La Dee-vina Comedia

Melbourne FC ‏@melbournefc 2m2 minutes ago NEWS: Daniel Cross has announced his retirement and will play his final match this weekend: http://mfcde.es/1hSL98a

And not just rebuilding the playing list. Back of house has had to be completely rebuilt, too. I've been told by a consultant who does some work for the MFC that virtually the whole list of club employees (ie, non-playing staff) has been turned over in the time since Peter Jackson started. And the coaching/development list has been thoroughly overhauled, too.

Throughout this thread people refer to Toumpas's confidence and his mentality as being problematic. Is that groupthink, perhaps based on Satyr's earlier comments about his conversations with Toumpas at training? Or is there substance to this claim? I often wonder about statements like this (and similar ones about other players such as "he's homesick" or "he's best mates with...")

Brad Miller

Picket, I'm pleased to see you have a new hobby. You've progressed from Wines/Toumpas into an unabashed White fan. I hope you're right about White. And if he's ready, I'd like to see him play this weekend. Many players have been given a game or two at the end of on season and turned into regular - and sometimes even good - players the following season. Rivers, Grimes, Tom McDonald all played one or two games at the end of another wasted season and became regular players quickly after that.

Such negativity...

Chris, don't argue with Picket on anything to do with Toumpas. Why? Think of yourself as Sisyphus, and you'll get the idea.

Apart from his age, Hogan will remain unsuitable to be captain until he eliminates the tantrums he likes to throw every time the ball isn't delivered where he wants it. And that could take a long time.

Yes. However, that's not to say this one may not be true. But I have no doubt journos regurgitate rumours as facts. (A bit like Demonland, really.) Edit: Added the bit in brackets

As does Newton.

Demonland can help here. We should list what skills we want to see, either specific to a player, or for the club as a whole. To get things rolling, I want to see every player return to pre-season training with the ability to kick properly on their non-preferred side. What else?

107 posts before this one on an unsubstantiated rumour. Can't wait for the second bout of postings once his future is officially announced.

Did you mean Shannon Byrnes or Tom Gillies?

Just because Viney was a father/son pick doesn't mean he shouldn't be counted. A decision was still needed as to whether to use a draft selection on him. And I can't see why Hogan is being excluded. By not including Viney and Hogan you seem to be using selective data when there is no need to. The premise you make seems sound, even with Viney and Hogan added to Neeld's score. But in defence of Neeld, he was also trying to correct the recruiting and development failings of the administration that preceded him. He might have failed, but at least he tried.

Agreed. There are so many variables that aren't included in a pure statistical measure. For example, what if one team is playing a low risk game plan while the other a high risk strategy? The low risk plan might mean kicks are more accurate while the high risk strategy may result in more misses. Yet the high risk strategy may pay off more often than not. Secondly, if there is ever a discussion on the quality of any player's kicking there are four types of kicks that should all be assessed before coming to a conclusion, being right foot/standing start; right foot/on the run; left foot/standing start; left foot/on the run. You could also include other variables such as short, medium and long distance; under pressure/not under pressure, etc. But as a bare minimum, any player who cannot kick at least half decently on the non-preferred side is not, in my books, "a good kick" irrespective of how well they can kick on their preferred foot.

Picked on the bench for Casey seconds this week.

I got a scarf with my membership. Where did you get the veil?

I like the positivity of this post. Those seven words make all the difference.

And both drafted with pick 53 in their respective drafts.

Maybe in for Dawes (inj?) with Tom M moving to CHF and relief ruck. I'm just guessing

Here's a surprise: Melbourne FC ‏@melbournefc 3m3 minutes ago The only thing better than one McDonald is two! @oscyy13 will debut this week! Story: http://mfcde.es/OMcDonaldDebut

Nice work. I assume this is the Demonland version of "Press red for Ed".

Let me re-phrase in a more positive manner. I'm confident that we will score 50+ points thereby eclipsing our last 5 performances against Fremantle. Better?

In all seriousness, there are even more basic things that this group of coaches have had to worry about like fitness, strength, courage and the even more basic skills of kicking, handpassing and marking. We've had to come from a long way back.

Hey Picket, you left off the "es" in your last line. You know you want to.