yes I understand all that but what do you to expect them to say when they are elected?

We have the best, hardest to find, most amazing candidates who can't be found anywhere and are irreplacable. Of course that's what we want.

Can you tell if they are so good why the don't plan ahead for the worst case scenario (which plays out daily at the MFC) and proactively approach it rather than be reactive and surprised all the time.

It's a big wide world. These people may be great but the club's handling of some of the issues over the last 2 years has been unacceptable and there would certainly be others who are more than capable of doing the job.

or maybe some around these parts do not understand the challenges the MFC still faces even with the advancements in recent years. We all want to believe that there is a magic fix. We've thrown Boards out with monotonous regularity. If we can just change the Board then we'll have more sponsors, more members, more crowds, more Premierships...

Edited April 21, 201312 yr by demoniac

The cheap seaters?

Haha anyone but Neeld this week

or maybe some around these parts do not understand the challenges the MFC still faces even with the advancements in recent years.

Maybe they don't but again perception is reality to most supporters and that is that we have lurched from one disaster to the next and the way the board represents members and supporters is important to people. People feel let down and I think that's understandable regardless of how hard or great the board are doing things behind the scenes.

People measure the board by the success and competitiveness of the club but also how the board protects the club and this seems to have been the issue.

I don't get the impression the "cheap seats" comment was about Melbourne fans.

I don't get the impression the "cheap seats" comment was about Melbourne fans.

No, it's clear it wasn't, but that won't stop those here who only look for negatives.

To be brutally honest with you Sue my business likes to be associated with winning and success, so I'll not be sponsoring out current club.

But I love that at the first sign of someone putting their hand up you've sniped at them. Go ahead. I'm not going to accuse you of taking a cheap shot from the 'cheap seats'. I'm smart enough not to do that.

that's what I love about this forum. I wasn't taking a cheap shot. It was a genuine question, hoping i might trigger the idea. Oh well.

Edited April 21, 201312 yr by sue

I think this is not the first time Don has had a go at the members. And I do interpret the cheap seats to include the members. Except the Chardonnay set. I think once you start playing fast and loose with the members, the very same members that saved this club, the very same members that elected the Board, the very same members that came to the footy today (20,000 is pretty good considering), you have missed the point of being in a leadership position.

I am sympathetic to leaders being unfairly treated, absolutely, but there does come a point where criticism is both legitimate and deserved.

Can someone please explain what 'cheap seats' mean?

Is he referring to our blue collar membership base, he should resign immediately.

It is exactly this blue collar demographic that has turned Richmond, collingwood, essendon and hawthorn into a powerhouse.

Mclardy has lost touch. Disgusting comments. Truly disgusting.

Give me Schwartz as our figurehead, who at least will represent the rank and file supporter base. Give him competent , professional support, and we have the foundations of a new ticket.

Prendergast - gone

Schwab - gone

Mclardy - last legs

Neeld - dead man walking

It's round 4, we can still make finals, let's enact this regime change immediately. There is no time to waste.

Ill resign when Don resigns

tonatopia... Hahahahahaha! That was funny stuff. You were joking,no? Anyway, thanks for entertaining me this Sunday evening. Isn't a win grand?

tonatopia... Hahahahahaha! That was funny stuff. You were joking,no? Anyway, thanks for entertaining me this Sunday evening. Isn't a win grand?

Hahaha, I'm serious.

I reckon our players rock!

Yep, I do have a problem with making judgements based on partial facts, rumour, innuendo and 'opinion' pieces by journos whose main interest is in big-noting themselves.

Some of us are bitter by years of failure and so are happy to put the boot at the drop of a hat and on every issue. Perhaps understandable, but as I think Redleg has said, I wouldn't want some of you guys to be on my jury if I was innocent.

Go through this admins record since taking over, it's pretty dismal and McLardy admitted the other day they have failed to achieve the goals they set 4 years ago.

I find Don's take on this and his referral to the 'cheap seats' a little bit condecending.

Don's comment that we will end up with people from the cheap seats running the club which will be another major problem for the game is laughble when you consider how well those from the 'expensive seats' are going doing the same thing.

I mean Don really could anyone do any worse than what the club has been subjected to in the last 2 years?

Don really is out of touch and needs to get some perspective. I would have thought the 'establishment' type people at our club would have realised they need the people in the 'cheap seats' to make this club a great one together as one and not blame them for pressure.

Lets face it at 3 Qtr time today all I could think was - what more do you want MFC...20K supporters turn up even when you are at your lowest and now you are doing this to them against GWS.

Seriously Don come sit in the 'cheap seats' just like Jim used to do. You might find you actually learn something outside the ivory tower.

I think you have completely misunderstood Don's comment about the cheap seats. He was in no way referring to the loyal melbourne supporters who come and support our club every week. He was referring to the people who do not thrive on our club failing, who feel they have a right to comment and bag the [censored] out of us whenever they want. I was lucky enough to run into Don at a pub after the game (with members from the cheer squad in fact - just like Jim used to do) and in no way appears to look down on any melbourne supporter. He has followed our club his entire life and just like you and me, only wants the best for the MFC.

Then where are they? I've been voting in MFC elections since 1988. This Board is hands down the best we have had over that period in terms of their professional achievements. When Stynes was rebuilding the Board these are the business people who were identified as the best candidates and the ones who simply had to be persuaded to commit their time to the Board. To be on the Board you need to be successful in business and be willing to devote the time to to the club that a Directorship entails.

My issue is mainly with the leadership not necessarily the Board - however I think we need more good footy people on there and not just good business people. It needs to be a mix to be successful.

Can someone please explain what 'cheap seats' mean?

Is he referring to our blue collar membership base, he should resign immediately.

