Denham's problems with Melbourne

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Supporters buy memberships.

Anyway, you suggested we have less passionate supporters than other Clubs, and asserted that attendance dropping off when we struggle was evidence of this.

I called you out on the fallacy that this doesn't happen to most (all?) other sporting organisations and maintain your assertion about Melbourne's supporters is wrong.

The majority of posters on here are quite passionate about the club so we get fooled at times in to thinking we have all passionate supporters when the truth is we don't. I guess you can only have a passion for so long and a lot of our supporters are getting sick of our continued failure I'm not one of them I might add. Have a look at our atrendances and how they drop off during the year even the QB match was in danger a couple of years ago because the numbers weren't there.

That's what I said and if you want to argue semantics you can do it amongst yourself. If you reckon all's ok and that we don't have a problem with our supporters being soft then good for you. Love to live in the World you do.

As I said some of you just can't handle the reality of the situation.

[Macca 16,174]

I know that but you try to explain that to the rest of the football world, they just don't believe it. I've had many arguments over this but at the end of the day the vote was there and you can't refute that.

I recall the anger at the Dallas Brooks Hall on the night and the shocked look on Tiger's face when the abuse started. That was passion.

Just fight fire with fire - all Clubs and their supporters have an "Achilles heel"

Collingwood with their insane optimism and choking in GF's , Tigers sacking their coaches and constantly finishing 9th , Hawks with their sewerage colours , Bulldogs with their "Tragic" history , Ditto Saints , Carlton purchasing their Flags , Essendon with their arrogant fans and the way they sook when they lose , North with their pitifully low crowds , can't think of anything with the Cats but their fans are generally ok - and don't get me started on the "Interstate" teams !!

Cheers !

[Harrisonrules 273]

I care not if others respect us or not. We must respect ourselves and the rest can do as they please. I stand for the red and blue and am happy about it.

[old dee 23,118]

The majority of posters on here are quite passionate about the club so we get fooled at times in to thinking we have all passionate supporters when the truth is we don't. I guess you can only have a passion for so long and a lot of our supporters are getting sick of our continued failure I'm not one of them I might add. Have a look at our atrendances and how they drop off during the year even the QB match was in danger a couple of years ago because the numbers weren't there.

That's what I said and if you want to argue semantics you can do it amongst yourself. If you reckon all's ok and that we don't have a problem with our supporters being soft then good for you. Love to live in the World you do.

As I said some of you just can't handle the reality of the situation.

Yep

[Sir Why You Little 35,170]

The majority of posters on here are quite passionate about the club so we get fooled at times in to thinking we have all passionate supporters when the truth is we don't. I guess you can only have a passion for so long and a lot of our supporters are getting sick of our continued failure I'm not one of them I might add. Have a look at our atrendances and how they drop off during the year even the QB match was in danger a couple of years ago because the numbers weren't there.

That's what I said and if you want to argue semantics you can do it amongst yourself. If you reckon all's ok and that we don't have a problem with our supporters being soft then good for you. Love to live in the World you do.

As I said some of you just can't handle the reality of the situation.

So apart from winning Games Robbie F what do you suggest to "un soft" the supporter problem you summise??

[Dee Fan 3,247]

So apart from winning Games Robbie F what do you suggest to "un soft" the supporter problem you summise??

How can I answer that question? How do you get in to the minds of the people that don't have the passion you do?

I "surmise". Well I guess I'm not the only one that "surmises", I guess that the rest of the football fraternity does as well, but if it isn't evident to those on here that question it then it just doesn't really exist.

Just wait for the next time we have a big match and see how many turn up if the weather is a bit off.

[dee-eee 231]

It is human nature , pure and simple , for lukewarm supporters of ANY club to drop off when their side loses form. The classic example is the year the Pies won the spoon. Our supporters outnumbered theirs in the Vic Park outer for the final H&A game ! Playing ordinary Essendon sides in recent years when we are the Home side and their members mostly have to pay , is another obvious example. The Southern Stand looks 2/3rds empty !

