How do you fix Melbourne?

[Mofra]

Really think they should have gone with Wines. Two uncompromising mids, great mates...could have really galvanised the place

This is what I was thinking last night.

B-Mac says you build a club "from the inside out" - hence we took Clay Smith with our first pick last year, to complement Libba & Wallis - both non-flashy types. We then go out and take Stevens & Lower, neither will turn up to training with tinted hair & flouro boots anytime soon. Stringer as first pick this year eats concrete for breakfast.

Look at Freo - sitting pretty on top of the ladder with 4 mids over 190cm & 90kgs, with their others certainly not soft types.
Look at Hawks - not much flashy in the midfield, mostly tough as hell types
Look at Sydney - nobody gets an easy kick when playing them.

Now Toumpas may end up an excellent player, but Melbourne have gone out and signed Mitch Clark & Dawes & taken Pederson as a tall cast-off (WTF?) without the tough base to build their midfield on.

Wines would be ideal for them. Build from the inside out is absolutely correct, and Melbourne have it arse-backwards.

 

[J_Moore]

Make them all run hot laps at training when there's not enough voice out there.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Yes, but we still had to use our first two picks. Melbourne could have used their first two picks (excluding the Hogan and Dawes picks, since they traded them away, obviously) on Wines and Viney.

Point is you didnt CHOOSE Wallis and Libba, they chose you.

The draft is hit and miss at the best of times. The player who starts off well in his first year doesnt always turn out to be the best player. Daniel Rich for example.

That said Wines looks like a gun.

 

[tigers_of_old_08]

Anyway would you rather watch Lyon do comedy or an AFL match with Melbourne in it. Personally I choose the latter, not sure how Lyon gets a gig TBH

Like a lot of footy people I have no time for tabloid commentators such as Lyon, so the answer is neither.

There are a lot of footy personalities/commentators with plenty of integrity and footy nouse that leave Lyon in their wake.

 

[La Vache]

I'm not quite sure whether Rivers used to do that at Melbourne? - but it's abundantly clear that no-one else has stepped up.

Yep I think Rivers was that guy to an extent. Losing him was a blow but he is not irreplaceable by any means but they haven't and it's too late now. Maybe they expected Watts to mature and grow into that role but he quickly nipped that in the bud last week when he complained of the clubs ordinary leadership and was rightly shit-canned for it.

 

[Slattery_20]

I find the Toumpas/Wines discussion a bit ridiculous people. The issue is not with their 2nd gamers. They have, and have always had, promising kids.

The problems have to rest with their 3rd, 4th+ years - who should be taking on responsibility, it's their heart, "leadership", and why guys like Rivers & Moloney want to walk out, their administration, coaching, recruiters, etc etc etc.

But I think step 1 has to be show some fight, some character. At least give the fans something. As it stands, GWS will possibly go in favourites in round 4.

 

[tigers_of_old_08]

Get rid of Watts. Seriously. Tambling was a millstone around Richmond's neck. Watts is a millstone around Melbourne's neck.

The problem with Watts is that if he's picked, if he has a bad game, the vultures circle and people start to wonder whether he's being picked on form. Other players start to question on what standard are players picked. And if he's not picked, the team starts to wonder if they've wasted efforts on him and they're making a mistake not playing him. He only creates uncertainty. So there's so much pressure on Watts to perform, not only on Watts, but on Neeld as well, given he's desperately hoping that he comes good. This kind of pressure only screws clubs over. It's not fair on Neeld, and it's not fair on Watts, who has the weight of the world on his shoulders. For the good of Melbourne and Watts, they need to part. This is not a troll, it's the same problem that Richmond had with Tambling and it's only going to get worse for a player who is shot for confidence.

Surely it's not about Watts - it's about the Melbourne Football Club.

 

[Mr Magic]

Like a lot of footy people I have no time for tabloid commentators such as Lyon, so the answer is neither.

There are a lot of footy personalities/commentators with plenty of integrity and footy nouse that leave Lyon in their wake.

I don't watch the show. The League footy show was a bigger joke. Sam Newman copes it but at least with his circus he creates a little relevance, Lyon just seems to be a floater. He doesn't seem to have any personality or character of interest at all!!!

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

This is what I was thinking last night.

B-Mac says you build a club "from the inside out" -

Wines would be ideal for them. Build from the inside out is absolutely correct, and Melbourne have it arse-backwards.

Thing is, while the signs are promising for the Dogs right now, they're far from a finished product. Whereas the team that was smashing the Dees last night and has looked a million bucks so far this year could also have been accused of having it 'arse backwards'. Essendon has had a decent-good spine for five years or more and have just been waiting for their midfield to catch up to become competitive.

 

[LeverPuller]

Why? That just smacks to me of an administration unwilling to change things at the club and take responsibility for their own failures.

Because the gist of it was probably sack Schwab or curtail him entirely. And he almost certainly didn't like that.

 

[Balony_pony16]

Stop getting rid of senior players, get a coach who has a authority figure/presence about them, stop listening to outsiders, dont make ur young future mids captain

 

[want2spoodge_pettifer]

boy oh boy. it just goes from bad to worse for the melbourne footy club. neil craig has embarrassingly forgotten to put his dentures in before being interviewed by sen. amateur hour down there at casey

 

[clobba]

Yeah seriously Striker, wtf mate? The season hasn't even started and it's doom and gloom with a plea for help?

