Batters

Sorry Dr G but I've been watching "developing years" for way too long, is this what we have developed into? A team of players who can't kick, run, or hand ball?

It's bazaar and embarrassing that the skill level and anticipation of players who were fair to good last year are now absolutely below vfl level, maybe even auskick?

What happened to natural instinct, hunger for the pill, working hard for your team mates and beating your opponent. Seems like neeld has sucked the life out of us. There seems to be little belief. To much structure will kill natural talent. Bailey was all about belief, neeld is all about structure. We needed a smooth transition. ATM, neeld has a lot to answer for. If we don't win games and soon, he will be under enormous pressure. He is responsible for getting the most out of each player, developing them and the team into a side that wins. Our players look like they have gone backwards. Last year, jamar was hitting moloney 5 times a game, they were the best clearance duo in the league. Now, we look like plodders. Slow, unskilled, uncertain, and lacking belief.

The buck stops with neeld. Do not let him off the hook by always blaming the players.

Neeld is responsible. We nearly made finals last year. It was the lack of a defensive game that got Bailey fired.

I want to coach. Firstly, I would have played pettered and couch.

Secondly teach the players how to kick a drop punt straight, and how to handball the pill at least 2 metres to a player on our team!!!!!!!!

Did a lot better today. Still like the others needs to get his skjlls up to the elite level, where he is supposedly at!!

My question is do they practice skills at training?

I can't believe how bad the basics of kicking to a position and for goal were today, not to mention the woeful handball. How can the skills get worse than they were last year?

Batters I get the feeling that there is not a lot wrong with anything at the MFC other than one thing.

The playing group we have is simply not good enough.

We all want there to be something else wrong and while some of the other things are not perfect

It all gets back to the fact we are simply not good enough.

The score board has been telling us that for most of 2011 and now the first three games straight in 2012.

We do not have the players!

I agree wholeheartedly, but the reason why the players aren't good enough is the same reason we haven't won a P since for ever, eventhough we've had players like Alves Hardeman, Wells Woewodin Neitz Lyon etc etc etc

We get good players and they either don't perform up to their ability or they don't have the surrounding players and coaching to match it with the goods from the opposition for long enough or over a sustained period of games to clinch it.

An interesting observation from a mature age rookie(a rello by marriage) new this year, was that he was surprised after training with another team last year and over the break before he was drafted, how unfit the MFC players were relatively. Had no qualms with the skill level or ability, but was astonished that they were "elite" players(or supposed to be) in terms of their fitness. Hopefully this is one area that may have already been addressed MN and Misson.

And your point is ...??? Good interview with Jones, glad he's in the leadership group, would have been happy with him as captain.

I agree, and still rue the fact that he was probably the only player who has led by example(head over ball) in the last 3 games.(Clarke, and Howe excepted) I

think we're probably hearing what the FD has been trotting out to the players as well.

Not unlike the "the MFC culture's fine..." stuff we heard from MN over the last few days.!! ,when in fact a blind earless monkey with no nose could tell there was

something wrong in the stew!!

Thanx doc and Bankock ', good points you both make, and I agree strongly that something radical has to happen to change the MFC, but I'm just not sure the playing style or tactics are the answer. Neeldy taught with a close friend of mine,(also a dee man...) and has his highest recommendation in terms of integrity and personality, which will no doubt come out in his coaching if thats the way he feels about life in general, but the issue on my mind is still what you do with what you've got this year,and whether there is going to be massive damage done to an already precarious supporter base.

I agree. I think Lyon kicked a few pleated suit trouser pants and had an effect, He's known down here for his very down to poo(!) attitude and fearless

ability to get up peoples noses if he doesn't like their work.

The thing that worries me is Neeld just tonight went on record saying the culture's all fine and dandy!!

Pity he hasn't got the delivery to him, imagine him with some slick midfield passes down his throat !!!!

Don't you remember what he was like in his last 6 months?? Couldn't kick the ball inside the boundary line and had to come out before the start of the game to catch someone!!!

In actual fact if you watch the replay and pause the incident he hits his head on the very edge of the a.Turf which has a bound edge on it. Probably harder here than in the middle.!!

Hi guys, this is my first post, so excuse the "rookie" moves!

I've been following the dees for 50 years now, went to the first game with my father in 1963 . All this time I've suffered the same as other dee supporters at the hands of an inconsistent MFC performance often to the point of only having a very vague sort of interest in the results because it hurt too much to be deflated yet again..

Played footy with only a handful of people I can remember who were Dees fans,went to teachers college and played footy in the late 70's under Parko @ Burwood,where there was no shortage of VFL(noA yet) players none of whom were Melbourne players or supporters. It just seemed even then if you were a Dee fan then you were an exception,and I'm hearing via this forum that it's more the norm than the exception as today.

In the last 10 years my kids have shown an interest in the spectacle rather than the game itself,they like the G and the atmosphere ,don't really understand why I follow this team of "never heard of him"s, that never seem to win...all their friends (and mine!) follow Geelong Carlton and Hawthorn.

But what they don't understand is there's something in you that was bred by inheritance to follow that red and blue . How I use to love the jumper when I was a kid!!!!

But....................this year I can say after plucking up the courage 3 years ago to buy a membership,I'm going to these games half expecting the normal beatings and sometimes the disappointing close calls, to see a team thats different from every other MFC team I've ever seen.

A team that's absolutely devoid of heart or soul.

AH SO THAT'S WHY NOBODY BARRACKS FOR THE DEES!!!(except those forced to by inheritance or lack of transport/money My kids only get to go to Dee games!)

BUT.. something worse than before is definitely in the water at training, Neeld is the only major difference, apart from the other coaches but they all have to play his game anyway.

Don't get me wrong. I think his heart is in the right place, but he has definitely done something to :

1. Put the older players offside

2.Instill fear and fumble into players who were recently accomplished

3.Play a brand of football that defies logic,aesthetics,and the abilities of the few good players we have.

IF THE CLUB IS TO SURVIVE, stuff the new structures,game plans,etc and just start getting the ball and winning some contests and games.

IF we go thru a year of losing every game except maybe 2, there will be no supporters left out there to follow the team in 3,4,how ever many years it takes to get the players going on the new plan,(which was the plan in 2009 !!!)

If we do have to rebuild,-which I'm not absolutely convinced of-we should be playing a game that suits the players we have until we get the players we need.