A CLUB IN CRISIS ... THE AFL MUST STEP IN

[Sir Why You Little 37,323]

I support the current administration because

I trust Don McLardy, because he has done nothing to betray it

I, along with every other poster or reader of this Board, do not have any idea as to what has occurred in the Club during the last five years, we only have ponfificating journalists and commentators telling us what they think occurred

I am happy considering where we have been on the field, that we have 3 sponsors this year, we turned a profit last year, the membership has not taken a massive hit, the Footy Dept is getting the cash it needs (they are FACTS)

The playiing group has a crisis of confidence at the moment, they will get over it

You are not looking forward Sat.

Another 4-5 100+ beltings this year and that could all fall apart.

[mauriesy 7,418]

Patronizing in the extreme isn't WYL, that they don't think you can think for yourself.

What's patronising is making grand statements about sackings and takeovers and revolutions without any positive substance of what you'd do next, other than call in the AFL, who half got us into this mess with the Inquisition. I agree with GoodVibes.

Sacking Daniher and Bailety achieved nothing. Sacking Neeld, McLardy and Schwab now will do the same. Time the players just stood up on the field and played like AFL footballers.

[rjay 25,308]

Do you have faith in the present administration after the strategies they have presided over in the last 6 years?

Yes or No?

Yes

I think you are a bit to close, I understand you may be happy with how things are going now and believe that things are in place to move forward...but surely you can't think the rebuild under Bailey has been a success.

[Range Rover 1,935]

You whinge about an 'offensive post' (it wasn't. It was completely spot on), and then you write this:

Making someone sound like a gambling addict, someone who, by virtue of being different, you are 'on to'.

Everything Goodvibes said about you, from the one-liners to the divisiveness, was fair, reasonable, and based on evidence.

Everything you say is the complete opposite.

Goodvibes at least is well meaning.

You are just a fool.

[Jaded No More 68,975]

I don't want the AFL to step in, but it is painfully obvious that our incompetent management are letting their ego get in the way of acting in the best interest of the club, in which case what other option do we have?

[Sir Why You Little 37,323]

I think you are a bit to close, I understand you may be happy with how things are going now and believe that things are in place to move forward...but surely you can't think the rebuild under Bailey has been a success.

i certainly hope you're right.

I seriously believe a lot of supporters do not understand just how bad we have been in relation to other clubs.

The confidence of our playing list is not down. It's shot.

These guys could take years to recover.

[binman 44,651]

Plenty on here agree with me. Even a few of the 'conservatives' are starting to come 'round.

I assume RR that you are referring to me to some extent given you previously described (in a resposne to a previous post in this thread) me has having conservative views.

Perhaps your read that post but didn't comprehend? Or more likely you've read it and applied your lens to support your agenda.

To be clear i agree that the club is in crisis. But i did not (am haven't at any stage) call for CS's sacking or Mark Neelds for that matter. I certainly questioned the recent performance of both however. To that extent i am probably in sync with most posters on DL.

I am with those who are calling for calm. Decisions made in an environment of hysteria are rarely good ones. Some calm heads are needed.

The solution i have put forward is that a matter of urgency some form of professional psychological help is required that will enable the obvious wounds and angst among the playing group to be healed. We're going nowhere without meaning reconciliation and healing. If the current admin is to stay then they would need to both support this process and participate in it. If they can't or wont then i believe they should leave the club.

But if they do leave the club we still won't move forward if the wounds are not addressed and healed. Sacking Schwab in of itself would just be a hollow panacea.

So don't include me in your not so merry band of malicious pranksters.

[rjay 25,308]

I don't want the AFL to step in, but it is painfully obvious that our incompetent management are letting their ego get in the way of acting in the best interest of the club, in which case what other option do we have?

That's how I see it 'Jaded', I think the best result would be for Don and the board to check their ego's at the door and go to the AFL to find the best administrator and move Schwab out of the club.

Unfortunately they haven't shown any willingness to listen to reason and have been stubborn in supporting a dead duck. Their energy's would be better spent revitalising the club.

This is why the call for the AFL to step in.

[Range Rover 1,935]

I assume RR that you are referring to me to some extent given you previously described (in a resposne to a previous post in this thread) me has having conservative views.

