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Something I thought I would share, which gave me a bit more hope. My son's footy coach who is also a Dees supporter and whose 12 year old son plays with mine, was so upset about last week's loss he wrote a letter to the club. In the letter he stated that his son was so frustrated and angry at his father for making him a Dees supporter, because they suck so badly. The father said that he understood, and that he could barrack for whoever he wanted. The kid said it was too late for that now (cute), but he hated how he couldn't even think of a Demon whose number he was prepared to put on his guernsey. When he thought of his favorite players they were Gary Ablett, Buddy Franklin, Chris Judd etc ... (this was all in the letter). Not only did my friend get a reply, but today Jack Grimes himself rang the boy. He said that the players had got together and made a firm promise to each other that they would never play like that again; that although they will still lose some games because they are developing, they never will put in another performance like that, and will try their guts out every game from now on. Needless to say little Alastair now wants to adorn his jumper with the number 31. Grimes told the father that they don't reply to many letters but thought this one had a special message. He also said that it was shown to the playing group, and when he heard it Grimesey wanted to ring the kid immediately.

After the game Neeld looked at Jack Viney then walked over to Todd with a "Sample" cup and said "We need more".

An overview of the club and Schwab's "achievements" since returning to MFC; SPONSORS - failed to secure Mission Foods who were signed by Bulldogs - lost Hankook sponsorship despite De La Rue being a long time Demons supporter due to his dissatisfaction with the manner he was treated by the club - Kaspersky signed due to a supporter approaching them - EnergyWatch signed without due diligence of background checks which would have revealed poor prior business practices, problems with the ACCC & an unlikely ability to meet payments - deal subsequently fell apart for other reasons - Webjet signed due to a supporter referring them - Opel signed as a major sponsor - NT Tourism signed as a minor sponsor with an understanding MFC will play additional games in Darwin in the future - Several minor sponsors still unsigned going into 2013 season with club resorting to emailing Foundation Heroes and running an ad in the newspaper to try and lure sponsors - Despite continued comments the club is close to signing a major Chinese sponsor nothing eventuates and the matter peters out BUSINESS MODEL - Have cleared $5M debt - Club continues to be reliant on AFL handouts and supporter donations to make a marginal profit - Have significantly increased our asset base by merging with the Leigh Oak club at Oakleigh - Have acquired several hundred pokies machines at a relatively bargain price following changes to government legislation - Have overhauled FD and increased FD spending though have failed to make ground on larger clubs - Club is fined $500k following an AFL investigation into alleged tanking in 2009 MEMBERSHIP/SUPPORTERS - Membership increased to record levels over 2009-2011 though declined in 2012 and likely to decline again in 2013 - Anecdotal evidence of some Foundation Heroes unhappy with treatment by the club and withdrawing their significant financial support - Club has embarked on trying to develop a support base in the Casey region including community programs, partnership with Casey Scorpions and second training base at Casey - this is signed on as a 30 year relationship thoughthere appears to be get-out clauses if required CLUB UNITY/RELATIONSHIPS - Significant fracturing of the club between admin & FD leading to decision not to renew Schwab's contract at end of 2011 - decision subsequently overturned following 186 as coach was sacked instead and didnt want to spill both leadership positions - Club remains disjointed/fractured with admin based at MCG & FD based at AAMI Park - Schwab has effectively disappeared publicly (including shutting down even his Twitter feed) due to either being told to do so by the board or electing to do so due to the increase in supporter agitation due to continued poor performance of the team - Several senior players dissatisfied with the way the team was coached in 2009 believing the club was trying to "tank" games in order to secure priority draft pick - Several senior players sacked by the club most notably captain James McDonald who was told unexpectedly at the end of 2011 his contract would not be renewed. The club is criticised morefor its handling of the de isions rather than the decisions themselves - The club commissions an independent review of the club, dubbed the Andrews Report, prior to the 2011 season - senior players were allegedly interviewed for the purposes of gathering info for the report -the report is subsequently shelved when it comes back allegedly critical of the running of the club particularly by the CEO - In July 2011 senior players are again spoken to about their opinions on the