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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

What I saw tonight, in many ways, was a disgrace. On-field I think this club died after we knifed James McDonald - but that's for another thread. I sit near the race each week and what I saw after the game left a sour taste. Ignoring the degenerate Essendon fans come to our race to give our players/supporters grief was shocking - but I was far from enamoured with the behaviour of Dees fans. Last week the booing was, I feel, an instinctual reaction to a terrible performance. What I saw tonight was macho rubbish - men wanting to big note themselves to their mates, to show off and laugh at how they could slag the players off of the ground. This, for mine, is very dangerous territory. Tonight was absolutely disgusting, I feel the lowest I've felt as a fan, but that heckling, booing and rubbishing of the players shouldn't be part of our club in my opinion. It achieves nothing and is not what sport is about. I think there will be two camps; 1) I pay my money and can act as I please 2) you should never boo your team off What I despise is the premeditated nature of it - the tribalistic show-off nature of it. Regardless, I think it's an important conversation for fans to have.

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.

Alright im back. Who missed me? Probably a bit dramatic today. Im still fuming but I cant walk away. Apologies

Hi guys, I am a 15 year old supporter who was at the game on Saturday night and I couldn't help but making my first post to the fans. Ever since I can remember melbourne have been a dreadful and "irrelevant" club and that has made me question my love for the club very often. The cheers that erupted through the MCG when Jack was subbed and the abuse that the players copped heading down the race were two events that night that nearly left me in tears. The players are clearly psychologically stuffed at the moment and when they see there own fans turn on them is not helping there cause, it is digging the whole of anxiety and despair even deeper. I am hurting as much as all of you are and cannot stand barracking for a hopeless club but I know that all of you love the MFC as much as I do and that means that we must continue support our players through this tough time because what player would want to play for a club that the fans do not even support? Better yet that the fans have completely turned against. I don't know about any of you but I will be back at the MCG on saturday cheering on the team that I dearly love. First and Forever

Was there a lot of kids crying, if not why can't you just refer to him as the kid in the MFC polo FFS. He or another family member may read demonland. Think before you post

Ultimately sacking Brian Royal will make little difference to the big picture, but [censored] me it would be a start. I have never seen a worse midfield group in my entire life. Essendon just walked it out of the centre all night long.

Tanking culture - I would suggest that many of us supported whatever it was we did in 2009 albeit with great reluctance believing it would benefit the club in the long run as it did with Hawthorn (Roughead & Franklin), Collingwood (Pendlebury & Thomas), Carlton (Murphy, Gibbs, Kreuzer & ultimately Judd) & Richmond (Cotchin) before us. You can go back further if you like. It could be fair to say that the club's now feeling the effects of the AFL's selection of us alone as the patsy that has something to do with our current malaise but it wasn't Schwab who precipitated that, allowed it to go 7 months or encouraged disaffected ex-employees to come forward with their stories.Junior Mac was let go at 33 years of age. It was a match committee decision instigated by Dean Bailey. If there was a leadership void after that happened, the fault lay with poor recruiting and development from long before Schwab's return. Moloney was no leader - he confessed to having an alcohol problem after he was caught out having a night on the p1ss. As for Rivers - give us all a break but he was never going to be a leader. I would add that in my view our current problems are not related to the talent on the list. We are every bit as talented as Port Adelaide and we beat Essendon last year. The problem lies with the attitude of the playing group and its interaction with the club and the coach. I'm not denying that some of that might involve their relationship with the board and/or the CEO and administration. None of us mere punters who follow the club can be entirely certain on that issue (and I won't accept hearsay on hearsay and glib little second hand anecdotes from dubious sources) but the answers need to be found swiftly and the matter needs to be dealt with decisively.

A few minutes to go I went down to the race fully intending to give the boys a big spray as they came off. I've never done it before but I was so filled with rage and disappointment that I couldn't hold it in. But as they came off they looked so pathetic and helpless - I couldn't do it. The sight of people throwing scarves and jumpers at them killed me. I saw three individual fights between Essendon supporters who wouldn't stop giving it and Dees supporters who couldn't take anymore. I have never felt this bad or seen anything like it, but I won't give in ever because the club needs us more than ever.

