approach. For these reasons I congratulate the board for taking the opportunity to be proactive. I am happy we moved now because, Eade, Malthouse, Clarkson, Roos etc. will at least have to wonder. GO DEES. "One small step for the board, one great step for the club"

One of Deans characteristics is his stubborness. He has displayed this in his lack of flexibility. He will not stand down. He still believes he can coach and will blame others.

8 of which will have been against the bottom 5 teams. Have you thought that maybe he knows little else other than what he is doing. Your head in the sand comment about 11 wins betrays 'dream time', but then that's the Melbourne culture.

Making the decision on the basis of wins displays incompetence. Genuine assessment requires far more insight than that. Can Bailey coach at this level? Certainly not a top 8 team. You soon learn which players play well in the VFL but just cann't step up to the AFL. Not many can do it after four years of trying. Bailey's form indicates he is a 'good ordinary VFL coach'. The problem is Melbourne is so pedestrian in attitude. It will probably stick by Bailey for 2 more years. But maybe that won't matter because we are four or five years away from a serious challenge.

Bruce wanted to stay, but club wouldn't guarantee they wouldn't try younger players on the basis of experiment and not form, hence the possibility of having to go back to Casey just to give kids a go. And one year was all the club were interested in. He wanted to stay, but the club had lost interest in him.

Bartram is a modest player who has been injured, shown little at Casey on his return

Whenever things haven't gone well this year, the couch potatoes watching the game on TV, rail that its lack of toughness, fortitude etc. It's such a simplistic view of the dynamics of football. Do you know how much our guys do bust their gut for their lazy supporters, its about time you got behind them and supported their effort for their half marathon plus efforts each weekend.

Slippery ball. He's one of our better marks, which you need moving up and down the ground between back and forward. Against the bulldogs, perhaps our best mark, Col Sylvia dropped half a dozen he would normally have gobbled up. Have you not noticed how many Jack Watts and Liam Jurrah have dropped this season. It happens. If you want to find something to criticise it's easy. But that doesn't reveal wise perception.

There are still many options in the club I'm not overly confident that garland is going to get to the height we need for an assault on the top four (in a few years) I think he has plateaued. Then rivers is actually on borrowed time, 2 years 3 at the most. Hence if we want to do something now. Martin CHB. Gawn goal square and changing with Jamar. We have Tom McDonald, Fitzpatrick and Cook all to try yet. So don't be to hasty with trading what we don't need.