Watts - Let's not get carried away...

[stickman11]

Ummm . . . yeah . . . so what?

Any fool could have told you he'd struggle and wasn't ready. Actually I did!.

Wouldn't that reinforce my issue with the club running radio ads,etc talking up his debut?

But hey, thanks for taking the time to post those irrelevant stats.

He'll play next week too JeffDunce.

I am looking forward to another saints bomb out into the finals - the 66's one premiership, now that is a joke of a club.

 

[stickman11]

lol this kids useless, another richard tambling me thinks

Not a egotistical pretender like tredrea and is poney club.

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

He'll play next week too JeffDunce.

I am looking forward to another saints bomb out into the finals - the 66's one premiership, now that is a joke of a club.

Artist's impression of Jeff's current position...

 

[krisholio14]

He didn't do a hell of a lot yesterday, but he'll make a player.

It'll be good for the kid to have had the experience and now he can put it behind him.

 

[JeffDunne]

He'll play next week too JeffDunce.

Another original Melbourne troll. How witty and highly original.

As for him playing next week, why wouldn't he? It would be pretty stupid not to play him since you don't want to win.

I am looking forward to another saints bomb out into the finals - the 66's one premiership, now that is a joke of a club.

Remind me Einstein, when did Melbourne last win anything other than more handouts?

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

I am criticising the team, the club, the president, the coach, the moronic supporters . . . that put ridiculous pressure and expectations on a kid simply to try and make a few quick bucks.

We can debate whether he was ready until the cows come home but that's somewhat irrelevant. Even IF today was the right time to play him, why put so much pressure and expectation on a kid?

JD, I know where you are coming from. Initially I felt a bit uncomfortable with the opportunism and exploitation of it, and the fact that he was a young kid and so raw.

But maybe we are judging him on average 18 year old's. Maybe he has an above average maturity and level headedness, that can absorb all the pressure and expectation.

I guess he has to be played at some stage to get a taste of it, and Queens Birthday is as good as any. You also have to trust Melbourne for knowing the kid and knowing when and when not to play him.

 

[JeffDunne]

But maybe we are judging him on average 18 year old's. Maybe he has an above average maturity and level headedness, that can absorb all the pressure and expectation.

Maybe . . . but why take the risk?

Regardless of whether he was ready to play, you'd think you want to give him every opportunity to succeed. I find it staggering a club wouldn't try and dampen rather than over-hype expectations for any kid playing their first game.

In fact I can't remember any club talking up any player prior to a game like Melbourne were with him (and I'm not just talking rookies). When Nathan Ablett first played there was plenty of hype but none of it came from the Cats. These days clubs do everything possible to talk down their chances in the press and talk up the opposition. When you play a team sport there is nothing that shits you more than individual focus especially when it's on someone yet to prove themselves. Collingwood would have loved it, I imagine the senior Melbourne players hated it.

The ONLY thing Melbourne had to gain by talking him up was a few ticket sales.

That IMO is a disgraceful way to run a club and is irresponsible player management.

You also have to trust Melbourne for knowing the kid and knowing when and when not to play him.

After their peformance the past week, I'm not sure they've earned anyone's trust.

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Jeff, you would've bagged us at the slightest excuse no matter what happened this week. You know that and I know that.

Not one post have I seen from you on anything to do with our club recently which doesn't fit that analysis. Nothing at all of a nature even remotely constructive.

Biggest credibility deficit since George W Bush going on here...

 

[Nathan Q Brown]

I have never agreed with JD on anything that I can remember - until now and its 100%. a shambles of a club running a disgraceful strategy sporn from poverty. you gotta ask at some stage is it all worth worth it really???

 

[JeffDunne]

Not one post have I seen from you on anything to do with our club which doesn't fit that analysis. Nothing at all of a nature even remotely constructive.

Until the past week I haven't had a reason to post about Melbourne.

TBH I can't remember the last time I did prior to this.

Oh don't tell me, I know how this works on BF . . . now I'm an "obsessed" Melbourne hater too!

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Until the past week I've had reason to post on Melbourne.

TBH I can't remember the last time I did prior to this.

Oh don't tell me, I know how this works on BF . . . now I'm an "obsessed" Melbourne hater too!

One constructive post on anything to do with us at any point and my verdict might change. Thus far, not a single one that I've noticed Jeff. So your comments all seem just a tadge 'convenient' to me!

And no coincidence either that your sudden intense interest in my club came not long after a certain discussion on the subject of St Kilda v Geelong and the scheduling of said match, which ended up with your posts being severely moderated...

I have never agreed with JD on anything that I can remember - until now and its 100%. a shambles of a club running a disgraceful strategy sporn from poverty. you gotta ask at some stage is it all worth worth it really???

Might I insert some FACTS into your dialectic of disinformation, Nathan? (one of very few posters to give Jeff any support since he started this one-man crusade of his too!)

Record membership at MFC, smashing our previous record, which was last year and that was a dramatic increase on the previous season as well!

Sponsorship as high as it's ever been, and on-field performance far ahead of last year, even including yesterday. Debt less than half what it was last year, and continuing to fall.

So where do you get this 'poverty' malarky from exactly?

 

[JeffDunne]

And no coincidence either that your sudden intense interest in my club came not long after a certain discussion on the subject of St Kilda v Geelong and the scheduling of said match, which ended up with your posts being aggressively moderated...

Here's an idea, get over me, get over yourself and stop posting this tripe in every thread.

You've developed an obsession based on a thread I don't even remember.

Move on, get over it. I think your club is an embarrassment, so what? Why does that concern you so much?

