bjDee

Between this site, work, life, family, etc., I really don't know how you guys find time to read Ology, Big Footy or anywhere else. The only other site I get to look at is White Maggot occasionally, and that's because they post new stories only weekly (or so it seems). Either I'm a slow reader, or there's a new level of footy tragic that I haven't appreciated until now. This is not a put-down, I'm just jealous of the competency and time capacity some of you have.

Michael Long, 2000 GF: Get stuffed. Bad acts are remembered for a long time, and ongoing payback is so swweeeeeeeett.

If I say Tom McDonald, James Sellar, Sam Blease and Jamie Bennell often enough, surely at least one of them will stand up and salute with a standout game??

"Most impressive" - I chose Other. Would have liked to have seen an option to appreciate the great work Nate Jones has done so far this year. The more his team has fallen down around him, the more his continued in-and-under efforts stand out. He is having a huge year and stands head and shoulders and guts above any other midfielder we have this year - with only Magner likely to challenge that so far. Well done Jones-boy. Keep burrowing in. Help is coming soon enough.

Ok - but can he play any good? Can we slip him straight into the midfield?

I've lost so much interest I couldn't be stuffed chipping in for the cost of the bullets.

Right. So the answer is - sack the players. No wait - sack the admministration. No wait - sack the head coach and coaching staff No wait - why don't we sack the supporters? Too late - the supporters are sacking themselves - in droves. And I don't blame them at all. Well done MFC. Friggin pea heart of a club.

Well, Checker Hughes did say to play like Demons. Just didn't tell us we'd be left haunting a metaphysical void.

Very pleasantly, very surprised at CM's improving performance in probably the last 3 games. Still looked to handball to others as soon as he got the ball on a couple of occasions today, even if they're under more pressure than him, but he's getting in there and getting his hands on the pill. And that's much much much more than we have seen for a long time. I just hope I'm not being seduced by the big improvement from a low base rather than seeing a genuine new goer in the team. Time will tell.

Interesting to see these names. Thanks for the reports KC & others. Would like to hear more on Couchy, JB, Fitzy, Ricky who haven't rated much comment so far - when our generous scouts get the chance to report. Hang in there Gys & Jack - work hard to get back on the track. Looking forward to seeing you out there again.

Ok - who got it right? Anyone with this combination of 2 ins and 2 outs? Last week against the saints I don't recall anyone getting the final team right (apologies if I missed a correct prediction).

Certainly showed all the signs I'd want to see of desire for the ball - contesting or standing ground when he was down back and the ball was coming his way in the air, or weaving through and swooping on a loose ball and just smoothly running off while scanning around for a target to hit by foot, or swooping on the loose ball in the square and banging it home for a goal. All those things showed initiative, confidence, desire for the ball. The only thing I didn't see was JB picking a contest where he was outclassed or outsized. So no reckless hardness as I recall, but definitely desire.

Great write up TD. I agree with all player comments, including Davis & Sheehan who I overlooked in my summary.

Thought Goldie was just a bit too good for Pencil today. Out rucked and outmarked us. Blease showed a lot more than his last game here. He started out up forward but was put in the centre at 1/4 time to get a bit more of the ball. Didn't do a whole lot of his trademark long distance run and carry, but still used his pace for short runs before disposing. Sometimes disposed well, other times a bit sloppy. He just looked more like he came to play today and appplied tackling pressure that has been missing from his game. Petterd got among the touches, but he didn't seem to have much impact on the game and I didn't see enough value in him today to deserve a call up. Lawrence was in amongst it early, and then sporadically during the game. Looked like an interesting prospect, but quite similar in style to Bennell, and nowhere near the value that JB provided today. He might need to find a point of difference if he is to get a run in the seniors down the track. Couch was always in the thick of it at stoppages. I didn't see any of the foot problem posted earlier - but I was across the other side of the ground for the 1st half. Surprised to come home and read the reports. I didn't see any problem in his mobility on the ground. Nicho - always around the centre, but I didn't notice much from him today. Fitzy provided a very good target up forward. Had plenty of shots at goal but kicking style lets him down a little. Had a great run, weave, bounce handball that resulted disappointingly in a point in the last term. He has a lot of pace - not just for a big bloke, but for any sized bloke.

In answer to questions above: Bennell played mostly down back - very deep, often last line of defense. Held his own extremely well despite size disadvantage, and distributed with class most of the time.

