dpositive

Dont go to the Barry Prendegast thread then!!

OPEL?? part of the GMH stable???? Hope we dont alienate the Ford supporters! All good to me I own an aged subaru

I believe the MCC has agreater proportion of Collngwd members than Melbourne supporters. I think I have read that they have only a minority of MFC members and they would probably contain similar proportions of all clubs supporters as the general population. Its the same thing when you go to the snow, There are as more other teams scarves on display than there are Melbourne but we will always be disparaged as snow bunnies. (I have indicated to the club that we should leverage of this perception and try and attract the snow crowd to join us) I wear my colours and my allegiance proudly wherever I am and I respect any supporter for any other club who does the same. I have always welcomed the passion and the banter that support generates. I know that I have heard comments within and outside the MCC Members that are considered foul or unwholsome. I try to treat them all with a grain of compassion and know that I have made comments that have been perceived as foul . I always try to think of context and recall to others that often foul language or inappropriate behaviour is a consequence of frustration and is unintended Its why an apology is often the best course of action With regard to foul language I often remind people of the context and intent There is no better example than the word bugger I think Ill bugger off now.

Or can make a statement within the club with all players in a comparitive circumstance situation This is what we expcet better to highlight a better passage of play rather than dwell on a poor piece. Then get ALL the players to understand thats what is wanted and get them to buy into the criticism and support on the field. I have stated before its about bringing the poorer performers up to the level of your better performers not penalising your better performers by expecting too much of them. ie Whats the point of dropping him if he is really tuned on to play for Jimma and matches up well on doggies opponent , he now knows not only what he can do but also what he musnt do (as do all players) I think this is development??? Its a bit vague but I hope you can get my drift?

I have never played elite level but playing at equivalent level competiion and from observation lack of fitness does impact dramatically on performance. I play squash and when not fit it is noticeable how you dont get to the ball, are off balance, and generally game skills deteriorate markedly. When competitor is even a 5% reduction in fitness can affect score dramatically. I hadnt really considered it a major weakness at MFC but it may be a bigger factor than realised. Maybe the effort asked by Neeld and Misson on the training track is taking some time to take effect. It does seem that the intensity and fitness of other clubs has increased and if we were marginally behind it may impact a lot. AS I have aged I know that it takes longer to recover and it is easier to lose the level of fitness Fitness is difficult to achieve and retain over a gruelling period (season) I imagine thats the purpose of the beep tests etc all players go through is to establish monitor and improve those levels Recovery levels also are affected by fitness and ability to do the second and third effort repetition etc are all affected by fitness levels It again is a reason I have been promoting the Squad versus a fixed or best 22 as all players will have different cycles of effort and recovery and levels of fitness. Matching the player capacity with what is required is why selection should not be automatic Wow its a very interesting aspect which I again have assumed the club and its coaches are professionally managing and improving and I guess why I am still positive.

Like the rest of the threads nothing sounds hollow to meAll comments are the real and genuine thoughts of posters so I do think they carry some weight. Looking at the thread on "culture" has really made me think i havent commented as I am not sure what I can contribute AT this stage I would just say that the culture is all stakeholders I do not see the current coach making the culture, It is all the coaches , players, administrators,members and supporters who make the culture. It is the past, the present and the future. It is strong. It is not our current performance on the field and I think all recognise that. It is not about accepting defeat easily despite our long history with that. As I said earlier there may be some value in many dlanders contributing in relaying that message to players with the message that we also see value in effort I think Ive gone beyond my original statemnt and said more than I wanted with little thought Our culture is deep and needs to be very seriously considered, identified, communicated, reinforced in word and action Go Dees

Its all between the ears after all I think if you see the development of the widely criticised Jack Watts you can see a boy in the beginning taking big hits from bigger bodies now bulking up and using the skills he has to improve He is becoming more of a man on the field Its not possible to leap forward all the time Player and body type were recruited with some aim in mind. Neeld Knew roughly what we had and I still maintain he must use that with a game plan that uses those attributes. And maybe some of that is just exposing the boys to the mens game. I do believe we do look bigger and fitter this year so maybe an impact of the new fitness regime but even that growth takes some time for developing bodies and minds to adjust to. It has been pointed out that all teams need a mixture of attributes and I think our squad has that mix. Some Talls, some smalls, some fast, some slow, some insiders, some outside runners,some gifted, some genuine triers. Its a matter of getting the right mix Oh and getting the right techniques of the game I guess thats why Im not a coach and I am still willing to give Neeld and Co a good chance to get it right BUT I would like to see more signs of improvement and it isnt really being reported here or any where else Can we still get those helpful reports from training from the Dlanders and as I have said elesewhere the positive body and real language fr5om the coach and coaching group. I thought GLyon last night was good Obvious disappointment and honesty but acknowledgement that there were still some positives. Its just not my ID its also my attitude.

