"FORMER Fitzroy coach Robert Shaw says Melbourne is worse than the Lions in their dying years and is insulted by comparisons with the now defunct club."

He's so right. Fitzroy was a murder. Melbourne is a suicide.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/robert-shaw-insulted-by-comparisons-between-melbourne-and-fitzroy/story-e6frf9mf-1226643371146

Yeah, spot on.

What's Shaw doing nowadays. Would be good at least for a pre game pep talk or half time spray.

"FORMER Fitzroy coach Robert Shaw says Melbourne is worse than the Lions in their dying years and is insulted by comparisons with the now defunct club."

He's so right. Fitzroy was a murder. Melbourne is a suicide.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/robert-shaw-insulted-by-comparisons-between-melbourne-and-fitzroy/story-e6frf9mf-1226643371146

Robert Shaw is bang on the money.

Fitzroy ended up with nothing but a card table, but they fought on to the last moment for that jumper.

They would have had a crack last sunday unlike the MFC's limp effort.

Whilst Mclardy enjoyed the free food.

Should have gone to fight in court Don. It might just have shaken the joint up in the right way.

As it is the soul of this club is lying in intensive care.

In the immortal words of Hunter S Thompson.

"It's gonna be close..."

Robert Shaw is bang on the money.

Fitzroy ended up with nothing but a card table, but they fought on to the last moment for that jumper.

They would have had a crack last sunday unlike the MFC's limp effort.

Whilst Mclardy enjoyed the free food.

Should have gone to fight in court Don. It might just have shaken the joint up in the right way.

As it is the soul of this club is lying in intensive care.

In the immortal words of Hunter S Thompson.

"It's gonna be close..."

Spare us WYL with the tanking, every post you raise it up. It would have cost more, still wouldn't have been settled by now, and we would have lost - no good precedent for sporting clubs and codes in the courts. If we had a water tight case we would have gone to court, but we didn't so move on. The club was found not guilty, and most importantly our draft picks were secured.

Also people can debate about the good and bad decisions he has made (that's fair), but to suggest he has sat on his arse, "enjoyed the free food" and hasn't tried to improve the club is plain offensive.

Yeah, spot on.

What's Shaw doing nowadays. Would be good at least for a pre game pep talk or half time spray.

Football Coach of Brighton Grammar.

I thought Fitzroy was still with us... just up north. Reckon saying it's defunct (no longer existing or functioning) is probably more of a slight than comparing it to MFC.

As a Fitzroy supporter at the time, Shaw is talking rubbish.

"FORMER Fitzroy coach Robert Shaw says Melbourne is worse than the Lions in their dying years and is insulted by comparisons with the now defunct club."

He's so right. Fitzroy was a murder. Melbourne is a suicide.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/robert-shaw-insulted-by-comparisons-between-melbourne-and-fitzroy/story-e6frf9mf-1226643371146

He is right. The current players on this list are playing selfish poor standard football. Even if Neeld has lost them, the players are such an unaccountable group to the club who pays their salary.

Spare us WYL with the tanking, every post you raise it up. It would have cost more, still wouldn't have been settled by now, and we would have lost - no good precedent for sporting clubs and codes in the courts. If we had a water tight case we would have gone to court, but we didn't so move on. The club was found not guilty, and most importantly our draft picks were secured.

Also people can debate about the good and bad decisions he has made (that's fair), but to suggest he has sat on his arse, "enjoyed the free food" and hasn't tried to improve the club is plain offensive.

if we had gone to court we had a dam good case.

Stop fooling yourself.

If you are offended by my reference to Don as President tell me what he has done right during his tenure??

I have never seen a worse team than the one we are wittnessing now.

It all started with the Tanking Template. Sorry if that fact bores you.

It must be fixed, not swept under the carpet hoping it will go away.

When did Don last front the members apart from a generic printed letter??

As a Fitzroy supporter at the time, Shaw is talking rubbish.

in what way BB?

What did you see?

"Just for once try to tackle the crap out of the opposition."

I think Shaw stole the words from every Melbourne supporters mouth with that line.

if we had gone to court we had a dam good case.

Stop fooling yourself.

If you are offended by my reference to Don as President tell me what he has done right during his tenure??

I have never seen a worse team than the one we are wittnessing now.

