He's completely right though -we ARE an incredibly negative bunch and it is worth considering that possibly in some way this negatively affects the team

Clearly we have every right to be negative, and Roos is not saying we don't, he's just pointing it out

I like that someone at the club is acknowledging the ingrained issues at the club.

I'm not sure Roos has done it perfectly though.

Either way, the key is how he coaches moving forward. Identifying issues is only half the job.

I like that someone at the club is acknowledging the ingrained issues at the club.

I'm not sure Roos has done it perfectly though.

Either way, the key is how he coaches moving forward. Identifying issues is only half the job.

It was never going to be nice. But Roos has put it on the table

It's out there

Keep going Paul...

"There's no doubt that there's this veil of negativity that exists, and I'm talking about the whole football club, and it's fuelled by everyone."

Fair to say it's not what you want to hear coming from the senior coach who is two years into his three year tenure. "I'm talking about the whole football club" also seemed pretty clear cut, despite the backtracking since.

Just get them up and going for the weekend. Deflection and poorly chosen words won't be required if there can be some actions to replace them.

I honestly don't know why Roos has chosen to make the fans part of the discussion, even as a reference point. This is on the head of the players and coaches to rectify. End of story.

I like Roos but he has royally [censored] this one up and probably made it worse with his 'clarification'. Very poor idea to pot the fans who have been VERY patient for a VERY long period of time and still have to sit through performances of the past two weeks.

I'm sure he wishes he'd never said it now.

I like Roos but he has royally [censored] this one up and probably made it worse with his 'clarification'. Very poor idea to pot the fans who have been VERY patient for a VERY long period of time and still have to sit through performances of the past two weeks.

I'm sure he wishes he'd never said it now.

But we do think we will lose.

It is a fact

Roosy hasn't fked anything. He is being truthfull

Opening doors...

Oops! Oops!

Roos is doing some real back peddling. http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/negativity-comes-from-melbourne-fans-not-club-coach-paul-roos-20150825-gj7jt6.html

He says his reference on 360 to a 'veil of negativity' was about fans being negative and not to players or the club!

I had to go back and read that several times. Jackson went to bat for him and said Roos comments were badly worded!

It sure sound to me like the comments were directed at the club. Now Roos has offered to address staff to reassure his comments weren't directed at them!

So Paul, it was all about us, the fans!!

Damn it!! If we the fans are negative we have every bloody right to be so.

You have been here 5 minutes but we have had decades of this [censored] so don't tell us we are being negative.

On 360 you said being questioned about your commitment and hurt was offensive.

This morning I stuck up for you and said you had every right to feel offended.

I was wrong to stick up for you.

Because, I find your criticisms of us loyal, long suffering, membership paying fans as very very offensive.

Don't bother asking for my membership next year if that is what the Club thinks of us!

If we actually had a bricks and mortar "club" that was open to everyday fans and criticsm/praise where the fans actually (on accasions) ran into the Coach/players/officials in the Cafe' or as they walked around their facilities, aka Whiten Oval, Simmonds Stadium, Waverly Park etc.... then Roos/Players/Some officials would actually be seeing the emotions like ellation when we win (eg., Geelong/Collingwood) as well as the depression/anger felt after matches like Saturday against the slowest, least skillfull, most demotivated, laconical team in the comp (until Saturday).

The fact that the club doesn't have this (a bricks and mortar club where supporters mix with the Coach/FD/PLayers/Officials occasionaly) is one of the key reasons we will never be anything other than a bottom dweller dead cat bouncing throughout the anals of AFL history.

Roos should consider himself privileged that some members are concerned enough over such an ugly affair such as Saturday that they would take the time/trouble to write in and vent their concerns/anger for that is about the only method a Demon fan has of expressing these emotions and asking questions of such a "hidden/veiled" club that has no direct bricks and mortar connection with its fans.

IF we did have the players/FD might be a little more motivated to get off their ass and win simple matches of footy that should have been won comfortably....like Saturday. But nah....let's take the easy way out and just say "the players appear to have switched into end of season already". Oh....but you supporters don't switch off will you....keep sending in your hard earned so our boys can play like a bunch of girls...oh wait...FM the girls are better! Sorry girls!

It's your job to motivate them Roos not give them an out and hope they turn up on game day. THe team you coached lost by almost 100 points the week before and you turn up the week after and give us this BS against the worst team in the comp! WTF.

Weak as [censored] Roos.... weak as [censored] players....weak as [censored] the whole fricken club. That includes any supporters who are [censored] weak enough to make excuses for Saturday's disgrace.

What would he prefer....we all just roll over/shut the hell up/play dead/go away, and hope for the best for the next 8 years or something? Oh ,wait....

P.S. In case you didn't get it Roos (if reading) i'm fuckin [censored] off mate... suck it up princess!!

He's completely right though -we ARE an incredibly negative bunch and it is worth considering that possibly in some way this negatively affects the team

Clearly we have every right to be negative, and Roos is not saying we don't, he's just pointing it out

Speak for yourself.

I honestly don't know why Roos has chosen to make the fans part of the discussion, even as a reference point. This is on the head of the players and coaches to rectify. End of story.

I'm confident it's an attempt at deflection.

Much of the reason why Roos is here is to try to deflect attention as much as is possible from us while try to improve but lose games in the process.

PJ said it today: "We brought Roosy in with the primary aim to fix the culture and the leadership and create structures around our football club".