club/admin - they feel they have been marginalised again which leads some to allege they play a game in protest losing by 186 points to Geelong - their protest has the unintended effect of saving the CEO and sacking the coach which is the opposite of what they had wanted - Relationship with Casey FC sours at times particularly during 2011 when the VFL side recruits Brendan Fevola and the MFC again withdraws players from the squad as Casey embarks on a finals campaign - Andrew Leoncelli quits the board in 2011 leaving his position as conduit between the FD & admin vacant for the remainder of the season - Head recruiter Prendergast leaves at start of 2012 leaving his position to be temporarily filled by Todd Viney (who has minimal if any experience in this area) until the clubs preferred candidate finishes his contract with Collingwood which doesn't occur until after the National Draft - Defensive coach Sean Wellman is re-signed to a new contract on the back of a great performance in 2010 which sees Frawley become AA and the backline lauded for its work - he subsequently advises he wishes to rejoin his old club Essendon following Hird being appointed coach and the club releases him from his contract without hassle TEAM PERFORMANCE - Schwab develops the "Red & Blueprint" a document which details the Premiership model the club will undertake which focuses on slashing senior players and rebuilding solely through the draft by obtaining as many first round picks as possible - Player development is hindered with draftees being played in senior matches before they are physically or mentally prepared - this is exacerbated by a dearthnof leadership on-field during games - The initial rebuild fails culminating in 186 which sees the coach sacked - a new coach is appointed who undertakes another rebuild, slashing the list again and repeating the same mantra of needing to get games into players with the addition this time of stating the players are unfit and require 3 pre-seasons to get up to AFL fitness levels - In 2012 the team goes backwards winning only 4 games, 3 of which are against the new franchises GC & GWS - Prior to round 1 the CEO makes comments to he effect of round 1 being only one game in 22 and its no big deal if we lose as we can always rebound next week - After making significant changes to the list at the end of 2012 supporters are hopeful of increased performance in 2013 - in the first game MFC loses to PA who finished low on the ladder in 2012 and had appointed a new coach over the summer - the players look listless in their loss leading to supporters venting their frustration during and after the game - the performance is made worse by the fact several other teams including GC, GWS & the Bulldogs put in spirited round 1 performances with fans fearful these clubs will overtake them as Richmond, North Melbourne, West Coast & Essendon have previously - Following the round 1 defeat several players address the team in the rooms after the game including debutante Jack Viney - at the press conference the coach & captain look bewildered stating they couldnt understand the performance considering how well they'd trained over the pre-season - No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft Jack Watts makes comments lamenting a lack of leadership on-field seemingly unaware that it is each players responsibility to lift the team and not rely on others to do so first - this is on the back of getting only 2 kicks & 5 handballs playing loose in defence after being drafted as a key forward I think that is fairly comprehensive though I have likely overlooked some things which I am happy to edit in if anyone cares to point them out. I have tried to be fair and include the positives as well but the negatives comprehensively outweight them from my assessment. Others can make up their minds on what this all means but for me it points to a dearth of leadership at the top of the club and a dysfunctional relationship between the CEO and the rest of the club.

I stopped watching about 3 quarter time. Did I miss much?

I felt like leaving because of the tanking but getting flogged....I'm used to that.The 70's and 80's got me used to it. Heads will roll (hopefully Schwab and Mclardy) but we'll be back you can take that to the bank. Now stop your snivelling, buy your membership and hang on tight because we've got a [censored] to fly through Go Demons Unleash Hell

Give Craig the Raines for rest of year see how he goes if we need a new coach DO NOT LET GARY LYON ON SELECTION PANEL

Can you name the Street so we can have a media contingent there? (just in case) 'Chook runs naked down the High Street - blames his Demons'

Probably an arguement that started with Neeld asking why Viney didn't have triplets, so we could have had 3 JV's running around last Saturday. (Still not sure this would have helped though)

The club should hold a raffle. First prize - dinner at the Viney household, with Jack, Jesse and Jimmy (and of course Todd and Meghan and Max). Todd's already in the MFC Hall of Fame; if the three young guns living at Casa Viney all come good, as expected, then Meg should probably be inducted too.

