Where Is The Hope?

[JP_ 60]

As Melbourne supporters I think we're all used to failure and disappointment. We've witnessed some pretty miserable times over the last few years, but even during the worst moments there was cause for hope. We could assure ourselves that we would rebuild, gain some high draft picks, get some games into the kids and eventually re-emerge as a premiership contender. We could stomach 2008 because we all knew that, after a season or two of pain, we'd be back with a team full of young-guns that would be the envy of every team in the league. I don't think any of us could have really "enjoyed" the Bailey years, but at least we were able to delude ourselves into thinking there were signs of progress or that we were heading in the right direction. Every drubbing only brought us one step closer to a priority pick, afterall, so there wasn't much downside was there?

Now, though, I just don't know what we have to pin our hopes on. This will be 6 consecutive years down the bottom of the table and we're literally in a worse position than when we were in 2007. None of our high draft picks have come on, so we can't even cling to the ephemeral hope that we can tank our way back to competitiveness. You could give us the first 3 draft picks for the next 5 years and it wouldn't make any difference: we'd be playing them in a losing team with no leadership to speak of, destroy their confidence, then flay them alive on our messageboards for failing to save us from ourselves. Morton was drafted as a kid with sublime skills; 4 years on, he can't hit a barn door. Trengove, potentially a number 1 pick, is yet to have a standout game and this year can't even get his hands on the footy. Jack Watts - the kid drafted as the solution to our tall forward woes - returns from two games in the seconds to play as a loose man in defence. None of them have shown any real progress since being drafted, why should we expect the next batch of youngsters to be any different?

Some might console themselves by thinking that Neeld is instilling some toughness in the players, demanding accountability and adherence to structures whatever the consequence on the scoreboard. If he has been doing this, then frankly I'm not seeing any signs of it. We have literally never looked like a less capable football team. We can hang the senior players for going missing, and while they must accept their share of the blame, perhaps they can be excused for failing to show leadership. They were, afterall, dumped from the leadership group by a guy who'd only been at the club for 5 minutes and replaced by a couple of 20 year-olds. For all their faults, it must be difficult to find the motivation to lead when the coaching staff shows you as much confidence as that. Say whatever else you like, Neeld has completely lost the players.

So where to? Changing coaches doesn't work, high draft-picks don't work, changing the leadership group does't work... what's left? Do you want to tell me this just a practice season? That we should be too concerned about the results, because the real importance lies in Neeld drilling the players with what's expected to them? Fine, but my reply would be that we've already had 5 seasons like this where the results are "not important" and where has it got us exactly? At some point we're actually going to have to start playing real football instead of making sacrifices for some distant point of glory in the future that's frankly looking more and more distant with each passing week. Besides, what's my motivation for watching / attending games where the team I support isn't really interested in competing? Perhaps I should just step away until the team decides they've undergone enough "training" or "practice" or "got enough games into the kids" to actually start trying? When do we expect that'll be?

So I don't know. I'm completely bereft of hope, and when a fan can't find even the flimsiest pretext to cling to in hope then what point is there? Why am I enduring this misery when I don't expect it to lead to anything except more misery? How can I take another five years of this crap and retain even the slightest bit of passion for this team? What, finally, do we have to look forward to? Can anyone give me anything?

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

Good post JP. Pretty much sums it up really and how a lot of us are probably feeling. There must be a light, but its a very long night.

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,602]

A midfield of Viney, Gysberts, Blease and Jones might be half competitive in 2014.

[Tatu 416]

The way it's going will have picks 1, 2, 12 & Viney, this might change the team a bit......other than that, I've got nothing.....

If that dosen't work, we are finished.....

Edited May 19, 2012 by tatu

[deestar 159]

I would love to address the players myself. Thes players need to be reminded how privileged they are to have the opportunity to play AFL. It's totally gut wrenching watching this team go so far backwards in the space of 8 months.

I can't see myself attending another game this year, it seriously not good for my health. I just get to angry.

[Ned 156]

It's just despair. I watched the game live with a mate from Sydney and he kept asking why we can't hold marks, hit targets etc. I had no answer.

[Pipefitter 2,163]

There is hope. We could become a stand alone VFL club.

