T-34

That would change nothing, just wrap up a rubbish team in different colours, under a different name .

At the very least this group can take pride in the fact that this is coach number 3 and they still play with little effort and no passion.

We need to look deeper than the coach or this group could finish up with six or seven scalps and still be rubbish.

To me he seems like a player who has most of the attributes needed to be successful except one, football smarts.

He does not seem to have the instinct to know when and where to lead or not to lead.

Noticed this pre season Roos spent some time trying to show him where he should be leading to and when to lead.

He is still a work in progress, who may never be the player we want.

If you want to see a tide turning go to the beach, ours is no chance until we can resolve injury issues and address mental scars.

Was wondering the same thing re account suspended.

Just saw a short grab on MFC training today on Fox sports news.

Showed Roos addressing the group and then in one on one discussions with several ( Toumpas was one ) during training.

Also mentioned Viney and Garland were training with main group but Gawn wasn't.

Best I can offer on today's training.

I understand the OP's point but I think it's quite evident that the club has failed a talented list.

I am sure eventually some of the young folks will stay leading this club, but the difference with the Hawks and Cats is that it took one rebuild to get it right.

The club is essentially on its THIRD rebuild: Roos and Neeld are two different rebuilds, add in Bailey and well, it goes to show how terrible things have been.

I feel that the list has failed the club as much as the other way around.

This list is also over rated by many.

Interesting way of putting it deeko. Like it. Still think the better clubs generally have greater depth. As Clarko said "one guy falls and another takes his place", or something to that effect. IMO even our best 22 without injuries would have players that would struggle to make some of those teams with the gaps. Certainly the Hawks would still tear us a new one.

Even Hawthorn would struggle greatly with no Roughead, Gunston, Hale, Gibson, Mc Evoy and which ever midfielder you care to remove against any other full strength side including ours.

We currently have at least 6 players essential to our structure not playing and given a similar situation at Hawthorn I have my doubts they would tear us a new one, certainly they are in a much better situation depth wise than us, but given these all seem to be longer term injuries no one could expect to cover these and suffer no detrimental effects on results.

Perhaps we could rename this thread "Shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic"

He is a downhill skier. I find myself saying the same thing after every good game he plays. Sylvia 2.0.

Unfair as he is not Robinson Crusoe.

BBO I took both my kids today, daughter aged 16 and son aged 13.

My daughter will stick fat and still loves the Demons and the footy but I wonder how long that will last if this continues.

My son is lost not only to the MFC but also to the game, a direct result of how putrid this club is to watch, and the resultant crap he was copping at school.

He now happily plays soccer and enjoys going to Melbourne Storm games, because even when they lose they try their best.

This is probably a reasonable snapshot of where our next generation of supporters are at.

.

Can't believe anyone would put up multiple changes without Fitzpatrick and Bail featuring prominently.

Those looking to drop Michie and M.Jones obviously hasn't see Grimes so far this season.

After his comments at the post match could see the axe swung.

Waiting to see what direction the club takes is the biggest cop out an experienced player like Chip can play.

As one of the experienced players and in the leadership group he is one who should be shaping this clubs future not sitting back waiting for someone else to set standards.

His output has not really engendered any lifting of standards, in fact over the first two games he has been ordinary.

If he goes he goes, but it will have little to do with the clubs direction, in fact it would not surprise if he hasn't been tapped up by someone already.

I for one would not understand his reasons or wish him luck at his new club.

It'll all be good as long as Watts racks up the tackles.

Don't know why we bothered with Roos, we could have just rotated some of the luminaries from Demonland through the coaches role.

They could save us money and we would obviously win the flag every year as well.

Jack Watts - 1 game against rubbish opponents. 0 tackles. He's a long long way from elite. He'll have to take his game to the next level just to back up his saints game against West Coast.

So are Vince and Jones unless we are kidding ourselves. But North have won a lot of games the last few years with their best midfielders being Wells/Ziebell/Swallow. Hawthorn got the job done last night with no Mitchell and largely without Hodge. No reason we can't win games with Jones and Vince as our best 2. And I'm excited about Viney, Tyson, Watts and Trengove playing games together as a midfield unit.

I don't think the Crows will lose sleep over Vince. They have Dangerfield, Sloane, Douglas, Van Berlo, Brad Couch, Mackay, Brodie Smith, Thompson, Kerridge, Grigg. Vince paid the price for their Tippett punishment. They made the deal knowing full well that Vince was likely to be a better player with the responsibility and opportunity at Melbourne than as a peripheral midfielder in a good side.