Notice how he didn't say "and to win games". Their primary goal with this club right now is to fix the ingrained problems that were left behind by previous administrations.

They want, as best as possible, to deflect attention from where it is deserved - underperforming coaches, underperforming players - to other areas. Hence, Roos continually talking about the past. Now, he's done it again, trying to talk about the negativity around the club.

Problem this time is that he's stuffed it up by pinning it on the supporters, making it sound like we're ungrateful sods who should just put up with things, but it all falls into the same aim of PJ's, which is trying to do anything other than say 'yep, we're struggling' or 'we're going to cull more players' or 'the players are so negative, it's all their fault'.

Speak for yourself.

Oh good for you with your positivity

Most of us have watched 9 years of failure, including losing 70 of our last 86 matches and have had enough

Clearly a 96 point loss and a comfortable loss to the bottom side are terrible indicators that yet again we seem to be failing to improve

You can keep that smile on your face for another 9 years if you wish

The rest of us are having a perfectly natural reaction to a dismal situation

He's completely right though -we ARE an incredibly negative bunch and it is worth considering that possibly in some way this negatively affects the team

Clearly we have every right to be negative, and Roos is not saying we don't, he's just pointing it out

[censored]. How do the supporters possibly induce the players into negativity? Anyone with half a brain could see we weren't switched on from the first bounce against Carlton.

Roosy has been brilliant for our club, but if he's going to take criticism from the supporters personally, he shouldn't be responding to emails. Do not have a go at the supporter base. You do not want to get them off side. Not to mention it's unprofessional. Just cop it on the chin. You're being paid a mill per annum.

Is he wrong? Fair to say optimism isnt a common thing around here.

Is he wrong? Fair to say optimism isnt a common thing around here.

Truth hurts Sir...

Good on ya, Roosy.

98-point loss, insipid loss to the wooden spooners who didn't want to win a week later, then blame the fans.

I pity the staff in membership right now.

I just don't understand how the team keeps losing. It really is all in their heads. How do you develop this mental approach to the game that says it's ok to get beaten? Every one of these guys was a top junior who consistently played in winning sides. Every single one of them had to have at one point had a winning attitude and an inability to accept failure. If they didn't they would never have made it into the draft, much less onto an AFL list. Where did that go?

Related to this, the last few weeks we've seen a lot of jokes about the coaches telling Jack Viney to back off at training. Even if this is only a silly joke, I don't like to hear it. He appears to be one of the few who actually train with the intensity needed. They should be holding him up as an example to the rest of the side, not telling him to hold himself back to their level.

Is he wrong? Fair to say optimism isnt a common thing around here.

Cause and effect. It's a bit hard for the supporters to pull themselves out of the depression and suddenly act as though everything is dandy after everything we've been through.

We do our best and I like to think that the supporters of other clubs wouldn't be as resilient as we have through so much shite.

I pity the staff in membership right now.

i pity the players who are going to be on the scrap heap in 2 weeks....

i pity the players who are going to be on the scrap heap in 2 weeks....

I don't.

So it's Roosy fault that these pea hearted players laid 2 tackle in the 1st qrt....

The leadership group inc all players need to take responsibility for their efforts & 1 percenters!

Roosy is trying to find answers & opens to the media .. He also said can't blame the past & enough is enough .....

Reality is there will be more list changes...can't [censored] dead horses!

Stick to the plan Roosy...

So it's Roosy fault that these pea hearted players laid 2 tackle in the 1st qrt....

The leadership group inc all players need to take responsibility for their efforts & 1 percenters!

Roosy is trying to find answers & opens to the media .. He also said can't blame the past & enough is enough .....

Reality is there will be more list changes...can't [censored] dead horses!

Stick to the plan Roosy...

Yep.

When was the last time the MFC was confident of victory

All our wins for decades have been a welcome suprise

Roos is here to change that veil of negativety....

Yep.

When was the last time the MFC was confident of victory

All our wins for decades have been a welcome suprise

Roos is here to change that veil of negativety....

Regardless if your a Roos fan or not... He inherited the worst list in the afl & perhaps darkest time in club history

The club was broken both financially & culture & players wanting to leave....

A complete rebuil has taken place under PJ & Bartlett

To expect any coach to fix this in 2 seasons is pie in the sky stuff....

It took Thompson @ Geelong around 7-8 yrs

Reality....

It took Thompson @ Geelong around 7-8 yrs

That's about how long it'll take - until Brayshaw, Viney, Stretch, McDonald, Hogan etc. are "senior players".

Yeah, it was the fans who didn't run, tackle, hit the contest and continually turned the ball over.

Bastards!

All this time and coaches, it has been our fault. I would like to accept blame for the poor recruiting over the past few years on behalf of those negative supporters near my reserved seat

I've really been supportive of Roosy but what is said is [censored]!, The supporters get upset when we lose games that we should win, we get upset when we don't show a glimpse of effort. You're the highest paid coach in AFL history Paul, it is your job to get the boys up and firing in the first quarter. Stop trying to deflect the blame it is squarely on the players and your coaching staff. We'll stop being negative when the team starts playing the way they should. They're highly paid athletes their job is to win football games and give 100% effort. If they aren't doing those two they are not doing the job they're paid to do..........................

Our half forward line read;

HF: Michie Dawes Harmes

Did anyone actually expect us to score enough to win that game?