[dee-luded 2,959]

As Melbourne supporters I think we're all used to failure and disappointment. We've witnessed some pretty miserable times over the last few years, but even during the worst moments there was cause for hope. We could assure ourselves that we would rebuild, gain some high draft picks, get some games into the kids and eventually re-emerge as a premiership contender. We could stomach 2008 because we all knew that, after a season or two of pain, we'd be back with a team full of young-guns that would be the envy of every team in the league. I don't think any of us could have really "enjoyed" the Bailey years, but at least we were able to delude ourselves into thinking there were signs of progress or that we were heading in the right direction. Every drubbing only brought us one step closer to a priority pick, afterall, so there wasn't much downside was there?

Now, though, I just don't know what we have to pin our hopes on. This will be 6 consecutive years down the bottom of the table and we're literally in a worse position than when we were in 2007. None of our high draft picks have come on, so we can't even cling to the ephemeral hope that we can tank our way back to competitiveness. You could give us the first 3 draft picks for the next 5 years and it wouldn't make any difference: we'd be playing them in a losing team with no leadership to speak of, destroy their confidence, then flay them alive on our messageboards for failing to save us from ourselves. Morton was drafted as a kid with sublime skills; 4 years on, he can't hit a barn door. Trengove, potentially a number 1 pick, is yet to have a standout game and this year can't even get his hands on the footy. Jack Watts - the kid drafted as the solution to our tall forward woes - returns from two games in the seconds to play as a loose man in defence. None of them have shown any real progress since being drafted, why should we expect the next batch of youngsters to be any different?

Some might console themselves by thinking that Neeld is instilling some toughness in the players, demanding accountability and adherence to structures whatever the consequence on the scoreboard. If he has been doing this, then frankly I'm not seeing any signs of it. We have literally never looked like a less capable football team. We can hang the senior players for going missing, and while they must accept their share of the blame, perhaps they can be excused for failing to show leadership. They were, afterall, dumped from the leadership group by a guy who'd only been at the club for 5 minutes and replaced by a couple of 20 year-olds. For all their faults, it must be difficult to find the motivation to lead when the coaching staff shows you as much confidence as that. Say whatever else you like, Neeld has completely lost the players.

So where to? Changing coaches doesn't work, high draft-picks don't work, changing the leadership group does't work... what's left? Do you want to tell me this just a practice season? That we should be too concerned about the results, because the real importance lies in Neeld drilling the players with what's expected to them? Fine, but my reply would be that we've already had 5 seasons like this where the results are "not important" and where has it got us exactly? At some point we're actually going to have to start playing real football instead of making sacrifices for some distant point of glory in the future that's frankly looking more and more distant with each passing week. Besides, what's my motivation for watching / attending games where the team I support isn't really interested in competing? Perhaps I should just step away until the team decides they've undergone enough "training" or "practice" or "got enough games into the kids" to actually start trying? When do we expect that'll be?

So I don't know. I'm completely bereft of hope, and when a fan can't find even the flimsiest pretext to cling to in hope then what point is there? Why am I enduring this misery when I don't expect it to lead to anything except more misery? How can I take another five years of this crap and retain even the slightest bit of passion for this team? What, finally, do we have to look forward to? Can anyone give me anything?

Yes, it will.

*Changing the coach will work, after his broom has been through the locker room!

*Changing the leadership will work, but the list observations are being noted prior to the end of 2012.

*The high draft picks will work, & will have more bite after the old guard is dismantled & sold off.

Anyone can see the Old soft ways are getting in our way of pushing forward. How many players has Davey tackled to the ground over the last 4 Years??? How many Jurrah??? How many Green???

Bruce was no better, nor Yze or Robbo!

The softness still hangs on, like a bad smell in a car. It's hard to remove.

But it will & thats when we'll see the hard edge return to the Red & Blue. thats when we'll see the respect return from the opposition clubs. and then we'll all feel proud again.

But It won't happen until ALL Softness is cut away.

[Striker475 696]

Hope? Right now, there's none. Not for 2012. I'm not putting myself through this for the playing group any more. No way.

I'm going through it for me.

Why? Why the hell would I put myself through this?

Because in that last day in September, when I see the Melbourne captain and (hopefully) Mark Neeld lift that cup aloft, I will be able to look back and say I was there in the darkest of the days.

I don't know that it'll happen. Supporters on here who've never seen a flag despite being in their 40s make me wonder.

But I have to keep the faith.

Because, what else can we do? I couldn't bring myself to support another club. I have a soft spot for the Suns, admittedly, as I share a namesake with one of their players - but that isn't enough for me to turn to openly support them and reject the MFC. The only thing that would turn me to any sort of thing like that would be a removal of the MFC from the AFL.

I see people on here talk about how bad the early 80s were, and then how good '87 was. Winning once more, making finals once more, is surely going to be all the sweeter for this suffering that we're going through right now.

