so what is your solution?

Winners are grinners and losers can please themselves.

Winners are grinners and losers can please themselves.

i think we all know that.

Do you think Neeld & Craig are on the right path?

What went on before was not their doing.

Do I feel sick? No. I expect to be bottom 4 and fighting with the Bullies for the spoon we are weak in the middle with jamar our only decent ruckman unless they plan to use Clarke in that position. Midfield lacks class and even if all the tall forwards are playing the ball wont get there. Not convinced the coaching strategy under neeld has got it right, sacking leadership group, 7 discards eagerly picked up bu other clubs and topping up with discards and money ball players. I have no expectation for this year and frankly don't even feel enthused to go and watch the carnage.

Winners are grinners and losers can please themselves.

Thanks for the insight. Please give me your scenario that you believe is the best for on field success? If you want changes who would you let go but more importantly who would you replace them with?

i think we all know that.

Do you think Neeld & Craig are on the right path?

What went on before was not their doing.

Im not sure anymore, Magner, Couch, Rodan and a few others they picked up are not up to AFL standards, were coming up to the seventh season down the bottom of the ladder, i cant even remember what the rite path is, my sons just turned 8 an i can barely take him to a game, kids dont want to sit at a game for 2hrs and get pumped every week , they need to start turning this garbage around.

Edited March 17, 201312 yr by mjt

Im not sure anymore, Magner, Couch, Rodan and a few others they picked up are not up to AFL standards, were coming up to the seventh season down the bottom of the ladder, i cant even remember what the rite path is, my sons just turned 8 an i can barely take him to a game, kids dont want to sit at a game for 2hrs and get pumped every week , they need to start turning this garbage around.

I agree with you there mate. I'm a parent too and my kids don't want to come to the footy. It's hard and frustrating when I need to convince my kids to stick with the demons. It does need to turn around and I believe it will if we stick with Neeld and Craig. They are the key to our success in my eyes.

Im not sure anymore, Magner, Couch, Rodan and a few others they picked up are not up to AFL standards, were coming up to the seventh season down the bottom of the ladder, i cant even remember what the rite path is, my sons just turned 8 an i can barely take him to a game, kids dont want to sit at a game for 2hrs and get pumped every week , they need to start turning this garbage around.

i agree with you there.

If this is another "rebuild" it has to be done on the run. Hiding under the radar is not an option anymore.

Carlton are waiting in the wings to take over our change room if the MFC does not turn this situation around.

But i do not believe that it was all over 5 years ago.

Not yet anyway.

Older demon and mjt on the money for mine.

Fortunately my kids are too young to know any better, so they support the Dees just cos dad does.

Fingers crossed we are successful sometime in the next decade, otherwise we'll lose yet more of what's already a dwindled supporter base.

The Dees and the Dogs face the biggest challenges in the AFL to maintain a supporter base. The new franchises will ensure that the money that used to go to propping the likes of us, North and Port up instead will go to those two northern money pits.

If the broadcast rights deal for 2017-2022 isn't another bonanza there'll be serious repercussions.

Im not sure anymore, Magner, Couch, Rodan and a few others they picked up are not up to AFL standards, were coming up to the seventh season down the bottom of the ladder, i cant even remember what the rite path is, my sons just turned 8 an i can barely take him to a game, kids dont want to sit at a game for 2hrs and get pumped every week , they need to start turning this garbage around.

I don't think that those players are the good examples to illustrate your argument (two rookie listers and a somewhat speculative older recruit who Neeld likes for his personality, on and off the ground).

Who have they replaced? Would it have been a better option not to do a cleanout? Are there better options for recruits that we have missed?

You have also left out some of the more notable recruits of the last couple of years, including draft picks (we will wait and see their value) and two thirds of a new forward line (Clark, Dawes, Byrnes, Pederson).

You're not alone, I'll say that. This season is likely to test our patience to its absolute limits. Again.

Happy Birthday for tomorrow Pants.

You are far too young to have your patience tested.

Think of OD Jack and numerous others that have had their patience tested for nearly 50 years.

Patience is all we have.

How about you all wait to feel sick when something actually happens?

Did you people envision a great rise up the ladder when we beat Collingwood in the NAB Cup last year?

If you did - you were an idiot.

If you didn't - you were right, because the PS means nothing in the grand scheme of things or even in the minor scheme of things.

They got some games into Terlich, Jones, Kent, and Toumpas.

They got some form out of Watts, Sellar, and Magner.

We have a great number of spots up for grabs and some people put their hands up and that is pleasing.

We still have some worrying injuries but let's judge how they play AFL football when they start playing AFL football.

The grand finalsts from last year are exempt from needing to prove anything NAB cup. MFC finished 16th last season and need every opportunity to prove that they are a competitotor this year.

Tick tock tick tock neeld.

yeah, Micky M & his 6 man bench are coming soon... to a field near the 'G'.

Nup. Until we get an AFL class midfield on the park we'll struggle. We'll get there but it'll take time, and I'd expect that we'll be chasing someone (or two) that will complete the midfield puzzle at the end of the year.

Yes agree with this - we had a good off-season recruiting but we didn't land the mid-fielders we targetted - Mackay and Ray. We've got the worst mid-field in the league and until that's fixed we'll really struggle.

I'm not sure why there's such doom and gloom when one considers we were the spooner last year outside of the two fledgling clubs. Have some perspective. There's no point talking about what we thought was going to happen as we prognosticated back in 2010, it's the here and now that is the benchmark as we look to the future.

