On 18/07/2011 at 10:46, Range Rover said:

Nothing to see here ladies and gentlemen?

Plenty to see here.

[cue carnival music]

Roll right up folks, and see the man who jumps at shadows. He looks just like you and me folks, but put a shadow anywhere near him-- look, there he goes! Now watch him as he leaps to conclusions. Here son, just wave this shadowy innuendo and half-truth at him-- woah, look at him go! He'll do it all day and all night, folks, truly a wonder of nature. Roll up!

[music fades]

I stopped reading these Scully threads coz they were going nowhere, but now I'm reading them again for the entertainment value.

  On 18/07/2011 at 10:41, Range Rover said:

These men have had extremely close working relationships. They are not mere associates.

You can never under estimate the value of good long-term working relationships in football.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:02, Ted Fidge said:

...

I stopped reading these Scully threads coz they were going nowhere, but now I'm reading them again for the entertainment value.

Ditto.

Lets not confuse professional with ethical

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial

Yep, it's a powerful thing.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:05, Range Rover said:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial

Yep, it's a powerful thing.

About as powerful as this.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:08, 45HG16 said:

About as powerful as this.

Touche. We'll see at the end of season I guess.

After that week where Tom gets to meditate like a Zen monk on his decision.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:10, Range Rover said:

Touche. We'll see at the end of season I guess.

After that week where Tom gets to meditate like a Zen monk on his decision.

Yeah ... take all the time he wants. But will we ever know the whole truth?

Dear Tom,

let me introduce you to Robbie Flower. You may have heard of him. He played 272 games and kicked 315 goals for the Melbourne Football Club, yes the same club that you have represented for a season and a half. Robbie is perhaps the finest Melbourne player of the modern era. He dominated opposition clubs for 15 seasons and did so when our club was at its lowest ebb with basically no chance of on-field success until his fifteenth and final year. If you don't know much about him, ask your Dad. He would have watched Robbie dominate games against Richmond, the side you barracked for as a kid.

Despite repeated attempts by rival clubs to poach him for much greater money and all but guarantee him a premiership medal, he turned them down again and again and again. If you can be half the player that he was, you will have had a truly outstanding career and likely be regarded as a club great. But it is worth taking note of some of the things that made Robbie special, apart from his natural on-field ability.

He didn't hold the club to ransom and he didn't hold out to see who was coaching the team - particularly in his second year. He treated those that supported him week in and week out with utmost respect and we loved him for it. He put the club first. And today, some 24 years after his final match, he is a true hero of our club and the game he represented.

My wish for you Tom is that you exhibit these same qualities and have a career that makes you a Demon great. Unlike Robbie who had to carry our hopes and dreams on his skinny shoulders, you are surrounded by some of the finest young talent in the land. They will make you an even greater player, push you harder to improve and hopefully take you to premiership success... and yes, financial reward.

If only Robbie had been that fortunate.

Good luck with your decision.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:18, hangon007 said:

Yeah ... take all the time he wants. But will we ever know the whole truth?

Amen

  On 18/07/2011 at 10:46, Range Rover said:

So you don't find anything noteworthy about the fact that Scully's current manager had an intimate working relationship with Gubby Allen over a number of years at the Brisbane Lions?

They may have come away hating each others guts - it's happened before and ol' Gubby has a reputation. Do you know for a "fact" that they're good mates? I think Aka and Leppa worked closely together at BL for a similar period.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:19, Strawbs said:

Dear Tom,

let me introduce you to Robbie Flower. You may have heard of him. He played 272 games and kicked 315 goals for the Melbourne Football Club, yes the same club that you have represented for a season and a half. Robbie is perhaps the finest Melbourne player of the modern era. He dominated opposition clubs for 15 seasons and did so when our club was at its lowest ebb with basically no chance of on-field success until his fifteenth and final year. If you don't know much about him, ask your Dad. He would have watched Robbie dominate games against Richmond, the side you barracked for as a kid.

Despite repeated attempts by rival clubs to poach him for much greater money and all but guarantee him a premiership medal, he turned them down again and again and again. If you can be half the player that he was, you will have had a truly outstanding career and likely be regarded as a club great. But it is worth taking note of some of the things that made Robbie special, apart from just his natural on-field ability.

He didn't hold the club to ransom and he didn't hold out to see who was coaching the team - particularly in his second year. He treated those that supported him week in and week out with utmost respect and we loved him for it. He put the club first. And today, some 24 years after his final match, he is a true hero of our club and the game he represented.

My wish for you Tom is that you exhibit these same qualities and have a career that makes you a Demon great. Unlike Robbie who had to carry our hopes and dreams on his skinny shoulders, you are surrounded by some of the finest young talent in the land. They will make you an even greater player, push you harder to improve and hopefully take you to premiership success... and yes, financial reward.

If only Robbie had been that fortunate.

Good luck with your decision.

