Robbo cost us games this year with his selfish attitude to playing forward line football. If he was a team player, there would be a place for him.

Bailey tried to make him a team player this year, and it didn't eventuate, despite the fact he improved a little in that area throughout the year.

He had to go.

Robbo always has been, and always will be, about Robbo first and foremost. Hopefully he goes to a good team next year though and finds success.

yet mcdonald, a man who turns 33 next year, i think, continues on.

robbo it's not about age, it's about character, and building the right culture. of all the blokes bailey has let go, or cut short, how many of them have that hard edge to them, that never say die attitude.

White, Yze and Robbo all were heroic when things were going well. I dont want to slag off players, but it's clear Bailey is building a culture, not just ditching blokes because they are old. Otherwise McDonald would have gone 2 years ago.

Spot on comments there Youami.

For too long mediocrity of character has pervaded our list.

sook

What the hell?

"Robbo has a sook"!

You're saying this like he is Chris Judd or something.

Open your eyes, he's one of the best players to ever put on the red and blue.

Your sig says "The team we love," and I keep coming back to it because I have a problem with it.

It should be "The club we love."

Robbo had a go, however inconsequential, at your club and you side with him because of his exploits as a player.

The 'team' means very little to me at the moment, they have won 12 games out of 66 and heaped a world of pressure on my club in the last few years.

I know your at an age where the players are everything, but you will quickly learn that most of us don't barrack for players but the jumpers they get to wear.

Yes. There are a lot of hypersensitive posters here.

Anyone who's seen the short video of his retirement speech to the group could seriously doubt Robbo's respect for the club or not see that he's a fairly level headed man.

He thinks there's a potential danger in an all-encompassing youth push, has just lost his job and still feels like he has something to offer. I thought what he said in the article is neither surprising nor in the least bit inflammatory.

There are a lot of over-zealous people round here.

Entirely correct - Robbo has been one of our greats :angry:

Interesting how Robbo says Bailey wanted him to stay but he had pressure from other directions. I would have thought the coach should be making final decisions on these things??

Robbo has been terrific. He gave us a lot, but the best comment on this matter came from Stan Alves weeks ago who said Robbo was not the sort of player to be a mentor to our young forwards.

He said it outright - that Robbo was playing a selfish game.

I think it 's fantastic that a bloke who was twice rookied got himself up to play 226 games and became the third all time goalkicker for the club.

His style, however, is not right for us right now and probably won't ever be again.

great player, but past his best.

Open your eyes, he's one of the best players to ever put on the red and blue.

You've got to be joking?

Your sig says "The team we love," and I keep coming back to it because I have a problem with it.

Need to get on to the Club ASAP to change the song.

Need to get on to the Club ASAP to change the song.

You mean "It's the emblem of the team we love."

The team represents the emblem. The emblem of the club.

I don't want to get into a semantical wordgame but I just can't see myself becoming too sentimental over players that make up 'the team we love' considering the lack of success we have had in recent years.

Yes. There are a lot of hypersensitive posters here.

Anyone who's seen the short video of his retirement speech to the group could seriously doubt Robbo's respect for the club or not see that he's a fairly level headed man.

He thinks there's a potential danger in an all-encompassing youth push, has just lost his job and still feels like he has something to offer. I thought what he said in the article is neither surprising nor in the least bit inflammatory.

There are a lot of over-zealous people round here.

That sell out video was a laugh. All the love and admiration it received was even funnier.

Robbo comes across as selfish in that article, saying he should have been kept on the list to "to help the younger ones out, to teach them how to play". That's something he could do in a coaching role, or mentoring role, you don't have to be on the team to teach players stuff or more to the point, on the pay-roll. He seems bitter about losing his place and is coming up with any excuse he can to justify why he deserved to stay on there. It's funny how he mentioned Jurrah as one of the guys he would have loved to teach but to be brutally honest, I don't think there is a whole lot Robbo has to offer that Jurrah doesn't already know. Every game I saw Robbo and Jurrah playing in the same side, Russell was watching in awe as Jurrah stole the show.

The world stops for no one, Russell Robertson, move on and get over it.

So what would he teach Jurrah et al? How not to man up or apply forward pressure? How to snap for goal when there's a team option open? How to flop around on the ground after a failed marking attempt? How to feign injury so as not to have to chase?

What the hell?

"Robbo has a sook"!

You're saying this like he is Chris Judd or something.

Open your eyes, he's one of the best players to ever put on the red and blue.

hay Robbo

You mean "It's the emblem of the team we love."

No, I don't. I was thinking of the next line 'the team of the red and the blue'.

The team represents the emblem.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. The emblem is clearly the flag (lines 1-3). I don't think the team represents the emblem - an emblem is representational, and the song states that the flag - the emblem - is the emblem of the team.

The emblem of the club.

The emblem is clearly the emblem of the team, not the Club (lines 4-5).

Hence my - firmly tongue-in-cheek - suggestion that you contact the Club to get this horrendous oversight corrected.

I don't want to get into a semantical wordgame but I just can't see myself becoming too sentimental over players that make up 'the team we love' considering the lack of success we have had in recent years.

I think you started the semantics when you ripped into someone about their sig having a line from the song which refers to 'team'.

Common usage isn't always perfect. Ever heard someone say 'which team do you go for?'. They're not referring to a particular list in a particular season.

While it might not be correct, team is used in place of Club at times, including in our own song. If we sing a song that uses 'team' in this manner you could cut some slack for a guy and his sig.