It all started with the Tanking Template. Sorry if that fact bores you.

It must be fixed, not swept under the carpet hoping it will go away.

When did Don last front the members apart from a generic printed letter??

We the case good? Yes. Was it water tight? No. Is there good precedent? No.

Do you know what judges usually say to sporting clubs that take their code regulator to court say? This is not a matter for the courts, there are rules in place, if you have failed to act in those rules, which your regulator has said you have, then bad luck - f&*k off.

WYL I don't think you appreciate the repercussions of if we went to court and lost. We would have been charged, we would have had a bigger fine, we would have had much more significant costs, we would have lost Viney and Toumpas.

The case wasn't water tight - it was grey as grey can be - and in the courts grey can be argued as easily for as against.

Its true we are the worst team. In history? No. I'll try and find an article a few weeks ago which addressed our previous crapness

No one is sweeping any of this under the rug.

Don has done a number of things, ie delt with the tanking - just because they didnt do what you wanted to, doesn't mean he hasn't done anything.

We the case good? Yes. Was it water tight? No. Is there good precedent? No.

Do you know what judges usually say to sporting clubs that take their code regulator to court say? This is not a matter for the courts, there are rules in place, if you have failed to act in those rules, which your regulator has said you have, then bad luck - f&*k off.

WYL I don't think you appreciate the repercussions of if we went to court and lost. We would have been charged, we would have had a bigger fine, we would have had much more significant costs, we would have lost Viney and Toumpas.

The case wasn't water tight - it was grey as grey can be - and in the courts grey can be argued as easily for as against.

Its true we are the worst team. In history? No. I'll try and find an article a few weeks ago which addressed our previous crapness

No one is sweeping any of this under the rug.

Don has done a number of things, ie delt with the tanking - just because they didnt do what you wanted to, doesn't mean he hasn't done anything.

the sad thing is we are seeing the repercussions of not going to court right now.

The 3 lawyers i spoke to all said we should take it further, but we could argue that for years.

I do not support quitters & never will.

Don Mclardy let me down after Presiding over that period of time.

And now the players don't care.

I am very Angry these clueless people have thrown my club down the S Bend.

the sad thing is we are seeing the repercussions of not going to court right now.

The 3 lawyers i spoke to all said we should take it further, but we could argue that for years.

I do not support quitters & never will.

Don Mclardy let me down after Presiding over that period of time.

And now the players don't care.

I am very Angry these clueless people have thrown my club down the S Bend.

I don't know who the lawyers you spoke to are but I do know that in the aftermath of the AFL's inquisition, both the MFC and the AFL's senior counsel were reported to have said that if the case went to court, Melbourne could not lose.

Nevertheless, the risk was enormous, the financial outlay could well have topped the $1m mark, the thing would have been a substantial distraction (and it's already been seen that despite the club's attempts to quarantine the players from the controversy, it does seem to have had an effect on the playing group) and the AFL could have hurt us going the other way if we won the case.

End result, as a wise man once said, "you've got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away and when to run".

Many people don't understand this philosophy unless their own money is on the line, perhaps four or five days into an expensive court case, when they realise that despite having been told by their barrister that they have a strong case, things have gone wrong and the evidence hasn't come out the way they wanted it. At that stage, they're staring at a black hole and can't get out. Meanwhile, their lawyer is sending his children or grandchildren to a more expensive private school.

Bottom line: the club made a deal and it was the right thing to do.

As for us not being like Fitzroy - that's right.

Fitzroy was broke at the end and the board had tied itself to a financier that had the club by the orchestras. Even with this year's loss, we should still be in the black.

On the field they were worse than us in the end but they had no future. The AFL sold them down the creek which is where we might go if we allow the AFL to take full control of our destiny.

I sense that we have one more chance if Jackson turns out as good as he's cooked out to be but there are no guarantees. The club he once led isn't exactly setting world best practice records for corporate governance either.

As for us not being like Fitzroy - that's right.

Fitzroy was broke at the end and the board had tied itself to a financier that had the club by the orchestras. Even with this year's loss, we should still be in the black.

On the field they were worse than us in the end but they had no future. The AFL sold them down the creek which is where we might go if we allow the AFL to take full control of our destiny.