Totally agree. But not all will. It's hard trying to explain the intangibles to some people.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:19, Strawbs said:

Dear Tom,

let me introduce you to Robbie Flower. You may have heard of him. He played 272 games and kicked 315 goals for the Melbourne Football Club, yes the same club that you have represented for a season and a half. Robbie is perhaps the finest Melbourne player of the modern era. He dominated opposition clubs for 15 seasons and did so when our club was at its lowest ebb with basically no chance of on-field success until his fifteenth and final year. If you don't know much about him, ask your Dad. He would have watched Robbie dominate games against Richmond, the side you barracked for as a kid.

Despite repeated attempts by rival clubs to poach him for much greater money and all but guarantee him a premiership medal, he turned them down again and again and again. If you can be half the player that he was, you will have had a truly outstanding career and likely be regarded as a club great. But it is worth taking note of some of the things that made Robbie special, apart from just his natural on-field ability.

He didn't hold the club to ransom and he didn't hold out to see who was coaching the team - particularly in his second year. He treated those that supported him week in and week out with utmost respect and we loved him for it. He put the club first. And today, some 24 years after his final match, he is a true hero of our club and the game he represented.

My wish for you Tom is that you exhibit these same qualities and have a career that makes you a Demon great. Unlike Robbie who had to carry our hopes and dreams on his skinny shoulders, you are surrounded by some of the finest young talent in the land. They will make you an even greater player, push you harder to improve and hopefully take you to premiership success... and yes, financial reward.

If only Robbie had been that fortunate.

Good luck with your decision.

Beautifully said Strawbs.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:29, old55 said:

They may have come away hating each others guts - it's happened before and ol' Gubby has a reputation. Do you know for a "fact" that they're good mates? I think Aka and Leppa worked closely together at BL for a similar period.

Follow the money Old55. Always follow ... the money.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:29, old55 said:

They may have come away hating each others guts - it's happened before and ol' Gubby has a reputation. Do you know for a "fact" that they're good mates? I think Aka and Leppa worked closely together at BL for a similar period.

I think its a far draw of the bow to suggest theres a degree of amicability between Lynch and Gubby. Theyve cooperated with each other in the past. and in a very different way than one might suppose AKA and Leppa would have.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:19, Strawbs said:

Dear Tom,

let me introduce you to Robbie Flower. You may have heard of him. He played 274 games and kicked 315 goals for the Melbourne Football Club

272

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:19, Strawbs said:

Dear Tom,

let me introduce you to Robbie Flower. ...................My wish for you Tom is that you exhibit these same qualities and have a career that makes you a Demon great. Unlike Robbie who had to carry our hopes and dreams on his skinny shoulders, you are surrounded by some of the finest young talent in the land. They will make you an even greater player, push you harder to improve and hopefully take you to premiership success... and yes, financial reward.

If only Robbie had been that fortunate.

Good luck with your decision.

Worthy sentiments. Hes my firm favourite over time. As others suggest the 'intangibles' are the grey area. Geny Y inst reknown for timely acquisitions as opposed to the "now"

He is a lad apart is our young Tom..an enigma of sorts. you can only hope he has more fabric mentoring him than the likes of Sports Management.

  On 18/07/2011 at 10:56, hardtack said:

Please tell me how exactly he has "mucked the club around" when from day one he has stated that he will make a decision at season's end? The club has very publicly stated that they are ok with that and as he is currently under contract, he is under absolutely no obligation (legally or morally) to do anything other than play his best football. He is in no way responsible for the offers made by either club - he is only guilty of being an extremely talented footballer.

Hardtack, with the utmost respect: when I hear our player say that he hasn't had an approach from GWS, but when presented with a lucrative Melbourne contract his management says it's only fair to invite GWS to submit a counter offer, I consider that "mucking the club around".

When as a direct result of this saga, I see supporters lower themselves to holding up banners pleading with a 20-year old kid in his second season not to leave, I consider that "mucking the club around". When the media coverage surrounding our club has nothing to do with our on-field performance, but how much money he is going to earn, I consider that "mucking the club around." We may be different in our views, but these are things that will always stay with me.

  On 18/07/2011 at 08:31, Range Rover said:

Interesting fun facts:

Peter Blucher - Brisbane Lions/Bears 'Communications Manager' 1992 - 2003

Graeme 'Gubby' Allen - Brisbane Lions Football Manager 1998 - 2010

So What....?? Blucher is being paid by Scully to be his manager, not to be coersed into the darkness of Gubby Allen.

i am sure he also has a legal representative to keep an eye on his business.

The fact that Blucher and Allen worked together is not important, the AFL family is pretty small anyway.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:56, Strawbs said:

Hardtack, with the utmost respect: when I hear our player say that he hasn't had an approach from GWS, but when presented with a lucrative Melbourne contract his management says it's only fair to invite GWS to submit a counter offer, I consider that "mucking the club around".

