Just announced on SEN that Mike Fitzpatrick has told Jeff his services will not be required, but wait there is more. Journo's following up with Vlad have found that the AFL will determine the board content and chairman who we then get to vote for. It will not be Stockdale and it will not be Freeman according to KB.

Any doubt that the MFC is in administration (not quite liquidation) with the AFL can now be dispelled. I heard this as rumour at the VAFA launch in March incidentally Peter Jackson was the guest as AFL consultant and now the coup d'etat is nearly complete. I wait with interest to see the size and make up of the new board ticket for us to vote on. In addition the AFL will allegedly offer the coaching role to Roos, it is there for him to accept

Heard on the radio this morning that Mike Fitzpatrick has written to Jeff telling him "thanks for your offer, but your services aren't required',

if thats is true, then that is DISGRACEFUL.

thats a f'n Claytons vote

Vlad : "here..vote for x y or z we dont care"

Its not our club anymore

The AFL are choosing our board and Coach!!

What the hell went on down there!!

I am glad the AFL are involved but i also want answers from the past.

These incompetent people who ran our club into the ground.

It's technically theft!!

Theres a vast difference between what the AFL are seeming to do if this is correct and the idea of truly independent directors who are working for Melbourne of melbourne but in co-operation with the AFL.

I want some help from the AFL..I dont want my club to be nothing more than a toy of them.

Strangely Jeff intimated this as a warning, the need to be able to be independent and not OF the AFL

This explains it a bit:

Quality names on Demons' board list

Theres a vast difference between what the AFL are seeming to do if this is correct and the idea of truly independent directors who are working for Melbourne of melbourne but in co-operation with the AFL.

I want some help from the AFL..I dont want my club to be nothing more than a toy of them.

Strangely Jeff intimated this as a warning, the need to be able to be independent and not OF the AFL

i don't think we have a choice BB if we want the cash.

The AFL have reinvented the Henry Ford colour selection chart

i don't think we have a choice BB if we want the cash.

somewhat ironic that the Demons have done a Faustian deal !!

Whatever way the replacement of Board members was going to happen, it was going to be behind closed doors. I'd rather they be AFL doors than totally unknown doors. If members don't like it we can vote them out at the next AGM. Would be a bit late to change coaches of course, but after all don't most of us think the AFL will do a better job of choosing a coach than an independent MFC would.

i don't think we have a choice BB if we want the cash.

That is certainly the impression the SEN story is giving. In their opinion Peter Jackson's continuation is contingent on it being done the AFL way (which is probably his way or plan). The AFL were never going to hand over 3 Mill without some strings attached

I'm happy for the AFL to take control at this time, it is administration by default and it's what is needed.

Schwab would still be there if the supporters hadn't made noises. It is beyond incredible!!!

Heard on the radio this morning that Mike Fitzpatrick has written to Jeff telling him "thanks for your offer, but your services aren't required', bit strange that the AFL could tell a member of the MFC that they couldn't run for the position of President.

Does that confirm that we are effectively in AFL controlled Administration?

I think that was more about HOW jeff wanted to be president

He didn't want to go thru the AGM/EGM process to be prez

He wanted the AFL to directly appoint "commissioners" to run the board in much the same way as state gov takes over a local gov

The AFL rejected this "back door" approach - rightly too

He is still free as a member to nominate at the next agm/egm but i doubt the afl would approve and they are insisting on approval of board composition in return for financial support.

Apparently quite a few possible board members have emerged and talked to the mfc/afl according to dimwit on the radio this morning

maybe all jeff's posturing helped to stir the next and bring others forward?

I think that was more about HOW jeff wanted to be president

He didn't want to go thru the AGM/EGM process to be prez

He wanted the AFL to directly appoint "commissioners" to run the board in much the same way as state gov takes over a local gov

The AFL rejected this "back door" approach - rightly too

He is still free as a member to nominate at the next agm/egm but i doubt the afl would approve and they are insisting on approval of board composition in return for financial support.

Apparently quite a few possible board members have emerged and talked to the mfc/afl according to dimwit on the radio this morning

maybe all jeff's posturing helped to stir the next and bring others forward?

Agree, and based on the calibre of some of the candidates apparently being dismissed, Vlad must be eyeing some sort of super heavyweight...

That is certainly the impression the SEN story is giving. In their opinion Peter Jackson's continuation is contingent on it being done the AFL way (which is probably his way or plan). The AFL were never going to hand over 3 Mill without some strings attached

That's right & in reality what we are asking/receiving is probably more than 3 Mill. It looks as tho they choose our coach, give us draft concessions & choose the board. The coach & CEO alone are probably going to cost the club 1.5 -2mil mil a year. We are facing a 3mil deficit this year so without the AFL's help we'd be looking vulnerable going into next season & wouldn't be able to pay for any of this re-structuring. We don't have much of a choice unless we want a bargain basement coach & CEO or the supporters want to shell up some of their hard earned again.

With the exception of the debt reduction under JS the MFC has lurched from one disaster to another continuously over the last decade.

In 2103 we find ourselves staring at another huge debt, the poorest team in the competition, no president and zero prospect for 2014.

