GOODBYE MITCH CLARK

[barneymfc 152]

Clark is a fool, he will be universally hated. I doubt the genuine-ness of his depression. Sounds like he was having a hard time, played it up, saw opportunity to get out of contract and did the dirty. Sorry if he was really suffering, but having a fair amount of experience with depression, his symptoms and recovery time don't lend themselves to depression. I hope he is booed every game he plays. Highest paid photographer in Australia.

What [censored] me off the most tonight was when his manager said he did the MFC a favour by retiring, [censored] [censored]. Could have been put on LTI , helped no one but himself and your own back pockets. Disgrace.

dead right

[FC Melbourne 108]

Think part of MC's response may be due to the club not falling over itself to get him back. I'm sure previous regimes would have bent over backwards to accommodate his return on MC's terms. But we have smarter people in charge now,.

Reckon roosy has spelt out in no uncertain terms if he comes back for us it will be under our terms. No more tail wagging the dog.

[Cards13 9,117]

Why do you all want the big crybaby anyway? Tell him to F off. Let's get some real superstars into our club and win some premierships. So he broke a bone in his foot? So what? Most of us have had hard times too! Suck it up you pathetic wimp! He's taken about 2.1M from our club and done nothing but [censored] and moan.

Tell a cry baby to p iss off you reckon, you'd be the first cry baby I'd want to p iss off.

[chookrat 3,875]

Think part of MC's response may be due to the club not falling over itself to get him back. I'm sure previous regimes would have bent over backwards to accommodate his return on MC's terms. But we have smarter people in charge now,.

Reckon roosy has spelt out in no uncertain terms if he comes back for us it will be under our terms. No more tail wagging the dog.

Could the lack of interest simply be because of Clark considering his options, e.g. Roos B&F speech "we are in this together.... If you dont want to be here you know wher to go".

[chook fowler 18,650]

Possible factors the Club may be considering:

1. Misson has reported that Clarks fitness for AFL is way below par and will take more than 1 preseason to fix.

2. Major depression ( which I do believe he had/has ) is a typically recurring illness that can be controlled rather than cured and he would be at risk in the pressure cooker of AFL.

3. His motivation is mostly financial rather than a burning desire to be back playing.

4. The Club and Roos are angry at the way Clark and his manager have gone about it - not involving us until late and blind siding them with his change of heart.

5. He wants too much coin.

Perhaps all things considered their attitude is on ya bike we'll take the compo thanks.

[Gorgoroth 12,447]

So it seems like this will go on for another week or five.

[chook fowler 18,650]

So it seems like this will go on for another week or five.

inevitably

[Forest Demon 4,681]

James Frawley must think Christmas has come early

[Gorgoroth 12,447]

James Frawley must think Christmas has come early

Ha ha yeah, no one gives a shite about him anymore.

[Max Power 37]

Frankly after what Roos said on tele, we just need to dish him for the best return (he ain't coming back to Melbourne).

[Lucifers Hero 37,562]

OK, humble pie time. Never occurred to me that it was the MFC that didn't want Mitch unless it was on their terms. I was wrong assuming that it was Mitch who jilted us. Very happy with the club position - our way or the highway!

[Ethan Tremblay 28,937]

Frankly after what Roos said on tele, we just need to dish him for the best return (he ain't coming back to Melbourne).

Would that be dependant on length of contract and salary at a new club?

[deanox 9,046]

His manager is a [censored].

I'm sure we would have gladly placed MC on the LTI for this season and welcomed him back on full pay next season, if this was what he wanted.

He said he wanted to retire and we supported him, and still help him train and get fit. Somehow that makes Clark the one doing us a favour. It's garbage.

I have no doubt that this isn't the Melbourne of old, welcoming a player with questions marks over his head with a long term large contract. I would think a rookie spot would be a great approach, but maybe MC expected better, maybe he wanted to resurrect his old contract pay and we told him to get stuffed.

At the end of the day something has gone very wrong. As Gary Lyon said, it should be simple, he says he wants to stay, we sign him to a new contract, story is over and every lives happily ever after. The fact that this has become an absolute shitestorm, tells me that something somewhere didn't go to plan.

Roos would not give up on the promise of a supremely talented player.

Regarding the manager stuff I don't disagree, that was just my interpretation.

Regarding the second part in staying to think we just don't want him. For various reasons.

[nutbean 8,837]

His manager is a [censored].

His manager is a "manager".

