Martin Flanagan in The Age

[Webber 10,178]

I urge all of you to read Flanner's piece in The Age today. Simply the best football writer we have. Makes a mockery of the volume and vitreole in the rest of the media.....

[Bonkers 918]

I urge all of you to read Flanner's piece in The Age today. Simply the best football writer we have. Makes a mockery of the volume and vitreole in the rest of the media.....

Impressed that he quoted Cantona.

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

I find self serving posts to be annoying in the extreme, although the two points for me from that article are two points that several of us here have been hammering home for ages:

1. cutting Junior McDonald prematurely was a major miscalculation; and

2. appointing Sheedy, rather than Bailey, in 2007 would've been a huge shot in the arm for this club.

Both very regrettable mistakes IMO.

Good article.

[Gorgoroth 12,337]

Sheedy has already told us, he interviewed us, and he was going to say no....... [censored] of the highest order.

Otherwise great article.

[timD 994]

I find self serving posts to be annoying in the extreme, although the two points for me from that article are two points that several of us here have been hammering home for ages:

1. cutting Junior McDonald prematurely was a major miscalculation; and

2. appointing Sheedy, rather than Bailey, in 2007 would've been a huge shot in the arm for this club.

Both very regrettable mistakes IMO.

Good article.

There is a lot more to the senior player disgruntlement.

a mate of mine (yes this is third hand) was a health professional attending to a senior player. The senior player stated that he hated CC. When asked why, the player reportedly said that he was told it was his last game before he ran out...like, when he was in the rooms about to go down the race.

I have no reason to doubt my friend - he isn't given the exaggeration - so the only issue is the player and from all reports he is a very decent fella.

[mjt 640]

rehashed, read that stuff 1000 times.

[rpfc 27,591]

There is a lot more to the senior player disgruntlement.

a mate of mine (yes this is third hand) was a health professional attending to a senior player. The senior player stated that he hated CC. When asked why, the player reportedly said that he was told it was his last game before he ran out...like, when he was in the rooms about to go down the race.

I have no reason to doubt my friend - he isn't given the exaggeration - so the only issue is the player and from all reports he is a very decent fella.

Well, that is disappointing.

We don't know the exact context but the fact remains that the FD is completely new with the oldest appointee being Viney in 2011.

The players should be able to move on from that.

Which leads me to the current issues with the current FD and where that will leave us in a few months time.

[rpfc 27,591]

rehashed, read that stuff 1000 times.

I think the point is that when Wilson and Sheahan calls us 'pathetic' they are disingenuous, misguided, and he, like many others, is sick of it.

[Pates 9,537]

Cutting Junior the way we did it was a mistake IMO appointing Sheedy wouldn't have achieved much. Would we be in better shape? Perhaps. Would he have gotten us to finals and a shot at the big one? I doubt it.

But what happened with Junior was wrong, there are some players that get to choose when they finish up. He should've been one of them. Instead he played one season with GWS and really didn't get the send off he deserved.

[CBDees 3,162]

I urge all of you to read Flanner's piece in The Age today. Simply the best football writer we have. Makes a mockery of the volume and vitreole in the rest of the media.....

I thought that Paul Roos article this morning was more on the money [though I cannot recall whether it was in the Age or the Hun?].

[timD 994]

Well, that is disappointing.

We don't know the exact context but the fact remains that the FD is completely new with the oldest appointee being Viney in 2011.

The players should be able to move on from that.

Which leads me to the current issues with the current FD and where that will leave us in a few months time.

Going on heresay is weak - I know, I know.

That said, I do trust my friend. That part is reliable - what he told me is unverified BUT it appears to fit a pattern of poor management. The player in question was no superstar but he tried his guts out.

What disturbs me is the idea that senior players have no impact beyond their playing skills/performance. I do wonder if the "rebuild" under Bailey placed too much emphasis on new talent and too little on cultural change and leadership development/team functioning?

[dees189227 10,910]

I really wish people would get over this sheedy thing. He has come out and said he would have refused the job.

As for james McDonald well finally cameron schwab has admitted it was wrong how they handled that and probably shouldnt have gotten rid of him when they did. Which we always knew.

[demonchris 162]

Is there a link?

[waynewussell 4,092]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/culture-not-simply-a-word-20130412-2hr1o.html

[waynewussell 4,092]

"... like seagulls following a fishing boat" I love that image. Good read providing a balance as always

[T-34 409]

I too believe we have a pattern of poor player management however that does not excuse complete lack of personal pride in effort and performance.

Having played at a very high level at my chosen sport (not footy ) the one thing a professional sportsman should never bring is a lack of effort as it reflects poorly on no one else but themselves. Personal pride is a non negotiable and if our players can't play well for no other reason than their own pride and satisfaction they should reconsider their current chosen career.