Perhaps your read that post but didn't comprehend? Or more likely you've read it and applied your lens to support your agenda.

To be clear i agree that the club is in crisis. But i did not (am haven't at any stage) call for CS's sacking or Mark Neelds for that matter. I certainly questioned the recent performance of both however. To that extent i am probably in sync with most posters on DL.

I am with those who are calling for calm. Decisions made in an environment of hysteria are rarely good ones. Some calm heads are needed.

The solution i have put forward is that a matter of urgency some form of professional psychological help is required that will enable the obvious wounds and angst among the playing group to be healed. We're going nowhere without meaning reconciliation and healing. If the current admin is to stay then they would need to both support this process and participate in it. If they can't or wont then i believe they should leave the club.

But if they do leave the club we still won't move forward if the wounds are not addressed and healed. Sacking Schwab in of itself would just be a hollow panacea.

So don't include me in your not so merry band of malicious pranksters.

**Backpedals**

[Dee Fan 3,247]

McLardy and Schwab are obviously under the pump. They've helped us to wipe out our debt, re-align with the MCC, improve our training facilities and create increased revenue flows and brought some impressive sponsorship deals to the club at a difficult time. They've channeled much of their funds towards the footy department. They chose the coach. We have more assistants than ever before. We now have one of the best fitness/conditioning guys in the business. Our footy department has never received this level of financial support before.They know that if the team keeps failing they'll be out and they'll fall on their sword because at the end of the day they've got to live with their decisions. Is it unfair that they place a little pressure on the coach and the rest of the footy department to get things right on the field? You call that passing the buck. We all talk and talk and talk about being ruthless and the minute we put a little pressure on the footy department to improve our on-field fortunes, they're passing the buck. McLardy and Schwab aren't there to get the footy team playing good footy. They're there to allow the footy department to get the best out of their players. As far as I see, that's exactly what they've done. If they've chosen the wrong people and we continue to lose, they'll be out but in the mean time they have every right to put pressure on those they placed their trust in.

We certainly have a problem at the club and it would be delusional for all or any of us to deny it, that said I agree with you that mass sackings=mass suicide.

I firmly believe that as this year is shot we should take the opportunity to see if we can find the cause of the problems at the club and eradicate them; the Andrews Report is probably out of date now because of changes to personnel and we need another one done as soon as possible.

Geelong benefitted from a comprehensive analysis of all positions at the club and we should as well; if there are any lingering issues they should be discussed and cleared up. There is no doubt we are a splintered club and the amount of leaking during the Tanking report testifies to this. Once and for all we need to weed out the rats, if there are any, and get on with the job of trying to win games of football.

None of us want to be discussing club politics, all we want to do is get on here and talk football but it seems that that's the last thing we do.

RR, just give it a rest, I'm sure everyone on here knows your position and you don't have to continually restate it.

[Mac7 309]

Time the players just stood up on the field and played like AFL footballers.

^^^^^^^^ THIS!!! ^^^^^^^^

[dee_star 63]

Actually I'm not interested in blame. It's a waste of energy. I want us to get to the root of the problem and make sensible decisions about our future in a professional manner.

This is a great idea, let's do it, the root of the problem:

Under Bailey we didn't invest highly enough in Recruiting and Development. With an additional $1M in the footy department in from 2011 to 2012 you'd argue that we've put more resources in place, more Recruiters, more Development Coaches. Whether these people are the very best people or not in the AFL, at the very least we've got solid competent people in these roles now.

In July 2011 the Board decided that the CEO was not the right man for the job and the then Head of Footy had to be shifted out of the footy department, after considerable issues with the Coaching and Playing groups. Re-read this if you want a refresh on what happened around that time: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/date-with-disaster-20120504-1y4ky.html

While Garry has denied it, I have no doubt that his intervention came with the knowledge that Schwab was to be sacked, and he in effect saved Schwab and Bailey was sacked. Garry can talk all he likes about coming to the help of his ailing friend, and I'm sure that played a big part in it, but he was also saving Schwab from the guillotine. If the rumours are true, there was a loud cheer from the playing group when told in the days before the Geelong game that Schwab had been sacked, showing the feeling of the playing group towards the CEO. Given that it's been hidden away, I'd suggest the Andrews Reports backs this up.