I've had dinner with Hogan, Viney and Cale Morton. Hogan ordered two live bulls which he then wrestled to the ground and devoured them. Viney had a large plate of metal which he chewed through in seconds. Morton had the salad.

i really feel for Neeld. He had such big visions for this club. he really wanted to change it. Perhaps he isnt the right choice but he has been scuppered by the upper managmeent and the players. he never had a chance. Sad night. very sad night

He's not even the worst defender at the Melbourne Football Club.

Im ashamed to follow this club.

My tampons bleed more that these pansies.

Fellow Demon faithful, This week we lost one of our own. My old man passed away at the age of 87. At 33 years of age myself, a quick sum in your head will tell you that there was a unique age gap between dad and me. Indeed it’s fair to say that as interests and hobbies go, we didn’t share alot of common ground. One thing we did share however was our mutual love of Australian rules football. It took until my teens for the love affair with the game and the club to truly begin, and it was at this stage that dad and I found that extra bit of common ground we always searched for. As a boy from Ballarat, dad had followed Melbourne ever since he was a lad. He would tell me about his trips to the G and the many suburban grounds, reeling off names like Mueller, Cordner and Barrassi when speaking of some of his favourite memories. Needless to say, I was impressed. Some of my fondest memories of him will be the simple pleasure of a Sunday afternoon, beers in hand, screaming at the tv in unison, be it in anger or jubilation. In the latter years as dad’s mind started to fail him, his interest waned. Some would consider him fortunate considering the plight of the club. But even during this time, he would sometimes turn to me and ask a question like... “Simon, whose that player with the long “Oooooo” name?” “Yze?” “That’s the one. Oooozey”, he’d say with a grin. The smile on his face would tell me that passion still flickered inside. As the man ultimately responsible for me being a Melbourne Demons supporter, the guy has ALOT to answer for. But I wouldn’t change it for the world, and I’m going to miss the old bloke enormously. Many of us have vented our pure disdain for the state of the club as it stands. I’ve been a prime offender. But as I watch us take on the Bombers this Saturday, for the first time in a long time, I won’t be focussing on every misdirected pass or every poor tackle, of which there could be plenty. I will be thinking about my old man, and the times I enjoyed with him just watching the footy. I don’t write this post to draw attention to anything other than to remember, this weekend and beyond, that whilst this sport and this club can form a big part of your life, it is not the be all and end all. At the end of the day, it’s a game. Cliched, but true. It will bring highs and low, maybe more lows than highs for all of us, but let’s not lose sight of that. As for Johnny, looking down, his Demon spirit will always live on through me. Cheers guys and girls. Go Dees.

Its not specifically Watts' fault. Its not specifically Schwab or McLardy's fault or even Frawley, Garland, Pedersen, Rodan or Neeld. Its all of them. They all need to stand up and show leadership on and off-field. I will say those comments by Schwab are particularly damning and quite disgusting for a CEO on the eve of the season. What was he thinking. The comments from Neeld, Grimes & Watts this week not much better. If they cant see the difference between preseason training and an AFL match they're in la-la land. And to be happy that we're now able to train like an AFL club? Then you have the "leadership void" comments by Watts. They are all worrying comments that give the players a cop out.

Whateley demonstrates in an unbiased article how deeply entrenched our problems are. There is a slide on, and all the club can waffle on about is elite mindsets. We have a winning run against Essendon but all Neeld talks about is kpi's and elite mindsets. the players, the coaches the whole club is in denial. this thing about re-build is a total furphy, we are a club that is now permanently rebuilding supported in the short term by the AFL's largesse. Watts wrong with Melbourne? Here's a good place to start, writes Gerard Whateley PS: Good to at least see Jack Trengove front up against Port Adelaide.

A tip. Clean out that desk tomorrow or the fans will riot. And all the best with life outside footy.

i actually don't feel any emotional investment in melbourne anymore. i offer to membership as a token gesture to their survival. i can't see it happening. god knows they don't deserve it. in many ways, i would be happier if we folded - then i could just follow football with a clean conscience - just enjoy the great games and ignore the rubbish. no guilt, just enjoying good football.

