Everyone Calm Down!

[P-man 13,366]

Angry mob

RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE

What is this saying exactly? That it's an overreaction? Turn it up Jonesy. I've seen you express your disgust in other threads. We're all shattered with what we just witnessed.

[The heart beats true 18,145]

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2013-03-31/melb-v-port-mark-neeld

Go read that and tell me why it's important to be upset. Jack Viney is a Melbourne person. He remembers when the club stood for something and was proud. Members are the only long term custodians of this club. Everyone else is being paid to pass through. Putting the club under pressure anyway we can ensures it exists. Colin Sylvia will go play for someone else if we fold, but our members will never love the game without the MFC. We need to demand accountability to literally stay in the game.

[Trisul 664]

Indignant upity few

YOOF,NOTOURDAY,NEELDISCOOL,13GOALINSIPIDLOSSESFTW

[timmyo64 44]

yes i agree we should support, but we should let them know how we feel! would hawthorn, collingwood or any other successful club's supporters just accept it with out savage back lash? no! they'd go feral. they will respond to our passion, but a timid response like your suggestion shows them nothing except that they can get away with it scott free.

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,602]

Supporting is about passion. If the players you are supporting in many cases have no passion its hard to keep paying them your hard earned

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,602]

Honestly - some Melbourne supporters must love failure or something? At richmond they deliver horse crap and burn their membership!

[Biffen 12,947]

I agree .

Feral time.

[1858 285]

Ok, I understand how frustrating this is. Melbourne has been a below average team for years now with the last few seasons being full of unfulfilled promises. Today was a big disappointment, but to show to everyone what a strong footy club we are, we need to pick ourselves up and continue to support our team. Because that's what supporters are for.

If we weren't supporting the team we wouldn't be here.

Do you expect us to whistle Dixie?

Such as we've been since 2006, the day the club stops hearing venting fans is the day it doesn't have any. One day this club will get nothing but crickets if it isn't friggen careful.

To all those sticking with the club year in year out good on you, keep getting membership, keep turning up but FFS don't hold back on slamming mediocrity.

Our club may not resemble an AFL club atm but we at least have a right to resemble AFL footy fans.

[titan_uranus 25,043]

I will never stop supporting this club, never. I will always be there, I will always go to the game when I can, and I will always be a member.

That does not preclude me, or anyone else, from expressing disgust at today's performance.

To open a new year with a showing that lacked effort, heart, intensity, pressure, guts, courage and all those intangible things we should be able to put out there in Round 1 is just inexcusable.

Part of supporting a club is to motivate it to get better. If the supporters are fed up, that should be expressed, and the club should feel it. The support of the members and fans should never be taken for granted, and performances like today's do nothing to repay them.

[lucifer 119]

We have every right to be upset, and should not tolerate the rubbish that was dished up today. It is this attitude the typifies the attitude of the MFC and that is why we are going nowhere. Ask yourself - would Collingwood, Carlton, Hawthorn or Geelong accept a 13 goals thrashing? No, they would be furious. Telling the supporters to calm down is ridiculous. We have been calm enough for the past 7 years, and the fact that this club stands for nothing infuriates me. Enough already.

[Little Goffy 14,639]

I'm calm... but seriously, there needs to be a substantial turn around in effort and coordination in a pretty short space of time, or even I will just not see the point of coming along.

[Jonesbag 487]

What is this saying exactly? That it's an overreaction? Turn it up Jonesy. I've seen you express your disgust in other threads. We're all shattered with what we just witnessed.

Its off south park, you tube it, its quite funny

[P-man 13,366]

Its off south park, you tube it, its quite funny

Yeah I get the South Park reference. Never mind.