It is exactly this blue collar demographic that has turned Richmond, collingwood, essendon and hawthorn into a powerhouse.

Mclardy has lost touch. Disgusting comments. Truly disgusting.

Give me Schwartz as our figurehead, who at least will represent the rank and file supporter base. Give him competent , professional support, and we have the foundations of a new ticket.

Prendergast - gone

Schwab - gone

Mclardy - last legs

Neeld - dead man walking

It's round 4, we can still make finals, let's enact this regime change immediately. There is no time to waste.

Similar to someone previously, i think the 'cheap seats' comments was well misunderstood. He was not referring to any demographic. He was referring to people who feel they have a right to comment on our club, to bag us regardless of what we do, who are unsupporting, who thrive when we are in the [censored].I dont think he was reffering to the die hard supporters that turn up every week to support our boys.

Similar to someone previously, i think the 'cheap seats' comments was well misunderstood. He was not referring to any demographic. He was referring to people who feel they have a right to comment on our club, to bag us regardless of what we do, who are unsupporting, who thrive when we are in the [censored].I dont think he was reffering to the die hard supporters that turn up every week to support our boys.

I think he was referring to rank and file members.

I think he was referring to the supporters that realise that this man, while he may have been a good and loyal number two has been a disaster as a president. He is referring to those of us that are critical of him.

I don't want the whole board gone, but Don, as president, has been appalling. He should resign.

He was referring to people who don't pay (to the MFC) to get in... including some in the press-box

He was referring to people who don't pay (to the MFC) to get in... including some in the press-box

No, he was referring to critics.

Looking at my previous post, left that out. I'm very confident he was referring to his critics, whether they be members or not.

He may deny that, but ATM his credibility isn't exactly sky high

You have some good points re finding quality board members - granted, but don't you consider Dons comments about the cheap seats derogatory and divisive at a time when he should be continuing to do the good work Jimmy started by healing the club as one?

You have spoken to him, and thats good, so you understand him but what about all the supporters in the cheap seats who don't have the same access? The best they have is to read what he talks about in his Presidents Lunch today and here he is making statements that don't help the club heal.

How does Don think what was a premeditated prepared Presidents Lunch speech is going to be taken by the members in the cheap seats. We need as many members sitting in cheap seats as we do corporate support and alienation of either is unacceptable for a President.

Don needs to realise perception is reality and perception is he is playing the blame game instead of telling us constructively what Club is doing about all this mess. Don't start with the poor me story Don as we all feel it albeit not in the gun.

Well said. RE: cheap seats - What a patronising and almost bewilderingly stupid comment to make. I had previously thought Don seemed like a man without ego. He's cleared this one up for me.

We need everyone we can get. Even those fair weather supporters.

Edited April 21, 201312 yr by AdamFarr

He identified his target with the term "cheap seats" in an " on the record" environment.

It wasnt some allegorical 1850's poetry reading where everyone will gather around to discuss who he really means.

It was ill-considered and it comes across as blaming your customer because they don't like the product you are producing.

This board and admin are under plenty of pressure, Scullygate, Tanking now Danking and no ability to point to success on field. They should be recognised for a great job on getting the club over its crushing financial position

Can't believe what I'm reading here. Well, I can actually. Pick pick pick pick pick.

The speech wasn't even about criticism per se, it was about drugs in sport, all that goes with it, and the need to have quality people involved to maintain the integrity of the competition.

I like McLardy and want him to do well. He seems like a nice bloke who loves the MFC. As I'm sure all board members past & present have been to varying degrees.

However, he does seem out of his depth. He definitely has a communication problem and there is a growing perception that he is a spin merchant. He is not dealing with the public pressure well.

After the horrific loss against Essendon - Don initiated a PR blitz and the message was while the results were unacceptable he was confident in the people/ processes in place at the MFC and wouldn't be changing anything based on external pressures on the club. Two days later he sacks the CEO when he was defending his performance two days earlier.

We have had one of the worst starts to a season in history. The Andrews report, tanking saga and now the Dank/Bates affair point to a crucial breakdown in communication at the club which in turn has put players off-side, eroded supporter confidence and trashed the brand in the eyes of the wider AFL community. If the board/president isn't ultimately accountable for that then who is?

Despite years of crap Melbourne supporters voted with their feet and consecutive record memberships were achieved from 2007-2011. They also voted with their wallets and wiped out the club's crippling debt in 3 years. Fools. Imagine these ungrateful cretins wanting to see some return on their emotional and financial investments.

We aren't some slobbering mass of armchair experts who expect perfection but after 5 years is it too much to expect the team to be winning (or even competitive) against real teams? Is it too much to expect the board to not hire/let f/wits in the football dept land us in deep [censored] with the AFL? Is it too much to ask to not be a complete laughing stock? Is it too much to expect some sort of accountability rather than buck passing, spin and blame shifting?

I found "cheap seats" to mean casual fans that speak up and criticise the loudest when the club is falting.

he might not be referring to any melbourne fan in general, but a fan nonetheless.

I found "cheap seats" to mean casual fans that speak up and criticise the loudest when the club is falting.

he might not be referring to any melbourne fan in general, but a fan nonetheless.

And therein lies his communication problem. Regardless of what he really meant - the phrase cheap seats can be taken out of context & twisted by anybody with an agenda. If he meant people taking "cheap shots" - say that. If he meant the hysterical media commentariat - say that. "Cheap seats" was a (most likely unintentionally) divisive term to use. The natives are restless it's best not to provoke them, Mr President.

You have consistently berated the lack of "facts" in both those issues when the opposite situation is clearly the case.

So the facts on tanking were clear were they? Obviously your copy arrived, but my copy of the AFL Report and the MFC Response got lost in the mail.