We are very quick to look at every other problem at the club but seem to cut the playing group way to much slack, the greatest coaching staff and administration could do no more with our current group who still carry mental baggage from previous administrations like a badge of honor, absolving them of any responsibility.

Until we get over that or replace those players that can't, we are doomed to a life of ignominity, no matter who leads us going forward.

Edited April 13, 2013 by T-34

[Cheesy D. Pun 1,762]

Studying Journalism, this is a great case study. Especially the stuff at the beginning about over-utilising hyperbole to the point that you have nowhere to go when something really happens.

This guy is a treasure.

[mauriesy 6,829]

Just amazing that the main protagonist in that photo is some smart-alec, snotty-nosed kid taunting the team with a Bombers jumper. He's no fan, just a juvenile opposition supporter rubbing it in, and who should have been shown better manners by his parents.

[3183 Dee 2,626]

Just amazing that the main protagonist in that photo is some smart-alec, snotty-nosed kid taunting the team with a Bombers jumper. He's no fan, just a juvenile opposition supporter rubbing it in, and who should have been shown better manners by his parents.

I think, if you look at the series of photos, most of the "fans" around the race are, infact, Bombers supporters giving it the large one.

[3183 Dee 2,626]

"... like seagulls following a fishing boat" I love that image. Good read providing a balance as always

At the time Cantona said that, there was much made of it in the British red-tops (Sun, Mirror, Star) about how it made no sense, dismissing it as typical ridiculous French philosophising!

[dee-luded 2,958]

Sheedy has already told us, he interviewed us, and he was going to say no....... [censored] of the highest order.

Otherwise great article.

Rubbish.

[praha 10,314]

I have to be honest: I find the commentary to be especially condescending.

What is it with Melbourne supporters being so damn apologetic? I mean, as great a writer as he is, he somehow managed to politicise the issue within the first few paragraphs.

I live in a free country where I expect things to be to a certain standard. I'm a competitive individual and I'd expect nothing less from the club I support in a relentlessly competitive competition. I shouldn't be made to feel bad about that because there are young men losing their lives in Afghanistan. It's actually a pathetic smug comparison to make. It's like he HAD to force his views on war into the article.

Yes Martin, we get it. You're a progressive thinking that hates seeing people criticised for their misdemeanours. Those poor, poor footballers.

Give me a break.

The football club is "rotten to the core" in its obvious inability to develop highly talented individuals. It's structure is fractured, its development rotten, and its culture inept.

People need to stop running away from that.

Martin is essentially victimising the club, which is not constructive. The club has only itself to blame.

We need to stop feeling sorry for this club when it fails to meet expectations time and time again. That does NOT mean we stop supporting them. It means we scrutinise and hold the club to account.

I think we've -- supporters and the media -- have done that collectively.

Sorry, but I just don't like the article.

Edited April 13, 2013 by Cudi_420

[Brian Wilson 331]

I have to be honest: I find the commentary to be especially condescending.

What is it with Melbourne supporters being so damn apologetic? I mean, as great a writer as he is, he somehow managed to politicise the issue within the first few paragraphs.

I live in a free country where I expect things to be to a certain standard. I'm a competitive individual and I'd expect nothing less from the club I support in a relentlessly competitive competition. I shouldn't be made to feel bad about that because there are young men losing their lives in Afghanistan. It's actually a pathetic smug comparison to make. It's like he HAD to force his views on war into the article.

Yes Martin, we get it. You're a progressive thinking that hates seeing people criticised for their misdemeanours. Those poor, poor footballers.

Give me a break.

The football club is "rotten to the core" in its obvious inability to develop highly talented individuals. It's structure is fractured, its development rotten, and its culture inept.

People need to stop running away from that.

Martin is essentially victimising the club, which is not constructive. The club has only itself to blame.

We need to stop feeling sorry for this club when it fails to meet expectations time and time again. That does NOT mean we stop supporting them. It means we scrutinise and hold the club to account.

I think we've -- supporters and the media -- have done that collectively.

Sorry, but I just don't like the article.

I think the article is less about MFC and more about the coverage in the media.

It's quite bold to criticise the coverage of MFC, especially given that his colleagues at The Age have, at times, been the responsible journos.

I agree that the reference to Afghanistan is rather distracting. He could have used a less controversial example to provide the context that this is not life and death. There could have been a more effective way of showing that the hyperbole of certain journalists has become rather ridiculous.

[Redleg 37,909]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/culture-not-simply-a-word-20130412-2hr1o.html

He is a pleasure to read.

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

Just amazing that the main protagonist in that photo is some smart-alec, snotty-nosed kid taunting the team with a Bombers jumper. He's no fan, just a juvenile opposition supporter rubbing it in, and who should have been shown better manners by his parents.

That was the first thing I noticed in that photo too. No empathy or respect - the kid will most likely turn into a scumbag of the highest order.