Leaderboard

Hold on. First things first, at that point Mick Malthouse was still a man in a job. Let's remember that. It would have been the height of rudeness to ask Malthouse about another coaching job when he was in the heat of a finals campaign. Secondly, Ross Lyon. Now, understand that all players, coaches and media personalities work through a manager to handle contract stuff. Garry, quite rightly, went to Craig Kelly for the feeler, and Kelly suggested that it wasn't going to happen and Ross was going to stay at St Kilda. Now, Lyon went behind even his manager's back in making the Fremantle deal, to the point that Kelly parted company with R. Lyon soon after the Fremantle deal was announced.

Contract negotiations with Port reported to have hit a stalemate. Hard at it Victorian midfielder, who at 23 years of age is in the perfect age bracket to be a leader within a developing list such as ours. Definitely going to have the means to get a trade done, would really like to see us have a crack at him.

If its for the reason I'm suspecting, when I played at the hawks game a couple of weeks ago, they put the tune back a bit later to right before the bounce. The audio and tv guy told me I had about a minute and a half to fill and to play the song twice through. As I was getting towards the end of the second rendition, the siren sounded and a lady from the AFL raced around the boundary Waving at me to stop. As I was so close to the end I finished the song and came off. By that time she was showing her frustration to the guys from The Melbourne FC and the only words I spoke to her were that I had been told to play the song twice by the tv guy.

Why am I getting this feeling I'm in Salem?

Hello, McFly? What's done is done, it's over, dead and buried. There is nothing to gain in going over old decisions that, were the clock wound back, may or may not have turned out differently. It's like re-enacting the battle of Waterloo with miniatures. It might be fun, but does not achieve anything. The only viable course of action is to work with what we have. Onwards and upwards. Go Demons!

What about the signing of the previous years number 1 draft pick in October of the following year, behind everyone's back and then playing for a year, while knowing you are leaving and lieing to all concerned?

I think that's what you're seeing - how much more drastic do you want? "We need big changes to ever be successfull!!!" "Oooh I don't like those changes, the pain, the pain ..."

If you go back through the Coach posts we had when Gary was searching there was a clear target list that the club worked through, 1st Al Clarkson 2nd Mick Malthouse 3rd Ross Lyon 4th an assistant out of Neeld/Sanderson/McCartney, we jumped on Neeld and from all reports Adelaide also had an offer in to him. We have had an extremely soft environment at our club, we went through the 2000's Ok some finals but ND played his favourates no matter what, this team didn't have a defensive mind set it was plain kick a lot of goals and we win, but every year we had a run of games when we couldn't kikc goals and we could stop goals being kicked against us. Again with Bailey similar plan, so with Neeld we are trying something different and it is a mind set change along with new structures. Neeld will be fine and in 2013 you will see dramatic improvement

CARLTON CARLTON CARLTON, 100 TIMES CARLTON Please FFS I cannot handle losing to that scumbucket of a club. They sicken me.

Not that it means much but I think the Boaks are Melbourne supporters. What the MFC has that a Geelong or Essendon will not have is teh possibility of 3 top 15 picks in the draft. Most likely Geelong and Essendon will be lucky to get a pick inside 18. No matter what Boak wants he will not get to either of these clubs. The other big advantage of finishing bottom 3 gives us pick 1-3 in the pre-season draft so you can threaten clubs accept this pick or get nothing for him and we take him in the pre-season draft. It will be a hard sell but it depends on his true desire to move back to Vic.

I know I'm dreaming, but what this team needs to do is suddenly have the plan click and come home with a wet sail in the second half of the season... then we would have no trouble bringing in the right players come the trade period.

I know a little about Matt and he is a nice guy and easy to get along with but most importantly has a track record of good draft selections. We would be remiss not to speak to him, especially considering our current list and the angst over many of our draft selections of the last few drafts.