most comments resonate with me. I had Hassa Mann then Flower Parkes Hardeman Rhino Grinter Lyon Ox Jacko Jacovic, Wiz Yze hope you get the drift We now have Watts Howe Trenners GArland maybe even Morton to start with All a work in progress I have said that defeat is character building and that mine is built. Im off to get defeated at squash but I sure as hell will make em fight for victory. I sometimes win and sometimes lose and if I get beaten coz Im off my game( happens often) then I make sure I try harder next time. Is so and always has been inspired by the Dees

Not a bad idea to get a few demonlanders to talk to the players about pride and passion effort etc maybe get them to read the threads and make their own comments Neeld has adressed the fact that fans are stakeholders so he may even support this idea Of course it would be necessary to select those supporters with care Cant deny the passion of most but some too negative on selective issues (Self included)

It is interesting and more so that Neeld was appointed as coach not as administrator. I hope it is as a comment to divert MM as to the real coaching and any real club rebuild. It should also be seen in the body language/confidence comments made on other threads that the coach should be expressing confidence not confidance.

Dont have an answer but its not a new phenomenom. I have advocated in the past that we should get someone from the umpiring fraternity in for some advice. Not to criticise them but rather to acknowledge their interpretation and ask how we can correct our deficiency. We seem to give away more in the back and yet miss out on many same with head high tackles. Maybe umpires think that our technique is bad or we are committing some other basic error in our play that they overlook our free. I am definitely not wanting to bash the umpire or question their decision but if we approach it from an effort to understand their perspective we may be able to improve our results.

I too can recall so many 5 year plans abandoned in the 3rd year Maybe we should be looking for a plan that matches our coaches contract. Neeld did indicate this early and so I have some confidence in him Yes it takes time to improve but it needs to be done within what appear the industry norms Plenty of others have indicated other team progress Hawks, cats and bears and each seemed to be 5 -6 year to premiership. Its just that like you I am hoping and have been hoping for decades for our plan to be completed. Will not give up just yet. GO DEES

I agree totally which is why I am waiting to see the Coaches performance I remember BAlme in the coaches box head in hands failing to make a move coz he didnt have the cattle. He had what he had and needed to have a game plan that exploited that rather than rely on a 5 year rebuild. I am hoping that Neeld can be proactive against opposition rather than reactive but if required has got more than 1 plan and communicate this to the players.

I agree almost entierley with you Munga Interesting that geelong got beaten I think the intensity of the game is difficult even forthe boldest and best With a team of "developing" players it may be best to rest in the minor league after getting a lesson in the majorsI think this is the value of the complete squad against overworking a few. A business mantra is that "if you want something done give it to a busy person" but this does lead to burnout. At my workplace in line with that philosophy we asked "What did we do with our best workers?" and the answer invariably was we gave them more, WE changed this around to demand better of our poorer workers to improve them to the level of our best often with our best mentoring a selected poorer performer. I am hopeful that our coaches are following this philosphy and providing the mentoring while we dont overload and lose some of the obvious talent that we do have . That said I am a believer in Watts as he has shown improvement and I am uncertain that Morton has. Perhaps we should ensure we dont waste Watts and improve Morton. Who knows maybe the criticism of Watts displayed on Dland may have helped as I believe as on this thread that there are some very relevant observations. I dont get to the game but do appreciate the different opinions given The more information we have the better the outcome.

I agree that it should be "Best22 for upcoming opposition" but should also be in line with the coaches plan( structure) and the state of the player at that time (again the coaches role to get the player to perform) there should be no negativity or punishment about playoing in the 2'S its not country footy where numbers are limited. This is a squad of 42 to be used by the coach to get the maximum output. Still to see evidence of that happening and dont see the response as atotal cleanout. We do have many skills within the squad and many types of player who can be used but maybe not every week>

Thanks Dr Who It seems we do agree as I indicated targetted spend that supports is one of the most important aspects to work performance and outcomes. The other more intangible aspects are usually not $ related at all and I would imagine that in entertainment and sport the audience response (support) can probably have an even greater impact. So I am hoping that we can get that desire to perform impressed into the talented kids that we have and we might get some success. Others have pointed out that the game is played between the ears and I dont envy the coaches in trying to work on that part of our players to get that success.