Maybe I'm naive. But this is my choice. And I will continue to follow the Melbourne Football Club, until the day either I or they die. Until such a time, every other team on game day is the opposition, every game is winnable (sure, a meteor could hit the stadium!) and I will scream my lungs out every time they have a home game at the 'G which I'm attending.

[monoccular 17,438]

The way it's going will have picks 1, 2, 12 & Viney, this might change the team a bit......other than that, I've got nothing.....

If that dosen't work, we are finished.....

As JP pointed out, from a long list of top draft picks over the last decade or more, only Frawley has actually ever produced much at all, so why should it mysteriously start now?

Our ability to develop talent is just appalling: maybe 'the club' just doesn't or hadn't demanded enough. '

The ' let's put an end to bruise free footy' movement has obviously died long ago.

I honestly don't think I can bring myself to attend, watch or listen to another game the way we are heading.

Call me disloyal if you will, but how loyal are the players being to the club, the coach, the fans, and themselves??

This isnt about game plan. It is all about players refusing to apply themselves.

Edited May 19, 2012 by monoccular

[BIG JIM 508]

Hope? Right now, there's none. Not for 2012. I'm not putting myself through this for the playing group any more. No way.

I'm going through it for me.

Why? Why the hell would I put myself through this?

Because in that last day in September, when I see the Melbourne captain and (hopefully) Mark Neeld lift that cup aloft, I will be able to look back and say I was there in the darkest of the days.

I don't know that it'll happen. Supporters on here who've never seen a flag despite being in their 40s make me wonder.

But I have to keep the faith.

Because, what else can we do? I couldn't bring myself to support another club. I have a soft spot for the Suns, admittedly, as I share a namesake with one of their players - but that isn't enough for me to turn to openly support them and reject the MFC. The only thing that would turn me to any sort of thing like that would be a removal of the MFC from the AFL.

I see people on here talk about how bad the early 80s were, and then how good '87 was. Winning once more, making finals once more, is surely going to be all the sweeter for this suffering that we're going through right now.

Maybe I'm naive. But this is my choice. And I will continue to follow the Melbourne Football Club, until the day either I or they die. Until such a time, every other team on game day is the opposition, every game is winnable (sure, a meteor could hit the stadium!) and I will scream my lungs out every time they have a home game at the 'G which I'm attending.

Love your passion mate

[1 red eye 1 blue eye 771]

I want to press the like button on strikers post because I, and I know every other supporter feels the same, but right now I'm just too fed up to do it.

Edited May 19, 2012 by 1 red eye 1 blue eye

[old dee 23,801]

Hope? Right now, there's none. Not for 2012. I'm not putting myself through this for the playing group any more. No way.

I'm going through it for me.

Why? Why the hell would I put myself through this?

Because in that last day in September, when I see the Melbourne captain and (hopefully) Mark Neeld lift that cup aloft, I will be able to look back and say I was there in the darkest of the days.

I don't know that it'll happen. Supporters on here who've never seen a flag despite being in their 40s make me wonder.

But I have to keep the faith.

Because, what else can we do? I couldn't bring myself to support another club. I have a soft spot for the Suns, admittedly, as I share a namesake with one of their players - but that isn't enough for me to turn to openly support them and reject the MFC. The only thing that would turn me to any sort of thing like that would be a removal of the MFC from the AFL.

I see people on here talk about how bad the early 80s were, and then how good '87 was. Winning once more, making finals once more, is surely going to be all the sweeter for this suffering that we're going through right now.

Maybe I'm naive. But this is my choice. And I will continue to follow the Melbourne Football Club, until the day either I or they die. Until such a time, every other team on game day is the opposition, every game is winnable (sure, a meteor could hit the stadium!) and I will scream my lungs out every time they have a home game at the 'G which I'm attending.

Striker take a couple of weeks off go to an ammos game or your local footy.It does wonders for your self respect and you might actually enjoy a game of football.Believe me there is life away from the MFC.Try it I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

[Striker475 696]

Striker take a couple of weeks off go to an ammos game or your local footy.It does wonders for your self respect and you might actually enjoy a game of football.Believe me there is life away from the MFC.Try it I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

I can't, paid for next week as I am going with some mates. Might try to hit Casey at some point though.

[old dee 23,801]

I want to press the like button on strikers post because I, and I know every other supporter feels the same, but right now I'm just too fed up to do it.

