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Without doubt!!!! Adelaide Crows!!! You try living in this $hithole and tell me otherwise!

Collingwood, because they were our arch enemies during our golden era. They 'stole' the '58 flag from us, thus interrupting a run of premierships that would have culminated in a 'never to be beaten' sequence of six on the trot. I loathe them and despise them, and my feelings have rubbed off on my eldest son. He has a Magpies sticker firmly glued on the inside bottom of his toilet bowl. Visiting the bathroom is extremely satisfying at his house! Edit: spelling.

I dislike Collingwood and Carlton sort of because I know I'm supposed to, but I legitimately DESPISE!!! the Hawthorn Footy Club.

Lyon lost me during the tanking debacle. He's got a lot of power and authority in the media; could have come out and defended us at any time. Didn't . Then we were all waiting for him to tear strips of Caro on Footy Confidential. He failed miserably. She ran rings around him. He was simply unprepared. Needed to refute her hysterical arguments in a logical manner, one, two, three. Didn't. Hopeless. What depressed me was that some of us seemed to think he'd done a great job because they had a shouting match. But if you take a closer look, what he was really getting stroppy about was that she criticized his personal integrity. That was it for me. He wasn't being passionate about the club that made him, he was being passionate about himself. Now he writes this fluff-piece about Rivers (which is a subtle criticism of Melbourne, although nowhere near as harsh as it could have been - I'm not saying he dislikes us, I'm saying he's just another self-centred media [censored] - I suppose I can handle him being a [censored], but I wish he was one like Eddy or Brayshaw, who never lose their passion for their clubs.)

Look this is wonderful but if your going to exclude GWS & GC please at least remind us all with courtesy who we played in the 2nd half of the season. What is it with delanders wanting to go out of their way to promote negativity. We all know that for the best part of 07 -12 we were shite but the likes of WYL & OD will have you thinking we have been that way since 64 & continue to be a spent force for eternity. I believe we may even go down to Port but increased fitness will see the Dees finish the year strongly. I just hope we are travelling well enough for the likes of hardnut and the other Neeld haters to be curtailed for what I believe will be a rough start to 2013

22,376 plus 2 Flying over from Perth, have to see at least one game for 2013 where there is some hope of a win. Really dont like feeling "alone" surrounded by feral Freo or WCE supporters at Subiaco.. Sucks watching your team get pumped and copping it from the morons in the crowd as well, at least at the MCG there is more red and blue to console with.

I give you..

Correct mate! I would also be surprised if there weren't more than 30 people there!

==> http://six6six.smugmug.com/Other/VFL-Hitout/28448863_cqHNk7

i could drop punt her head clean off her shoulders....... Don't like Caroline either

Everybody except Melbourne.

"I'm trading you to West Coast for pick 88 which we aren't going to use on anyone."

Sorry for mass-quoting, but these 5 posts miss the point. It's not whether or not what he's written is accurate, it's the fact that Lyon is a massive contributing factor to these problems. He was one of those responsible for implementing Bailey, is part of the crew that turfs him, then gets another crack when it comes to appointing the next coach - followed by articles like this. Gaz has a dream role: he gets to play the hero every time the club "needs" him, then he gets to piss on the solution when it doesn't work, as if it had nothing to do with him. I reckon it stinks.

Greg Denham anyone?

There used to be a pub in Fitzroy that was frequented by all the degenerates & crims. But the authorities never revoked the pub's licence; the story was that they wanted to keep all those types centralized. That's how I view Collingwood.

With Stynes seriously ill we effectively had a Board with no football experience following the resignation of Andrew Leoncelli. The Board was seriously considering extending Dean Bailey's contract. Schwab and Connolly did what they had to do to prevent that unwarranted contract extension. Everything I have read since about the fundamental cultural changes demanded of the players by Neeld, Misson and Craig justifies the actions of Schwab and Connolly. Go Dees. My name is Tom Potter and I endorse this message.

I fully support the NT initiative. Attempts to gain additional supporters in VIC, WA, SA, NSW and QLD obviously wont do much due to the markets already being well and truly tapped. The same could be said for Tasmania. It's big money and the potential to get the support of a state/territory like Hawthorn has.