[Sir Why You Little 35,170]

How can I answer that question? How do you get in to the minds of the people that don't have the passion you do?

I "surmise". Well I guess I'm not the only one that "surmises", I guess that the rest of the football fraternity does as well, but if it isn't evident to those on here that question it then it just doesn't really exist.

Just wait for the next time we have a big match and see how many turn up if the weather is a bit off.

If the club is competitive against a top side, the crowd will turn up i am sure...The MCC members is always well populated, even though the General Public don't like to admit it...

[Pennant St Dee 11,640]

This is not about memberships it's about how many go to the games. If you don't think it's got anything to do with 47 years without success then we are on different planets. There has been a huge erosion of our supporter base over that time; I know how big our supporter base was back then because I was there. We had as many as Collingwood and whilst they've gone ahead we've gone backwards.

I know we are increasing our membership now but it's not just members it's supporters, they have so many more than us now it's a joke.

I cannot believe how sensitive some of you people are and how unwilling you are to accept the reality of the situation. We have been unable to win a flag in the last 47 years and as a result we have lost a lot of our supporter base; as well as that we haven't attracted as many new supporters; that's a fact.

Not only that, we as a club actually voted to merge the club out of existence and no other club's supporters will ever let us forget that.

The club has been seen as soft the supporters have been seen as soft and it's probably not far from the truth.

RF I wasn't around 47 years ago but from what I hear through the 50's & early 60's us the Pies & Bombers were the big clubs. Whilst I don't ever see us breaking back into the Top 4 with Pies, Bombers, Blues & Hawks in terms of supporters I'm happy with where we are headed.

15 years ago us & the Hawks were at the same level they just got their act together quicker than we did. Whilst we are starting from way back the debt demolition shows how passionate our club is, the Casey move IMO will attract young supporters from the area and the team will become succesful enough to attract prime time spots.

The Denhams, Andy Mahers, Brian Taylors & Dunstalls of this world will be eating their words when this club starts getting on field success. Supporters of this club need to realise there is no switch to flick or magic formula. Hard work is what cleared the debt and what will get us to where we are going. 2 years ago we could not have dreamed of putting together a football department like we have now.

So F#%K Denham and the rest all I care about is the club and as a supporter I'm happy with the direction, getting the club secure off the field was the most important thing to do, it's the reason the Hawks under Dicker, Cats under Costa & Pies under fatboy have excelled. It is also the reason why North & Saints failed to benefit when they had top quality teams but off field they weren't top notch!

and finally we will be a very good side and a hard side like the Cats and Pies Frawley, McKenzie, Trengove, Jetta, Tapscott, Jones, & Bail are hard honest boys, Gysberts, Grimes, Watts, Jurrah & Sylvia all have that little touch of class. There are others on our list who show promise and desire not to mention Viney jnr and others we will pick up or who are developing at Casey. Once the bodies get bigger and once we have all the pieces of the jigsaw in place as I have said before, I'm pretty confident some time in the next year or two this team will click like 87 and when it does jump aboard for the ride.

Go Dees!

[Pennant St Dee 11,640]

Given the news that has just come out of the blue about us signing Mitch Clark the fact this club does not leak secrets anymore shows how professional we are.

As Bob Dillon says the times they are a changing!

[Sir Why You Little 35,170]

Let's see what Denham says this week after we persisted to get Clark.....

[jumbo returns 6,596]

Given the news that has just come out of the blue about us signing Mitch Clark the fact this club does not leak secrets anymore shows how professional we are.

As Bob Dillon says the times they are a changing!

Dylan

[McQueen 17,864]

Given the news that has just come out of the blue about us signing Mitch Clark the fact this club does not leak secrets anymore shows how professional we are.

As Bob Dillon says the times they are a changing!

What news ?

[rpfc 27,662]

Not only that, we as a club actually voted to merge the club out of existence and no other club's supporters will ever let us forget that.

I always retort by saying, as Mike Sheahan wrote, we nearly "ate Hawthorn whole."