In a couple of years time our spine will read: Frawley, McDonald, Viney, Clark and Hogan. Other clubs will be hard-pressed to better it. Imagine if you're a midfielder, or flanker and had a rampaging Hogan, Clark, Dawes and Howe wanting you to get the ball into the forward-line quickly ? Conversely, imagine not having them there. Do you think you'd be mucking around, going sideways trying to find a clean avenue, so that you could hit up someone just inside 50 ? And then the dreaded turnover happens and the defenders are caught out of position. That's how we've played because we haven't had the confidence, or urgency to get it in there quickly since Neitz left. The difference in mind-set and urgency is stark and it does effect how you play. The confidence that lifts a team by knowing there's big strong targets is immense.

Trengove is also really important. Many supporters hardly factor him after his disappointing 2012, but he's a key for me. If he can progress to be the player we all envisaged then an emerging midfield of Trengove, Viney, Toumpas, Jones, and Blease together with Kent, Barry, Matt Jones and another top 10 midfielder from this year's draft means there's cause for optimism. Especially if we can lure a Rischitelli type, as mentioned by 55 and another poster.

As a Melbourne supporter I acknowledge that what I'm espousing is just more "next year" stuff. I get that. But I also get that that's our reality. The Swans built a premiership list within the space of 7 years without access to great draft picks. I maintain that we have a core 12-14 players that are very capable of developing into premiership players. I'll manage my expectations for 2013, but I'm very bullish about the next 5 years.

I don't think that those players are the good examples to illustrate your argument (two rookie listers and a somewhat speculative older recruit who Neeld likes for his personality, on and off the ground).

Who have they replaced? Would it have been a better option not to do a cleanout? Are there better options for recruits that we have missed?

You have also left out some of the more notable recruits of the last couple of years, including draft picks (we will wait and see their value) and two thirds of a new forward line (Clark, Dawes, Byrnes, Pederson).

Pederson is a spud, Dawes and Byrnes are unknown for us thus far.

Pederson is a spud, Dawes and Byrnes are unknown for us thus far.

Pederson, Dawes and Byrnes haven't even played a game for us yet... How can you label one a spud. I think you're the spud.

March bloody madness I tell ya.

I agree with you there mate. I'm a parent too and my kids don't want to come to the footy. It's hard and frustrating when I need to convince my kids to stick with the demons. It does need to turn around and I believe it will if we stick with Neeld and Craig. They are the key to our success in my eyes.

I don't want to go to the footy either, but its not because we are still rebuilding & teaching our list.

Its because I find the current AFL game style boring.

I just don't like it & can't even watch it on TV... any AFL team even the grand final I couldn't sit through as I'm over the modern techno-babble.

I want to see less tech talk from commentators & more non Ex player commentators who are actually in love with the game. and have a sense of humour & the ridiculous.

I never thought I'd turn my back on the game, actually I think the AFL has turned it's back on the paying public.

I don't want to go to the footy either, but its not because we are still rebuilding & teaching our list.

Its because I find the current AFL game style boring.

I just don't like it & can't even watch it on TV... any AFL team even the grand final I couldn't sit through as I'm over the modern techno-babble.

I want to see less tech talk from commentators & more non Ex player commentators who are actually in love with the game. and have a sense of humour & the ridiculous.

I never thought I'd turn my back on the game, actually I think the AFL has turned it's back on the paying public.

Hope you still by your membership?

Pederson is a spud, Dawes and Byrnes are unknown for us thus far.

You haven't actually addressed the content of my post, which was questioning your idea that the players the club has recruited thus far under Neeld 'are not up to AFL standard'.

Of course these players are 'unknown for us'. They haven't played a proper game for MFC yet. But is this a cause for pessimism? Should we not have overhauled the list to the extent that has occurred?

I don't want to go to the footy either, but its not because we are still rebuilding & teaching our list.

Its because I find the current AFL game style boring.

I just don't like it & can't even watch it on TV... any AFL team even the grand final I couldn't sit through as I'm over the modern techno-babble.

I want to see less tech talk from commentators & more non Ex player commentators who are actually in love with the game. and have a sense of humour & the ridiculous.

I never thought I'd turn my back on the game, actually I think the AFL has turned it's back on the paying public.

last years GF was a classic.

Pure arm wrestle. I dream of the day Checker Hughes Demons play that way again.

Solid contests on every line.

In the words of "Molly" Do yourself a favour & watch it.

What did we have last season? 4 wins? I'm going every week I can because we have recruited some great young talent and whilst we won't be top 8, we should win at least 6 games. And by the second half of the season we will be looking at Jimmy Toumpas and Jack Viney and feeling considerably better about midfield depth.

And dare I say, I'd like Melbourne to be more like Collingwood in that the supporters are constantly defending their players rather than running them down. Hate Collingwood but they do stick fat.

It's the kids i worry about. The kids who don't want to go to the footy because the Demons suck.

Yesterday is a practise game, yes. But try telling that to a kid who is going to cop it on monday.

Round 1 is very important...so is Round 2...

2008: "This year will be tough, but we have the talent and vision to be successful in the future. Be patient..."

2009: "This year will be tough, but we have the talent and vision to be successful in the future. Be patient..."

2010: "This year will be tough, but we have the talent and vision to be successful in the future. Be patient..."

2011: "This year will be tough, but we have the talent and vision to be successful in the future. Be patient..."

2012: "This year will be tough, but we have the talent and vision to be successful in the future. Be patient..."

2013: "This year will be tough, but we have the talent and vision to be successful in the future. Be patient..."

2014: "This year will be tough, but we have the talent and vision to be successful in the future. Be patient..."

And so on...

Pederson, Dawes and Byrnes haven't even played a game for us yet... How can you label one a spud. I think you're the spud.

March bloody madness I tell ya.

Not spud - troll. That's all it is.