The club is destined to fold only IF it becomes financially unviable. We are going to need a lot of time to get out of this mess. Alot of time. the only way th e club will survive is if it can maintain a positive balance sheet for long enough to survive this "rebuild". Thats where Fitzroy failed. They were financially unviable. The call for supporters to not renew memberships, boycott games etc etc etc is as far as im concerned, cutting your nose off to spite your face. Do these people really want to sit in their living room in a few years watchinng the Tassie demons play, thinking "there , i showed them! i told them i wouldnt renew if they didnt play better footy.!" thats Garbage! we have to circle the wagons here. Everyone on this forum has a love for the Club. We are the core group of supporters that the club needs now. Yes , the powers that be have F&%*ed the club up. I get it. But whats the point in punishing the "Club"? we need to remove these incompetent people but lets not make the problem worse by making rash decisions. The time to show your emotion is in the stands. Outside the ground we need to think clinically and act in teh best interests of the club. Some of us have less power and influence than others, but we all need to do our bit. Get around the boys, get to training, get to games, wear your jumper, buy a scarf, encourage the kids (show them videos of the 90s) , whatever it takes. fight hard for OUR club. If we as members dont fight hard then I think we can almost be guarenteed that the Club we love will be a footnote in history in less time than we can imagine. The world of professional sport is racing forwards and is not sticking around for passengers.

I can only hope all those posters who have thrown in the towel and waved the white flag will also LEAVE OUR FORUM FOR GOOD. Negative bleating does NO ONE any good. We don't really need to hear their complaints, gripes etc. Of course it was a miserable performance but true loyalty is reflected when the going gets tough. Sadly,we just don't have the necessary talent at present. Although a teenager then I stuck it out in 1951 when we were wooden spooners with just ONE win for the season. The reward came just 3 years later when we were runners up to Footscray and of course, we all know the huge success that followed in the ensuing years. Well done to all the DEMONLANDERS who are NOT deserting the ship which is on the rocks at the moment. Football is a strange game. In 2000 we were beaten by Carlton at the MCG by 100 points. When we met the later in the finals in the same year we beat them by about 20 points.

It's just a sad situation for everyone. His career is shot to [censored], and so is our club it seems. Nobody wins here, nobody. I wouldn't want to be a coach, and I appreciate everything he is doing because I know it comes for a good place of wanting to see this club succeed, but as the senior coach, you can't be lost for explanations, you need to know what is wrong and how to fix it, and he seems lost and spent. I feel for him on a personal level just like I feel for a lot of our players. They must feel so utterly hopeless and humiliated most of the time. But at the end of the day, this club can't afford to keep going down this path of destruction and this is what it comes down to. There are many many stakeholders who deserve better.

"If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit." William J. Clinton Good old William J. Clinton hit the nail on the head here. The easy thing to do would be to turn our back on the club and pretend all this never happened. Well guess what? It is happening. It's how we all deal with it that matters. It's easy to give up, it's easy to stay home and pretend like we don't care, but the reality is, Red & Blue runs through our veins and no matter how much we deny it, we all love the Melbourne Football Cub. I've supported this club for over 20 years and i'm not giving up, i'm never quitting on them , EVER!!!!! I PROPOSE WE ALL GATHER TOGETHER AS ONE AT OUR NEXT TRAINING SESSION. LETS SHOW THE PLAYERS HOW MUCH THE CLUB MEANS TO US. I understand that the majority would be reluctant to partake in such an extreme act but I honestly think that this is the only way we can get through to the players. Imagine the scene, Imagine the headlines!!!! Our club needs help, I wont stand by and do nothing because I love this club way too much. I WILL NEVER QUIT. I understand that people work during the day, but would you turn up to training if we made the grand final? Don't kid yourself, this is more important. We are talking about saving our Club. Our Club Needs Unity. Who's with me?

I was in an awful car crash on Friday; my car's written off and I have a very sore neck. Very lucky not to be pushed into the oncoming lane and killed. Got to the ground last night in all sorts of pain but was full of hope. Left at 3 QTR time, completely shattered. Haven't left early for about 15 years. I wish the players gave a [censored] like I did.

Real character shows through in the tough times. Far easier to be a Dons supporter. Soft pricks that they are. Let your mates know that there's a big difference between the club's players and a club's supporters. And, in this regard, we're the Joel Selwoods of the competition's supporter base.