No, I don't. I was thinking of the next line 'the team of the red and the blue'.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. The emblem is clearly the flag (lines 1-3). I don't think the team represents the emblem - an emblem is representational, and the song states that the flag - the emblem - is the emblem of the team.

The emblem is clearly the emblem of the team, not the Club (lines 4-5).

Hence my - firmly tongue-in-cheek - suggestion that you contact the Club to get this horrendous oversight corrected.

I think you started the semantics when you ripped into someone about their sig having a line from the song which refers to 'team'.

Common usage isn't always perfect. Ever heard someone say 'which team do you go for?'. They're not referring to a particular list in a particular season.

While it might not be correct, team is used in place of Club at times, including in our own song. If we sing a song that uses 'team' in this manner you could cut some slack for a guy and his sig.

Fair enough.

I standby the 'emblem' and 'flag' = symbols of the 'MFC' part though.

This is the type of culture that i am glad bailey is getting rid.

These players are mediocre players who never won a premiership, they had there time they failed see ya later

Robbo's career speaks for itself. He didn't fail. He made the best of his talents. In other circumstances he may have been able to continue for a number of years.

I read the article and, from his perspective, it is a reasonable interpretation of the MFC’s treatment of older players. I don’t agree with it but his view hardly deserves your reaction. If the anti Robbo mob were talking about the Rocca’s or someone from another team the reaction could be warranted but I can’t understand why anyone wants to denigrate a great Melbourne player.

Robbo in a nutshell- fantastic performer who could do the incredible. successful footballer who played a lot of games, ikced a lot of goals and produced for the mfc over 10 years.

what robbo isn't, is a thinker. he is a centrestage man. he is a performer not a contributer. similar to the way yze often played, he could be a quality player, but he never was the team man (although i do not doubt he lvoed the club).

i hope robbo doesnt play on, because i don't think he will live up to it. but i cant see why a club like bulldogs or saints or geelong would not consider him as his talents could make the difference next year. if they are happy to have a player who will probably play for himself, not for the team, he will probably flourish in a top side where he is not the number 1 forward and has licence to do his thing.

Some are over reacting to the article.

Thank god someone has some sense

Dont think l'll read on..

Some are over reacting to the article.

Agreed. This is what I posted on Bigfooty yesterday, and re-reading Robbo's words today I see no reason to change it.

I loved watching Robbo play the game and will always cherish the memories that he gave but the cold, hard facts of the last couple of years are that we are topping up with youth at the expense of age. We are trying to build a team that will be a top of the ladder force - not next year or the year after, or even in 2012 but for 2013 and a bunch of years after that. For too long under ND we kept players passed their useby dates because we loved them but it meant that kids missed out.

Football is a ruthless business and the aim of a football club is to win flags. A 30 year old legend in Robbo will give us 12-24 months of pleasure but he won't be around to hold up the cup should we get one. Robbo was well paid and well loved at the club during his time but it is now a time for a younger man to take his place.

I wish him all the best, and I hope a club picks him up so he can enjoy some more good times on the field, and I will enjoy any success that he has, but he must remember that the club is always bigger than the player and that the club would be negligent to its members and supporters if it chose sentiment over success.

Good luck my favourite #24 but don't let the trees get in the way of seeing the forest of the game for what it is.

He is hurt but I don't see anything else in his words apart from him not understanding why his beloved club let him go when he thinks he can offer it more. Being rude about, and disrespecting, a man who gave us so much joy isn't the way to go people. Let him vent for a bit and when the reality sinks in he will come back to the club and help us get back to the greatness we deserve.

Agreed. This is what I posted on Bigfooty yesterday, and re-reading Robbo's words today I see no reason to change it.

I loved watching Robbo play the game and will always cherish the memories that he gave but the cold, hard facts of the last couple of years are that we are topping up with youth at the expense of age. We are trying to build a team that will be a top of the ladder force - not next year or the year after, or even in 2012 but for 2013 and a bunch of years after that. For too long under ND we kept players passed their useby dates because we loved them but it meant that kids missed out.

Football is a ruthless business and the aim of a football club is to win flags. A 30 year old legend in Robbo will give us 12-24 months of pleasure but he won't be around to hold up the cup should we get one. Robbo was well paid and well loved at the club during his time but it is now a time for a younger man to take his place.

I wish him all the best, and I hope a club picks him up so he can enjoy some more good times on the field, and I will enjoy any success that he has, but he must remember that the club is always bigger than the player and that the club would be negligent to its members and supporters if it chose sentiment over success.

Good luck my favourite #24 but don't let the trees get in the way of seeing the forest of the game for what it is.

He is hurt but I don't see anything else in his words apart from him not understanding why his beloved club let him go when he thinks he can offer it more. Being rude about, and disrespecting, a man who gave us so much joy isn't the way to go people. Let him vent for a bit and when the reality sinks in he will come back to the club and help us get back to the greatness we deserve.

I have heard that Robbo has signed with Heidelberg Football club. Not sure how accurate this information is

Robbo didnt seem overly concerned watching other players get shown the door over his career. No, he was happy enjoying his footy. The club invested 12 years into a young Robbo who no doubt obtained his position by some other player retiring.

The club is not a charity, your time is up Robbo, time for the next youngster to go out there and give it his best. Players in the AFL have a short shelf-life,my advice for you is to pass the torch with some integrity and enjoy the memories.

theres rumors down at gippsland that hes signed with stony creek FC.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/25/2696875.htm

I am a little over this bloke. Can't he keep quiet until after the trade/draft period?