Resilience - MFC Players V MFC Supporters (Merged Thread)

[Sir Why You Little 36,668]

- 51 seasons without a premiership

- 2 grand final appearances in that time

- 12 finals appearances in the last 51 seasons

- a litany of off-field disasters including a failed merger that we (would like to think was thanks to vote-stacking) voted in favour of, the 'not tanking' tanking scandal

- a host of failed draft picks who were meant to help us become a better side

- top draft picks walking out of the club on a regular basis (thompson, scully)

- past greats being struck with bizarre illnesses causing their deaths at a young age (i still blame jolimont oval)

- past players and board members taking potshots at the club on a regular basis

- no dedicated 'home base' because we gave ours away to first richmond and then every other club

- a general sense of nothingness to the club

- tried and true 30k supporters who have stuck fat through the litany of failures being told they're 'negative' on a regular basis

damn right we are!

Amen Brother

"I am MAD as hell and i am not going take it anymore"

Peter Finch

Network

Edited August 26, 2015 by Sir Why You Little

[baysidedave 246]

Errrrrrrrr.........

Roos: "If supporters are telling you they are expecting to lose driving to the game, there's no doubt there's a vibe that must rub off on at least a small group of players."

There's been 4-5 games this year where I've thought we're definitely going to win but we put in abysmal displays on the day. I'm talking both StKilda games, Essendon, Carlton, Port game in the Alice, thought we were shoe ins for those games but we were insipid! Not negative all the time but yes, after 8 years of thrashings I expect to lose more than win, and I expect a thrashing this weekend against Dockers!!!

[Guest]

If we lose like the way we did against Carlton then I expect some negativity.
I would recommend for people who want to know about some of the negativity that surrounds this to go to a match day thread.
One stuff up or any adversity we may face is usually followed up with:

'(insert name), GET OUT OF MY FOOTBALL CLUB!'

'I HATE THIS CLUB! I'M FINISHED! NEVER AGAIN!'

and all other kinds of overreactions. Such as this

I also recommend people read our boards when we win and it's not by a margin of 60 plus points. Roosy summed it up pretty well when he talked about the reaction he received from some fans after the win against Brisbane.

As I said before, under Neeld we were going backwards. I repeat BACKWARDS. We went from 8 wins to 4 to 2. I will admit that after year one, I hadn't seen the light but come round one 2013, I knew what was going on. Some might say that I am no different now. I call BS on that as we are still on an upward trend at the moment.

No one expects anyone to put up a 'Mission Accomplished' banner just yet. But as I'va Worn Smith (not sure I spelt that right) said in another thread, what would the haters want to do? To sack another coach? Yeah, that makes sense. Last time we were in a similar situation and did that it just plunged us into the greatest morass I have experienced as a football club in my time following it.
People on here talk of ten years of darkness. I say we added 4 years of unnecessary pain with the decision we made in 2011.
I repeat.... If there is any hint of that, I would say enough and I would go support another club. If the club folded due to lack of funds but had died fighting the good fight, I would not look for another club as I would feel like a widower who would have lost their spouse. If the club killed itself through rampant stupidity such as sacking Roos based on the back of one ordinary season (upon receiving the s***tiest list in the AFL), I would feel like I had left a spouse who had spent all day drinking scotch, trolling bars for anonymous encounters and maxing out my credit card. That is my level of passion about this!

The club would not be an entity not worth supporting as it would confirm to me that it is ruled by pizz weak Eastern suburbs private school boys who are adamant that their daddys promised them a successful football team as part of their birth right (along with a Rolls in the car park and a slice of shares in Australia's foremost blue chip companies) and will crack the sads if the journey to the football club they think they deserve meets the slightest speed bump.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Colin B. Flaubert

[Soidee 1,496]

It's a no brainer. So don't give me this nonsense about supporter negativity.

Everyone at the club is doing their bit except for a group of players on our list who are not capable of performing to their pay level.

Simple - we all know who they are.

Simple - Trade them or delist them

Supporters resilience should never be questioned at this club with the putrid efforts they have to watch year in year out.

