At one of Mark Neelds opening speeches as coach of the Melbourne Football club, he finished by saying "I will fight tooth and nail for everything the Melbourne Football Club stands for".

This got me thinking. What do we stand for?

At the moment we surely don't stand for success.

After the tanking debacle, we don't stand for pride.

After the McDonald, Scully, Moloney situations we sure don't stand for 'culture'.

In my time I've only seen the MFC stand for one thing. Survival.

We have just survived after voting for a merger.

We have just survived after a $5m debt.

We have are just surviving to stay above the two expansion teams on the ladder.

Is this what we are destined for? Are we to only expect to survive or do we actually stand for something?

The culture starts now as far as i am concerned.

The tanking road was a bad choice, but it's done. Can't change it.

We just have to demand high standards& those that do not comply...leave.

We can stand for hard work, discipline and earning back that pride in the jumper. 2012 and the darkest days are behind us - I truly believe that.

This got me thinking. What do we stand for?

At the moment we surely don't stand for success.

After the tanking debacle, we don't stand for pride.

After the McDonald, Scully, Moloney situations we sure don't stand for 'culture'.

In my time I've only seen the MFC stand for one thing. Survival.

We have just survived after voting for a merger.

We have just survived after a $5m debt.

We have are just surviving to stay above the two expansion teams on the ladder.

Is this what we are destined for? Are we to only expect to survive or do we actually stand for something?

What does any club that doesn't make the finals stand for?

Does losing a great deal mean we stand for nothing?

Does holding off on contracts and 'retiring' Green after such an awful year mean we have a bad culture? Or does it mean we are trying for a better one?

Is being defined by the merger after 16 years signs of a bad culture, or is that robbo24's issue?

Is getting fans to pay down $5m worth of debt mean we stand for something?

Isn't that a great way of saying that we do stand for something?

We will start winning soon and it will be great, but it won't mean we will stand for anything more than we do now.

Tell me what 'standing for nothing' means but I don't think we will qualify.

"Hardest Team to Play Against" quote Mark Neeld, isn't a bad place to start if we can ever get to the starting line.

IMO it's up to the players to create the player group culture in the same way Stuart Maxfield created the "Bloods" culture at the Swans. Sounds like he was tougher and more effective than the coaches at enforcing 110% performance from the playing group. Bring on the Jacks and other leaders setting the standard.

Frankly I opened this thread hoping he'd said that this morning at a presser with Craig sitting next to him......and then had outlined what the Club stood for in his mind while taking a shot at the journos who are white anting the place.

At one of Mark Neelds opening speeches as coach of the Melbourne Football club, he finished by saying "I will fight tooth and nail for everything the Melbourne Football Club stands for". [media=]

This got me thinking. What do we stand for?

At the moment we surely don't stand for success.

After the tanking debacle, we don't stand for pride.

After the McDonald, Scully, Moloney situations we sure don't stand for 'culture'.

In my time I've only seen the MFC stand for one thing. Survival.

We have just survived after voting for a merger.

We have just survived after a $5m debt.

We have are just surviving to stay above the two expansion teams on the ladder.

Is this what we are destined for? Are we to only expect to survive or do we actually stand for something?

Bring the club back to the people, & the People will make it stand strong.

At the MCG it's too far removed from the people.

Start a Base around Elsternwick & the people will come & the place will grow & develop. Involved people who love they're passions don't let things fail.

The club is too far removed for most to become fully engaged with.

We play at the MCG, that is enough on it's own. Start a base where us supporters can get to & take our families & loved ones to, and the rest will grow.

The club is shyte because it's not close enough to Heart & Soul supporters who can keep everyones feet on the ground.

"Hardest Team to Play Against" quote Mark Neeld, isn't a bad place to start if we can ever get to the starting line.

IMO it's up to the players to create the player group culture in the same way Stuart Maxfield created the "Bloods" culture at the Swans. Sounds like he was tougher and more effective than the coaches at enforcing 110% performance from the playing group. Bring on the Jacks and other leaders setting the standard.

Mark Neelds work to achieve this Aim will start this off season via a cleanout.

Bring the club back to the people, & the People will make it stand strong.

At the MCG it's too far removed from the people.

Start a Base around Elsternwick & the people will come & the place will grow & develop. Involved people who love they're passions don't let things fail.

The club is too far removed for most to become fully engaged with.

We play at the MCG, that is enough on it's own. Start a base where us supporters can get to & take our families & loved ones to, and the rest will grow.

The club is shyte because it's not close enough to Heart & Soul supporters who can keep everyones feet on the ground.

Hey DL i don't want 50,000 drunks staggering around near my house. Quit mentionining elsternwick will ya. It's to small.

The only thing in football that matters is winning premierships. You're either winning them, losing them, or not in the game.

I want to start getting back in the game.

Hey DL i don't want 50,000 drunks staggering around near my house. Quit mentionining elsternwick will ya. It's to small.

HaHa, we'll have to have That Beer, soon.

Bring the club back to the people, & the People will make it stand strong.

At the MCG it's too far removed from the people.

