On 06/04/2013 at 23:24, Demon Land 7 said:

Worse was it was made aware Jack's grandfather I believe died last Sunday before the game, and this week they wore black armbands for that reason. MFC didn't tell the reason behind it because they didn't want to have Jack have to face the questions about whether his game was off because of it etc etc.

Than to be boo'ed of by your own supporters on the night where you've tried to pay respects to your grandfather would really be a dagger in his heart.

I thought the effort was insipid but you draw a line.. I actually think booing the collective isn't too bad, but when you boo a player coming to the bench or slap when they've been subbed off... How can you be angry when players leave our club.. i would too.

He was jeered because of constant insipid performances, the guys on 15,000 a game, he can leave anytime he pleases.

I was sitting on Level 2 of the members and chose to go down to the standing areas of Level 1 for the final quarter to see the 'vibe' of supporters first hand.

After the final siren, several groups of MFC and non-MFC supporters went over to the race. I explicitly heard one group say "lets go over to the race and get on 360 this week" - THIS MADE MY STOMACH TURN - for all the reasons already stated here, which don't need to be rehashed.

Secondly, I recognised a few people hanging over the race jeering the players of from the TV footage as ex-schoolmates of mine who I know for a fact are neither MFC or Essendon supporters!!!

If the media chose to concentrate on this ugly side or our current circumstance (which admittedly it's hard not to) it's only going to get worse and uglier!

Did anyone else see the scuffle that broke out in the members just after the players had walked off? I'm not 100% sure if it was between MFC supporters and/or Essendon supporters, so I'd rather not cast false aspersions.

That said, when MCC members are coming to blows with one another something is not right!!

  On 06/04/2013 at 14:57, biggestred said:

They WERE essendon ferals.

Read my comments again, I was talking about the game against Port (the spitting incidents were mentioned by the commentators during the Essendon game, but in reference to the Port game).

The Wet Toast EGirls fans have a different approach. Instead of bagging their players they haemorrhage out of the ground when they are three goals behind in the last quarter!!!

Not to justify the actions of those idiots on Saturday night, but we shouldn't feel sorry for the club. The club should feel sorry for us.

  On 07/04/2013 at 12:32, Loyal Royal said:

The Wet Toast EGirls fans have a different approach. Instead of bagging their players they haemorrhage out of the ground when they are three goals behind in the last quarter!!!

Great perspective.

We don't boo because we think the team is crap or because we hate them. We boo because we expect more.

But heckling and hurling personal abuse is not on. But it is emotional and people get angry. The game is the fans though and instead of asking HOW people acted like that, we should look at WHY those actions were initiated in the first place.

We can't sit back and be apologetic supporters. We need to hold the club accountable to its words and actions. In a way, booing the team is representative of that accountability. We all respond in different ways.

  On 07/04/2013 at 00:34, mjt said:

He was jeered because of constant insipid performances, the guys on 15,000 a game, he can leave anytime he pleases.

This is quite a poor response - you equate money to systematic bullying... your morals are strangely warped and emphasises everything wrong with this world and why there are so many sad excuses for human beings.

  On 08/04/2013 at 00:45, machine11 said:

This is quite a poor response - you equate money to systematic bullying... your morals are strangely warped and emphasises everything wrong with this world and why there are so many sad excuses for human beings.

What he says is that players earn a very large pay packet relative to the standards expected of them. If you're not up to the task in a competitive environment then of course money is an issue.

And please, PLEASE, don't start with the "systematic bullying" crap. The guy plays in the top-tier premier sporting league in the country. He's made it there in-part because he knows exactly how to deal with scrutiny. That comes part and parcel with being a professional in the public eye where the general public are your primary stakeholders.

People are being far too apologetic.

Oh, he's grandfather passed away? Welcome to the real world. I don't start sucking at my job every time I have personal issues in my life, and I earn a 1/20th of what he probably gets.

  On 08/04/2013 at 00:49, Cudi_420 said:

What he says is that players earn a very large pay packet relative to the standards expected of them. If you're not up to the task in a competitive environment then of course money is an issue.