The club may need to support him with counselling after tonight. I'm not joking. On a human level, that was disturbing.

Looks like this club has killed another man. I feel sorry for him, I think this club is so [censored] that no coach could do anything at the moment.

Well he can join the rest of us.

Remember the film 'Super 8' with Nicholas Cage? In the movie they watch an alleged snuff film only to watch another one and see the same person 'die' twice. Don't come on here and say that 'this' is the last straw unless you genuinely mean it. I don't want to hear it. I'm not going anywhere. My role is to remind the club that we demand more. Walking away now of all times is truly futile.

If you put your name on the jumper you get a game.

Knee-jerk. LoL. Thanks for the comic relief.

Offer Paul Roos a 2 million dollar per year., 5 year deal WIll be worth every penny, becaase if we dont do it the MFC will be gone within 3 years

If Neeld has any honour he should resign

Don't just stop at Neeld fellas. The issues run far, far deeper than that.

Wonder if he saw this one coming ?

The AFL will have to step in the MFC is incapable of running itself properly.

Mark Jamar, that is one of the worst halves of football I have ever seen, he is responsible for a good 6 goals by simply handing the bombers a solid centre clearance again and again, there has been 18 centre bounces I reckon he's lost every single one.. and 2 disposals to go with it, unbelievably bad

We should get Garry Lyon to find our next coach Hes really good at that sort of thing

I find in incredulous that Watts is getting all the heat. I find it equally incredulous that Frawley and Garland are not receiving the same media attention. FFS both have been around for a long time.

If you're unable to understand that statistical trends predict probabilities (not certainties), and that a sample size of one is statistically insignificant... then yes, I recommend you stay away from statistics.

I remember when Bailey was coaching back in 2011, we were playing like shite, viney went over to bailey and the coaches group at the huddle, and pretty much started dictating terms. He was very animated and very agitated. Just like all of us who are emotionally connected to this club, we get very angry when our club performs pathetically. Viney is the godfather of this club, and if he thinks neeld deserves a spray, I'm all for it. Todd is the most valuable piece on this chessboard.

My thoughts exactly but I just want to make sure before I bring it up next time I ring up and speak to the knobhead

I've been meaning to bring this up all week and somebody referred to it in a post buried away in a thread I can't locate among the proliferation of hand wringing, complaints and whining since our loss last Sunday (and I'm not criticising people for having their say given their emotional involvement in the club - it was just all too way over the top for me). In a game where there were many things to be annoyed about, one of my concerns was how Mitch Clark was taken off the ground after he kicked his second goal. After we made such an abysmal start to the game, Clark had put us back into it with his two goals. When he came off, our forward line reverted to a rabble and Port was able to clear the ball with ease. Even allowing for the time he's been out if the game, surely Clark could have stayed on the ground for another five minutes? He was at full forward after all. I don't blame this for the loss but his absence IMO put paid to the possibility of recovering back to even terms by quarter time and perhaps we might have approached the rest of the game differently. After seeing this I'm firmly in the camp that says the AFL should limit interchanges to 80 per game.

This is the sour icing on what is already a failed cake WYL. It's the ultimate slap in the face for the supporters of this club, the players and the existing (potential!) sponsors. As RR has said many times.....has had a massive detrimental impact on the club as a whole. McLardy and Schwab must be replaced ASAP in order to halt the cancer they started under and during their watch. Unfortunately you must have a decent replacement ticket in the wings and at this point, other than a wiff of a rumour about Greg Wells, there appears to be no "white knight" ticket putting its hand up. Maybe this will emerge as the year progresses.

