Caroline Wilson's descent into gutter journalism

[Thehardtackler 785]

Think that if you read between the lines in the McLardy statement then you will see that he has implied that any AFL investigation into Melbourne FC has already been compromised by 'The Age' newspaper. He talks about it being 'independent' and 'transparent'. Well it has been anything but 'transparent' and I think that what he is really saying is that because of all the media speculation and trial by media we have not been treated 'fairly' or 'properly' to quote him. I think that Melbourne may have been given the nod that there will be no sanctions and that they will have to ride out the storm. Demetriou is being directly challenged by these allegations as he believes that tanking does not exist in the AFL and Melbourne FC already got a clean bill of health from a previous report. The Harrington piece below the statement on the website also suggests that Melbourne FC may have been told by the AFL that they will not lose draft picks already. Caroline Wilson may actually have compromised the AFL investigation with her piece and her leaked sources and inadvertently made it difficult to charge us with anything because she challenged the AFL's integrity as well as that of the MFC, all be it not wittingly.

Edited November 2, 2012 by Thehardtackler

[Yossarian 1,808]

Dear AFL, I'm having a glass of red. How's life? Ever been to dreamworld? It's fun.

Anyway, hope all's well. Nothing to see here. Take care.

Jesus fkn christ. Can you just wait out until something concrete happens before you start slitting your wrists and popping valium?

[Redleg 37,891]

Fair enough, and I was moved by your earlier, now famous, post.

Sorry if I misinterpreted your intent, but there have been quite a few "but it wasn't just us" posts, and I unfairly lumped yours in with them.

BTW, I'm roughly your age (no grand kids yet, bugger it) and only a recent convert to the Demons. One of my boys is in a fairly senior position with the club, despite his young age, and it was only when they played my former team Brisbane (former Fitzroy supporter) and I was barracking for the Ds that I knew that "blood was thicker than water". Anyway I am passionate about the team, and sincerely hope we aren't sanctioned. I also understand the political dimensions of this whole issue, and fear the worse.

Welcome aboard and I hope the future for you supporting our great club is better than the recent past has been for me and so many other Dees fans.

Also good luck for future grandkids, they are just the greatest joy. Come home from the footy depressed and they run to you and give you a kiss.

[Blinkybill 276]

Also good luck for future grandkids, they are just the greatest joy. Come home from the footy depressed and they run to you and give you a kiss.

Well I have seven kids, so there are sure to be ankle biters galore. Just hurry up kids

Sorry, off topic.

[Redleg 37,891]

"I actually went and interviewed Melbourne - they thought they were interviewing me - and you could see the problems coming," he said.

"(I thought) 'They've got to get their act together better.' That was five years ago."

Sheedy said he sensed 20 minutes into the interview that he was not the right person for the job, and was critical of Melbourne's questioning panel, which comprised then-chairman Paul Gardner, then-chief executive Steve Harris, Demons great Garry Lyon and former St Kilda captain Nathan Burke.

"Look, you couldn't say that you were interviewed by the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest committee, but I just wasn't really thinking that they were the right guys," he said.

He said he thought the panel had not treated him as a serious candidate.

"I wouldn't have thought it was serious - it was a Clayton's interview. But that's OK," he said.

Widely regarded as one of the AFL's best marketers, Sheedy said it was vital for the league to have Melbourne Football Club in good health. But he said the panel he encountered five years ago lacked vision and had no firm plan to sell the club."

Obviously Sheedy is not a fan of the previous Board. Thinks they coudn't even organize a simple thing like a Coaching Interview Panel.

Read more: http://www.theage.co...l#ixzz2B2pVaOYs

[Sydney Pennski 270]

Just thought everyone should know that there's at least one very well heeled Melbourne supporter out there prepared to kick in $s towards our legal defence fund should it become necessary.

[Longsufferingnomore 1,484]

I am sure there will be a few pro bono offers from some eagles on this site.

[P-man 13,239]

The board is saying what it needs to say. We've been dragged through the mud all week. When the AFL gets around to finalising its investigation, we deserve to be able to reply in a formal, proper, fair manner.

