need a big fwd imo

I'm also concerned about the rumours of Craig's role - director of coaching (haven't we seen Collingwood have no idea what to do with one of them) and input into fitness/sports science (Misson's role). I want Craig as he is experienced and a well regarded, but I wonder where he is best suited, both in the industry and in within the football club.

Completely agree. Would love Craig at Melbourne just because of his record at Adelaide (he coached them to how many successive finals series?). The crows at their peak where an extremely consistent and professional unit.

Seen as though he knows how things should be done, I assume his role at Melbourne would be to help Neeld and his assistants ease into their new roles.

Dave Misson is the gun fitness guru that came from the Swans and followed Ross Lyon to the Saints. Remember the Swans who in their flag year made ONE CHANGE to their side after round 15!!!! Flippin amazing.

Makes David Buttifant from the Pies look like Bohdan Bobbledick ha ha ha...

There's no questioning we've been stiff since 64', and if there's any suggestion we are going to be a hard unit then we will need to tighten up in the ball movement department.

I would have thought Mahoney would have gone with the others...

Maybe they are extricating from a contract, or maybe they have something in mind for him.

Its possibly just a well founded bias but it seems as though we really are looking to develop the new model.

It what sense ?

Well if we were a car company you get the sense that in 0'12 there wil be a new model.

yeah, some wheels will look the same, wheelbase similar, same number of doors etc ; but it will look different and go differently. The engine will be souped up and thebodywork refined with more spoliers and trim. The brakes will be beefed and the stopping power dramatically increased.

It will still be the Demons.. but the 2012 model !! The same red and Blue Heritage but with a lot of new go better, go faster bits.

So afar of the teams looking to re-birth themselves I must confess we really look the goods.

Ah got to love the pre season...even better when the old one hasnt even finished. Thats just how far ahead of the competition we are !!!!!

I also agree that its time for Chris Connolly to move on.

What do you base that on?

Gee some of you people make me sick. Have you got the faintest bloody idea who Chris is and what he has done for this club. Go and do some research into the past few years and you might enlighten yourself. You might find he is a main reason we are travelling ok at the moment. As for having a job doing nothing, you are a fool. I normally don't get personal but posts like yours really give me the sh-ts. Who do you follow, you clearly are not a Dees fan?

Please enlighten me.

And I'm not interested in great speeches and talking to the fans.

What we know is he doesn't do recruiting, doesn't do list management and doesn't do any coaching. So what he should do is be a voice of the club (he's done that alright but been absent this year), help organise the football department and make sure the coach has the tools in the department to succeed.

For mine the reason Bailey is out of a job (which may or may not be a good thing in the long run) is because their was disunity between the board, CEO and coach which affected the players this year. For mine that is Connolly's fault. I stand to be corrected.

Lastly I know what we post on here is harsh. The discussion about the assistant coaches (throw them away they are all useless, West sucks, I hope Mahoney goes next etc) is proof of that. I don't mean CC any ill but I just don't see how he contributes anything vital and from the outside he seems a cause of instability.

Since the other post was locked i couldn't comment there..but for anyone who is wondering we didn't actually sack or not renew Hockings contract he actuallyhanded in a resignation a few weeks back...pretty sure he is heading to Carlton.

Please enlighten me.

And I'm not interested in great speeches and talking to the fans.

What we know is he doesn't do recruiting, doesn't do list management and doesn't do any coaching. So what he should do is be a voice of the club (he's done that alright but been absent this year), help organise the football department and make sure the coach has the tools in the department to succeed.

For mine the reason Bailey is out of a job (which may or may not be a good thing in the long run) is because their was disunity between the board, CEO and coach which affected the players this year. For mine that is Connolly's fault. I stand to be corrected.

Lastly I know what we post on here is harsh. The discussion about the assistant coaches (throw them away they are all useless, West sucks, I hope Mahoney goes next etc) is proof of that. I don't mean CC any ill but I just don't see how he contributes anything vital and from the outside he seems a cause of instability.

