GAMEDAY

[Jaded No More 68,923]

Our leaders finally played the way we've all dreaded that they could. It would not have mattered if Bailey was god's own coach, today. That said, that performance is so bad it almost beyond thinking that he could keep his job. I've been a Bailey fan, and I don't think that he has got a lot to work with but he cannot survive that sort of loss.

In many ways he wil be a fall guys for a leadership group that cannot and will not put-up-and-shut-up. What chance to we have at keeping players or attracting players? Statements need to be made. The club needs to make them. If indecision remained, surely this will force their hand. Unfortauntely, the cleanup & cleanout must continue. We are in a desparate search for a heart, mind and soul atm.

There is no doubt in my mind that Bailey is only half the problem, and our leadership or lack thereof is another.

However, from the first bounce, Bailey was done. Jurrah on Bartel? Watts down back as soon as we conceded 2 goals? Frawley on Mooney?

Trying to play through the corridor when they were killing us on the rebound?

And I didn't even watch the second half, so who knows what the hell else went wrong in there.

At the end of the day, Bailey and his entire coaching panel cannot survive this and shouldn't. The same goes for Green, who should be immediately stripped of his captaincy.

[titan_uranus 25,020]

Our leaders finally played the way we've all dreaded that they could. It would not have mattered if Bailey was god's own coach, today. That said, that performance is so bad it almost beyond thinking that he could keep his job. I've been a Bailey fan, and I don't think that he has got a lot to work with but he cannot survive that sort of loss.

In many ways he wil be a fall guys for a leadership group that cannot and will not put-up-and-shut-up. What chance to we have at keeping players or attracting players? Statements need to be made. The club needs to make them. If indecision remained, surely this will force their hand. Unfortauntely, the cleanup & cleanout must continue. We are in a desparate search for a heart, mind and soul atm.

Surely after all this time the coaches have to take responsibility for not being able to get our leaders to lead? It's not entirely their fault, sure, but there has to be some element of fault on the part of the coaches.

We get no inspiration from our leaders. I doubt we're getting much from our coaches either.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Agree TimD. Well Said.

Bailey's days were numbered when Stynes took over the football department. Its a matter of when he resigns or is pushed in the next 48-72 hours.

However it does not stop there. Accountabilities should also extend through the football department and the playing group. If the leadership group is not cleaned out at year end and we persist and support the younger leaders then this Club is kidding itself.

I dont want to hear or see an interview with an MFC player for the rest of this year. I would like to say they can play there brand of bruise free football in shame and in silence.

This is a real test of the Board.

[BangkokDemon 96]

Mate we must be close to the same age etc. My statts are the same 64 seems a light year ago.

My wife keeps asking me why i put myself through this year after year.

I have no answer, tomorrow is another day

but right now My gut tells me i should have supported a club with Guts and determinatiom.

Not the lilly livers I have endured for the best part of a life time.

The biggest problem is we except average.

Spot On.

That dream of sitting in the MCG on Grand Final Day and cheering as we win, looks as far away as ever.

Even if we are now about to have a big s**t fight in the club, we must do it now.

Too many people (supporters, club, players) have come too far, to just throw their hands up and say "oh well"

[beelzebub 23,378]

They'll need a bus load of counsellors to cater to the PTSD and Grief after today !!!!!!!!!

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Agree TimD. Well Said.

Bailey's days were numbered when Stynes took over the football department. It should be a matter of when he resigns or is pushed in the next 48-72 hours.

However it does not stop there. Accountabilities should also extend through the football department and the playing group. If the leadership group is not cleaned out at year end and we persist and support the younger leaders then this Club is kidding itself.

I dont want to hear or see an interview with an MFC player for the rest of this year. I would like to say they can play there brand of bruise free football in shame and in silence.

This is a real test of the Board.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Thanks QueenC, that's exactly what I was getting at. Nice to know someone else out there can see that!

And I agree too, even though I don't think the club will act tonight (or this week), I think a performance like this could be sufficient grounds to terminate his contract.

Maybe today will be the day we look back on in a couple of years. Maybe today will be the day we actually turned this club around.

Or maybe today shows that the gap between our actual and our potential is a lot bigger than many of us are giving it credit. Maybe today shows that we have been lulled into thinking we are going to make it with this list.

What remains to be seen is how we deal with this disaster. We've done well so far this year in turning bad performances into good ones, but previously our bad performances were 10 goals, not 30.

Maybe today we will realise we have no leaders, senior that is, and that we have recruited poorly. We have too many players that we should never have recruited and once we did we should have realised that they weren't good enough and delisted them. There are a few out there and a few that aren't out there that are simply not up to AFL standard. We keep saying what a great job our recruiters have done when it is only because they have had high draft picks they have any decent players at all. We talk about Evans and Nicholson and a few others like they are champions when they are in reality just good ordinary footballers.

Other teams have recruited champions from the players we have passed over and the fact it has happened too many times is no coincidence; now we'll get the old chestnut Oh! other clubs passed on them too, well good recruiters don't miss good players on a regular basis and I don't care what other clubs do I follow Melbourne and I'm concerned what our recruiters do.

[beelzebub 23,378]

They'll need a bus load of counsellors to cater to the PTSD and Grief after today !!!!!!!!!

[timD 994]

It really is Rhino. They need to act decisively, cut well, not cut too much and not get too caught in the emotion and humiliation of it. Gee, but I hope their plans are already well in place.

[Demonland 72,214]

Game is thankfully over ... actually it was over at 2.22 pm but now the discussion can go on in the post match thread.

[Hip & Shoulder 64]

Train Wreck .

We have hit the bottom now , surely?

Didn't we hit rock bottom a few years ago? Last year it looked like we'd started the climb back up but this year we've hit rock bottom and started drilling even deeper. We've gone backwards this year and the signs were there from our game against Essendon in the pre-season comp.

[Mydee 288]

It really is Rhino. They need to act decisively, cut well, not cut too much and not get too caught in the emotion and humiliation of it. Gee, but I hope their plans are already well in place.

My commiserations to all the true believers out there. I witnessed a similar debacle many years ago, I think it was against Fitzroy -it is gut wrenching. At least these days, I am at a distance far away enough from the club that i don't feel any obligation to attend these gutless fiascos.

The sad thing is I really thought they were making some progress and kept the membership up over the years. But I guess my platinum membership card is starting to mean as much to me as an expired credit card.I must say the membership renewal is due shortly-the way I feel it may go the same way as the credit card.

As well as a broad ax a written apology to all members would be nice.

[Hip & Shoulder 64]

From the AFL website...

Jack Watts, Jordie McKenzie and James Frawley were among the few Melbourne players who showed any evidence of spirit and desire.

Three players out of 22. Says it all...

[Forest Demon 4,681]

Do you reckon James McDonald has kept himself in good shape??

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Didn't we hit rock bottom a few years ago? Last year it looked like we'd started the climb back up but this year we've hit rock bottom and started drilling even deeper. We've gone backwards this year and the signs were there from our game against Essendon in the pre-season comp.

I think we started to climb the mountain but got hit by a few serious rockslides then overwhelmed by an a avalanche. We are no Edmund Hillarys.

Needless to say we are now officially the worst team in the comp with little or no prospects ahead of us. We have a couple of skinny key position players at Casey who may or may not be able to play but apart from that, zip.

Well recruited.