A great summary Dr. Thank you. In the end Cameron has no doubt had good intentions when he first came onto the scene and probably did some good initial work. I don't believe anybody comes into a position like this with the intentions to wreck the place. I'm sure his heart was in the right place and still is. However, the significant influence of the premiership model, trashing of senior players in favour of youth policy/drafting. Then the apparent continual micro managing into the FD/players, appears to have had a lasting and a detrimental impact on some of the playing group and no doubt left a sour taste with some in the FD (prior to Bailey being sacked), some of whom still remain (players too). The fact that the board failed to recognise the reasoning behind the dire actions of the playing group after 186, is IMHO, a poor reflection of those at Board level, in particular McLardy, who was the main man in control at the time. CS having effectively been sacked during the actual occurrence and Jimmy in no state to be controlling or making decisions at this point. Regardless of the level of truth in this, perceptions in business (and in a football club) if they are persistent and damaging enough are in the end reality. It is alleged that after 186, McLardy/Stynes also (according to reports) took advice from Mr G Lyon (again) on what was the best course of action before proceeding with the sacking of Bailey. The sacking of CS & Bailey at the time was spoken against as it would be seen as too unsettling for the club. In addition the board extended CS's contract for another year! A grave error IMO. Again, the main man making those decisions (even though reportedly a great bloke and someone who makes great sacrifices and who means well, and i'm sure he is and does)....McLardy. As to why we keep turning to Garry for advice. Smacks of complete amaturism. Nothing to do with Garry as he's only getting involved after being asked. But it's an easy gig to come in and review or advise, then depart and watch/commentate from the safety of the media sidelines with no further involvement or accountability.

I think we are now past that type of recruitment crap now. If only we had had Neeld and Viney heading our recruitment at the start of our rebuild in 08 I'd imagine we would have a very different squad at the moment. You can just see by the players he has brought in Hogan, Viney, Kent, Toumpas, they are all ultra competitive and want to be the best they can be.

And this is why Jack Grimes should be just soley our captain. He feels the kids pain because grimes knows what its like to be a long suffering supporter.

does not compute all the players who don't leave the ground also get the 90 sec rest and without having to sprint off the ground to the interchange

We don't have a culture that produces leaders, at any level. Not any more. Our culture is about self-preservation, not leadership. Why is it not the leadership group - individually or collectively - that steps up? These are the ones handpicked by the coach to be the team's leaders. Where is the leadership from the coach? "Don't know what happened" - a great example to set to his leadership group. That's not a leadership statement - that's a self-preservation statement. The so-called leaders at the club have left Jack totally exposed this week for an off-the-cuff comment. The club - not just the team - have failed to show leadership.

I think we saw on Sunday that you don't need age or experience to be a leader. Jack Viney showed in his first game at the age of 18 more leadership than the majority of the team. Jack Grimes led with desperation and tried to restore pride into his teammates. They have set that example to follow for the rest of the season - every game without exception.

I like this and I'm sure the club will find plenty of fans with the $'s to put in for such a fantastic experience. I would go further and turn the whole event into a reality TV show along the lines of the Kardashians* and also introduce other novelty experiences like dinner with the Schwabs' which would be popular with some segments of the Demon supporting clan. You could get the experts from My Kitchen Rules* to judge the standard of cooking. Great idea and it should make back the $500k ripped off us recently by the AFL in no time. * no I don't watch these shows but they do provide part of the background noise when the wife does!

Keep up the good work RR, you and WYL and others are doing a terrific job going toe to toe with these posters that appear to be here only to deflect, disturb and discredit anybody willing to ask questions of this admin.

I have been attending AGMs since 1988. For mine this Board is the most talented board we have had over that duration. Now you may say that is saying both a little and alot. If they were to be kicked out then I would fear for the future of the MFC. Look at the resume of our Directors and offer me some alternatives of similar business standing.

I love the buglar. He should be a symbol of the fact that we don't care what anyone thinks. F everyone, if we want a buglar we'll have one. FFS we have got to stand up for whatever we believe in - buglars, colours, grounds - you get the picture. Otherwise they'll wipe the floor with us.

I think Gerard Whateley summed it up best when responding to Watts' comment that Melbourne doesn't have a Joel Selwood or a Sam Mitchell who can stand up when the team is losing and refuse to accept it: "Jack...Jack....it's you mate. It's YOU! They're waiting for you! We're all waiting for you!"

Dear Jack, the patience tap has been turned off. The last of your defenders spat the dummy after you trained all summer and got 2 kicks in round 1. This is your fifth year as number one draft pick. We have all seen your gifts. No effing excuses, do something.