I am trying to come to grips with your two opening sentences to start with. You say you are not interested in "great speeches or talking to the fans" and then you say he should be a "voice of the club". Then you say in regard to being "the voice" he has been absent this year. Perhaps that has somehting to do with the fact that his dad died earlier this year, the coach was sacked by the President and Garry and he was accused of not getting on with others in the club. Maybe he thought that he should speak less at this time.

Next as General Manager of Footy Operations I am sure he overseas recruiting, coaching and list management, without actually recruiting players, managing the list and coaching , which are all the jobs of the heads of each area.To do otherwise would be to interfere.

Next you say Bailey was sacked because there was disunity between the CEO, Board and Bailey. Why is that Chris's fault? Did the performance of the team have anything to do with his sacking? Was he coaching the way we all agreed was improving the team? Did we have a workable game plan? Was he developing players? These might be the real reasons he was sacked.

Last you say you don't see from the outside that he contributes anything vital and is a cause of instability. Your basis for saying he is a cause for instability is......? He is the Footy Manager of the club and is charged with overseeing the various departments on the footy division of the club. He does not go on TV and show everyone what he does on a daily basis. Do you know what a Footy Manager does? What areas do you say he is not covering properly? Do you know any other Footy Managers in the AFL how would you assess their work?

I am not saying Chris is the best thing sliced bread, I just don't like the way some people attack people doing their job without any knowledge of the factual situation.

I also agree that its time for Chris Connolly to move on.

Definitely.... the classic square peg in a round hole!

Sorry Chris ... but we need a fresh start ... and there is no place for you

Last you say you don't see from the outside that he contributes anything vital and is a cause of instability. Your basis for saying he is a cause for instability is......?

I am not saying Chris is the best thing sliced bread, I just don't like the way some people attack people doing their job without any knowledge of the factual situation.

Well I think we do know that it was his approach to the sacking of McDonald and Bruce that started the rot.....

Last you say you don't see from the outside that he contributes anything vital and is a cause of instability. Your basis for saying he is a cause for instability is......? He is the Footy Manager of the club and is charged with overseeing the various departments on the footy division of the club. He does not go on TV and show everyone what he does on a daily basis. Do you know what a Footy Manager does? What areas do you say he is not covering properly? Do you know any other Footy Managers in the AFL how would you assess their work?

It seems you haven't given me a great reason to like Connolly. You seem to trust Connolly and think he's doing a good job, I've taken the cynical approach and have gone the other way. None of us seem to have any evidence.

On your first couple of points (not quoted) he was absent in the media all of this year. If it's because he wasn't at work due to his dads passing then that is fine but at no time did I hear he wasn't at work. As head of football operations he is number 2 in our football department, so when the club was faltering, when Caro Wilson was having a go at the running of our football club he owed us to us the fans to support Bailey and the players and not stay in the background.

As for what a football manager does I'm not overly sure. I think most of them do nothing constructive at all. All they do is lurk in the shadows with no responsibility and when they feel the time is right they get the coach sacked. I'd say there are 3 of them who I have respect for are Neil Balme (Geelong), Geoff Walsh (Collingwood) and Mark Evans (Hawthorn). These 3 men who know their place and seem to have the main goal of supporting their senior coach and players. They comment on player injuries and issue press releases and generally help the organise the department. If the CEO or board and getting in the way they should get them the hell out!

It was obvious that with the appointment of a new coach in Neeld that there was going to be a change of the assistant coaches.

The departures of West, Willliams and Hocking are not surprises as all were out of contract.

Royal has an existing contract and is likely to stay unless MFC are prepared to pay his contract out.

It is interesting that Mahoney has been kept as football manager and Cuddles is moving into the commercial side of the club. Who is Cuddles replacing or this another non football appointment on the Club payroll.

The only thing I am sure of in this process is as a member/supporter who is not involved in the inner sanctum of the Club I cant make a knoweldgeable judgement on which assistant coaches have performed and which haven't. Neither can other posters unless its a guess or a punt.