Looking at it from the outside, you've got a playing group that likes the current Senior Coach, under who they've developed from bottom of the ladder to into the top 8 during 2011, and a Leadership group who are that concerned that they are willing to speak to the Board about the issues to do with the CEO and the Head of Footy. With Lyon's intervention the Coach they rated is gone and the two people they had issues with have been saved.

When the new Coach is appointed the Leadership group is nearly all removed, and two kids are appointed co-Captain way before they are ready. As the new game plan proves to be a poor one that does not show results it further alienates the playing group, which is then further compounded by list management decisions at the end of the season that allow a number of Senior players to leave, replacing them with players of similar ages but significantly less ability.

I don't believe we need AFL intervention at all, we need the Board to show the conviction that they were lacking in July 2011 and as the quoted post says, get to the root of the problem. The CEO must be removed, and then if there is no improvement shown in the coming months then the Coaching position must be looked at as well.

Stability is important, but there's no point having stability when the wrong people are in place, that's when there needs to be change.

[Goodvibes 3,596]

If I could choose one person at the club to sit down and have a beer with it would be Neil Craig. I'd be very very interested to hear his honest views as to:

• why we're in this hole
• whether he thinks Neeld can actually coach
• why Scwhab is seemingly detested by so many
• whether we have the quality on our list to become contenders
• club culture - is it real? Do the events of years and years ago really impact on the current?
• the way forward?

[binman 44,651]

**Backpedals**

That's complete bollocks RR and i assume you know that. Go back to the original post and name one inconsistency or example of revisionism with what i said above.

You are no better than shock jock or Greg Denham in your attempts to illicit responses and stir up meaningless (and useless) foment and angst. I have long said MFC has cultural problems which are manifested by the factional, spiteful in fighting and complete lack of unity that has long beset the club. RR your approach is typical of the cultural problems at the club.

RR you are part of the problem not the solution. If you ares so concerned why did you not go to the AGM and put forward your concerns?

This is the last response i will make to you as content generators like yourself rely on annoying prople and getting them to bite. I've mostly resisted in the past and probably should have today. I'll learn from that mistake.

Goodbye.

[PaulRB 6,435]

Agree, Craig would be good to speak to. There are alot of conflicting lines about Melbourne being thrown around, such as:

• list is too weak
• Coach is no good
• Admin are no good
• etc...

However the relationship between these perceived flaws are overlooked.

For example,

Can a coach be successful if the list is too weak?

Would changing the Admin impact on the quality of the list or output of the Coach? Etc...

Seems everyone with an axe to grind re some aspect of the club is using these two crappy performances to justify their opinions...

Tedious short term media driven dribble in my book.

[rpfc 28,941]

My endgame? The survival of the MFC. What's yours?

And I believe I have schooled you once before on a key issue concerning the club.

Once bitten Rpfc ...

So because I thought we give a 20 year old simpleton the benefit of the doubt - my views are forfeit?

I cannot believe how you are acting towards those Demons whose views are not dissimlar to your own.

[Satyriconhome 10,880]

So because I thought we give a 20 year old simpleton the benefit of the doubt - my views are forfeit?

I cannot believe how you are acting towards those Demons whose views are not dissimlar to your own.

Because he is losing, because he hates to lose, because he is drowning and trying to take as many with him as he can, thought you had seen enough of the wonderful Rangey's posts to reallise that if he is not winning ie losing, he starts another one....because it is all about him....nothing to do with the Club.......don't ask him to help, put himself forward, speak out publicly....he stays behind his keyboard egging people on and disparaging those who don't support him........seen too many revolutionaries like him over the years...he can offer nothing in the way of viable alternatives.....he gets most of his opinions from the media......if you read his posts they are sometimes nearly word for word

[Thehardtackler 785]

1116 was just saying that they think that Sylvia will leave at the end of the year and Watts will asked to be traded.

[Range Rover 1,935]

So because I thought we give a 20 year old simpleton the benefit of the doubt - my views are forfeit?

I cannot believe how you are acting towards those Demons whose views are not dissimlar to your own.

