Undeeterred

We're done. This game and for at least the next 3-4 years.

My God, Jack Watts frustrates the hell out of me.

It really looks like he'd rather be playing basketball at the moment. There is no intensity from him at all.

Why does everybody equate basketball with a lack of intensity?

If you all are going to use 'basketball' as shorthand for being soft, get a grip. Good basketballers play tougher than Jack Watts does, it has nothing to do with the sport itself.

25 games for 4 wins is enough of a full story for me.

You may still think he'll "come good", but I've seen enough now.

Mods, ban me or whatever, but not before I call this poster a complete and utter [censored].

I don't get what you're saying. I wouldn't mind a bit of one-way traffic. At least it would be better than the multiple-car pile up we find ourselves in at present. Beating Adelaide and Freo? I wish...

These guys are like politicians or new bosses: first thing you do is bag the old mob to make yourself look better.

All I'm saying is that there is no point winning a few easy games against teams away from home, when you have absolutely zero chance of beating anybody who puts the remotest bit of pressure on you.

In the longer term, we are far better working out how to play decent defensive football, rather than beating teams in soft games and getting murdered against teams like Hawthorn. When a decent team with firepower puts pressure on us, we have absolutely nothing to fire back with.

I'm thinking in particular of a couple of Haw games where we were down by 10-15 goals at half time, and for large patches couldn't get the ball beyond the back flank. I honestly reckon that sucked worse than what is going on now.

I don't want that to be the trade off for winning a few games a year against interstate teams not at their best.

I like a lot of what you say rjay but this 'downhill skiers' comment always riles me. Winning isn't downhill skiing! Winning against other AFL teams, regardless of which state they are playing in, is what everyone is trying thing to do. In 2011 we were at 7-9-1 with big wins and big losses and that is a fine for a developing team. We were playing exactly where our list could play at, that's not downhill skiing.

In any case, now we are at the bottom of the toilet getting downhill crapped on.

You clearly never saw us repeatedly belted by Hawthorn and Collingwood, and I mean belted. It was all one way traffic against teams like Adelaide and Freo at the G. As soon as it got a bit hard we were absolutely flogged. As much as I detest Mitch Robinson, he got it exactly right with his bruise free footy comment.

Thats crap, shouldnt be allowed to play for the club again unless he wears a helmet, just another lawsuit headed MFC way.

What a very compassionate response! Well done, champ.

So two blokes out on the [censored] have a bit of a shove. Yeah, that would be the first time mates have ever done that before. Gosh, people, relax! Yes, we are playing crap football but, surprisingly, it's not because they are having a drink after the game.

We could have atleast snared a 3rd rounder for Morton and pushed real for a 2nd rounder with Gysberts. I felt we just let them go just to get them out of the club asap.

Mate, you are absolutely kidding yourself.

Yes, yes it is. Take a chill pill.

yes. when he was returning from Sorrento and journalists approached, one with a microphone, Neeld fended them away warning "if you stick that thing in my face..." He didn't complete the threat but he might as well have done so, because his attitude was clear enough: Neeld's own personal comfort zone and his own agenda were not to be violated. He spoke and acted without tolerance or understanding, offering the violence card before making the show of reining himself in. Tough guy, hey? Would young athletes choose to bleed for this man?

I think that reaction was due to the constant barrage he has copped from them. He's allowed to be sick of those parasites without it having any bearing on his interactions with his players.

Hawks improved from 14th to 11th in Clarksons' second year.

Richmond went from 15th to 12th in Hardwick's second year.

Carlton went from 11th to 7th in Ratten's second year.

What was your point again?

There's no need to be so aggressive about everything, Stuie.

Good to see you've done some digging, and my point stands. They took very crap teams, and made them slightly less crap. Now, obviously the Blues made the 8 that year, so I take your point partly, but essentially it takes time. Sacking people every few minutes doesn't achieve anything except keep the merry go round going.

The other point you've clearly supported for me is that none of them were sacked after 3 games.

Tell me what the average losing margin was for those guys in their 2nd year....

Neeld's is 107 points so far.

Irrelevant. The point is they each had rabid fans and journalists after them and basically learned, developed a list and made their teams a hell of a lot better.

Have our backline all had lobotomies? The decision making is appalling! Frawley looks like he has lost all confidence and we desperately miss Rivers saving us with timely spoils and directions. i like the look of Terlich. He's a goer, but the lack of system and communication made fools of all of them.

Frawley will walk the second he is free to...

He's already had more than a year.

4 wins from 25 games.

Go back and look at Clarkson's, Hardwick's and Ratten's results in their first couple of years.

Sacking the coach now would be utterly ridiculous. Where would that get us??

It's damning that the Dees lost the disposal count by 70, but also lost the tackle count by 22. Five of the top 6 tacklers on the ground were eagles - Selwood had 12 alone.

