Jaded No More

I give encouragement votes when I have nobody left to vote for. I think Jamar is working really hard and improving each week. He took some solid marks, layed a couple of nice tackles and he works as hard as anyone out there. He is still a very very ordinary footballer, but at least he tries. I am sometimes shocked at the lack of intensity from some of our players, but with Jamar it's never lacking and I can appriciate that. Jones was stiff to miss out, but he now has been playing long enough to be able to judge the required distance of a kick. The amount of crap disposals he had today was unacceptable, even if he is constantly under pressure. Valenti was under pressure and hit targets most of the day. Buckley is somewhat excused, but I'm slowly getting fed up with players who do not know their limitations and try to run before they can walk. Breaking 8 tackles in a row is NOT possible, understand that and we'll all be better off.

Football, to me, is meaningless without the MELBOURNE Football Club. As much as I love the game itself, if my club died than so would my passion for the game.

6- PJ 5- CJ 4- Valenti 3- Buckley (attempted run out of the goal square= disgrace) 2- Miller 1- Jamar

You better hope like hell West Coast win that one, because Freo are no longer a direct threat to our chances of getting the number 1 pick. If West Coast win we'll certainly finish last, even if we do beat them in Round 20.

:D Has nice pace and worked well without the ball I thought. Very tough day to debut given the style of game employeed by both sides, and our disgraceful skill level (especially in the midfield!!!).

Sylvia didn't do himself any favours either with his selfish attitude. Miller had a right to give him a talking to after he decided to miss the shot on goal instead of handballing to Miller who was open in the goal square. As for Newton, he kicks an awesome goal and nearly takes mark of the year, but spends the other 100 odd minutes doing nothing. Massive waste of talent thus far. \

Harsh, but fair.

I'm just happy we're getting some exposure with this commercial (assuming it goes to air), regardless of how silly it is. Any publicity is good publicity, or so they say.

I agree. I think someone like Martin has a unique combination of athleticism, height, strength and pace. IMO he could become a very special player for us, who is unique. People salivate over NikNat's leap and agility, well Martin has that (to a lesser degree obviously), but he also has the ability to read the play. Having only played a defensive role in football for a year (pretty sure he was used mainly in the ruck prior to 2008), and adapted so well so quickly, his potential for growth and development is incredible and very very exciting. Garland is another one who is incredibly fast, agile, and has the ability to play back or forward in key position roles, or on smaller opponents if required.

How is Martin still not getting a position in the starting 18? Not that it matters as he'll play anyway. Would love to see Maric debut, simply because it's an extra incentive to turn up despite a guaranteed loss, however can't justify dropping anyone from the bench to make room for him.

Words are cheap... but it's nice to be kept in the loop somewhat. All I've heard from MFC administrations is talk, talk, talk and yet we're still in deep [censored]. I think most members feel the same, we're sick of promises and plans, we just want to see our off-field situation improve. If Jimmy's plans involve bringing Michael Jackson to do membership drives, I don't care, just as long as we see positive results he can do whatever the hell he likes.

The first part of that I stole from Tony Jones (oh the shame!), but I really am all about motivational speeches :D

If our new board sacks Bailey and puts Connolly in his place they might as well bring back Lyon to FF and Ingo to FB, because that's how ridiculous and damaging that decision will be. As unhappy as I am about the innuendos of the formation of a mates club at board level, I don't think that Stynes or Connolly love their mates more than they love the club. At the end of the day egos have to be put aside to ensure that the best interests of the club are served, otherwise the whole exercise in gaining control of the club will be futile.

Agreed. It seems that everytime we try to move forward, we take two steps back. No matter which way you look at it, something wasn't done right. Either the initial appointment was wrong, or Stynes is not comfortable having anyone under him that is not a hand-picked mate. Either way, this doesn't look good for our club and is yet another reason for the AFL to get their dirty fingers into the mix. Put simply we cannot afford to make these sorts of stuff ups, and yet we continuously do. How many clubs have had two CEOS, two presidents and two coaches in the last year alone, are on the bottom of the ladder and hemorrhaging money simultaneously? Even the richest of clubs can't cope with so much turmoil, let alone a struggling club like ours.

God help this football club.

I'm claiming Martin as my new love child. Thanks in advance

And yet fellow journos love and respect Hutchy... <_< The point I was making with Sam Lane is that female football journalists are only accepted into the boys' club if they fade into the background. Many male journalists write controversial stories but none are attacked the way she is. So yes, she gets talked about because she is so well recognised and her stories provoke thought, but the attacks IMO come from the fact she's a woman stepping over the line in a men's world.

She is the most attacked journalist in her field, especially amongst fellow journalists. IMO that has something to do with her gender, as she's certainly one of the better football writers out there. Notice how nobody attacks Sam Lane, and that's probably because she writes crap fluff pieces and disappears nicely into the background. She does what women in sports journalism are expected to do. Caro doesn't, and I respect her enormously for that.

I know you love PJ, but how can you give him 2 votes and Martin one? PJ had an ordinary game. Martin was outstanding in his third game while Garland continues to impress. Both were better than PJ IMO. But I know you possess creepy man-love for PJ, so you probably have bigger issues to deal with right now

Hutchy is suffering from LMS, otherwise known as Little Man Syndrome. That probably explains why he spends his past time ramaging through rubbish bins and stalking successful people

I don't always agree with her but I respect her enormously for never backing down despite being constantly belittled by her male colleagues, who are mostly idiots.

Although I loath him, he would be a fantastic midfield coach for our young players. He was an incredibly hard trainer and a fantastic leader, and he knows a thing or two about midfield setups. A FIGJAM he may be, but if he's keen for an assistant gig I'd definitely interview him. By the way, most assistant coaches start out with little or no coaching experience. That's why they begin as assistances and work their way up. I don't think experience is the most important thing when you employee assistant coaches.

Out: someone In: Petterd Not sure who to drop, but I'd like to see Petterd make a return finally. Obviously if Green is fit he is an automatic inclusion.

Hard to judge him on that aspect of his game when you look at his size. I didn't follow his junior career closely, but was this an issue at under 18 level too? Because you can see why the transition into AFL will take time. Physically he really is not developed enough, and if this is not an ingrained issue than I'm sure it's one that a few extra kilos will solve.

Two completely separate issues. Losing possession as a result of over-using the ball is a matter of practice. Losing possession because you choose to bomb the ball long to generally nobody in particular is just silly. Wheatley is the new Moloney, except at least Moloney tends to bomb it long to the square, which is not as bad as bombing it long to the middle of the ground where opponents can easily pounce on the loose ball and have a free run at goal. Your post suggests that you think the players only have one of these two options, over-possessing via handballs, or bombing long to a 50-50 (sometimes 80-20) contest. Neither is a good option, and I'm sure Bailey gets equally frustrated by both.