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No. All that I'm suggesting is you can put your own brand of spin on anything and that's exactly what Denham is trying to do. Personally, I don't really worry about how we as a club look to Greg Denham because, for some reason, he seems to have an unhealthy obsession about Melbourne and the more he prattles on about it the more stupid he looks. I don't care about Scully any more either. He and his old man are someone else's problem. I don't believe either were loved by the Melbourne insiders or Tom by the playing group and I cant accept the description of him as a marquee player simply because he was might have been used by the club in its marketing. Matthew Pavlich is a marquee player. Buddy Franklin is a marquee player. Jeff Farmer was our last. Jim Stynes is doing the right thing. He's looking forward. He's highlighting our new coach and our extended coaching set up. It's exciting, it's special and really does mark a serious attempt to match it with the big boys. We've just scored the recruiting coup of the trade week and we're moving forward. That's a good look to me and I prefer viewing my club in that frame a damn sight more than giving oxygen or credibility to that ratbag Denham.

Is it ? So lets go one further. Trengove does the same thing - so now we have two footballers who during their off time - drinking ( apparently too much - or the club wouldnt have told Sylvia to go to a responsible drinking course) one week before pre season training starts - and leaves the scene of the accident even though he was the passenger ? still. Jones and Frawley do the same - so now we have four footballers. What people fail to realise is that it is a team game and you have to have team standards - you cant make exceptions for one (like Sylvia) or you have to make exceptions for all. I have been the passenger in two accidents. I know a few friends who have had accidents - i have yet to know anyone who as a passenger has left the scene. It is just not a good look. Sylvia at best is guilty of being a dill. And dill is not the standard you set for a team

''It looks like we have a coach now that is really serious and he is not going to relax,'' Stynes said yesterday. ''He is not going to sit back and let it all happen. He is going to create it - it's good.'' Where does he suggest that Bailey was not serious? All I read is that Neeld must be very intense about achieving success with this group of footballers now. Not achieving competitiveness.

I was surprised to read that the coach of the Irish team is a former MFC listed player Anthony Tohill. He never played seniors for us and I remember nothing about him. Anyway, the build up to the game here is about as exciting as the above snippet of information.

There is no doubt we have been poor on the field over the last five years. There's a fair argument that for many of the past 47 years we've been ordinary on the field. And IMO the Bailey sacking was handled terribly. I've got no problems with an opposition supporter telling me this because it's true. But Denham's comments go beyond this. His constant focus on Melbourne and his repeated negative generic comments are vindictive. He has it in for the MFC for some reason and can't get enough of sticking the boots in at every opportunity. Can I cop a bit of stick from other supporters? Of course - you couldn't be a Melbourne supporter without having a thick skin. But do I have to listen to Denham making ridiculous comments like "I'd be embarrassed to be a Melbourne supporter" and "The MFC stands for nothing" and then justify it by saying, 'yeah, we have been ordinary for a while, he's pretty much on the money there'? No way. I'll never be embarrassed to support Melbourne.

I've just realised what an ordinary operation the Geelong Football Club is. They lost Gary Ablett Jr. They couldn't convince 3 time premiership ruckman Brad Ottens not to retire. They were nearly broke until they did a cosy stadium deal and their fitness bloke nearly destroyed half the team till they sacked him. That Thompson bloke was pretty ordinary the way he shafted them too. And I heard their president talking about how good a coach Scott is. Ordinary club. Poor look.

I said nothing of the 'facts'. My comment was effectively a swipe at what seems in your stance to be a cavalier disregard for player discipline and an inability to comprehend - as CS seems unable to do - that nightclubs + booze + [censored] mates + cars = trouble. Your boys will be boys line of thought is archaic, John Elliot type stuff.

It could be..certainly if he had said "We NOW have a coach who is serious" then no intpretation would be required. Im inclined to think its a case of.. the coach we have is a very serious coach....and thats hes just obviously talking about the 'now" Shades of grey possibly

I hate the AFL becoming americanised in general Draft Combine, talk of two leagues ala MLB, NHL etc, if they get their way we'll be chanting Dee-Fence, Dee-Fence, Dee-Fence whenever the ball goes into our defense half. god help us.