Surprisingly, Melbournes top tackler was Jamar with 6. He also convincingly won the hit out count (not sure how many were to advantage, though). He was absolutely rubbish around the ground though - 5 disposals for Jamar, while Cox racked up 24 and 3.2. That kind of trouncing puts a side at a huge disadvantage these days. It's as if the opposition have an extra player on the field in open play.

Jamar has never been able to run with mobile ruckmen like Jolly and Cox and they routinely rip us a new one. At least Spencer and Gawn can run with them.

I was only listening on the radio, so didn't get the live view.

I'm wavering between being happy that we were competitive but not able to go with the big WCE bodies down forward and the rampaging midfield, and asking why the hell we didn't stick with competitive one on one footy. That third quarter, when we let Priddis run free, might be when Neeld finally lost me. That's coaching 101, surely, to lock down one on one on the players who are tearing you up.

It isn't fair to blame the defenders. They just aren't big enough and good enough to stem the flow. No defence can withstand the ball coming in that quickly, frequently and easily.

It sounded like we went to sh!t when they put a man behind the ball and we didn't man up. Why would we do that, when manning up and having 7 forwards worked so well for a half. It beggars belief that we'd put Clark behind the ball, rather than giving ourselves one on one match ups going forward.

Sounded like a few blokes had a go, and we've found a few in Evans, Terlich and Matt Jones. Also sounds like Jamar is the same useless lump as always, and that Tom McDonald will be a star.

Give it time folks, although I really think I am ready to admit for the first time that Neeld just has to be a better game day tactician.

Too many cooks, methinks.

I knew Watts was going to be dropped as soon as he was the sub. Why be mad. The guy has had a bad 2 weeks and its for his own good. Remember this is his 5th season. He needs to lift. Also it will get the media off his back though it will be back on the club for dropping him.

Disagree. The media will get off his back when we stop running him under a bus and giving them something to write about.

Nothin like our #1 draft pick 5 years in playing ay Casey.

Well played BP, well played...

Nothing to do with BP, it is our idiot selection policy to blame this time...

Hate to honk the horn from the driver's seat of the reality bus, but we are going to get absolutely belted.

guys at first i thought he was maligned too much and due to injury was unable to perform, but i agree with some comments above, the experiment is over, he is either an established player in a position or he isnt much chop at the MFC. Just a side note, i dont know if any of you guys went to Luna Park family day a few months ago, my wife (who n=knows nothing about fudball which is why she barracks for freo) said and pointed to C Sylvia 'who is that guys over there is he a player- appears very arrogant' let me just say this wthout claiming to be a good judge (but a reasonable judge of character) Sylvia is full of himself, had no players talking to him,wasnt even smiling and trying not too talk to supporters then when he was walking up on stage did not for one second acknowledge the crowd high 5 kids, and so forth, if the arrogance is going to transfer into quality performances then I dont mind (a la akermanis) but if he is in that side to also back the young kids in, then he aint value to us im not re-reading this as its coming straight from the heart, but ive seen, and spoken to many players in my time, and unless he starts doing his talking on the field then trade him (wouldnt mid season trades be a wunderful thing!!)

I've also noticed that Col is almost universally in any photo the club posts of sick kids in hospitals etc. Think it is a bit rough to label him as someone who doesn't care about people.

Go nuts about his compete lack of care on the field, but he doesn't seem to be a bad bloke off it.

Don't let the door hit your arse on the way out.

An interim CEO in the meantime..

As i mentioned last nite:

Adrian Anderson does something for Cricket Australia until mid year.. then..?

Id be talking to him now..

You mean the bloke who prosecuted the tanking investigation? No thanks.

Its not about not having a bit of r n' r or feeling ashamed - or any of that..

(and id hope by now - in the biggest sport in the land, at the highest level - we'd know what it takes to be professional without needing to see it, yeah?)

Its about - not being seen 2 days after the worst performance weve EVER produced on our Mcg - clowning around and joking around like it doesnt matter.. I mean, Saturday was well worse than 186 FFS.

The players shouldnt be seen at all right now - outside of training, game day and normal daily activities.. and id put a media ban on all players at least for a few weeks - why feed those vultures anyway?

..and ive never had a bad thing to say about Wattsy, always positive..

but if he (and he doesnt seem to be) or any other player isnt devestated - and totally pre-occupied with concern and worry to change what is going on at the moment..

then get the F..k out of MY club - dont ever look back - do not pass go and do not collect $200. (No, actually i'll pay you $200 - just FOQ)

Because we are Fitzroy circa 1996 right now..

I had a lazy day at work the other day and didn't get anyything done. I feel really bad about it. Does that mean I should stay home this weekend and stare at the walls?

Won't post the link, but AD was quoted in The Age today offering support to the MFC. He's only a phone call away, apparently.

What blatant, outrageous hypocrisy.

The AFL tormented us mercilessly for most of last season and the entire offseason, fined us for something that we didn't do, and clearly caused more lasting damage to the club than is immediately obvious.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if at least some of the current problems could be attributed to Chris Connolly falling on his sword just before the season commenced.