I booed the players last week (the first time in my 30 years as a member), and I was genuinely amazed at the consensus from all Melbourne supporters as to how bad the performance was against Port. The news media ran that footage of the players leaving the ground all week to the disgust of loyal supporters because that was the story - it felt like a betrayal of trust. This week was entirely different. You saw a swarm of pathetic, sad men cluster around our race in the hope that their would be blood (and in that moment their ugly heads would be in TV). It was like Neanderthals gathering to stone one of their own. I watched the players leave the ground surrounded by hatred and as that happened I realised that I would never not support this club. I love the Melbourne Football Club and one day when we gain back our pride, confidence and competitive culture I will literally weep at the transformative power of sport. I'm calling the club on Monday to offer mine and my businesses support in anyway I can.

We are stuck in this losing culture, a cycle of poverty if you will. The more we lose the worse the confidence is within the team, so the worse they play and the worse we get. And so on and so forth. Players, quality players, dropping sitters, fumbling, making stupid errors, looking up at an empty forward line, it's all in their head. Mark Neeld can train them to run around unopposed and do well, but he can't instil any sort of confidence in them to do it under pressure. He himself admitted as much last week. I actually feel sorry for Frawley and Jones and Clark and Grimes and Howe. Hell I feel for Watts when he hears people cheering his substitution. Imagine what that must do for his confidence. But that's Neeld's job. He needs to get them ready for games and instead after every break we come out and concede an immediate goal. I mean WTF is that? He has to take responsibility for this terrible game plan, but most of all, he has to be accountable for the players' mindset, because that is the biggest problem right now.

Same as last week. Nothing will happen, but everyone will talk about how shitty we are.

Never seen a player cop so much so early in his career. My only emotion is sadness

Jamar did not lose every tap... His problem is that the taps, generally, don't find our midfield and that he doesn't contribute enough around the ground or up forward.

McLardy on ABC (missed the start) McLardy says that Neeld and Craig have strong personalities. They're not going to be 'dominated' by Schwab. Schwab works with them to get our on-field performances right. Our past two weeks are unacceptable. But we have to keep it in perspective. Only those on the inside know what it's like truly. We have to wait to see how we go. What message will the club send to its members? What approach do we take? McLardy says the one thing we can't do is react to all the different comments. We have to believe in our process, however, we understand that there are problems. We had a calm discussion last night to talk about what we do this week. We know the media is going to come at us, we know heads will be called for. McLardy asks our supporters to trust that the club can handle serious issues; we've done it the last few years, and we need to do it again. We believe it that this is a football department issue, and as such, they will get the resources they need to make it better. We all know, players included, the players are underperforming. What answers have the football department given the Board for our malaise? McLardy says there isn't an answer; if there was, we'd have fixed it. We know we trained well over summer, but we're not seeing that on gameday. Whatever the answer is, we need to find it and fix it. Is Neeld's job guaranteed? McLardy says he hasn't even spoken to Neeld about his job. MFC has a history of knee-jerk reactions. Before McLardy took the job, he spoke to Frank Costa and others who have succeeded. They said that stability is crucial. We need stability to make progress. Radical change now is not good for the club. We need to see this through with calm and methodical processes.

Would make an excellent caretaker coach.

Well, after my rant last night saying that I'm done with this club.......This morning ,after a good night sleep, I will stick by the club.....I'm a MCC member but always pay for a full MFC membership as a donation.....After being a member for 50 years, how could I abandon them now in their darkest days.....?????

My husband and friends think I am the most loyal, optimistic Demons fan they have ever met. Been a supporter for over 40 years - unfortunately have not seen a finals win in my life time. I never bag our club and always know I will be back next week supporting. Last night was the first match I have missed in years - I had surgery on Wednesday and was seriously contemplating against medical advice to go along. Instead I watched the game at home. Whilst I feel pretty miserable this morning, the MFC is still my club and I will continue to support them. Yes changes need to be made and these changes have to happen. Through 40 years plus, there have been good times and bad times. We always manage to pick ourselves up and get on with it. My love for the Dees will never waver. I understand many of you are frustrated but hang in there - I am planning to.