Start a Base around Elsternwick & the people will come & the place will grow & develop. Involved people who love they're passions don't let things fail.

The club is too far removed for most to become fully engaged with.

We play at the MCG, that is enough on it's own. Start a base where us supporters can get to & take our families & loved ones to, and the rest will grow.

The club is shyte because it's not close enough to Heart & Soul supporters who can keep everyones feet on the ground.

what is your fascination with Elsternwick Dee-luded? It's got me baffled. Am I missing something?

HaHa, we'll have to have That Beer, soon.

Sure. Just don't tell everybody!!

A coach has to go into a club knowing he will be there for a long time. What he said may ring true in his tenth year as coach of the mfc. No culture changing events occur in the first 10 months of a coach's tenure but it all starts now for neeld. He was living in someone else's derelict house this year and now he is about to demolish it.

what is your fascination with Elsternwick Dee-luded? It's got me baffled. Am I missing something?

I am missing the same thing DC

Bring the club back to the people, & the People will make it stand strong.

At the MCG it's too far removed from the people.

Start a Base around Elsternwick & the people will come & the place will grow & develop. Involved people who love they're passions don't let things fail.

The club is too far removed for most to become fully engaged with.

We play at the MCG, that is enough on it's own. Start a base where us supporters can get to & take our families & loved ones to, and the rest will grow.

The club is shyte because it's not close enough to Heart & Soul supporters who can keep everyones feet on the ground.

Gee I didn't think where the Club played mattered, (had to look where Elsternwick was), bit far south for me.

I have been to Canberra, Adelaide and Datwin to watch the Dees, hell I haven't even missed a game at Ethad in the last five years or so, it will have my heart and soul if it played at Koo Wee Rup

The Club is a Footy Club, job is to get 22 young men between 18 and early 30ish to go out each week for 22 weeks and kick a ball between big sticks whilst another 22 similar men try to stop them doing it

Do it to entertain/enrage/embaress/overjoy/frustrate/torment etc thousands of supporters from varying demographics who pay for the privilege of experiencing the aforementioned emotions/feelings

And to keep footy journalists/commentators/pundits with varying hidden personal agendas and past histories in a job

The Club stands for playing footy, in the next couple of years a bloody good brand of footy, although I expect still at times to run the whole gamut of emotions I have already mentioned

I understand what you are getting at Robbo but I dont believe that the Club could have done anything to keep Scully apart from offering more money and if you had seen Beamer play yesterday well if a person had any pride about how he plays and what he stands for Beamer surely would not even get an offer from Nar Nar Goon North at the moment(Sorry to anybody from Nar Nar Goon North). He sooked big time yesterday. Even the week before there was more enthusiasm. Isn't it best that they do not give in to personalities like Beamer who seem to think they are entitled because they may have won a B&F. By all accounts he is a super person and has been passionate about our Club throughout the years but he let himself down big time yesterday. If he thought he was a leader yesterday was the day to stand up. Kyle Matthews stood up despite all that has happened to him over the years. So don't blame the Club. Standing him down from the leadership and the Seniors was a great indication that the "Culture" at the Club has changed and is still changing and after today we will see more changes. The tail has stopped wagging the dog.

Hey DL i don't want 50,000 drunks staggering around near my house. Quit mentionining elsternwick will ya. It's to small.

Start a base where us supporters can get to & take our families & loved ones to, and the rest will grow.

The club is shyte because it's not close enough to Heart & Soul supporters who can keep everyones feet on the ground.

So what are the main suburbs in melbourne where dees supporters live in anyway?

Prob spread out everywhere...

By my reckoning we have about 6 (yes, 6) players that can be relied upon and can form the basis of an actual AFL team - a couple in defence, a couple in the midfield, and a couple up forward. Their effort is never questioned and their skill level can be considered to be AFL standard. They are what we must stand for, and they are all that is keeping my interest afloat throughout this debacle.

I also take comfort in the fact that it is near impossible to have a year worse than the one we have just endured.

I also take comfort in the fact that it is near impossible to have a year worse than the one we have just endured.

Dont jinx us PMan!!

So what are the main suburbs in melbourne where dees supporters live in anyway?

Prob spread out everywhere...

I remember seeing a 'heat' map in the membership dept once. All I can recall is being surprised how many supporters we had in North Croydon. Obviously Croydon proper just wouldn't do!

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

Reputation grows with every single failure, good or bad. This club is now setting the foundations, perhaps too late, but time will tell. It needs to be a strong club in 3-4 years. The league is becoming far too mainstream and scrutinised for clubs to languish in the bottom for decades at a time. If you do that now, you won't survive. It's as simple as that.

So what are the main suburbs in melbourne where dees supporters live in anyway?

Prob spread out everywhere...

Dees fans live at the MCG.

Wow. Less than a year and he looks so much older.

Getting rid of Moloney is the first step to improving our 'culture'.

Actualy, strike that, getting Neeld and Craig on board was the first step, Moloney is the first casualty.

Let's hope there's many more to come, time for the party boys to go.