When as a direct result of this saga, I see supporters lower themselves to holding up banners pleading with a 20-year old kid in his second season not to leave, I consider that "mucking the club around". When the media coverage surrounding our club has nothing to do with our on-field performance, but how much money he is going to earn, I consider that "mucking the club around." We may differ in our views, but these are things that will always stay with me.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:19, Strawbs said:

Dear Tom,

let me introduce you to Robbie Flower. You may have heard of him. He played 274 games and kicked 315 goals for the Melbourne Football Club, yes the same club that you have represented for a season and a half. Robbie is perhaps the finest Melbourne player of the modern era. He dominated opposition clubs for 15 seasons and did so when our club was at its lowest ebb with basically no chance of on-field success until his fifteenth and final year. If you don't know much about him, ask your Dad. He would have watched Robbie dominate games against Richmond, the side you barracked for as a kid.

Despite repeated attempts by rival clubs to poach him for much greater money and all but guarantee him a premiership medal, he turned them down again and again and again. If you can be half the player that he was, you will have had a truly outstanding career and likely be regarded as a club great. But it is worth taking note of some of the things that made Robbie special, apart from just his natural on-field ability.

He didn't hold the club to ransom and he didn't hold out to see who was coaching the team - particularly in his second year. He treated those that supported him week in and week out with utmost respect and we loved him for it. He put the club first. And today, some 24 years after his final match, he is a true hero of our club and the game he represented.

My wish for you Tom is that you exhibit these same qualities and have a career that makes you a Demon great. Unlike Robbie who had to carry our hopes and dreams on his skinny shoulders, you are surrounded by some of the finest young talent in the land. They will make you an even greater player, push you harder to improve and hopefully take you to premiership success... and yes, financial reward.

If only Robbie had been that fortunate.

Good luck with your decision.

Loved Robbie, and loved the fact that he was Melbourne through and through.

But if you remember him, you must also remember a time where footballers trained Tuesday and Thursday nights and had to have a day job during the week. Robbie worked hard in a sports shop at Knox City six days a week (Saturday mornings before games). For Robbie football was a part time job as he set himself up for life with his sport shop, later becoming Sporstco.

It was also a time of reserves, zoning, long lists and resting an older player in the forward pocket to nurse him through the last couple of years. Players would not be squeezed out as soon as they past their peak. In Robbie’s day James McDonald, Cam Bruce and Brad Miller would still be at Melbourne.

It's a different era, players are professionals and they get one shot at setting themselves up for life. They can't work a day job, and they are only wanted as long as they are needed.

Most posters who scream loyalty from Scully also argue that Melbourne should not pay him over the odds, and the club should not treat him any different than any other player.

It's a professional era, with both the players and the clubs treating the game like a business.

Offer Scully what he is worth. If he takes it great, if he doesn't so be it. But don't hold Scully to the standards of players from another era, because when it comes down to the hard decisions, the club wont.

  On 18/07/2011 at 11:59, why you little said:

So What....?? Blucher is being paid by Scully to be his manager, not to be coersed into the darkness of Gubby Allen.

i am sure he also has a legal representative to keep an eye on his business.

The fact that Blucher and Allen worked together is not important, the AFL family is pretty small anyway.

Make no mistake, we are being shafted here WYL.

Bullied by the AFL and punk'd by a shady clique of player managers and recruiters.

We gave this guy the # 31 guernsey.

Number 31.

  On 18/07/2011 at 10:56, hardtack said:

Please tell me how exactly he has "mucked the club around" when from day one he has stated that he will make a decision at season's end? The club has very publicly stated that they are ok with that and as he is currently under contract, he is under absolutely no obligation (legally or morally) to do anything other than play his best football. He is in no way responsible for the offers made by either club - he is only guilty of being an extremely talented footballer.

Its rather easier to ask , how hasnt he ? I mean..really..who is he ? Yes the club saya a lot publically..and youd beleive all of that ?? You can bet a very different line is taken behind closed doors.

The club want this over with. its trumped the situation by placing an offer on the table.. It want this expedited and put to bed. Unfortunately it my be over trumped by the WildCard.

Theres no reason now not to sign with the club. Many from boths sides of , what shal lwe describe al this as , "a view" can see that there's no logical impediment to signing now. he doesnt .. Thats mucking the club around.

Yes , hes sticking to a "line" made last year but is that reasonable under the circumstances and conditions as theyve evolved ? Many dont think so.

  On 18/07/2011 at 12:05, Range Rover said:

Make no mistake, we are being shafted here WYL.

Bullied by the AFL and punk'd by a shady clique of player managers and recruiters.

We gave this guy the # 31 guernsey.

Number 31.

No Range ROVER....You are losing sleep and getting shafted. IF the MFC were getting truly shafted, there would not be compensation offered...Tom will make the decision he wishes.....

  On 18/07/2011 at 12:13, why you little said:

No Range ROVER....You are losing sleep and getting shafted. IF the MFC were getting truly shafted, there would not be compensation offered...Tom will make the decision he wishes.....

I can accept the compensation WYL. What I don't accept are the lies.

And yes it does make me angry. Because we Melbourne supporters don't deserve it.