Demetriou's stance as depicted in The Australian is a huge help to us. He seems to have suggested that he only accepts the narrow definition of tanking (i.e. telling players to lose). Which makes sense. The AFL doesn't want tanking. It wants to be able to support its clubs and it doesn't want there to be an issue. The AFL wants its clubs to take a long term view, as it wants long term prosperity. That's why they give high draft picks to the worst clubs, FFS.

I am increasingly of the view that we will only be in trouble if the AFL finds a directive telling players to lose. And I am increasingly of the view that Caroline Wilson is drawing long bows between what she has found out and what she wants the situation to be.

People need to calm down and look at the facts. The facts, as yet, do not show that anyone at Melbourne told players to lose, or not try their best. The facts so far only show that we had meetings discussing the value of the PP, and the impact it would have on our attempt to get our 13th flag.

The facts show that players sensed something was up. Wow. No sh*t. So did everyone else in the world.

Let's all calm down. For now, at least, the facts still haven't ended it for us.

Agree with Ron. This post actually gave me some hope, which at the moment is no small feat.

[dees64 104]

Will this club ever have an era without so many issues?

We just cant seem to get it right!

[Grapeviney 8,867]

what a sad little man he's become

agreed, and i think it's a shame

the guy is coach (sort of) of another club; it's pathetic how he feels the need to mention his melbourne experience every chance he gets. move on!

[sue 8,463]

agreed, and i think it's a shame

the guy is coach (sort of) of another club; it's pathetic how he feels the need to mention his melbourne experience every chance he gets. move on!

He's just trying to deflect attention from the Falou stuff-up. He is embarrassed that people will think Mr Inspiration failed to inspire Falou. Pretty pathetic really.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Caroline Wilson was just on 3AW. I notice they didn't take any calls, she makes my skin crawl.

[markc 975]

Have any of you guys met CC before?

I'd say its highly likely that he said to the room that they'd be fired if we didn't get a priority pick.

That's his sense of humour down to a tee.

Problem is, how does that look to investigators?

Surely the club couldn't be sanctioned over a flippant comment??

yes I have met and spoken to him many times

and yes he LOVES melbourne

he has always made time to call me back and talk to me , he has always asked how my wife is , as she has not been well ,even 2 weeks ago ,

always up for a chat and a laugh ,

he has always helped me and even gotten me and my company back to the dees . I thank him for that

Edited November 2, 2012 by markc

[bush demon 1,901]

Not surprised. The story is only half told. The quicker the resolution the quicker we can get this monkey off our backs thats held us up for 5 years.

Could she start going lightly one some of the other AFL club bottoming out co-conspirators as well, in the interests of balance.

[BIG JIM 508]

Dear AFL just remember who wrote the rules of the game we love.

Just remember were our great game come from.

No melbourne would be the worst thing to ever happen to this great game.

MFC is just building something special again.

Dont FU&K with your first born son.

MFC is and always will be the greatest club in the world.

We the members will not stand for media BULL SHI%T or being a scape goat for your stupid rule.

MFC first & forever.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

yes I have met and spoken to him many times

and yes he LOVES melbourne

he has always made time to call me back and talk to me , he has always asked how my wife is , as she has not been well ,even 2 weeks ago ,

always up for a chat and a laugh ,

he has always helped me and even gotten me and my company back to the dees . I thank him for that

Sorry to hear that Mark, I hope your wife is doing well and recovering.

[rpfc 27,590]

Just thought everyone should know that there's at least one very well heeled Melbourne supporter out there prepared to kick in $s towards our legal defence fund should it become necessary.

I would say there is an army on Collins St alone..

You know what unifies people quickly?

A common enemy.

[Undeeterred 2,874]

Why, why, why is nobody talking about Adelaide??

I am becoming more and more convinced that the AFL is leaking to Wilson, and that they are doing it because they want this to be the focus. They aren't going to hit us with anything major, and they want the Adelaide investigation to be going on in the background, not in the media.