Rpfc if you are going to make comments like the one below you are kidding yourself if you think I will let it ride unchallenged.

"You are the one making posters who think like me as the enemy of the future of the club.

I do not appreciate it at all and I have been incredibly patient of late."

Get it straight. I view the incompetent administration we have as the "enemy of the future of the club".

Not you.

I wonder how many more thumpings it will take for you to reach the end of your noble "patience".

[mjt 640]

1116 was just saying that they think that Sylvia will leave at the end of the year and Watts will asked to be traded.

Big deal. Watts is a ballroom dancer.

[H_T 3,049]

If I could choose one person at the club to sit down and have a beer with it would be Neil Craig. I'd be very very interested to hear his honest views as to:

• why we're in this hole
• whether he thinks Neeld can actually coach
• why Scwhab is seemingly detested by so many
• whether we have the quality on our list to become contenders
• club culture - is it real? Do the events of years and years ago really impact on the current?
• the way forward?

• Lack of quality mids, changing of personnel to generate a new level of professionalism within the club takes time. And they're working on that.
• we haven't been nearly enough close to getting to the ball first and our intensity and confidence has dropped as a result.
• still a lot of room for improvement with respect to onfield leadership
• We have some quality personnel who are inexperienced and we think will mature soon enough; and we'll add to that
• Culture can come from the top, but it can also be a player driven standard among leaders and passed down to younger players such as at Geelong
• the way forward is sticking together to generate results on the field, it's the only way out of this.

[rpfc 28,941]

Rpfc if you are going to make comments like the one below you are kidding yourself if you think I will let it ride unchallenged.

"You are the one making posters who think like me as the enemy of the future of the club.

I do not appreciate it at all and I have been incredibly patient of late."

Get it straight. I view the incompetent administration we have as the "enemy of the future of the club".

Not you.

I wonder how many more thumpings it will take for you to reach the end of your noble "patience".

I was talking about patience with you, RR.

If you don't think that the posters on this are then enemy of the future of the club then perhaps you should stop yelling at us and start listening.

I am filthy with how we have started this year and I have said it repeatedly. I have also said that we are not far off a caretaker coach, removal of the CEO at some stage, and a change in Board leadership at the appropriate time.

You are cursing my views, and similar views of others on here, for unknown reasons. We have 20 rounds to go, we will not be suddenly kicked out of the league, we have time to make the right decision in the best interests of our club.

And I am not saying that to give time to the incumbents - I am saying it to give time to a possible President to assess his options and begin a challenge. I am saying it to provide us with an opportunity to poach a CEO later in the year, rather than throw an internal person into a role they are not familar with or ready for.

I see a community that is hurting, angry, willing to fight for their club, looking for new people and new answers, and then I see you with the same emotions screaming at the rest of us as if we are indifferent.

And we are not.

[Range Rover 1,935]

I was talking about patience with you, RR.

If you don't think that the posters on this are then enemy of the future of the club then perhaps you should stop yelling at us and start listening.

I am filthy with how we have started this year and I have said it repeatedly. I have also said that we are not far off a caretaker coach, removal of the CEO at some stage, and a change in Board leadership at the appropriate time.

You are cursing my views, and similar views of others on here, for unknown reasons. We have 20 rounds to go, we will not be suddenly kicked out of the league, we have time to make the right decision in the best interests of our club.

And I am not saying that to give time to the incumbents - I am saying it to give time to a possible President to assess his options and begin a challenge. I am saying it to provide us with an opportunity to poach a CEO later in the year, rather than throw an internal person into a role they are not familar with or ready for.

I see a community that is hurting, angry, willing to fight for their club, looking for new people and new answers, and then I see you with the same emotions screaming at the rest of us as if we are indifferent.

And we are not.

I can assure you I'm not in a minority of one, as much as you want to paint me as such.

[old dee 24,006]

I don't want the AFL to step in, but it is painfully obvious that our incompetent management are letting their ego get in the way of acting in the best interest of the club, in which case what other option do we have?

Good point Jaded

[old dee 24,006]

1116 was just saying that they think that Sylvia will leave at the end of the year and Watts will asked to be traded.

Not to mention Frawley and about 4 others.

If your contract was up would you want to stay?