Having quaffed a few decent reds and now am in a reflective rather than aggressive mood. Let me share some observations.

Today I gave my driver a holiday and decided to travel with the plebs. On route to the game, I noticed the following in my carriage.

Two teenage boys in Melb jumpers and shorts (maybe 15) travelling with their dads. They were enthusiastically discussing prospects and who would do what, kick goals etc in the game.

Two teenage girls, around the same age and unaccompanied. They were also wearing Melbourne jumpers etc. They were chatting in an animated (read innocent teenage show off way) and obviously enjoying themselves.

A young dad, with three little girls – around 6 – 11. They were done up in Melbourne gear plus wearing demon horns. I noticed Dad was not carrying lunch or anything so the day would cost him plenty.

The point of this.

How would those kids ( and parents) feel after today’s fiasco?

The future (and current) members/supporters of this club are being constantly disappointed. It is too late for us old bastards to change but how can we hope to attract and keep young supporters on efforts like today?

I wish I could have filmed these happy and optimistic kids and shown it to the players.

If that didn’t motivate them nothing would.

Spot on BBO.
We are losing more than a generation of supporters with the efforts of the last 7 years (8 years if this year goes to script).
I recently got engaged and have said to the missus that she can barrack for Richmond if she wishes but the kids will be barracking for Melbourne.
I can tell you right now that keeping them Melbourne will be an Everest style peak with the way things are going.

I caught the Dee-train that the MFC set up with the Casey City Council. A bit daggy but a great idea. Lots of mums and dads with kids from toddlers to teenagers. It felt good to be a Dees supporter surrounded by people with a bit of passion, and ready for first home game of the season. There seems to be a good feel about the club at the moment. But it came crashing down straight after the first centre bounce. Within 8 seconds it was 2 kicks down the ground in the WCE forward pocket. And so went the day. The club might be improving but the playing group are still crap.

Bitter, I cannot adequately communicate via a keyboard how crappy I feel as the dad of four Melbourne-supporting kids. My 18yo daughter who came with me and my 14 yo son today, said "someone is always saying we will be better this year, and we never are". And all I can do is agree.

I might go and quaff some Glenfiddich and join you in the alcohol-induced reflections.

I might go and quaff some Glenfiddich and join you in the alcohol-induced reflections.

I'm nearly through a bottle of red now.

Bitter, I cannot adequately communicate via a keyboard how crappy I feel as the dad of four Melbourne-supporting kids. My 18yo daughter who came with me and my 14 yo son today, said "someone is always saying we will be better this year, and we never are". And all I can do is agree

Tough question to answer Mboy. Hope your kids stick but could hardly blame them otherwise.

Edited March 30, 201411 yr by Bitter but optimistic

I'm nearly through a bottle of red now.

Start the next one breathing right now.

Start the next one breathing right now.

I was spewing at the football. Alcohol induced spewing is not required.

BBO I took both my kids today, daughter aged 16 and son aged 13.

My daughter will stick fat and still loves the Demons and the footy but I wonder how long that will last if this continues.

My son is lost not only to the MFC but also to the game, a direct result of how putrid this club is to watch, and the resultant crap he was copping at school.

He now happily plays soccer and enjoys going to Melbourne Storm games, because even when they lose they try their best.

This is probably a reasonable snapshot of where our next generation of supporters are at.

.

BBO I took both my kids today, daughter aged 16 and son aged 13.

My daughter will stick fat and still loves the Demons and the footy but I wonder how long that will last if this continues.

My son is lost not only to the MFC but also to the game, a direct result of how putrid this club is to watch, and the resultant crap he was copping at school.

He now happily plays soccer and enjoys going to Melbourne Storm games, because even when they lose they try their best.

This is probably a reasonable snapshot of where our next generation of supporters are at.

.

Yeah the Rugby and Soccer franchises should be paying us commission. Good luck with your daughter 34.

I worry about the future too. But I also wonder if kids aren't more resilient to these shellackings than us older worn out supporters.

I grew up a South Melbourne supporter in the 70's. In those days South were rubbish. I went to most of South's home games and happily sat through defeat after miserable defeat. To add to the misery, there were no other Swans supporters at school or in my local footy team and I lived in a Richmond zone and was surrounded by Richmond supporters. Richmond were a dominant side then and it would have been easy for me to change teams. Yet I remained a passionate South supporter and it never occurred to me for an instance that I would ever change teams. It would have to take something drastic like South moving to Sydney or something....as if that was ever gonna happen.

Shamefully, I have coaxed my young daughter into being a Demons supporter. Although I know she feels the pain, she seems less effected by these losses than I do and to her credit remains a loyal Demon.

If I had gone to Dan Murphys Friday before last and not the Melbourne Football club Office, I could have bought 4 fine bottles of single malt whisky instead of memberships to the mighty dees. That would surely have got me comfortably through half a season of watching this team play. On a lighter note, the field umpires are either incompetent or criminals. (all of them)

One generation is lost.

Anyway 8-12 from 2007 will have given up on the club by now as they enter their mid-to-late teens. This is the same effect that hurt the club from the 70s and 80s: technically lost two generations.

Imagine if the 00s were worse than what they were? (They were okay, never spectacular, good, not great).

The club is at a crossroads, that's for sure. What else can be done off field? Guys like Jackson can only do so much. There needs to be results.

It now comes down to the players.