Every resilient supporter will be watching the off season very closely to see how fair dinkum this club is about throwing out non performers. 2016 will be the acid year where we will see who has the gonads to move players out of this club.

[Dr. Gonzo 23,723]

I think that most think he is blaming our mindset for the losses, how anyone could think a coach would think that is beyond me...

You are being taken for a ride by a couple in the media if you think Roos is blaming us for losses.

No, he's just deflecting attention from where it should be targeted. The problem is this time he has chosen an extremely poor choice to shift the dialogue towards as the supporters have put up with enough [censored] for years/decades without now being told their too negative.

Shift the dialogue back towards the pathetic performances of our professional players and give the supporters a break.

[Gorgoroth 12,712]

Agree, The players should be the ones copping it from the club, media and fans.

Their efforts last week especially were insipid.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

is there only only mod who has OCD with merging/renaming/closing threads or it is an across the board thing?

[Lucifers Hero 38,985]

i plead guilty as charged

i expect to be shot at dawn by slobbo......such is life

You are safe as houses dc!

Slobbo probably can't see straight at dawn let alone shoot straight!

[Macca 16,643]

No, he's just deflecting attention from where it should be targeted. The problem is this time he has chosen an extremely poor choice to shift the dialogue towards as the supporters have put up with enough [censored] for years/decades without now being told their too negative.

Shift the dialogue back towards the pathetic performances of our professional players and give the supporters a break.

I agree - and we all seem to have been lumped together on the back of a few emails from a few disgruntled supporters. All up, there's probably at least a hundred thousand Melbourne supporters (Australia wide) so the emails he receives doesn't seem to be much of a sample size anyway.

Again, it's just silly stuff that a senior coach shouldn't be bothered with. Whether it's true or not is irrelevant too - he quite simply should not be talking about such matters.

His job is to coach the football side - not to be reading and/or answering emails from supporters. Many of our players still have many fundamental issues that need working on ... that's where his focus should lie (amongst other areas where he should be focused)

.

Edited August 27, 2015 by Macca

[poita 3,874]

Dear Mr Roos, you have been paid $1.5 million a year to coach this team, far more than any other coach in the competition, including the one who has won back-to-back premierships.

You, on the other hand, have achieved absolutely nothing at this club other than getting people offside by taking pot shots at all and sundry. Given our long record of mediocrity, I believe that Melbourne supporters are the most loyal of any club, and your comments towards them are deeply offensive and totally unwarranted. I resent your inability to take responsibility for your failings, and your unwillingness to stand as one with the players and the club as a whole.

Your record is actually quite abysmal given the resources at your disposal, as we rank 18th from your 42 games in charge. How about you start doing your job and let the media go elsewhere for a rent-a-quote. Give up your extra curricular activities and focus on coaching the Melbourne Football Club. Making the players accountable for their pissweak efforts would be a good start, followed by developing some basic football skills and then some semblance of a game plan and match day strategy. Nothing that is not expected of every AFL coach, but tasks that have so far eluded you.

If you are unwilling, or unable to do this, please step aside and let Simon Goodwin or someone else take over. Yours negatively, poita.

[Dr. Gonzo 23,723]

We spend years posting stuff like "I've had it with the club!", "this club doesn't deserve my money!", "this game was the tipping point! (after last week's tipping point in the other direction". We post stuff about club curses and hoodoos. We mail bomb the coach and the CEO. Then we act all indignant when the coach says we're negative.

I truly think supporters of the club need to harden up a little and stop taking things so personally. The club isn't trying to hurt you, and Roos is not trying to blame you for it, he is just pointing out something which to me was patently obvious.

Yes but why? To deflect attention from the players and coaches. Extremely weak to attack your supporters who are there through thick and thin (even if they do whinge) and have no voice in the media to defend themselves.

[Dr. Gonzo 23,723]

Also why would you disenfranchise the heart and soul of your club? It just seems like it's a poorly thought out commentary that could only serve to drive a wedge between the coach/club/players and the supporters.

[Dr. Gonzo 23,723]

If we lose like the way we did against Carlton then I expect some negativity.

I would recommend for people who want to know about some of the negativity that surrounds this to go to a match day thread.