A clue to our game plan. I want to see something that helps me understand what the new gameplan is. I know we started out against the Lions going down the boundary and having one big bloke up forward, but I've lost the picture since then. Is the team trying to develop a new style of play? I keep hearing "give them time to work out he new plan, the new structures, the new coach's requirements", but buggered if I can tell from the sidelines what they are trying to do. It just looks like an absolute mess. Or are we (the club) trying to test and develop the players individually? So we work out who will be culled at year end? I don't know. So I want to see something tonight that helps me better understand who and what I am supporting.

Look (free kick ahead) - I'm not a poet, artist or anything like that. But amongst all the crap going on this year, here is my attempt to engage the other part of my brain and express some of what I see. I welcome any additions - in fact I'd like others with better skills to step in and make their own contribution. There is a wide range of people who inhabit this site, and maybe this will spark some with the right talent. There once was a team called The Dees Playing like they had knobbly knees They couldn’t get the new plan They couldn’t kick to their man And the crowd said ‘we’ve seen enough please’ They had Morton and Watts and Macca For whom many would not give a cracker ‘Just give them time’ ‘They’ll come along fine’ ‘One day they’ll go flat knacker’ And the old guard have gone out of favour But Moloney and Russian still labour They try to help the young team But they’re missing Brad Green To kick the sweet goals that they savour Among the faithful there are views that are plenty There are pros and there are cons - just as many But we're into the season With no time to reason We just want to see goals - more than twenty! Now the supporters are getting the sh!ts And the coaches are taking some hits Till round eleven we’ll go Without a win you know While Demonland goes into fits It’s sad but it’s true none the less These dark days are causing us stress We’ve seen much better days And played better ways And have ended up right in a mess And we've lost our great Champion Jim Who lived with such vigour and vim He's left a great hole In our heart and our soul Life's not the same without Jim But blue skies are not far away Our boys WILL rise up and play To the best of their skill And with a Demonic will And the crowd will say – at last –'hooray!'

I think he's below shot, elbowing Monica out of the way.

Beyond Blue. Members get a club discount.

Got a half baked theory. There is a real syndrome called Seasonal Affective Disorder - 'SAD'. It describes the increase in down feelings, depression, melancholy or whatever you want to call it as winter approaches, then arrives and sunlight hours in the day get to their minimum. I don't suffer from SAD, but am getting a bad case of what I would like to call 'FAD'® - 'Football Affective Disrder'. That sinking feeling that it's going to be a long, long winter. The hopelessness of seeing your team get pantsed by previously unworthy opponents. The frustration at seeing us getting outsmarted in tactics, with no obvious coaching moves to counter it. And just the gut wrenching horror of seeing (insert your favourite whipping boy player here) just totally stuff up and turn the ball over. I'm not a big interweb user, but I've never seen so many people use the word 'depressed' in a forum until this site, this year. 2nd theory - Beyond Blue for our BOJ sponsor is a great match up this year.

2 things: The 3rd qtr was just like watching a game of keepings off. So many times a centre clearance came out to a Tiger player on their defensive side of the ruck, who had one or two options running forward at 45 degrees and away they went. When we say it's our midfield that stinks, (to me) it's not the entire midfield. It's the tap ruckman who starts the rot. Once the ball comes to ground (from an MFC ruckman) at the feet of an opponent rather than down the throat of our players, we have lost all advantage and none of our small midfielders had a chance to catch them. The Russian had his colours well and truly lowered today. On today's showing, Morton has improved. But he is still a putz. Granted, he is a better putz than he was, but it doesn't look like he will graduate out of putzville in the forseeable future. Time for us to cut the ties and find a better project to work on.

Sunday April 3, 2011: 3rd Qtr, 'a quarter that will live in infamy': Hawks 8.11 Dees 1.1

What am I looking forward to? Spirit Heart Gritted teeth Gut busting efforts No side stepping No basket ball tap-ons Just a decent old muscle clenching deep digging never give in chasing down presure cooking turnover generating torso twisting heart pounding gut exploding chest engorging never stop till the whistleblows honest 120 minute effort by 22 proud and passionate players. Not much. Just that. That's all. And back it up again next week. And so (it should go) on....

A good plan executed violently right now is better than a perfect plan executed some time next week. - George Patton

"What matters most is not that we do our best, but that what needs to be done gets done." - Churchill. Basically - I don't give a sh!t if you trained and played all your life in the VFL. We need an inside mid at AFL level, and you are our best chance. Get in there and make it happen.