I have said it before and will say it again It aint just the $$$ As a retired qualified Human Resources proffessional I can assure you that research at every organisational level and over any period of time show that $$ is not the greatest motivator or indicator of success. It is a significant factor if well targetted and provided it supports the employee (player ) needs. Interestingly autonomy is always well up in most reports (with Stability and Security). How this translates into a Footy coaches demand for structure and adherence to rules may explain some of the apparent performance variances at the moment. I see Neeld as an intelligent man surrounded by a group of similar intelligent people and I am sure Craig has a far deeper understanding of Footy club culture and individual performance factors than I do so I am waiting for the improvements. I only hope that the improvement does not require wholsale changes as history shows and the existing AFL oversight structures make this unlikely to happen. We do have plenty to look forward to as we have acheived some progress with our draft levels picks and I think reinforcing with Clarke etc has added to the mix that the coach/es are looking for. All teams in the AFL are in the same system and have to manage the system to achieve the results, Grand final success is obviously an intricate target or there would not be any variation in the winner. Dont get me started on the luck/ umpiring/ Chaos theories. Footy is fantastic. Melbourne provides fantastic stimulation, I am obsessively passionate and I hope for some success to top off my joy GO DEES

Stay together and develop together is absolutely correct Are these guys mates coz if they are they will be supporting each other and competing with each other for success I said on another thread that as supporters we have said that defeat is character building and this is true If these players work hard the rewards will come because there is certainly a lot of skill there.

I agree with most of your post but dont see the need to refer to another supporter in derogatory or demeaning tones.No need to call him not too bright I too would be happy to see any insight he has which incidently may show that hes brighter than you think>

I totally agree H-T If some of the comments from other threads are noted Eg players do not compete against each other, Howe stops goin the speccy only (or holds ont a few), Davey chases a few down, players move into space, if the coach moves proactively not reactively, etc etc IF ALL TRY we should at least be competitive GO DEES

BIt harsh B-H Id like to see him exerting the pressure that his pace although a little slower can still deliver. Id like to see someone giving him the ball when he is outside the contest Id like to see him delivering the ball to that leading or isolated player in space. It can still happen maybe not every week or every second in every game. But if he is used appropriately against the right opposition within the right structure it will. I hope that this week if he is in he is played against the right opponent in the right position (OK I admit I dont know what/where that is) but I still have confidence that the coach does.

While I agree that it ultimately comes down to the players I also know that the coaches role is the most significant. Placing players in the right spot, against the right opponent, using their identified skill set, giving them the confidence to follow the game plans. It does seem a matter of confidence at the moment and there may be some reasons for that beyond the footy field, but Crikey its about time the coaches started to acknowledge whats going on and doing something about it. Some of that doing something is public announcement or displays of the confidence. I havent seen any positive support from coaches for Watts, Jurrah, Sylvia, Morton, Howe etc stating how they are developing some skill or improving. I hope this is happening inside the club but lets see some body language and confidence from the top. I am a passionate supporter and have been for 50 years and have seen many low periods,there has always been something to take away, now I am in the country and rarely see the games I was disturbed when friends who still go every week stated that they saw nothing to take away. I do hope the coach/es can instil some improvement and acknowledge and celebrate that. Sure defeat must hurt and failure must be recognised but please publicly acknowlegde success. I cannot wait for another regime change, another period of tanking, another period of waiting for the messiah. I dont mind getting beaten if I can see that we have used our best to the maximum. It was disappointing that the captain said the players did not give their best effort after the first match, I guess they may have tackled poorly in the second match in an effort to put a greater effort in but please, please say that. We as supporters have always said that the defeats we endured were character building. We are built thats why we are still here. Id like to see the character of the coaches and the players and yes more pride displayed. I would like the players to be exhausted as they drag themselves off the field in defeat recognising that they have given every effort I would like the supporters to celebrate that effort as we always did even in defeat. Id prefer to see them too exhausted to celebrate a victory but able to accept the celebration of the supporters for thats all we can do. I wouldnt mind if a player was so exhausted he couldnt play the next week if he was replaced with someone who also showed the same effort. I dont know where Im going with this but I do feel better now GO DEES

Look forward to the next

It aint all $$$$ Research has always shown that it is not only money that motivates and results in action. While I agree that a structured football department may cost more $ than the club has previously outlayed it is not the only factor. Development is indeed a dark art, predicting a gamble. Getting it right is usually some sort of compromise and an amount of luck. While we all say you make your own luck there are often things outside your control that will effect an outcome it is how you manage those variables that will lead to success. Using the cards in your hand is as important as waiting for the next. With sound human relations management the club will progress and I say it again it aint all about the money!

Ran out of likes So much to support especially when "backs are against the wall" " what doesnt kill you makes you stronger" etc Passion is obvious on the demonland site