 

[CaptainDavey]

Probably the worst number 1 draft pick ever.

Yeah, alright, I'll admit that the way the club went about it may have been a little odd but I don't think any Melbourne supporter with half a brain would have expected the world of him yesterday. It doesn't surprise me given the financial climate of our club that we did all we could to get bums on seats for our biggest game of the year. Yep, it was wrong, and in hindsight they probably won't ever do it again.

There was excitement of course to see the number 1 young talent in the land having a run, but I don't think any Melbourne supporters HONESTLY expected him to go out take 12 contested marks and kick 9 goals. The messiah talk is purely tongue in cheek. Anyone who reads into that more than they should is a joke.

I know I shouldn't have to point it out but this is BF and even the most moronic can't see the blatantly obvious. So, for everyone wanting to have a go at the Melbourne faithful, look no further than the title of the thread

 

[stickman11]

So where do you get this 'poverty' malarky from exactly?

And things are going so well at Magpie land under Eddie's leadership. Great investments, a coaching merry-go-round, lower attendances, lack of pride and Leigh Brown as the great saviour.

Collingwood forever.

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Here's an idea, get over me, get over yourself and stop posting this tripe in every thread.

You've developed an obsession based on a thread I don't even remember.

Move on, get over it. I think your club is an embarrassment, so what? Why does that concern you so much?

Leaving the childish obfuscations aside...

I do rather find it interesting, from an anthropological standpoint, how you have continued, against 99% of the other opinions voiced on the subjects to which you have contributed (and I use that word loosely), to bag us with such - dare I say it - obsession and single-minded determination, on almost every single thread where you've been able to rustle up even HALF an excuse to do so.

And I don't believe for a second that you don't remember that thread - I'm as certain of that as I am of your 0% credibility factor on these subjects.

 

[sloth6]

I am criticising the team, the club, the president, the coach, the moronic supporters . . . that put ridiculous pressure and expectations on a kid simply to try and make a few quick bucks.

We can debate whether he was ready until the cows come home but that's somewhat irrelevant. Even IF today was the right time to play him, why put so much pressure and expectation on a kid?

How that's having a shot at the kid has me stuffed.

Talk about precious.

Good post Jeff, spot on. It seemed like the 'Jack Watts' long weekend, with Monday solely dedicated to the debut of the young man. The MC on the ground mentioned it was his debut no less than three times, and what a great day it was for the Melbourne Football Club, we saw him walk into the rooms before the game, his parents at half time and probably a montage or two james hird style throughout channel 10's coverage.

What hope did the kid have?

 

[Blues_Man]

For the first time ever i am agreeing with Jeff Dunne
Melbournes handling of the kid has been nothing short of disgraceful, they need to take a long hard look at themselves, to place the value of the dollar ahead of a young blokes welfare is a pretty mercanary act IMO.

As for the team itself ..half those players running around yesterday would be just average VFL standard ..poor skills is one thing ..but a lack of desire and willingness to attack the ball is another .

The future is looking pretty bleak for the Melbourne football club if what i witnessed yesterday is anything to go by .

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Well we'd better run off to Visy to get some cash then hadn't we?

Regardless of a lapse in our general competitiveness on the field, and I challenge even the most blinkered to deny that we have been competitive this year apart from yesterday, the position of MFC both on and off the field is as strong as it's been in a long while.

Once again, for those who clearly chose to pretend the information was not posted:

Record membership at MFC, smashing our previous record, which was last year and that was a dramatic increase on the previous season as well!

Sponsorship as high as it's ever been, and on-field performance far ahead of last year, even including yesterday. Debt less than half what it was last year, and continuing to fall.

And to add one more point to that, we are set to have amongst the best training facilities of any AFL club.

I know I'm being a spoilsport in citing all these facts here, but nevertheless...

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Don't forget to stay tuned for the next episode folks.... where Jeff and his 2 new cohorts try to prove that black is white and get run over in the middle of a zebra crossing

 

[JeffDunne]

See post #112

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

See post #112

Geez Jeff, if you're going to adopt evasion tactics again, you could at least try a little harder....

I'm going to focus more on my work for a while again. I suggest you check out a good Disney movie while I'm gone, particularly Fantasia, it seems fitting... or maybe keep turning those Collingwood fans against you a little more...

 

[1981]

Hilarious.

I was condemned last week for questioning why there was so much hype for this particular no.1 pick.

And now I see Herald Sun's Mike Sheehan write
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25607600-19742,00.html

"IN the end, the hype surrounding Jack Watts was so aggressive, so pervasive, it seems even the players got caught up in it"

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Well that's one subject you won't get much argument from any of us on- hence the subject header from the OP.

Hell, you'd probably have noticed Dees fans taking the piss out of this pretty much all through last week. I know I used up a lot of my Life of Brian material!

OK, really back to work this time...

 

[JeffDunne]

"IN the end, the hype surrounding Jack Watts was so aggressive, so pervasive, it seems even the players got caught up in it"

If Mike was being honest he would have written : "IN the end, the hype surrounding Jack Watts was so aggressive, so pervasive, it seems even the players thought it was distasteful"

 

[Strachuniee]

Nick MacCallum is always MC at our home games much like that **** Russell Morris was for St.Kilda at Docklands difference is Nick isn't a loser and does a good job rather than try to motivate the opposition - trust some ******** on BF to think the club 'hired' an MC for Jack Watts debut.

Morons.

I thought he was absolutely terrible. I accept that I am wrong if you have him for every home game, but tell me have you either been to a game where an MC has introduced an no.1 draft pick. You cannot honestly tell me that Melbourne did not beat up Watts debut throughout the week.