It seems you haven't given me a great reason to like Connolly. You seem to trust Connolly and think he's doing a good job, I've taken the cynical approach and have gone the other way. None of us seem to have any evidence.

On your first couple of points (not quoted) he was absent in the media all of this year. If it's because he wasn't at work due to his dads passing then that is fine but at no time did I hear he wasn't at work. As head of football operations he is number 2 in our football department, so when the club was faltering, when Caro Wilson was having a go at the running of our football club he owed us to us the fans to support Bailey and the players and not stay in the background.

As for what a football manager does I'm not overly sure. I think most of them do nothing constructive at all. All they do is lurk in the shadows with no responsibility and when they feel the time is right they get the coach sacked. I'd say there are 3 of them who I have respect for are Neil Balme (Geelong), Geoff Walsh (Collingwood) and Mark Evans (Hawthorn). These 3 men who know their place and seem to have the main goal of supporting their senior coach and players. They comment on player injuries and issue press releases and generally help the organise the department. If the CEO or board and getting in the way they should get them the hell out!

Didn't Stynes announce in May that he was taking over the football department? If so, Stynes should have/would have been the one to make any announcments. He was front and centre in the media when it was done. Its normally Stynes still to control the media releases when he is hands on.

CC CS and JS have organized all the off field success we have been having. That they have been doing more than their roles require is beyond doubt but this comes from our needs .All the problems have been addressed as they arose this year . Bailey too soft-gone. Ball movement coach ( mainly the ball has moved over Frawleys head and through the sticks-gone. Followers smashed weekly-West gone .

Cool with me.

This new coach should get the players strong in the hips , bum, groin etc like he did with the aints.

If Morton comes out with some arms I'll be happy.

Bartram has one huge thing in his favour currently-he is a former Grubber and if we can get his foot skills worked on he can shut em down all year .

Kim Hack dom is such an average journo...When was Josh Mahoney ever a Demon on baller???

Get it right Hack, it's not hard to look up.

Cheap Journalists really shite me.

He got him mixed up with Matthew...

There's no questioning we've been stiff since 64', and if there's any suggestion we are going to be a hard unit then we will need to tighten up in the ball movement department.

Hilarious. Your talent is being wasted here. Twitter should be your go.

What exactly is the difference between being stiff and being hard? And I'm not even going to touch the question of ball movement!

As for what a football manager does I'm not overly sure. I think most of them do nothing constructive at all. All they do is lurk in the shadows with no responsibility and when they feel the time is right they get the coach sacked.

What can I say to that?

I think most of them do nothing constructive at all. All they do is lurk in the shadows with no responsibility and when they feel the time is right they get the coach sacked.

Do you realise how silly that is? You don't know what they do, they do nothing constructive and then you give us the three that are ok.

Take a break, you've had your say, move on.

The only thing I am sure of in this process is as a member/supporter who is not involved in the inner sanctum of the Club I cant make a knoweldgeable judgement on which assistant coaches have performed and which haven't. Neither can other posters unless its a guess or a punt.

That's not entirely true.

You can make some judgment based on their media interviews, what players say about them (or don't say about them), the way their line performs, who else has or would give them jobs, etc... A good example is Ratten. I don't claim to be inner sanctum, but the players spoke to glowingly of the manner in which he communicated and his knowledge and credibility. They said they had no doubt he would be an AFL coach. Then he was.

I thought it was abundantly clear that West was not a good/highly regarded assistant coach, and that Wellman was highly regarded and effective.

I dont get all the hate for Mahoney? this guy got our forward line to be one of is not "the" most efficient in the league, we had limited supply and when it went in it was turned into a score many times.

Agreed. 3rd most efficient last year, haven't been bothered to do the stats for this year. Unfortunately, 'Melbourne's Efficient Forward Line' doesn't catch as many eyes as 'Melbourne Looking at <insert spud big-bodied forward here>'.