Supporters Now Staying Home

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,602]

I go but its bad for my health.

[robbiefrom13 892]

The boys tried hard and I thought were good in patches but were simply beaten by a better, more drilled and skilled team that are used to playing together.

Totally agree. I wasn't going to go, but I went, and saw us beaten by a far better team. Had a nice time nevertheless, because of course Hawthorn are better at this stage and of course they were going to beat us, so it wasn't any surprise; what I enjoyed was the way we manned up and put in. I liked some really good flowing passages until skill errors broke it up. I saw bits of Jack Watts and Jones and Frawley and Terlich and Garland and Dawes and so on that were really good to watch. Had a nice chat with some thoughtful and friendly Hawk supporters at half time. It was like a day at the footy, circa 1978. I can live with that.

Ready for changes, to get someone who can harness all this and get it going somewhere - big loss of course, but we knew that would happen today; but better signs from the players at least, for me, so that I see hope again.

[stinga81 210]

[censored] crowd.

Been to every mfc game in melb from start to finish so far this year. Can't blame those who have better things to do than watch MFC play at the moment. I'd be the same, but something about this rabble of a club that keeps me coming back week in week out. Glutton for punishment.

Things will get better, its just a matter of when.

[DemonWorshipper 304]

I went and I stayed until the end. I felt every goal against us and cheered any player who put in the effort to spoil or scrag at the Dawks.

And I will keep going until the end of the year no matter who the coach is. That is how I choose to support my club even after 7 1/2 years of utter dross.

If anyone else chooses not to show up, that is their business.

I am Melbourne, Red & Blue until the day I die.

[pitmaster 3,578]

Attendance was simply dreadful. Ten years ago when Hawthorn was rubbish we routinely drew 33-35,000 to these games.

There were so few Melbourne supporters today even the MCC was brown and gold.

Yet thousands of Hawk supporters stayed away as well - they could not even be bothered to watch the slaughter.

That said, there were flashes of coordinated football from our blokes but our skill errors and poor decision making prevented us putting any genuine pressure on them at any stage.

Feel sorry for Neeld who has not had a fair go but it's hard to see how we can afford to continue with him.

[Johnny Karate 559]

I went today and stayed til the end. I don't really blame anybody who had work, family or financial reasons for not going as I haven't attended in the past on that basis.

That said, anybody who is choosing not to go because "it's all too hard" cannot truly claim to love the club. If you want to support this club into the future now is the time to stand strong.

I don't have a truckload of disposable income, free time nor the corporate nous or connections to run the footy club. I don't have much love for the people or decisions that have lead us down this path. I love the club, it is bigger than all of us and the most I can contribute at this juncture is to turn up win, lose or draw and stay til the end.

We all want cultural change and most of us don't have the power to make key appointments within the club. Often, all we can do is hope (sometimes foolishly) that the admin-of-the-day make the right moves and in time judge them based on results.

Over time the MFC has acquired the unflattering cultural stereotype of being a soft club. Soft downhill skiing passionless players and soft downhill skiing passionless supporters. Perhaps the greatest cultural change we can affect as supporters is to turn up en masse - loud and proud even if we are the worst team in the league. I always had admiration for the way the Barmy Army supported the horrible English cricket teams of the 90's in passion and numbers.

I'm not suggesting we should applaud everything the club does but if we want the players to turn up and fight til the bitter end, we should too.

Edited June 2, 2013 by Jimmi C