PaulRB

I think the Herald article is also saying that Toms value has slid this year with his injury and subsequent absence from the field.

You are one sick mo fo ;-)) Love it...

You can't limit the time a sub spends as you can't control if and when an injury may occur (i.e. last week tappy in the first brought Bate on for most of the game). Tom should play VFL if he can't go a whole game.

Tommys Back!!! Whoooo Hoooo

I think Bailey is the right man for the job. I also think that the MFC is still playing catch up to the top teams in terms of coaching resources, development (of coaches) and augmenting the coaching team with what they need to succeed. I hope that the review conducted over Summer into the Footy dept has shown the way forward. Too often the media and fans desire to blame someone focuses in on the coach, despite the blame being elsewhere.

I suspect given what has happened at Essendon (i.e. Thompson supporting Hird), that Bailey has been told to put together a revised coaching team and strategy proposal for 2012+. Hence, the meetings he and Schwab had with Lethal? The idea of an experienced Premiership coach joining as a "Snr Assistant Coach" role would be a huge boost for Bailey. The Coach review just past would have included a SWOT of the current coaching setup and Bailey has to lead in responding to it. The game has moved on from knee jerk "sack the coach" when things go wrong, to conducting a thorough analysis, internally and externally, to determine whats ACTUALLY wrong and then how to best fix it... and improve faster than the competition...

If he's a good player we should change his name to "Hank"...

That would be having your cake and eating it too... Bailey is blamed for dunn and Jones (who I quite like) while not being given the credit for Bail and Mackenzie... can't have it both ways.

So it boils down to your belief that Fev is unable to overcome his flawed history and will repeat his past negative behavior the MFC culture is too delicate to cope with a bad Fev MFC should not take risks to win footy games now MFC will win a Premiership without taking a risk As a counter I believe that Fev is can overcome his flawed history and will perform well for his third team as he seeks redemption if the MFC culture continues to be mollycoddled it will never mature into the winning culture we all want MFC should be able to chew gum and walk at the same time, i.e. aspire to win footy games now and build a premiership team MFC will not win a Premiership via a risk adverse, accountants approach to micro-managed performance graphs, player development and statistics. Both viewpints are valid, I'll just get more entertainment and fun out of seeing Fev run out for the MFC next year against the Blues...

Liam and Sylvia to break a dour defensive struggle open in the third, comfortable win.

Given Fev is available at a discount next year, is playing in our reserves where we can have a very close look at him (i.e. have our players and coaches train and play with him) and given our forward line lacks a big FF with presence and impact it would be derelict of the MFC not to seriously explore how we could bring him onto our list (while ensuring we can sack him if he stuffs up, on or off the field). Last time I looked footy club are about fielding the best team to win games of footy, now. Given we can bring Fev on while still building the mythical A-team to dominate in 2013+ we should. Have we simply replaced tanking to get draft picks, with losing in the name of development? Maybe the club preference to build and develop for the glory years to come, at the expense of wining games today, is confusing the team and fans..? Good and proven match winning players are not often on the market. Its a sad acknowledgement of the limitations of the MFC culture, coaches and playing group to argue they couldn't manage Fev, and delusional to say he wouldn't add ALOT ot our forward line if fit and focused.

I don't know about you Rhino but I don't mind a cheap scrotum tickle every now and then. Would easily beat what we've been served up this year so far...

It's only poison when you are unaware or unwilling to see what he is/is not... He comes with baggage and won't be captain. The club consists of adults... the poison line implies we're asking the devil into hang out with a bunch of 12 year old children...

I'm not suggesting Fev is a fast track to a flag. However, as a fan i want to be entertained and to enjoy watching Melb play the next 59 games prior to the magic of 2014. If Fev helps us knock off the Blues , Dons, Pies or Hawks in the next couple of years then fantastic. If he stops Dunn getting a run too bad. Come on Melb toss us fans a bone while we wait another 3 years...

Have to say that my resistance to Fev joining the MFC in 2012 is diminishing by the week...

I think Tappy works well on a back flank as when we have it in the forward line and the Saint are flooded back he ends up with the ball just outside 50... and BANG.

I'm not proposing we raise the white flag and go skiing. Simply noting that it is always darkest before the dawn, and the endless navel gazing angst and search for someone to blame on this site is tiresome. The pain and humiliation of this year (and the past three) will reap rewards in years to come, as young players harden up fast, and players unable to move forward are ditched. Hope we beat the Saints Carn the Dees.

Bored sifting through the numerous threads about why we are not playing well, who is playing badly or coaching badly, how much our injuries and inexperience have cost us and how spineless the red and blue world really is... yawn. So figured I'd play the optimist and raise the prospect that things will get better after the next month from hell. It's gonna suck if we lose to the Blues, Pies, Dons and Saints but the process of separating the wheat from the chaff at the MFC will occur during the next month with Round 13 offering a turning point... In Round 13 we play Freo at the G with likely inclusion in the team by that match being: Trengove, Jamar, Scully, Mackenzie, Bail, Rivers. No small inclusions. Also, over the next month we shall see what a bunch of our untried players have to offer; Gawn, Blease, Cook, Evans, Howe, etc... and we may even find another Gem or two. And if we can re-boot by Rd 13 there are 8 winnable games on the way home to enjoy...

Just as well the snow's come in early this year...

I think Thompsons semi-retirement back to assistant coach has probably caught the eye of a few elderly premiership coaches who don't want to be the head coach again but would love to be involved... and ... we have no idea what they were talking about.

I like the way we're set up at the moment. The centre 12 players (HB C HF Foll) all solid, magic or evolving... with some class in both the bookend lines. Reckon we should be able to duke it out for three quarters and break it open in the final term. Melb by 35. Tackle harder Carn the Demons.

Given he was charged on the back of an Adelaide medical report I would think an updated report that downgrades the severity of the concussion (i.e. Dangerfield is now ok to play this weekend), should help.

A great thing about both of these two is their aggression at the player as well as the ball. For example, Tapscott's bump(s) even when the ball is out, and the tackle JT put on Dangerfield that sent him off... Bringing some well needed steel to our team. love it.

Probably dawned on him the load he has to lift at Melb...

Part of the painful transition we are in involves the emergence of a new generation of young players prepared to throw themselves in harder when the going gets tougher. These will be the players who will provide the hard core of a team than can push for a flag by dragging and inspiring their team mates to lift. Jacks effort against the tide on Thursday night was a glimpse of what he may do in years to come. I hope he brings his angry pills on Sunday, we need him to. Carn the Dees