I've seen enough in the NAB to be confident of some big steps being made this year. The hand wringing days are over and the only way is up.

no...they arent...

 

[Stromageddon]

The players aren't playing with heart. They just don't care. They aren't playing for Neeld, they have no confidence in him. Some players must go, Neeld must be replaced, all administrative duties must be reshuffled. It's so stale at the MFC.

They need to rebuild, but this time, they've got to do it right.

 

[Richo83]

TAmbling wasnt Richmonds problem and Watts isnt Melbournes problem. Not internally anyway, who cares about outside perceptions. Getting rid of Watts is the easy option but wont fix anything.

You sure about that?

 

[LBJ6]

Our ruck division is the worst in the AFL. Jamar is not only now absolutely useless in the centre bounces, but incredibly useless around the ground. On the rare occasion he takes a grab, he will handball it to a flat footed player one metre away from him without checking to see if the player is under any pressure. 9/10 times it results in a turnover.

I know Clark came to Melbourne to play FF/CHF, but we NEED him to go into the ruck. It is literally our only hope to help improve our centre clearances. Jamar out of the side.

Watts CHF. Dawes (when fit) FF. Until then, Pedersen or (shudder) Sellar at FF.

That's the only way I can personally envision some short term improvement. Other than that, we are ****ed. The sad thing is I don't even miss us winning, I miss us being competitive. I was thinking last night, "remember when we only would lose by a couple of goals and the game wasn't over at half time" - what a joke of a club. Neeld has really screwed this place over.

 

[underthestars]

There is one thing a coach can never...EVER...control.
That is the players not giving a fat rats clacker about their performance.

Disagree. A good coach. A motivator. Can instil in a player that desire.
Played under many coaches. The good ones help you to want to play your best. The mediocre hope you do.

 

[pazza]

Disagree. A good coach. A motivator. Can instil in a player that desire.
Played under many coaches. The good ones help you to want to play your best. The mediocre hope you do.

You shouldn't have to rely on the coach to do it. You should be motivated in yourself to get the best out of yourself.

The Melbourne playing group collectively lack ticker.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

I disagree. Look at Rivers last year. Really just a solid player for the Dees last year, didn't look like a world-beater or anything. Put him in the right system and he fits like a glove. That's what opposition teams would see in players like Frawley, Clark, Tom McDonald, Blease, Pedersen, Garland, McKenzie and maybe even Trengove. All of those players (and several others in the lineup) have shown that they can play in the AFL. That's where I could potentially see this going: contenders just hovering over Melbourne like vultures, ready to snatch their valuable players. If that happens, they'll be like an expansion team without the compromised drafts. Currently, they look better on paper than what they are producing on the park.

Rivers would always have a go, injuries were his concerns of late.
If Melbourne's list of blokes who had some fortitude was that deep , they wouldn't be getting belted like they are.

 

[underthestars]

You shouldn't have to rely on the coach to do it. You should be motivated in yourself to get the best out of yourself.

The Melbourne playing group collectively lack ticker.

Hence they need a motivator.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

You sure about that?

He symbolised Richmonds problem and in fact he was the poster boy for it but he wasnt the problem in itself and getting rid of him didnt fix your problems.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

You shouldn't have to rely on the coach to do it. You should be motivated in yourself to get the best out of yourself.

The Melbourne playing group collectively lack ticker.

And its the coaches job to develop it.

 

[tropicaltiger]

demons please consider this as your whole club is in a big mess, i would advise on monday to invite and get 100 people at a crises meeting... neeld to pick and all volunteers considered, made up of 50% players/officials and 50% supporters/sponsors.

the agenda should be 1. scwab and his future, suggested action please resign cameron and we will pay you out the minimum we have too. 2. co captains, suggested action please step down immediately and both be joint dvc's, JONES (C) & mitch or chips fawley to be promoted. 3. senior players like davey, sylvia, rodan & byrnes and maybe watts too, suggested action, your leadership and /or form is not up to scratch have 2 weeks minimum in the ressies to think about your futures and prove to us you want to be part of the club and not in it for the $$$. sorry if this upsets a few people just my opinion from an outsider looking in..​

 

[loki04]

To be honest watching last nights game there are only 3 players any club would consider recruiting from Melbourne . Jones , Howe and Viney , the only 3 who have anything which resembles a spine when the chips are down. Sylvia is a absolute joke, reckon I seen he had less supercoach points than Watts , when in fact he should have been one of the ones showing the way when the chips where down.
Whilst it is common thought that Clark going to Melbourne was on the back of being guaranteed he would be played at FF.

Garland was better then Howe he made mistakes but was one of the few to put his head over it and actually try.

 

[go team]

People will probably laugh, but I wouldn't underestimate the impact of Dawes being out. Clarke looks underdone too. With game plan setup for the Clark/Dawes forward structure I think people will see an improved side - two big guys crashing packs. Just need both fit and competing.

Midfield is a bit of a worry though - what happened to that Magner guy?