Watch the replays from yesterday. Patches reminiscent of 186. Deplorable. They gave up. It had nothing to do with a lack of forwards. They never wanted to win that game.

If you don't have the urgency to win, you won't win. There is always a chance. They never tried as a team. Being solid individually as one thing, but you need to empower one another to strive to win. Watch the Hawks, Geelong, the Eagles. They will each other on.

This club lacks a voice. I love Jonesy, but he simply doesn't have the cattle around him. And I don't mean skill wise exclusively. There is no will to win.

One generation is lost.

Anyway 8-12 from 2007 will have given up on the club by now as they enter their mid-to-late teens. This is the same effect that hurt the club from the 70s and 80s: technically lost two generations.

Imagine if the 00s were worse than what they were? (They were okay, never spectacular, good, not great).

The club is at a crossroads, that's for sure. What else can be done off field? Guys like Jackson can only do so much. There needs to be results.

It now comes down to the players.

Watch the replays from yesterday. Patches reminiscent of 186. Deplorable. They gave up. It had nothing to do with a lack of forwards. They never wanted to win that game.

If you don't have the urgency to win, you won't win. There is always a chance. They never tried as a team. Being solid individually as one thing, but you need to empower one another to strive to win. Watch the Hawks, Geelong, the Eagles. They will each other on.

This club lacks a voice. I love Jonesy, but he simply doesn't have the cattle around him. And I don't mean skill wise exclusively. There is no will to win.

Cudi - That is so right. It took just 10 minutes and the whole team, other than Jones and Dunn, dropped the bundle

I don't know how Jones does it in the face of such pathetic behaviour around him. He is one strong focussed indivigual

Unfortunately the team either cant or wont follow his excellent example. Please dont anyone on here defend Jack Watts. He played like he was either drugged or hung over.

Cudi - That is so right. It took just 10 minutes and the whole team, other than Jones and Dunn, dropped the bundle

I don't know how Jones does it in the face of such pathetic behaviour around him. He is one strong focussed indivigual

Unfortunately the team either cant or wont follow his excellent example. Please dont anyone on here defend Jack Watts. He played like he was either drugged or hung over.

He is a downhill skier. I find myself saying the same thing after every good game he plays. Sylvia 2.0.

He is a downhill skier. I find myself saying the same thing after every good game he plays. Sylvia 2.0.

Unfair as he is not Robinson Crusoe.

The AFL need to step in and help us get competitive.

Our list is a shambles, there is a big gap in drafting due to years of throwing away picks.

Players like Morton, Gysberts, Maric, Cook, Strauss, Tapscott, etc.

These are players that should be in their primes, they were quality picks and we are now reaping what we sown.

If we continue to get belted each week, we will lose even more members.

Either the AFL fold us, or they help us out, there is no in between, we need draft picks.

The AFL need to step in and help us get competitive.

Our list is a shambles, there is a big gap in drafting due to years of throwing away picks.

Players like Morton, Gysberts, Maric, Cook, Strauss, Tapscott, etc.

These are players that should be in their primes, they were quality picks and we are now reaping what we sown.

If we continue to get belted each week, we will lose even more members.

Either the AFL fold us, or they help us out, there is no in between, we need draft picks.

What do you think the AFL has done over the past 6 months. They removed our board and CEO, put a CEO in and I'm sure had a hand in getting Roos to the club. It's not the AFL's responsibility to tell clubs who to draft.

when you get older and cranky,you can chew on a fat bit of rope.

but for young person,we have nothing for them to look at,

no outsatnding lomg haired muppet taking screamers at ff.

no judd like mid.

no tattoo cigar munching,porsche driving show off.

we got nothing,just plain old nothing.

pity the poor 15 yo kid,we give em nothing.

embarassing really.

Yep, my kids have have grand parents that follow Fremantle, Col Sylvia is their favorite player, in fact they wanted number 4 on their Melbourne Jumpers not for Jack Watts but this is Col's number at Fremantle.

I'm involved with an Auskick center with 150 kids plus a junior club with about the 100 kids, the only Melbourne kids in the whole club are my two kids. There are more kids that support interstate teams than Melbourne.

I went into a few Rebel sport shops last week both in the East and Western Suburbs, no MFC merchandise on sight. We are a irrelevant club, a joke no one cares about the MFC.

Yep, my kids have have grand parents that follow Fremantle, Col Sylvia is their favorite player, in fact they wanted number 4 on their Melbourne Jumpers not for Jack Watts but this is Col's number at Fremantle.

I'm involved with an Auskick center with 150 kids plus a junior club with about the 100 kids, the only Melbourne kids in the whole club are my two kids. There are more kids that support interstate teams than Melbourne.

I went into a few Rebel sport shops last week both in the East and Western Suburbs, no MFC merchandise on sight. We are a irrelevant club, a joke no one cares about the MFC.

Said it before in another thread. This is concerning. We are no where to be seen in supermarkets, sporting good stores etc. The Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles get their merch. in Rebel sports in Bourke Street but we don't. This should raise alarm bells.

The AFL need to step in and help us get competitive.

The AFL can only do so much without actually taking full ownership of control and management...which it essentially has done.

Why is it the league's responsibility to help us compete? It would be an indictment on the competitiveness of the league if Melbourne's success was a product of the AFL's assistance. The club needs to learn on its own two feet. Winning games is an absolute must. It needs to start competing. It is not rocket science.