[dees189227 10,902]

Caroline Wilson was just on 3AW. I notice they didn't take any calls, she makes my skin crawl.

Why because she is doing her job as a journalist. I bet if this whole thing was about Carlton or collingwood we would have no issues. Anyway apparently she said she has another part of this story tomorrow. If this kicks out all the bad eggs then good.

Saw Neeldy being interview on the news tonight. On camera he seems calm about it, not sure when he goes home if he just throws is hands in the air.

This will just keep going and going. I wonder how the adelaide media are treating Dean Bailey?

[Redleg 37,891]

yes I have met and spoken to him many times

and yes he LOVES melbourne

he has always made time to call me back and talk to me , he has always asked how my wife is , as she has not been well ,even 2 weeks ago ,

always up for a chat and a laugh ,

he has always helped me and even gotten me and my company back to the dees . I thank him for that

Wish your wife well and hope she is better soon.

[markc 975]

Sorry to hear that Mark, I hope your wife is doing well and recovering.

Wish your wife well and hope she is better soon.

thankyou I cannot compare what my wife has been through to others , she has a good outcome unlike our Jimmy had

still this is one of the many reasons why I am here, people i have never meet care and we all are here to support of the MFC

thankyou

Edited November 2, 2012 by markc

[pantaloons 2,019]

"I actually went and interviewed Melbourne - they thought they were interviewing me - and you could see the problems coming," he said.

"(I thought) 'They've got to get their act together better.' That was five years ago."

Sheedy said he sensed 20 minutes into the interview that he was not the right person for the job, and was critical of Melbourne's questioning panel, which comprised then-chairman Paul Gardner, then-chief executive Steve Harris, Demons great Garry Lyon and former St Kilda captain Nathan Burke.

"Look, you couldn't say that you were interviewed by the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest committee, but I just wasn't really thinking that they were the right guys," he said.

He said he thought the panel had not treated him as a serious candidate.

"I wouldn't have thought it was serious - it was a Clayton's interview. But that's OK," he said.

Widely regarded as one of the AFL's best marketers, Sheedy said it was vital for the league to have Melbourne Football Club in good health. But he said the panel he encountered five years ago lacked vision and had no firm plan to sell the club."

Obviously Sheedy is not a fan of the previous Board. Thinks they coudn't even organize a simple thing like a Coaching Interview Panel.

Read more: http://www.theage.co...l#ixzz2B2pVaOYs

Yeah it's kind of like the time I asked Kate Upton out and she was like 'no' and I was like 'yeah I don't wanna go out with you anyway - I was just testing'.

[Pates 9,537]

The comments from Sheedy are some if the most errelevant I have heard, it's up there with Caro using Gysberts when talking about exiting players connected to this debate. Who cares how Melbourne interviewed him, clearly he expected us to be gushing at the idea of getting him as our coach but instead we wanted to be thorough and ask him questions that included "how would you coach the team" (I would've thought an extremely important question to ask in the process). Perhaps if he hasn't gone in there with the idea that he was interviewing us he would've been given more consideration.

The arrogance of the man is incredible.

[Guest José Mourinho]

I'm sorry but this "we broke the rules, but others did before us" strategy is something that people normally grow out of by about 12. If there's an adverse finding, and I fear there will be, we should follow the Storm's example. Accept the sanctions; forget about enriching lawyers; show unity and strength; and work hard to succeed.

I think the point is that for the other teams, it appears it WASN'T breaking the rules, but for us to do it, it somehow is.

In a word, it is INCONSISTENCY.

[PaulRB 5,985]

I agree.

Surely a priority of our glorious media would be to present a factual analysis of the performance of all teams that have "won" a priority pick (and narrowly missed them) in the past decade?

Perhaps a report by a well credentialed statistician to any trends in the available data for teams finishing within reach of the prized priority pick.

Or would such an even handed perspective take the wind out of CW's sails on this issue?

Is it dissapointing that the brilliant minds in the Australian Press have not managed to examine the data and present this data in an unbiased way...

Edited November 2, 2012 by PaulRB