obbafan

Have not read any thing prior. Been watching the game and enjoying the positive intent but boiling with frustration. Dan Nicholson, Rohan Bail and Matt Jones ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Proven. Play youngsters instead. Michie and Tyson excellent particularly considering how few games they have played and how good is Hogan. Go for the future.

Flanagan is a lover of sport. He sees the magnificence of fearless and determined commitment regardless of the game, the team or the player. I wish he would write a book about the season he spent at the Demons as it would give us a real understanding of the (often futile) efforts made by those that were truly committed and secure them the appreciation they deserve. There is no better writer on football than him.

You sit there at the game and you go how did that happen? How did he do that? And you go home and watch it and realise that there is something that this guy can do that does not fit with your own experience or even imagination. Too often in recent times it has been an opposition player that has had that impact with me. There have been flashes, hints from a number of our guys. The endeavor of Jones, Frawley, Garland, McDonald, McKenzie and others is beyond dispute and Howe is a constant adrenalin rush. There are many others that show great promise. Clark and Dawes are fantastic professionals and let us pray for ongoing fitness. At this stage I do not think that Blease is the equal on performance to any player I have mentioned and many more as well. The reality is, however, that he is our only "how did he do that" guy. Clark does something fantastic and you can see the skill, Bleese kicks a goal and and you go - what? Please Paul and crew get him fit, do not constrain him and let us cry from the stands Bleeeeeeeese.

Sympathy? I don't think so. Don't fancy myself as a king and my sport is AFL. Don't need to bet on it to care or add excitement. How could it be more important?

Upon reflection perhaps Essendon will suffer more but that is all of their own greedy grasping amoral making. I would call them dirty dogs but I like dogs and Footscray are my second team.

And this is it! Has there ever been such a sustained series of disasters suffered by any club? I run through the above list to friends who support other teams and find they are unaware of the sequence. They remember each event and when informed that they were each separated by a matter of weeks there is a new appreciation of out of control fate. Whatever our organisational inadequacies this was so far beyond the law of averages that I still struggle to believe that it could happen.

It also keeps him under the eye of those who thought him worthy of drafting. Maturity may well bring improvement as it has with a number of others and he has the benefit of the Roos system.

Dipper was a thug who wouldn't last beyond one game in today's competition. He made very sure that Robbie Flower's career ended in the medical room. To suggest that SS was a coward for not allowing himself to be destroyed by a maniac who weighed 20 kilos more and was clearly intent upon severe injury is stupid beyond comprehension. SS was an excellent player who gave great service and joy to the MFC. I loved watching his run and accurate delivery and to have his son at the club would be fantastic.

Putting aside the obvious, new recruits including Tyson, Michie and Salem, on the up Hogan, Gawn and Viney and the very interesting Fitzpatrick 1. Kent - For a first year kid in a crap team he was great. Hard, determined and never intimidated. Excellent at the ball and at the man and good disposal. Very exciting. 2. Evans - On the rare occasions he has been on the park, and taking into consideration he has had little opportunity to settle, his skill and composure has impressed me. Accurate disposal (a rare quality in recent times) and good decision making. How he will go up against the new inclusions remains to be seen but he has a bit of silk about him and the club must agree or he would be long gone given the number of games played. 3. Bleese - No stamina but he keeps running away from the opposition, often to their amazement and kicking ridiculous goals. Once or twice may be lucky but he keeps doing it. You sit there and watch and go how did he do that. X factor. The best teams have these guys and they change games.

Sorry to be anal about this but Asperger's is not a disease but a condition. It is a description of the high functioning part of the Autism Spectrum. Albert Einstein, Bill Gates and many other extraordinary high achievers have this classification.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson Each strand of science from its earliest known theories to the present day for the interested ignoramus. Best read a chapter at a time followed by a little rest but fascinating and funny and gives some qualification to the concept of "fact" in an historical perspective. That said it does confirm that the Earth is round.

Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan Sam Spade meets Blade Runner

Sex and drugs and rock and roll?

There aint half been some lucky bastards. Lucky bleeder, lucky bleeder.

A game plan Positive players

Refer to contested/uncontested thread. Who did he have available to kick it to? Not confident about the accuracy of his disposal but his commitment cannot be questioned. We will hopefully gain a more complete understanding next season when he looks up and has to decide which of several positive options is best and then (hopefully) delivers the ball to advantage.

With you. Tried to make this point some time back. You can win the contested ball as much as you like but if you have no one to kick it to it just comes back again. This is what we have had to endure. Backmen kicking back and fiddling around until, inevitably someone makes a mistake and our opponents have a shot on goal inside 50. Again and again and again!!!!!!!!

I agree and say again that these young men we draft instinctively know how to succeed at this game. It is a matter of demolishing oppressive self expectation and giving them the joy of their ability. The coach does not create the missile, he caresses it, gives it self belief and then launches it at the target. If it does not strike and the talent is there, then more encouragement is required, not condemnation and embarrassment. These people are only chosen because they can do the job at the level below AFL. If the step up is too great then so be it but fear is no revealer of talent.

The thing is that there is an approach that recognises that AFL footballers are human beings and not machines. Roos is not some magician, he just adjusts his approach to respect that we are as individuals, what we bring. Pretty easy if you are a teacher. Stock in trade. No magic here. Acknowledge and respect ability and provide focus.

Sorry 87. Dementia for sure. But what joy!!!!

What people forget is that what Barassi set up Northey implemented. The joy of 77 did not come from nowhere.

Wow!!! So negative and so early! If the last few years have taught us anything it is to find maximum enjoyment in speculation as reality has been cruel. That said all indications are that knowledgeable purposeful action has been taken. Cheer up!

Because we all watch the footy on black and white TVs. There was a Port Adelaide game (I think) last season where there was a real problem but otherwise this whole thing is ridiculous. Primary colours can be retained almost always. The white is insipid. I watched many Demons Fitzroy games live without any confusion. The EPL teams change their tops each year for marketing and therefore sales but there are genuine clashes. When I watch our team in the white top most often I cannot see why.

Uncontested possessions will improve with the confidence gained from positive coaching. Players will take a risk and present rather than fear admonishment for not covering their man. Contested possessions will improve because the coach will allow players to be instinctive and therefore be where the contest is. For too long Melbourne players have been oppressed by what might go wrong rather than trust their instincts as to where to be. They would not have been drafted if they couldn't put themselves where the action is. Primary skill! Contested and uncontested are in essence the same. Get to where the ball is or where it should be. Only players who know this are drafted. Set them free!

I am in favour of anything that leads to our players enjoying what they do. The fear that crippled them under Neeld must be done away with. For the last couple of years I have watched a talented group of young men unable to take a risk or trust their instincts because they were terrorised. This is another part of setting them free. The reason they have been selected to represent our club is because they have repeatedly demonstrated that they know what to do on a footy field. When they run out in Round 1 next year all of this will hopefully mean that they delight in the experience rather than fear failure.