Whether the content of Lyons piece is right or not, it isn't the thing that frustrates me with Garry. Football Club culture isn't just the 44 people in the squad, it's all of us as supporters and all of our ex-players. Richmond have been rubbish for so long but do their ex- players come out with comments like Garry's... Absolutely not. When Collingwod were rubbish Eddie would never bad mouth his club.. Garry writes one piece each year just to make everyone feel like he isn't a one eyed supporter in the media but he doesn't get it. Billy Brownless is loved by most because they know how one eyed he is.. So you can choose to ignore it. If Geelong were 0-16 you wouldn't hear a bad word. That's why Geelongs culture is so good... Everyone is on board! They're highest profile supporters are 100% Geelong. Garry is the one guy who can send positive Melbourne message throughout the media when everyone else wants to write sh!t... Yet he's sold out because he cares about himself in the media not Melbourne as his first port of call.

Essendon by a hypodermic needle to Carlton, by a brown paper bag to North. North deserve more hate than we accord them. Whiny pr1cks they are.

1.Collingwood despise the Club and its supporters. I grew up with cousins barracking for the Woods and had to go to the football with them. Sheer agony. The day Ronnie Wearmouth (I think) king hit Flower before the game and nearly being beaten over head by a feral Collingwood supporter with her umbrella. Funny now but not at the time. 2.Essendon- witnessing supporters spit at their team as they went down the race and the disgraceful 2000 incident with Dean Wallis who knew prior to the game he was retiring. 3. Carlton - the most despicable, arrogant and unreasonable supporters and now even more given what they have got away with. 4. Hawthorn - pompous supporters and hate that they have come so far from the time of merger (and we haven't) Quite like going to the football with Swans and Bulldog supporters - usually reasonable I admire Geelong for what they have achieved and also love the chant Geeeeeelong - always makes me laugh Richmond - what can you say. I just feel sorry for them - bunch of no hoper supporters - nearly as bad as Collingwood

I sometimes hate to love Melbourne.

My diagnosis: too long an off season which followed a season from hell. A tanking investigation that left demon fans a little fragile. My cure: bring on the footy. We win. We lose. We dissect the games. With the federal elections coming up we have enough politics

Essendon followed by Essendon, closely followed by Essendon. Reasons in no particular order, Sheedy, the most arrogant one eyed turn coat supporters in the league, the way they decided was necessary to play dirty football in 2000 GF when they were a three times better side than us anyway.

the sides that have beaten up on us for years ess and hawks

Again this thread uses the logic of retention of a marginal player to justify the retention of another marginal player. Use the good players as the benchmark, not the crap ones.

Re Round 1, I'm not sure what exactly "season over" means in our case. We're almost certainly not going to be playing off in the finals, so I would have thought that this is very much a development and consolidation year. We've had a massive number of changes, and IMHO, it's going to take most of the season to just work out what our best 22 is yet alone where they should be playing. As part of that process, there will be the inevitable losses. Round 1 could be a step too far. I just feel that we have too many of our first 22 with injury/fitness/match-fitness issues: Clark, Dawes, McDonald, Trengove, Blease, Viney ... that's nearly a third of the team, and not any old third either. Or to put it another way, whatever team we put on the park next weekend, it will be the first time they've played any kind of competitive match together, and at least a few of them are going to be dusting off the cobwebs. Just feel it's going to take a while to settle down and come together. Perhaps even a whole season.

Well said LG. I thought the same thing when i read it. G Lyon is not a messiah of the MFC, but he is no fool either.

The article is all about putting a line through the past at Melbourne. Acknowledging it's failure as a club, the relentless backstabbing and mad politics, the acceptance of mediocrity as a standard, and the sanctimonious sniping at anyone who pointed out these things. It says Rivers, but it actually means everyone. It's says Geelong, but it is actually aboutt he whole concept of a professional and competent culture. Believe it or not, the article has a subtext that Garry Lyon feels like things are gonna be ok now at Melbourne.

You must've consumed quite an amount of alcohol bud... You ok?

First round of the year, it's at the G, we haven't lost yet and its potentially a winnable game. Plus Viney and the other new recruits. I'd say somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000. I'd be very surprised if it were any large than that.

I think it's time we accepted that Garry uses his relationship with the MFC to benefit his media career, not the other way round. He doesn't get paid to support us and he's honestly expressed frustration about being asked to do anything for the club. I think it's time we stopped asking for his help and instead acknowledge that the advice he has given hasn't been good. Having said that what he says about the club is all true, the problem is that it's really just making it harder for us at this point. We know we suck, the whole world knows we suck. Pointing it out is pointless. And, if Riv struggles in a much more ruthless environment then he won't be sleeping well, he'll be waking up for the early game like Cam Bruce before him.