One stuff up or any adversity we may face is usually followed up with:

'(insert name), GET OUT OF MY FOOTBALL CLUB!'

'I HATE THIS CLUB! I'M FINISHED! NEVER AGAIN!'

and all other kinds of overreactions. Such as this

I also recommend people read our boards when we win and it's not by a margin of 60 plus points. Roosy summed it up pretty well when he talked about the reaction he received from some fans after the win against Brisbane.

As I said before, under Neeld we were going backwards. I repeat BACKWARDS. We went from 8 wins to 4 to 2. I will admit that after year one, I hadn't seen the light but come round one 2013, I knew what was going on. Some might say that I am no different now. I call BS on that as we are still on an upward trend at the moment.

No one expects anyone to put up a 'Mission Accomplished' banner just yet. But as I'va Worn Smith (not sure I spelt that right) said in another thread, what would the haters want to do? To sack another coach? Yeah, that makes sense. Last time we were in a similar situation and did that it just plunged us into the greatest morass I have experienced as a football club in my time following it.

People on here talk of ten years of darkness. I say we added 4 years of unnecessary pain with the decision we made in 2011.

I repeat.... If there is any hint of that, I would say enough and I would go support another club. If the club folded due to lack of funds but had died fighting the good fight, I would not look for another club as I would feel like a widower who would have lost their spouse. If the club killed itself through rampant stupidity such as sacking Roos based on the back of one ordinary season (upon receiving the s***tiest list in the AFL), I would feel like I had left a spouse who had spent all day drinking scotch, trolling bars for anonymous encounters and maxing out my credit card. That is my level of passion about this!

The club would not be an entity not worth supporting as it would confirm to me that it is ruled by pizz weak Eastern suburbs private school boys who are adamant that their daddys promised them a successful football team as part of their birth right (along with a Rolls in the car park and a slice of shares in Australia's foremost blue chip companies) and will crack the sads if the journey to the football club they think they deserve meets the slightest speed bump.

Is anyone seriously suggesting Roos should get the sack? I'm sure there's some malcontents but on the whole I would assume they are in the extreme minority amongst our couple of hundred thousand supporters.

[Dr. Gonzo 23,723]

I agree - and we all get seem to have been lumped together on the back of a few emails from a few disgruntled supporters. All up, there's probably at least a hundred thousand Melbourne supporters (Australia wide) so the emails he receives doesn't seem to be much of a sample size anyway.

Again, it's just silly stuff that a senior coach shouldn't be bothered with. Whether it's true or not is irrelevant too - he quite simply should not be talking about such matters.

His job is to coach the football side - not to be reading and/or answering emails from supporters. Many of our players still have many fundamental issues that need working on ... that's where his focus should lie (amongst other areas where he should be focused)

Exactly Macca - surely responding to emails is the job of the admin from the temp agency.

He should be worrying about getting the players to play team football, attacking the opposition and the contest with extreme ferocity, doing 1%ers like shepherds, pressure acts, tackles etc and putting time into the development of our kids, our game plan and combating the opposition game plans.

[Mach5 4,653]

Amen Brother

"I am MAD as hell and i am not going take it anymore"

Peter Finch

Network

The thing is, hilariously, you are.

You'll whinge and carry on like you're making some sort of stand.

And you'll continue to "take it."

But you don't even realise it.

[old dee 23,503]

Is anyone seriously suggesting Roos should get the sack? I'm sure there's some malcontents but on the whole I would assume they are in the extreme minority amongst our couple of hundred thousand supporters.

Forget the ones who are not members Dr.

I agree with you I doubt there are more than a few amongst our 36000 members.

[Demon Dynasty 17,094]

Exactly Macca - surely responding the job of the admin from the temp agency.

He should be worrying about getting the players to play team football, attacking the opposition and the contest with extreme ferocity, doing 1%ers like shepherds, pressure acts, tackles etc and putting time into the development of our kids, our game plan and combating the opposition game plans.