[Guest]

Today was a tipping point for me. I was considering giving this post it's own thread but among the barrage of posts canning today's performance, I didn't want to add to the log jam.
I will be going to the football next week as my girlfriend has never been to a game and wants to see one. However, I will not be taking her to the Melbourne vs. Essendon match. I will be looking at the fixtures and will be going to the best match in Melbourne. I will also not be going to any matches involving Melbourne in the near future. I have had enough. I'm not looking at changing clubs (though I will continue to watch the Melbourne Storm whenever I can).
Today's performance was, to paraphrase Caro, pathetic and disgusting. Stuff any tanking allegations. Today's performance was more indicative of those two adjectives, not some silly beat up bought on by an interview designed to satisfy the AFL media cycle.
I think I was pretty realistic going into today's game. I felt (and look at my previous posts if you want to check the truthfulness of this statement) that we shouldn't get too worked up if there wasn't an A grade performance displayed at the 'G today as we had 1/3 of a new side. I felt that had we put forth our best effort, we would beat Port. However, if we had a howler, then the knives would be well and truly out. I never put down a margin that constituted what a howler was but I thought if we lost by 42-48 points, then some hard questions needed to be asked.

That we lost by 80 odd points is unimaginable. Where was the run and spread? Blokes are sitting on their hands. No one is taking any initiative whatsoever. There is no dare, no dash and no spark. We are trying to play Collingwood's game plan without Collingwood's cattle. I think Neeld has done some positive things in as far as improving training standards. I think though he is a control freak as it's clear the experiment of boundary hugging football is falling apart right before our eyes. When will this bloke admit that the game style is not working and loosen the shackles somewhat? We don't need to go back to the run and gun of the Bailey years but FFS, let some of the boys play to their strengths! Sure, they needed to tighten up on defense. Sure, they probably needed a firmer hand after the players ran roughshod over Bailey but we have now over-corrected with the approach we have taken. The players look dis-spirited out there and at the end of the day, he is the bloke who has to carry the can.
I won't come out and say 'Sack Neeld' but the changes in his approach have to start coming about now. Damien Hardwick was smart enough to see after 9 weeks in 2010 that 'Clarko's cluster' was never going to work with the players he had. He modified his approach and the Tiges won half of their remaining games that season and have been on an upward curve since. It seems Neeld is continuing to stick with his plan out of pure bloody mindedness.
I'm realistic about the likelihood of my views on what the club should do to improve coming to fruition hence my sitting out for the foreseeable future. I'm doing my master's degree and am aiming to get NAATI (National Accreditation Authority of Translators and Interpreters) accreditation. I have enough stress in my life at the moment and a shortage of spare time. I don't see why I should waste my time on a club that gives f*** all back to it's supporters, despite their patience and understanding. I thought about being branded a 'band wagon' jumper by some but I dare anyone to call me that. In my mind, a bandwagon jumper is someone who bails at the first sign of trouble (i.e. one bad season). I have put up with this s*** for 6 years now. I bought memberships even though I was living overseas and caught every game I could. In total I have supported this for nearly 3/4's of my life. Don't tell me I haven't stuck fat in bad times.
I have stuck through the periods of non success but also in some of those bad times (i.e. 1995-1997), it was pretty clear that we were just poo and being outclassed. Now, it's a case of us not having much cattle and not giving a toss. Well, if they don't give a toss neither do I. The club needs to start earning my loyalty and respect. If they can start doing that then great. Until then, don't expect to see me back at the footy till this club begins caring.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Guest

[Maldonboy38 6,406]

I still have my members scarf and members card.

I will support and bleed red and blue until I die.

I will stick as fat as I can.

But I feel gutted today. Devastated. Again.

I wonder if a heap of us should turn up to the next open training session and let the players and coaches know how we feel? Emails to the club, donations to debt demolition, participation in club functions and family days is the support we have given and will give. But how do we express a mixture of emotional numbness, devastation and rage? Would it make the players and coaches play and coach better?

I don't know how to express to the club the emotions I am feeling, but I don't just want to type into an internet forum. The club needs to know how it feels for us.

[Jonesbag 487]

Yeah I get the South Park reference. Never mind.

Alright, good chat