We have clearly shown we cannot run a AFL club.

Under those circumstances I do not care if the AFL takes over.

IMO it is the only way we will survive.

If it takes five years to emerge from AFL control so be it.

I want a strong well run MFC.

Beyond that the rest are ideals we cannot afford as far as I am concerned.

Yes the AFL are running the MFC in a way similar to the method that the Soviet Union ran Hungary except that they haven't sent in the tanks .They will decide the ceo the coach ,the president ,the board and probably the colour of the clubrooms .And we accept this ? the biggest single reason that we are in the present financial abyss is because we spent all preseason and $1m fighting a tanking claim which could never be sustained (there was no rule governing it) and in the end had to incur a liability of $1/2m and probably payout Chris Connolly .We were singled out for this indescribably unjust treatment when there was more objective evidence of tanking by Richmond and Carlton .What a disaster !.The AFL is the problem not the solution .It is being run for the big four and the satellite clubs .And yet we meekly run to it cap in hand asking if they if they will forgive us our sins and share their wisdom .I am about over it .

All those who wanted the AFL to step in - this is what it looks like.

But look at the bigger picture and The End Game; a AFL-endorsed Board, a industry standard FD, guaranteed funding, and Roos/Williams/Eade as coach.

I don't have many issues with what is happening. The club is in flux - AFLackson is running it.

With the exception of the debt reduction under JS the MFC has lurched from one disaster to another continuously over the last decade.

In 2103 we find ourselves staring at another huge debt, the poorest team in the competition, no president and zero prospect for 2014.

We have clearly shown we cannot run a AFL club.

Under those circumstances I do not care if the AFL takes over.

IMO it is the only way we will survive.

If it takes five years to emerge from AFL control so be it.

I want a strong well run MFC.

Beyond that the rest are ideals we cannot afford as far as I am concerned.

Ditto OD. They are saving us from ourselves at the moment...

Who knows, one day perhaps they will watch us fly off into the wild again, ready to fend for ourselves.

Your easy to dump on, you cry over the same thread everyday, Jeffs in your brain box.

My god. That grammar. I usually just ignore people like yourself, but you rarely post about the MFC and instead attempt to knock rpfc at every turn. See if you can get some enjoyment out of something else in life, rather than trolling internet forums. Your petty agenda doesn't do you any favours. Quite the opposite. Pipe down or push off.

Schwab would still be there if the supporters hadn't made noises. It is beyond incredible!!!

I don't think this was purely a reactionary decision to support unrest, WYL. The AFL would have been making similar noises. It affects their hip pocket beyond ours. This is big business and we are, as Peter Jackson pointed out, an 'indictment' on the league.

I haven't often agreed with you dee-luded but you can go straight to the top of the class on this one. It's been floating around for a couple of weeks now and it's exactly the sort of underhanded political gamesmanship that isn't needed at our club right now. I'm sick and tired of these divisive political types who work together chipping away undermining others, then conveniently make their play for power when the time is right for them.

some of our greats would be turning in their graves if true.

the old mcc, I imagine, prior to the olympic stand was built, I believe would have carried a very different attitude & culture... I suspect the culture that grew around the time of the olympics & after, has taken over the lets say new MCC, & took smithy, & our the checker culture off us.

Is it possible this post olympic culture is still haunting us, via nearly every board we've had...since the mid sixties???

....and now the politics is trying to grab the club by its throat... thankfully the AFL should be tough nuts... lets hope so...

& everyone, consider an office away from the 'G',,, just like Car'ton,,, just like the Bombers,,, just like the Hawks,,, just like the Pies,,, just like thew Cats,,, just like the Swans,,, Eagles,,,, Crows,,,, they all enjoy success & strong footy teams.... & it seems, steady & strong footy oriented boards...built with footy minded folk.

get our Offices & Board Room away from the Glare of those Ivory Towers.... we still play there, that is enough. more is too much.

With the exception of the debt reduction under JS the MFC has lurched from one disaster to another continuously over the last decade.

In 2103 we find ourselves staring at another huge debt, the poorest team in the competition, no president and zero prospect for 2014.

We have clearly shown we cannot run a AFL club.

Under those circumstances I do not care if the AFL takes over.

IMO it is the only way we will survive.

If it takes five years to emerge from AFL control so be it.

I want a strong well run MFC.

Beyond that the rest are ideals we cannot afford as far as I am concerned.

No, the supporters who are powerful & come thru the northern stand, have shown they cannot run a Footy club... its not a Wesfarmers. 45 years of footy, & mfc failures tells me so, its in our blood. mcc blood.

run the club, like a footy club!!! not a mining enterprise.

As far as I'm concerned the club has proven itself to be incompetent over a number of years now and is in drastic need of monetary support and needs to restructure our management and football department.

The only way we can do this is with AFL support (I.e. money) and this is conditional of their involvement in matters which means we are effectively under their administration. So be it if we cab turn things around and establish a solid foundation for the future, where we can regain our strength back and be independent of the AFL. This is needed and we will be grateful in the long term.

Now we can't only hope they don't [censored] it up and we'll start seeing a turn around of our on field fortunes ASAP or we'll really be in the [censored]