Well that's good. Do you have any further information on that - because the Melbourne newspapers were running stories about Adelaide missing out on Neeld. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/crows-lean-to-mark-neeld/story-e6frf9jf-1226133579375 http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/neeld-anointed-as-melbournes-coach-20110916-1kdkr.html And then the waterboy for the Crows - Rucci - comes out months later with this 'history of events' and you immediately believe him. Why? Because you are a Melbourne supporter - and the truth must be the 'history of events' that is the most embarrassing to the club. What do you suggest? What unemotional and rational drastic action do you think we should take?

I thought Tom Scully, but having read it, definitely Collingwood. Not even close. Imagine being 0-10 and smashing them on Queen's Birthday. They would probably burn down the Southern Stand...

I saw the topic heading and immediately thought: Greg Denham!

One of the few I'd be willing to cough up what was required to get.

Why wouldn't he come to melbourne? We have fantastic facilities, an extensive coaching team and will have plenty of cash to splash. He is young enough not to be demanding instant success, and would be a magnificent addition to our insipid midfield. Very underrated outside of SA. We should go all guns blazing.

The Robbo Show has been a welcome light-hearted break from a mostly sad season! Keep up the good work Robbo!

Absolutely. It was he and Dangerfield last year I wanted us to to turn Heaven & Earth to get to Melbourne... Dangerfield isn't signed, YET... And Boak is a Must for us. We also need to have another crack at Caddy. Pity about Gaff.

I didn't think Clark was a leader at the Lions...

More excuses. It doesn't take 10 Kgs to show a desire for the hard contest. So watts your prognosis for Cale Morton? I don't want to see Jack W go the way of Morton & Bennell.

is quite/very sad that you seem to take so much joy in a talented MFC players struggle with form. I thought he was good until last week also he will be back within the month

Well I reckon we're a very good chance of beating the Blues and the Pies in the next 3 weeks ............ ..........in the VFL !

I'd take a win against the cranbourne U12s at the mo!

This morning on SEN they were talking about our trumpeter. I was half asleep so I missed it but according to Demonology he has been suspended for being to long on the ground then being rude to an AFL official. He has been suspended for 2 home games meaning he will miss the pies game. God I hope this is true.

I've changed my tune about going down this path, especially now that Dangermouse looks to be off-limits. More prudent would be two take the two best mids in the draft and load up on a few cheap, hard bodies to help protect them as they and our other talented kids develop. Give me three Magners @ $150k per season over one Boak type @ $500k.

Hardnut I was actually on "the Grassy Knoll" 3 weeks ago. Interesting bit of history.

We've got 4 players with genuine speed this week - blease, bail, bennell & nicholson. Good thing cos Carlton are pretty quick.

I reckon he must give the coaches a chubby at training - has good skills & good pace, can imagine he'd tick boxes in a drill haha

Lazy footballer.. Doesn't stand up in big games

Patrick Dangerfield. And we could have had him with pick #4 2007.

We cannot afford to wait until October - we need to get on with 2013 planning right now, and it looks as is we are likely to know quite soon which picks we will have. Definitely need a guy with a proven track record. Well they as a team did a bloody good job, so reunite them asap. "Fail to plan; plan to fail."

Can we have a DONT LIKE box!

It also doesn't matter to some of those with talent...

My point is that the truth is not objective. I don't care what Adelaide did or didn't do - I care about Melbourne being criticised because Adelaide apparently didn't have Neeld in their top two. Concerned to your extent, or you have your head in the sand. Is there a middle? Because that is where the majority of MFC fans are at. It's moot whether we didn't chase Lyon hard enough, it's moot whether Garry should have been the driver of this, it's moot that we come to the quick conclusion that we wanted Neeld. Most of us are wondering what happened, but realise there is nothing to do about that - the die has been cast. That is not indifference you are appalled at. It's a collective of people coming to grips with reality. And maybe that poor process, you know minus the due diligence, was the reason we managed to acquire Craig and Misson? We all see the grey, we are not blind, but as I said, we have enough issues without adding spurious claims from all comers.

This could be a short term contract even? leading into a similar or other role

I'd be happy with that too. Purely to send Brad Scott into meltdown. He's far too smug when refering to us.