Dr im not sure many of our players get the concept of "back to the basics" ... theyve had a few years to get it now and still go missing against some very ordinary teams

[daisycutter 29,341]

i wonder whatever happened to leading teams (LT)

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

i wonder whatever happened to leading teams (LT)

Obviously they are horrifically bad at their job

[Sir Why You Little 36,668]

The thing is, hilariously, you are.

You'll whinge and carry on like you're making some sort of stand.

And you'll continue to "take it."

But you don't even realise it.

Loghten up ya Jerk

You have no understanding of humour...

[old dee 23,503]

Dr im not sure many of our players get the concept of "back to the basics" ... theyve had a few years to get it now and still go missing against some very ordinary teams

There are IMO opinion a few simple things here.

- Our list was VFL standard two years ago.

-It has been improved but it still has a long way to go.

-we still have poor depth

Early in the year before long term injuries started to mount we had a better group to pick from hence some good results.

In the last few weeks we have been forced to play people who are either NQR or are kids playing their first 10 games and do not know their arse from their elbow at senior level.

Surprise surprise we are struggling.

If our depth was just 4 -5 players better I am confident we would now have 8 wins.

Increased depth next year will show further improvement and more wins.

[picket fence 16,697]

Hard to be positive when you are paddling upstream in a bog infested, swamp, littered with crocodiles, conga eels, a giant gila monster, Daleks, blood sucking leaches, in a barb wire canoe!!

Very hard,

excruciatingly so!

[Demon Dynasty 17,094]

There are IMO opinion a few simple things here.

- Our list was VFL standard two years ago.

-It has been improved but it still has a long way to go.

-we still have poor depth

Early in the year before long term injuries started to mount we had a better group to pick from hence some good results.

In the last few weeks we have been forced to play people who are either NQR or are kids playing their first 10 games and do not know their arse from their elbow at senior level.

Surprise surprise we are struggling.

If our depth was just 4 -5 players better I am confident we would now have 8 wins.

Increased depth next year will show further improvement and more wins.

OD have you been in direct contact with P.R. lately?

I am detecting a marginaly positive bias here

Edited August 27, 2015 by Rusty Nails

[Demon Dynasty 17,094]

Hard to be positive when you are paddling upstream in a bog infested, swamp, littered with crocodiles, conga eels, a giant gila monster, Daleks, blood sucking leaches, in a barb wire canoe!!

Very hard,

excruciatingly so!

I would suggest you watch the entire "Indiana Jones" box set picket (again if its been a few years )

Edited August 27, 2015 by Rusty Nails

[Guest]

Is anyone seriously suggesting Roos should get the sack? I'm sure there's some malcontents but on the whole I would assume they are in the extreme minority amongst our couple of hundred thousand supporters.

Sadly, and I raised this event before, this kind of feels like 2011 redux. It hasn't reached a crescendo yet as it did with 186 nor has anyone come out with a straight out 'sack the coach'. The noise surrounding it however sees eerily familiar.

* A media campaign from those who have criticized us in the past for being administratively unstable over the fact that our rebuild isn't proceeding quickly enough.

* Past greats and former administrators making cliched statements in the media about 'not having a go' and 'aiming for mediocrity'.

* A group of vocal supporters who will not accept any evidence to the contrary and insist that the problem lay exclusively with the coach.

I don't think that anyone is so stupid as to say 'sack Paul Roos right damn now'. There have been calls to put Simon Goodwin in as early as next year with no final year under Roos. That I have seen on here. Let's just suppose that we do do that? Then what? We move Roos on unwillingly (regardless of his pay packet, don't think for a second he would stay on if he were demoted) and we then again alienate the playing group and split the club into factions again: the pro Roos camp vs. the anti Roos camp. That then filters down to the various groupings around the football club (staff, coteries, hangers on etc). Goodwin would then be stuffed before he even took on the big chair. If your plan is to stuff the club, then your mission would be accomplished.

I hope I don't sound like I'm taking a hostile tone with you Doctor as I have a lot of respect for your posts. I read a lot of this piffle (the ridiculously hostile anti Roos stuff, not what you wrote) after the St. Kilda game and was about to break into a rant but I held off. This time though, I can't.

Edited August 27, 2015 by Colin B. Flaubert