Name me a manager that is not a [censored].

Managers are heavily conflicted - they need to look after players interest at the same time maximising their "cut". The one certainty is whilst we can debate whether a player has loyalty to a club, I don't think there is much doubt that a manager has loyalty to no one except his player, himself and most importantly his bank account.

[PartyBoy 173]

Why would we not be interested in him? Why is every journalist in Australia so sure he won't be playing with Melbourne next year?

We can get him without a huge draft pick sacrifice. We have money to spend, He has expressed his love for MFC and 12 months ago the coach said he was our best player.

Granted he has some issues both physically and mentally, but for the once loved player in the change rooms, I don't understand what has changed.

[binman 39,835]

Good call by those saying the issue might be we had planned on putting mc on the rookie list (and perhaps Mc had agreed to this) but then his manager got in his ear and said 'Mitch you're a star not a rookie, I can get you on any list you want and on top coin. Heck I'll get you on the hawk's list and you'll. Be winning a flag next year'

So stupid. Again what is up with this manager. The play was to go on the dees rookie list and fly under the radar a bit. Less pressure. Has a feel good vibe. He doesn't come of as a mercenary who has rejected the club who supported him, probably maximises likliehood of making it back, dees fans embrace him, everyone looks and feels great. A win win.

Except of course his manager who gets much less coin than flogging him off to the highest bidder. Which ironically probably now no sure thing given the circus and the inevitable heat that would come with him. So stupid

[Undeeterred 2,908]

Why would we not be interested in him?

You'll have to sift through 2,500 posts to find out...

[jnrmac 19,534]

He wants to play finals footy. He can't achieve that at the Dees.

'

WGAF?? We all want to play finals footy.

He made his bed,....

He doesn't get to pick and choose. Th e AFL system doesn't work like that.

[Radar Detector 1,339]

There is no place on this site for unsubstantiated rumours and scuttlebutt.

Whilst I agree with the context in which you said this, the statement is ridiculous!

Generally harder to find a substantiated fact on this site I would have thought

[Jaded No More 60,506]

I don't think it's a matter of not wanting him. I'm sure we do want him, but everything has a price.

Even if Roos isn't convinced that he's emotionally ready, or physically ready, and is a risk, for a rookie spot and a reduced contract, I'm sure he'll be up for it. It wouldn't take long to find 10-20 players you would delist in order to make a spot for somebody like Clark, when we are already so low on talent.

I think it's more a matter of the club and MC/management not seeing eye to eye. MC may want a senior spot, a promise of games up forward, a similarly large contract, and that is not what our club is prepared to do.

Either that or MC really does just want to play finals and realises he may only be good for another season or two, and wants to make the most of it. If that's the case, he can get stuffed.

[juzzk1d 1,354]

It's clear he wants to play finals footy.. If you follow his twitter, every second post was "I love Finals Footy" or "How good is September!" Him sitting there, realising he is doing absolutely nothing would have re-ignited his passion in playing footy especially in September.

I would bet on it he won't be playing for Melbourne, but a club pushing for finals and we will get graciously compensated for it due to the amount of money we injected into him, care and support as well as 1st rounder we gave up for him.

[Ted Lasso 17,350]

I get the feeling the AFL is going to step in here, Clark walking to a top 4 side without us getting a really good compensation would be about the same as pulling down their pants and taking a nice long [censored] all over any ideas of equalisation, we look like losing our two best key position players to top four sides and then the AFL community will turn around and say but it's all your fault for bad drafting..

Clark, Strauss, Blease, Tapscott, Frawley, and any trades, that's five first round picks more than likely leaving the list this year

[CityDee 738]

It's clear he wants to play finals footy.. If you follow his twitter, every second post was "I love Finals Footy" or "How good is September!" Him sitting there, realising he is doing absolutely nothing would have re-ignited his passion in playing footy especially in September.

I would bet on it he won't be playing for Melbourne, but a club pushing for finals and we will get graciously compensated for it due to the amount of money we injected into him, care and support as well as 1st rounder we gave up for him.

Your right - re watched the Roos 360 interview and he said that its easy to sit back and get caught up in the excitment of it all - dees havnt been exciting for a while now . hopefully Mitch realises that we can make finals soon with his help .

[daisycutter 28,730]

disappointed in demonland not making 100 pages by midnight yesterday

oh well we are melbourne after all.....sigh

[Bitter but optimistic 21,613]

not everyone can score at your rate dc