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Like everyone else here I have experienced the bleakest time (football wise), in the last few days. Like most melbourne supporters I am so used to disappointment and sub-par performance that I could see another disastrous season ahead and bemoan our inability to draft the best players. It's important to keep it in perspective. We support a club that has had a traumatic decade. Tragedy, near bankruptcy, a divided board and administration, two dramatic coach sackings, and a player awaiting the results of a court hearing. This has culminated in the passing and funeral of it's shining light and saviour in the last week. To think that this would not have an impact on the performance this week is unrealistic. I would also say that looking at the recent culture of the cub in the last decade it has displayed ridiculously inconsistent form, and dare I say it, a soft mental attitude. there is evidence that the players have thought that they were better than they are. The culture needed to be turned around. I like many, am not sure whether Neeld's hard-arsed approach will turn achieve it or kill the spirit of the players but I have to hope we are on the right track. I have read much of the wailing and gnashing of teeth on this site and admit that I also indulge in it. We Demon supporters are now so reactive and willing to see a catastrophy at every turn. If we bury ourselves in this site and whip each other into a negative frenzy it can have a multiplying effect and be very bad for our mental health. These articles may help explain what happened on Saturday and what is happening at the club. http://www.heraldsun...q-1226315845268 http://www.theage.co...0401-1w6nl.html http://www.theage.co...0331-1w5ii.html http://www.theage.co...0331-1w5cs.html http://www.theage.co...0401-1w6jc.html http://www.theage.co...0331-1w5kr.html http://www.heraldsun...f-1226315687415 As much as the coach and the players say that Jimmy's passing was no excuse, its obvious that it had an enormous impact on the preparation and the performance. Malthouse's comments were very revealing. It shows how important the control of the emotional energy levels is when leading into a game. What I saw after half time on Saturday was a tired team who couldn't respond with any team cohesion. We saw players who are normally smart, like Frawley, do dumb stuff. Jamar had a rough day and his taps went to Lions players a lot of the time. Our mids were pushed around and outsmarted. Players who couldn't do anything constructive to turn things around. Along with us, they watched the train-wreck happen in front of them. I trust that there will be accountability at the selection table and Neeld's comments suggest this. Davey is completely bereft of confidence and zip. We know that he doesn't like the physical contest. That has never been his value, but he is obviously injured and does not know what to do. He need to get himself right and fight his way back into the team. The boundary hugging, long-bombing game looked particularly bad as players lacked the confidence and energy to convert it any sort of smart creative attack. Jade Rawlings commented on this so hopefully the game-plan is not to play the boundary like robots and then bomb it in to the dead pocket. I would like to think that Saturday's performance was due to the recent trauma and the adjustment to a new approach. I believe (hope) that our effort will improve next week and that we will "trend upwards" as the year progresses.