It IS quite simple. As far as the accident is concerned, that is an issue between the police and the driver - however, the fact that Col was the owner of the car and handed over the task of driving to a friend who may well have also been over the limit (or at the very least was driving dangerously) and then left the scene, brings into question Col's ability to make smart decisions - but yes, that should not have any bearing on the club imposed penalties. As far as the drinking is concerned, Col has obviously confirmed to the club (and no doubt the police - who may well have breath tested him for all we know) that he had been been drinking and I would imagine there is a good chance he would have told them just how drunk he was (or maybe it was obvious to all and sundry?). Drinking the night before training is a no-no and the club acted accordingly. The drinking was obviously considered by the club to be worth taking reasonably strong action over. The fact that the club also put him down for the alcohol related course, would tend to indicate (unless it is a bar-tending course) that they considered it to be more than just a couple of sherberts at a mates place - perhaps the police passed on a reading to them? To say that if the accident didn't happen the club may not have acted doesn't cut it, as he still could easily have denied drinking the night before regardless... that is, of course, unless there was irrefutable evidence that he had been so drunk that he needed to be driven home. Proof? No... but there is plenty of circumstantial evidence.

And what would you do if you found out? Serious keyboard warrior stuff.

Simple....Col wasn't the driver

I wasn't going to bump this again but someone from the club has got To hold this turkey Denham to task. He has claimed this morning that Jim was unprofessional in spruiking Neeld at the detriment of Bailey. That we are the worst run club That we didn't look after Wonnamerri or do enough to get him to come back to the club. That we should of flown up there and to bring him back. This guy is running the dirtiest of agendas at the moment

I am more worried about people who get riled by Denham comments rather than the bile that Denham has to say.

Nathan Jones is very a different athlete from Sam Blease. They didn't do 40m sprints. And Nathan Jones has got about 6 full pre-seasons versus Blease's zero.

If you knew Andrew you'd know that during his time at the Tigers he became a pretty slick business brain. The way he relates to the public has been done before and it's an old tactic. Play the fool and talk the language ( in this case boganism ) of your target audience. Others that do it well in sport are people like Sam Newman and Billy Brownless. In the rock industry Nick Cave and Mick Jagger do it well. Both these gentleman are private school boys but listening to Cave in particular and you'd think he never got an even break in his life. They all have one thing in common they are selling a commodity, themselves.

Clubs don't hand out punishments based on nothing. You and billy2803 really should come to terms with this. It will save you from making further tripeful contributions that release your frustrations. And I'm quite within my rights to question the terms of punishment that suit club and player, when it's evident the club has expressed it's desire and intent to improve one's (club) culture.

We'll all eventually meet the same fate, but the thought of leaving young kids behind must be the hardest thing I would imagine...........almost like you were letting them down or somehow failing them by not being there. He's a pretty amazing man Jim Stynes, and you can't help but admire his courage.

... and that's the very point Jock. We all know that Sheeds is terrific at spruiking but he's well past it as an AFL coach these days. When I first heard that Sheedy was throwing his hat in the ring for the Melbourne job in the post-Daniher era, I was keen but then I thought about it and, after speaking with a number of Essendon fans (mostly disillusioned) I realised that he'd gone well past his use by date as far as the responsibilities of modern day football (then) was. Today, he's even light years further behind. It's all pretty much moot but I doubt whether Sheeds would have lasted the four Bailey years and I reckon we would have been in no better shape than today. Probably worse off. I feel sad for those young players, many of them the cream of our young footballing talent, who are about to embark on their careers at a club that is going nowhere. Some of these kids will end up on the scrapheap because from what I can see, GWS is not going to be a football club as we know it.

Kennedy and McGlynn at the Swans say hi: both similar types to Tuck. I agree though they dont give anything away generally.

It seems pretty simple to me. He has to show two things. FIrstly, is the depression and linked drug taking a sad chapter from his past and something he's confident he has under control and secondly, is he an improvement on Jones, McKenzie and Gysberts. Watching Kennedy over the past two seasons in Sydney may be playing too big an influence in my thinking but my gut instinct is that Tuck is worth a shot.