When Scott took that velcro Hawk off our jumper - the imagery was right, we were just there to pillage and move on.

[Pennant St Dee 11,640]

Dylan

Oh sorry not a big fan!

[Debamboozle 11]

I still think the influence of the MCC on the club is too great and it makes us far too conservative.

But won't it be great winning Grand Finals at our ground again.

The MCG is our home and the MCC is a huge part of who we are.

[baysidedave 246]

Missed most of KB's first hour today with Denham, The Australian senior football writer, but when I started listening at about 9.50 AM, KB said to Denham "you really hate Melbourne don't you". Not sure what preceeded this so would be grateful to anyone who can shed light on it. When pressed after denying he hated MFC there was mention by KB of some resentment I think about MFC not selecting Denham as a player or something like that. Denham then said " I don't like the way they do business". Can anyone shed some light on this?

I've been thinking this for ages and I was in the car listening when they replayed a guy who rang the day before after Denham had gone who said Denham hates Melbourne. I got home rang up " Dave from Highett" and said to Denham that I agree and was sick to death of him sticking the boots in to MFC all the time. I told him we had gotten rid of all our debt, totally reconstructed the coaching staff and were on the way up. He said what about your list? I said there all still young 18-22 and learning thegame etc etc, he came back with where are all your 24 -28 year olds, I said we had them and were after Clark to help forward line etc etc. I was sort of cut off then and he dribbled on but it started about another 4-5 Demon supporters ringing and telling him what we thought of him and apparently the texts were coming in strong and hard against him.

KB stirred him up and said he was in a bad mood for the rest of the time that morning, he's a [censored] and he got what was coming to him. He's been slagging us off for months.

[baysidedave 246]

Given the news that has just come out of the blue about us signing Mitch Clark the fact this club does not leak secrets anymore shows how professional we are.

As Bob Dillon says the times they are a changing!

He had a go earlier in the season about leaking secrets but it happens at all clubs, the only coaching change that hasn't been known by the media first is Lyon to Freo, every other one for the last 20 years has been known by the media first, it just happens exactly the way Watters is already known to be Saints new coach announced today but everybody already knows.

[Demon Rob 2]

I think KB has his guests for laugh-at-the-guest entertainment value,

they are all consistently negative and in most matters, just

wrong wrong wrong

[Fork 'em 6,607]

Dunno why every-ones up in arms about this Denham fella .

I've never even heard of him .

[Redleg 38,194]

Dunno why every-ones up in arms about this Denham fella .

I've never even heard of him .

He is the senior footy writer for The Australian. He also fills in for that other happy chappy Patrick Smith, also of the Australian, on KB's show on SEN..

[trout 385]

Let's see what Denham says this week after we persisted to get Clark.....

It will be something like, Melbourne have paid way over the top for a player who has yet to prove himself and it has now put other players offside at the club due to Clarks massive salary.

[Rogue 585]

The majority of posters on here are quite passionate about the club so we get fooled at times in to thinking we have all passionate supporters when the truth is we don't. I guess you can only have a passion for so long and a lot of our supporters are getting sick of our continued failure I'm not one of them I might add. Have a look at our atrendances and how they drop off during the year even the QB match was in danger a couple of years ago because the numbers weren't there.

That's what I said and if you want to argue semantics you can do it amongst yourself. If you reckon all's ok and that we don't have a problem with our supporters being soft then good for you.

Correct; as I've said multiple times now, I don't think we have a problem with our supporters being 'soft'*.

Love to live in the World you do.

I'm quite happy without you in it

*Not anymore than most (all?) sporting organisations, anyway.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Correct; as I've said multiple times now, I don't think we have a problem with our supporters being 'soft'*.

I'm quite happy without you in it

*Not anymore than most (all?) sporting organisations, anyway.

You're probably quite happy there's no one else in it.

[Rogue 585]

If you think I'm the only one who rejects your assertion that Melbourne supporters are less passionate than those of other teams then you're kidding yourself.