And please, PLEASE, don't start with the "systematic bullying" crap. The guy plays in the top-tier premier sporting league in the country. He's made it there in-part because he knows exactly how to deal with scrutiny. That comes part and parcel with being a professional in the public eye where the general public are your primary stakeholders.

People are being far too apologetic.

We will come to your work place and jeer you then see how long before you run of and start crying.

  On 08/04/2013 at 00:51, machine11 said:

We will come to your work place and jeer you then see how long before you run of and start crying.

People have got to drop this silly attempted analogy.

An inherent aspect of being an AFL player is public scrutiny and comment. That aspect is lacking entirely from most 9-to-5 jobs, making your analogy redundant.

  On 08/04/2013 at 00:59, titan_uranus said:

People have got to drop this silly attempted analogy.

An inherent aspect of being an AFL player is public scrutiny and comment. That aspect is lacking entirely from most 9-to-5 jobs, making your analogy redundant.

not really, it is just your warped perception but it is easy when you a part of a group or anonymous. It is similar to why people commit crimes within a group that they wouldn't commit alone.

  On 06/04/2013 at 14:52, Thehardtackler said:

It's not going to get any better soon! Colin Sylvia does not want to be at the club., I spoke to him yesterday at training and he is totally disinterested. Jack Watts appeared far too comfortable and needs some serious tough love. Nathan Jones and Mitch Clark looked completely depressed to me and I can't see us improving any time soon without these players mentally fit and firing, so more boos will come and the players and the coaches may as well prepare themselves for it! These are all observations from Friday training.

What did Sylvia say?

  On 08/04/2013 at 00:51, machine11 said:

We will come to your work place and jeer you then see how long before you run of and start crying.

You don't need to. My boss lets me have it when I don't perform. 'Cause accountability.

Booing and yelling frustrated abuse is ugly. However, so is the current effort shown by our team. As such it is justified. I booed and will boo again if I see inept, weak perfomances. If players don't give enough respect to the gurnsey. If players don't give their all.

  On 08/04/2013 at 02:35, Grand New Flag said:

Booing and yelling frustrated abuse is ugly. However, so is the current effort shown by our team. As such it is justified. I booed and will boo again if I see inept, weak perfomances. If players don't give enough respect to the gurnsey. If players don't give their all.

Have you considered that they are giving their all!

  On 08/04/2013 at 01:03, dazzledavey36 said:

What did Sylvia say?

I reiterate this, what did he say?

A section from Rohan Connolly's article summing up the weekend - "From a grippling tussle to health and safety issue":

"THE UGLY

Melbourne fans were upset after the first-round thrashing by Port Adelaide and spontaneously voiced their displeasure. On Saturday night, the gathering of red-faced fans at the Melbourne race became the province of seemingly every attention-seeker in town who could later be seen texting or tweeting about their 15 seconds of fame. "

Apparently he's on the run home with Ox for an hour tonight from 4pm as well...

Not being able to be at the game (living in Queensland and all), is there confirmation that it was Melbourne fans that gave Watts the bronx cheer and gathered around the race at the end of the game?

All of the evidence I can see is that it was Essendon flogs.

Similar to the boos received when Grimes got paid a free and kicked the goal late in the first. What a poor bunch of supporters.

  On 08/04/2013 at 03:00, old dee said:

Have you considered that they are giving their all!

If we had lost by 48 points you may have a point. To lose by 148 points, to be out scored 7 to 101 in the second half only happens with a complete failure of the entire football club. The players are on the front line, they did not go hard enough, they are to share the blame. Simply it is the lack of intensity, the failure of too many to put the head over the ball, the failure to run and spread. It was so poor it deserved to be booed. It was not good enough. I will boo inept performances again.

  On 08/04/2013 at 03:18, Dr. Mubutu said:

Not being able to be at the game (living in Queensland and all), is there confirmation that it was Melbourne fans that gave Watts the bronx cheer and gathered around the race at the end of the game?

All of the evidence I can see is that it was Essendon flogs.

As someone standing behind the goals at the essendon end, the cheers were definitely from Essendon flogs. Watts was copping it from there all game