I'm sick of hearing about Jack Watts and his tackle stats. Did you ever consider his new role is purely outside and is not dependent on tackle stats?

Far dinkum what does this bloke need to do to shut some of you experts up? He could have 45 touches and kick 5 from the midfield but if he didn't have 10 tackles he wouldn't be good enough for some.

He can only play what is against him, and that rubbish opposition was still good enough to get the chocolates.

Roos obviously was happy with his game as he mentioned he felt he was Melbourne's best player.

To quote a line from Life of Brian " There's no pleasing some people."

Just two comments Bossdog

Is it surprising that after seven years of crap performance that supporters get a bit upset?

I don't really care about injuries at other clubs

No it is not surprising, seven years is a long time to keep being told to be patient, especially when you consider it is 50 years since the last flag.

As a marker we should take note of injuries suffered at other clubs, the Eagles example is an excellent one, decimated last year, yet surely one of the most professionally run organisations going round, sometimes it's just kismet rather than gross mismanagement that's at the heart of the matter.

Agree that we have been suffering a long time, but at least you have had the opportunity to experience the ultimate.I will be 50 in early October and now feel I will never get that chance, just hope my kids do.

Thanks for the training report, seemed out of place even though this is a training report thread.

We have had a few others h_h

The trouble is they get serious injury / breakdown in there first 20 games

Or succumb to their owns ego's or booze

So true OD.

Like him or not Gary Lyon was an absolute star even though he was cruelled by injury.

Alan Jakovich was also a bona fide star but all to briefly and we would be comparing David Schwarz with Wayne Carey if not for a series of knee ops.

ok lets put some ill informed posts and rumours to bed. My sister happens to work for the media and has alittle (not all) knowledge of whats going on.

ok. firstly mitch is in Melbourne. he and jones even posted the other day pics of a photo session they did together that day.

Mitch daughter lives mostly with her mother in Brisbane. comes down every now and then and stays with Mitch and his now gf.

Mitch has depression from a lot of different areas that he is dealing with. ie: not seeing his daughter everyday. not playing the sport he loves for 2 years. getting over a injury and then getting a new one over and over.

Mitch is away from the club but still in contact with some players and the medical staff. he is doing his own training so we when mitch decides its time to come back (hopefully at the end of his 8 weeks off) he will be still fit and injury free. He will prob have to do acouple of weeks AFL training to get that fitness back and then a couple of games at casey to get match fitness. So in my understand and beliefs he will return to the club and he will play this year but not until the second half of the season.

Thanks Deano, finally a post explaining whats going on, how Mitch is travelling and some sort of timeframe. Much appreciated.

Maybe a better team than we think, but not really an improvement when you think really the only experienced midfielder they had was Ray

Think the most experienced mid playing was in fact Clint Jones, may have played a different role but has been playing defensive mid/tagger role for some years.

If AFL had given us a PP we would have had Boyd in our forward line last night.

Apparently we didnt need it though because Port Adelaide turned things around...

GWS now has a number 1 draft tall forward we desperately need playing in the 2nds.

Definitely good for the game having guys like Pederson on the field for AFL games and guys like Boyd sitting on the sidelines

As if that was ever going to happen.GWS is the AFL's baby and they were never going to disrupt their grab of all things valuable in the draft.

If we get trounced by WCE I doubt I will have to say anything

But I bet you do anyway.

While not really wanting to provide an excuse/reason for last nights result, consider this fact.

Any team in this competition would struggle if they could not field their 3 best tall forwards, 2 of their 3 ruckmen, their best up and coming mid and their best defender and then lose their only remaining tall forward and a key defender in the first half, and that includes Hawthorn,Fremantle or whoever you want to put forward.

Keep this in perspective, yes it was disappointing to see and we all would have loved to see a win but remember the base we are coming from, yes St.Kilda was missing 3 mids but our list is at a point where we just can't cover the key players missing.

If St.Kilda had no Reiwolt last night we would have won yet we were missing 3 of our equivalents which made it very tough.

This kind of appraisal needs to be conducted at round 15 or 16 not after 1 round with a very injury riddled team.

Understand the venting just don't know if it is fully justified.

Ratten did a good job with us, he did a pretty good job at Carlton and would seem to be doing well at Hawthorn, and is well respected in the football industry.

Without really being across who else is available, I think Ratten would be someone who ticks most boxes and would be a good get.

Never really thought he got a fair shake at Carlton.

I was 9 days from entering the world, as I constantly reminded my parents, terrible timing from a Melbourne family.