I sense that we have one more chance if Jackson turns out as good as he's cooked out to be but there are no guarantees. The club he once led isn't exactly setting world best practice records for corporate governance either.

And how they'd like him back to clean them up again. Don't be surprised if they make a run for him at the end of the year.

the sad thing is we are seeing the repercussions of not going to court right now.

The 3 lawyers i spoke to all said we should take it further, but we could argue that for years.

I do not support quitters & never will.

Don Mclardy let me down after Presiding over that period of time.

And now the players don't care.

I am very Angry these clueless people have thrown my club down the S Bend.

It's their club too WYL. They also support the dees, they also have donated alot of their spare time, money and sanity to help this club - like everyone else here.

Again, to suggest that DM has has sat on his arse, "enjoyed the free food" and hasn't tried to improve the club is plain offensive.

As WJ said re the tanking, we made the right decision - it'd done, move on.

The $500,000 fine is tough, but at the end of the day the most important thing is that the club is ultimately not guilty and our draft picks are secure. I don't know about you, but I would never risk the chance of losing Viney, Toumpas, being guilty of tanking and being more in debt.

As for 'I'm not a quitter/dont support quitters' - I hope you don't smoke.

As a Fitzroy supporter at the time, Shaw is talking rubbish.

Man you can pick em

As a Fitzroy supporter at the time, Shaw is talking rubbish.

I don't supose you support Wigan Athletic or the Melbourne Rebels too?

Man you can pick em

a supporter of lost causes?

As for us not being like Fitzroy - that's right.

Fitzroy was broke at the end and the board had tied itself to a financier that had the club by the orchestras. Even with this year's loss, we should still be in the black.

On the field they were worse than us in the end but they had no future. The AFL sold them down the creek which is where we might go if we allow the AFL to take full control of our destiny.

I sense that we have one more chance if Jackson turns out as good as he's cooked out to be but there are no guarantees. The club he once led isn't exactly setting world best practice records for corporate governance either.

You could form a good argument WJ to show we might end up there without the AFL

As a Fitzroy supporter at the time, Shaw is talking rubbish.

Are you a paid up member of the ALP as well?

Sorry Blinky. Welcome aboard. Lets hope there is more hope in the future.

It's their club too WYL. They also support the dees, they also have donated alot of their spare time, money and sanity to help this club - like everyone else here.

Again, to suggest that DM has has sat on his arse, "enjoyed the free food" and hasn't tried to improve the club is plain offensive.

As WJ said re the tanking, we made the right decision - it'd done, move on.

The $500,000 fine is tough, but at the end of the day the most important thing is that the club is ultimately not guilty and our draft picks are secure. I don't know about you, but I would never risk the chance of losing Viney, Toumpas, being guilty of tanking and being more in debt.

As for 'I'm not a quitter/dont support quitters' - I hope you don't smoke.

PJ don't put words in my mouth.

I believe the wrong decision was made.

The club showed no Balls. Mclardy said we would fight...all along..then bent over and refused any further correspondence on the matter.

I will never agree to that being the right decision.

That is why there is no passion for our jumper right now.

There is no trust.

The sooner the current power base of the MFC Board up & leave the better.

I do not support Quitters. You can do as you wish.

You could form a good argument WJ to show we might end up there without the AFL

That was before the TV rights contract deals ran the game. The AFL needs to provide 9 hopefully competitive games for 22 rounds plus finals.

MFC in its current state compromises that objective. It's in the AFLs interest to resuscitate us to be more competitive.

Relocation or merger is last case and expensive option. The AFL would prefer to get GWS and GCS settled before it consider an Armageddon option.

I don't know who the lawyers you spoke to are but I do know that in the aftermath of the AFL's inquisition, both the MFC and the AFL's senior counsel were reported to have said that if the case went to court, Melbourne could not lose.

Nevertheless, the risk was enormous, the financial outlay could well have topped the $1m mark, the thing would have been a substantial distraction (and it's already been seen that despite the club's attempts to quarantine the players......

End result, as a wise man once said, "you've got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away and when to run".

Bottom line: the club made a deal and it was the right thing to do.

Agree Jack. I think most have grasped the sense of this. Just a few that struggle with it.

We can assume WYL was not that wise old man. And he wanted to offer himself for the Board. Ouch.