Mate see my comment to striker below.Try some relief believe me it works

[old dee 23,801]

I can't, paid for next week as I am going with some mates. Might try to hit Casey at some point though.

Forget the monyt tell them you have the flu and do not want to pass it on.One thing I can guaranteeIf you go next week you will feel worse than right now.

[btdemon 482]

I was there tonight. I actually flew to Sydney with my daughter and joined my nephews and niece (Swan supporters) for a special occasion. I am now in my late 50's and am so f&&&ing fed up! That was as inept a display as I have seen. It was just as humiliating as the 186 to Geelong.

In 1987 I was in Europe on holiday and by about mid June we were going really badly. I found myself in Australia House in London reading the Age and learning that the Dees had just had their annual thrashing at Kardinia Park. I thought to myself, "Hrere I am on the other side of the world, having a great time, but I choose to punish myself by attaching my emotions to a stupid f&&&ing football team called the Demons. that's it! I'm giving it up!" I came back in early July and managed to ignore the footy for a few weeks until in round 22 Robbie Flower kicked that goal and got us into the finals. My friend, with whom I always went to the game, dropped in on the way back and said, "we're in the finals! Do you want tickets?" Like Michael Corloeone, "Just when I thought I was out, they suck me back in!"

I've been sucked back in ever since. Right now, I've had enough! I want out but I know that my emotions are too entangled with the fortunes of the Melbourne Footy Club. It brings me so little joy but I keep punishing myself. My wife thinks I'm stupid. She is a casual Geelong supporter but doesn't get interested unless they are winning. I don't work like that. I wish I could. The Dees have brought me so much pain over the past few years and I suffer like all of us, in the vain hope that we might one day be a real AFL club rather than a fragmented bunch of losers. I'm sick of friends ridiculing my choice of team, or worse still, offering some sort of ignorant but patronising sympathy.

It's like a really sick addiction that promises some sort of ecstasy but never delivers.

I'm so over it!

[Carrot Top 947]

It's like a really sick addiction that promises some sort of ecstasy but never delivers.

I just think of it like being in an abusive relationship. No matter how bad they treat me I am that traumatised that I believe the sweet talk and apologies that follow, and back I go.

[leucopogon 1,519]

God I'd love to know what the hell's going on with the MFC from someone on the inside. All this guess work going on here in the forums does my head in. We should rename Demonland, De-mon-ja-vu land

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

Good OP, if a little sad.

This is worst than 2008 and worse than 186 (thought probably 186 and this are one and the same thing).

[Wells 11 5,408]

Good OP, if a little sad.

This is worst than 2008 and worse than 186 (thought probably 186 and this are one and the same thing).

186 was a low point .........this is an extended low low period. Another actual 186 or worse could be around the corner.

[Dreamin' Demon 10]

Im in Rome at the moment on holidays & couldnt wait to get up at 8:40am to listen to the live telecast via afl.com.au. I put up with the crap until half time. So disappointing.

Hope there will be some big changes for next week - on & off the field. We cant go on like this.

[Macca 17,009]

Im in Rome at the moment on holidays & couldnt wait to get up at 8:40am to listen to the live telecast via afl.com.au. I put up with the crap until half time. So disappointing.

Hope there will be some big changes for next week - on & off the field. We cant go on like this.

When in Rome , do as the Romans do . They ain't tuning in to the Demons . Enjoy your holiday DD !

[praha 11,240]

A midfield of Viney, Gysberts, Blease and Jones might be half competitive in 2014.

Oh the LULZ! *facepalm*

[Kento80 83]

I was at the game last night, sitting right on the boundary next to where the Melbourne players ran out. I cheered them out at the start, surrounded by Swans members and silence. I cheered them in at half time and out at the beginning of the third. At the end, I had nothing. No cheers, no jeers. Nothing. My mate who I was with (Swans supporter) was incensed with the effort of the Melbourne players. So was I, but I didn't have the will to let them know. My mate let them know though. He wasn't rude, he didn't swear, but he told them they were pathetic. Imagine my surprise and disgust when, after showing no aggression heart or anger on field, Rivers decides to turn around and come at my mate, having to be stopped by security. If we were in Melbourne playing the Filth, they would have been hearing things a hundred times worse than what my mate was saying to them. Perhaps it's that he knows they were pathetic and can't deal with it due to an over inflated ego. I don't know. But what I do know is that I have had enough. I will still be here, supporting the MFC, but for the most part (with only a couple of exceptions) these players have lost me. I know they have talent, and that is probably the worst thing. All I really need to say is Brett Kirk.