I found the article bang on to the truth as I'd expect it to be written. Like many long time footballers In struggling clubs Rivers has played some very good football for a decent time, without any real reward or broader public recognition since his first year. I met with a senior figure working with Geelong this week and he talked about this initial connections with Riv, stating that Riv was thrilled to be in a culture/club that simply reeked of success. Every where you turn at Kardinia Park you run into some serious people. This same person, a serious cats fan and very very senior business exec also stated his belief that Geelong "were never going to win a flag in the 90s as the culture basis wasn't there", but geez they went close a lot! While I think we'd all be thrilled with four GF appearances in the next ten years I fully understand his point. He believed until Cook and Costa took over the Cats were never serious. For me this article highlights the core issue with our club, we all, me included still accept too much mediocrity because we've lost sight of what true success means for our club. Outside of my beloved Demons I coach in elite sport, not AFL, and with a club that is the exact opposite, 3 flags in our last 7 years....two of those wins we clearly weren't the most talented team, but won very tight grand finals because our culture/team ethos and belief is success was better than there's. We have a long way to go, a long long way actually. I'm excited more about this season than any other recently because for the first time in years I believe in a coach and fitness guru who know, strive for and demand elite performance. Next I'd like a business admin team that demands the same. I do believe C Schwab gives his absolute all, and is in the best 18 CEOs on Australia for an AFL club....I just don't rate being best 18, I want best 3-5 in all roles.....as WCE or the cats have had for years. End of rant. Go Mitch and JV, can't wait to see you pumping the port boys next week.

Where is Dunn?.... He is a certainty to play round 1

No issues with the article. Generally agree with him.

I can't believe some on here have added a VFL scratch match to their wrist slashing file.

I don't have too much of a problem with any of that.

Agree on Watts. WJ and I vocally supported him from the fence at Southport in his first year in a Casey game against GC a few years ago. We probably made fools of ourselves the way we acknowledged every little thing he did. We did it primarily because he was copping it for the locals for being the number 1 pick and we wanted to defend him. Each time he came off he smiled at us. After the game he came over and said thanks. To this day whenever I speak to him he remembers it. He is a great boy and I hope he ends up a star for us and shoves it up Matthews and a few others.

I don't give a FF who wins these meaningless games. The season starts on sunday, 31/3 @ 1.10pm

Used to watch most games per week, I'm lucky if I watch one non-MFC match per week now due mostly to availability (free to air vs paid, but collingwood collingwood collingwood vs non-collingwood also comes into it). Don't know many opposition players bar the majors, don't care anymore. Hate fantasy/super/dream systems - they set you up to hope opposition players succeed and your players fail.. and hey, there's an actual real season going on.. Having said that, thoroughly enjoyed watching the game on friday even though the dons won. Not that my opinion matters c&b, but I GAF and die a little inside each time we go out as sydney with some blue. Honestly would prefer the green irish style, something that is Melbourne, than advertising sydney every second week.

Amazing so many can't see that...

No big loss in comparison to the bloke we let go at the end of last year - who appears to be once again dominating at AFL level in Moloney. For the record, I was all for us letting Moloney go and not pursuing Valenti any further than we did. We probably had more of a need for Valenti at the time, than we do for Moloney this year. As good as Moloney might look at Brisbane, he gets a lot of clearances and just hacks it on the boot with no direction going forward.

Neeld done the right thing this year and got some older heads involved - and those from successful clubs. I don't think he can do anymore than he is doing, the bloke is trying to turn things around. I think most supporters would be concerned, since it's been a long time since we even looked like making finals.

I agree there is a shite load hanging on this game ( not the least being memberships). Personally, I want some hope. Every summer the optimism builds - draft picks, recruits, fitness, form, experience, game plan, etc etc - we have heard them all. Then comes round one and another kicking. It's ground hog day. Given the monumental change that has taken place in the Neeld era, I expect positive results for the hard earned I tip in. If we cannot beat PA at home then FM ( and my alpacas)D.

First item on the agenda after that will be making sure Garry looks good and Garry is making plenty of money.

I think what G Lyon wrote in todays paper is Absolutely Spot On...we have all witnessed the last 7 seasons. The MFC have made some shocking decisions and should not hide from it. Those taking pot shots at Garry. Pathetic form. Shameful.

AFL is like a game of scissors paper rock. Sometimes you're the rock, and sometimes you're the paper. It seems we're the paper to Essendon's rock, so let's hope that continues.

I believe in Colin.

So you do care dee-luded?

The experts ALWAYS get it right.