No they wont. We have more chance in the next five years-despite current perceptions .

actually I like losing winning is just another form of bullying and an extension of regressive childhood behaviour i think joan kirner had it right we should be lobbying vlad to bring in kirner-rules and cease the keeping of scores in all afl games .....just extractingb the urine (fpor those gullible readers)

The media circus is a joke........ Calling for the head of the coach, who only had one pre-season......what a joke! They have all been sucked in, while the club gathers better picks and a fitter list for the 2013 season.... The players are being trained hard.....harder than any other club in the league.....when the other clubs are recovering, the MFC players are training........effectively tanking the 2012 season, for a better 2013 season..... the compensation picks are in play and are getting better by the day....... As hard as it is for the members/supporters to watch, it's the best move for this club going forward....... 2013 will be worth all this pain.......

The mentality that we do things in systematic way, through the right channels and don't put anyones nose out of joint needs ot be left behind. Ross Lyon's poaching by Freo, Carltons pre-amptive strike on Judd are examples of where other clubs have acted surreptitiously where we've been floundering around the periphery. I'm not saying that either outcome would have been different but we can't let others, or a narrow view of the way things are done dictate our future. Getting Mitch Clarke was a good example of the change of attitude we need.

Your suspicions are founded in what? I seem to recall that he was brought in by the Chairman to report directly to the Board around the Football Department. Oh wait that's right there was an article on the website about his role. http://www.melbourne...90/default.aspx So I guess he was just rubber stamping Schwab's wishes. Once any decision was made around the new coach it would be endorsed by the Board and it is then the job of the CEO to begin negotiating a contract for the new coach as it is an operational matter. CS would have used a phone because it is cheaper then carrier pigeons, not as messy as smoke signals and not everyone understands morse code in this day and age. But hell that's only my opinion.

What do you think they're just throwing around tennis balls at training? The focus has changed dramatically from the stylish attacking but unaccountable footy we've seen over the last couple of years to basic foundational crap in areas of fitness, defensive pressure and a desire to constantly improve that we were seriously behind in when Neeld & co rocked up. It's like Bailey taught us to swim starting with butterfly and everyone went "that'll do I'm fkn ace now" then Neeld came in, went wtf mate? and sent everyone back to the pool to learn how to tread water. Who doesn't love analogies?

Thrilled to see Davis get a call up. I really hope he gets a game. I don't expect him to set the world on fire, but he's hard at it and shows great desperation. Nicholson I think will have been brought in to sit on one of their small speedsters, Betts, Garlett or Yarran. If he plays a totally negating role then his kicking won't be such a huge issue. We certainly need the pace in the side.

I like the idea, but due diligence is absolutely key. From what I read of the situation, it truly did sound like he was quoted way out of context, and given what we now know about Mifsud, I doubt the credibility of his word very much.

Proven track record with drafting so take him I'm sure Neil Craig knows him well

I just hope we do the right amount of psychological profiling if we do go for him.

Couch. WTF. Has been BOG in nearly every game but can't get a go ahead of Sellar, Davis, Nicholson, and Bennell, all of which should be in the queue behind him DESPITE the speed factor. Are we really in that much good form that we have the luxury of leaving out good players purely because we might be a bit too much "same speed"? Are we really any quicker without him? This has got to the point of ridiculous, this kid should be playing, and I'd really like someone from MFC to come out and tell us why not, and not the usual BS about how he's "on the cusp". Play Couch FFS. Have we really got anything to lose?!

This made me laugh so hard.

Stuie, you beat me to it! It's funny because in theory it's a shocker of an idea for a club thats perceived to be too white collar to have a guy in a velvet smoking jacket play the bugle before the game. In reality I kind of like it. it's one of those weird quirky sports things that feels like it could just be something we do. Why do we have the banners? I tried to explain that to a friend of mine from the US and couldn't come up with anything, yet I'd hate to see them go. Also, the irony of the Bugle Boy being the only one to show some fight and getting into a fracas with an official is not lost on me. Get that boy a jumper and some boots!