Undeeterred

Remember when we sent the undersized Rivers to him? And how well that worked? Think Cloke had about 30 marks by half time.

I know he's undersized but Garland is our next best defender. Maybe its time we throw him the challenge. And the pies are likely to just play Cloke and Lynch so is there a case for replacing Frawley with a small. I suppose the question is who is our next best defender is it a tall or small? Is it Sellar or is it Nicholson or can we bring in another midfield and have Howe play half back?

Completely agree.

I've really liked Watts up forward the last couple of weeks.

Watts can be incredibly damaging up forward and long may it last. Our best set shot, apart from Mitch Clark.

How would you know, you're not even watching.

If the players want to back Neeld they have to start winning the contested ball and running for team mates.
It may be too late by tonight. This Neeld love was expected in Round one 2013.

So bringing in an entirely new coaching staff who 'know what they are doing' is going to magically change the fact that half our list are spuds?

Please.

I think he is dead right! Team so,lacking in confidence, one really can't judge individual young players

And won't we all love it when Dawes takes 11 marks in a lead up CHF role, and when he bangs it 60 m to the top of the square, it will be Clark standing under it rather than Davey and Fitzpatrick.

I'd say today we took the game on more than in any match I've seen since the Bailey years.

Quite seriously.

They clearly try BUT...

Tackling efficiency was still ordinary
Skills and decision making are pathetic
We stand flat footed with zero spread
We refuse to take the game on

Hate to call you on this, but this is complete garbage.

If ANY of our players were suddenly put into the Geelong team, I am sure their skills etc would be AFL standard. No we don't need a total change in players, we just need a coach and support staff who know what they are doing!

Typical WYL crap.

For someone not watching, your rate of commentary remains high.

Oh, and welcome back Chipper.

Towelled Buddy today, including a vintage chase and tackle up against the boundary line.

Praise the Lord.

Signs today, in parts.

However, we would have to be the most frustrating side to ever play in the AFL.

We do SO many stupid things, which ruin such a lot of good, hard work.

Nathan Jones, you are a star.

Haha all good...

I think we are all overlooking the fact that we aren't going to be choosing the next coach, regardless of who it is!

I'm deadly serious about Swooper, despite his age.

He's been there and done that, took Melbourne to the finals after 22 years of missing them. Took Richmond to the finals after 12 years of missing them and took the Brisbane Bears to a Prelim. All basket case teams that Northey transformed.

He's still coaching, would cost a lot less coin which means you can spend that money on the best assistants out there with a view to a hand over in about 3 years time. Northey to plant the seeds for someone else as he's been there and done it all before. Would universaly loved by the players at all the clubs he's coached also.

The man still loves the club and I have no doubt would be up for the challenge.

Seriously, mate, you have to stop.

You're embarrassing yourself.

So I open the thread called 'Realistic Future Melbourne Coach' and the first post advocates John Northey.

Then we call Bailey a tough guy and Malthouse lovable.

Come on, people. Peter Jackson and the AFL are going to pay out Mark Neeld, install a serious coach and move on.

Money just moves in circles in these instances, which is why the tanking fine meant nothing. The AFL will pay for it in the end.

And make no mistake, the AFL requires Melbourne to exist for TV rights. There is no way on earth they aren't in charge, making sure this ship doesn't inadvertently sink.

He may never live up to his potential but I don't think we have the luxury to send him packing at years end but then he is free to go if he gets an offer.

He won't leave. We could (/will) give him, deadset, 600-700k and not even put a dint in our salary cap.

He won't get that anywhere else...

I haven't seen any of the game, but I note in the stats that three of the first four highest disposal getters were first year players in M Jones, Viney and Terlich. Could it be that the players on the list pre-Neeld were so badly developed that they just don't get it? "It" being level of commitment, fitness and gameplan? That doesn't excuse the coach - it's his job to get the players to do what he wants. But I just wonder how much damage was inherited and how much is being added right now.

Completely right, in my book.

People underestimate how bad things had got.

If you go further down that possession list from yesterday, you'll see Nate Jones, Howe and Sylvia, but basically the rest of the top 10 have less than 20 games (Evans eg).

Of course we are behind GC - we are actually more inexperienced than them, despite that being Neeld's choice.

Keep:

- The Joneses

- Grimes

- Clark

- Garland

- TMc

- Viney

- Toumpas

- Hogan

- Trengove

- Howe

Maybe keep Magner.

Sack literally everyone else.

We'll get a PP. Just load up in the draft. Literally go through the PSD and take 20-odd players at the tail end of the PSD. Guys that have stuck it out in the state leagues and had a crack. We may find a couple of crackers there, you never know. And if not, cut and keep going.

The very definition of kneejerk.

He barely even hit him.

2 weeks for mine.

And I don't care what people say, he's in our best 3 this year.

Also, it really killed Tapscott's attack on the ball. He was best on ground for us until that point and faded badly. A real shame, he was smashing it (pardon the pun).

That was an abysmal decision.

And a real shame to discourage that sort of play, because we are absolutely crying out for it!!

Nathan Jones, as a Futurama head in a jar.

Wow.

I actually believe you must be having a lend, that or your mildly retardly.

Hate to break it to you, but if you're going to call someone retarded, it's best to use the word 'retarded' not a made up word that makes you sound more stupid than him.

Best just not to call people retarded, perhaps.

Fair bit of revisionism going on here...

I've just been watching the first half of the Anzac Day game and trying to compare it in my mind with last Sunday's game. You can sum up the difference in the intensity and the fact that the players in today's game are able maintain their skills at a higher level under greater degrees of intensity. I suppose that's obvious really but it's amazing that we did lift our intensity last week when GWS fell away and, in doing so, our skills improved.

Notwithstanding, I suspect that we're a long, long way off the levels of Essendon and Collingwood (again self-evident because the Bombers beat us by 148 three weeks ago). However, with improved confidence, I think we can go a fair way to bridging the gap.

WJ - you are probably the best, most credible poster on this site, but today's game was terrible, and absolutely riddled with errors.

Yes, the intensity was high, but the errors were absolutely appalling and some of the play was Melbourne-esque and we'd have been right at home today.

Nevertheless, you're right. We are miles off a game like today's.

When we learn how to play 4 quarters, we really won't be as bad as we look at times...

Clark icing the bad foot, and done for the day.

Uh oh