That the club needs unity is obvious. It's a vital ingredient for a successful club and one that's been missing at ours for a long time. On and off for nearly 50 years. Nice sentiments in the OP. I'm not sure how to achieve it but I know for sure that a slash and burn approach won't help either. We need constructive thinking and not some of the destructive things that have proliferated on this site. I don't know what we should be ashamed of more - the abysmal performance of the team or the conduct and behaviour of some of our club's so called supporters.

They should be told that the beards must stay til we win a game........FARK...I'm getting a vision of the future The Age April 26 2025: Jack Watts (above) says "We are getting closer to that win.. we've just got to stick together and work on the simple things"

But it won't be "us." It'll be some new club that I don't support.

I like your attitude! I'm 16 and I'll continue to stick with the Dees until I die. I'm in!

Sticking by it. Don't know why. Maybe so I can shove it up the rest of them if we become good again. Maybe because I'm just an idiot.

I will never stop supporting, and I urge everyone to stick with it as [censored] as it is and as much as i could understand anyone leaving, we have all invested too much to just give it up. But there has to be massive changes, that was just [censored] ridiculous.

I'M OUT TOO!! OUT on the [censored] that is...drowning my sorrows after 7 nights of night shift and last nights debacle but... I'll always stick by the Melbourne Football Club through thick and thin. 36 years of unfulfilled hope, 4 family memberships, constant flack from mates and plenty of disappointment... Hurts like hell right now but one day the tide has to turn. I don't know what the answer is right now for the club but the answer for me right now is the amber ale! Carn the DEE'S!!

Serves you right for having so many Essendon supporting friends.

Porn and music.

Just posted this in the other media thread: Craig on SEN Staying together is part of the culture we're trying to develop. A winning culture is something all clubs try to develop. We live with Melbourne Storm; last year they lost five in a row but went on to win the flag. Not saying we're the same as them, but that it's possible, when you have a winning culture, to come back. We need to have that. We need to look for opportunities to grow. Craig agrees that it's fair for supporters to ask why we don't chase/tackle. Craig agrees that effort is basic enough and we don't show it. Says that what we do during training during the week isn't flowing over to gameday. We need to 'push forward' with a 'realistic optimism'. On letting cameras into the pre-game, Craig says we have a certain responsibility to the media to help promote the game. We have some experienced coaches, so we weren't putting them completely in a new situation. Media exposure of us is going to increase; by letting the cameras in, we're helping the players deal with it. Why did we revert to closed doors afterwards? Craig says we cop it for losing. Craig is asked about non-negotiables at the MFC. Do we have any? Craig says it's hard to look at the last two games and assess what we stand for. We need to get a combative effort, we need to have intensity and urgency. We see it during the week, but we don't see it during the game. Craig saw 'more than glimpses of it' during the NAB Cup. We can't move with gameplan/structures unless the competitive element is ingrained in our game, and until then, we go nowhere. Craig's then asked about leaders. At Adelaide, they had leadership. Why is Watts talking about no leaders when he should be a leader? Craig says 'let's leave Watts out of it', but Scott Lucas didn't like it, he should have accepted he needed to lift. Walls said Watts' comments were an insult to Nathan Jones, and that Jones should be the captain. He thinks Trengove is treading water. Walls said Jones always gives a crack so Watts' comments were an insult. Craig said that he read Watts' comments in print, did a double-take, and then went and looked at the video where he said them, and thought they were slightly out of context. Craig said Grimes was outstanding in Round 1, Jones was too, and last night, both Grimes and Jones stood up. We need to keep pushing more people to join those two. He believes Grimes and Jones are beginning to lead the way. Connolly said the current coaching group doesn't have the experience or personality to turn around our 50 years of inherently weak culture. Our fundamentally weak culture kills us. Craig responded by saying that he doesn't agree about our current coaches. Royal is experienced and has a 'strength of character'. Neeld comes from success at Collingwood, has a strong personality. Rawlings is the same. The others are a bit younger and are learning the trade. He says that changing the culture is a difficult exercise, but it's not impossible. How far away are we? Everyone thinks we're a million miles away, but where do we think we're at? Craig says that he can't put a time period on it. He doesn't know. What he says is that to change a culture we need strong people, in terms of leadership and playing ability. To our members, he says that our current playing group have a 'thirst to change their culture', they want to take this culture and change it to a successful one. He's been to the club this morning and he sees it. He sees it at training, he sees the work ethic, so he has the confidence that they're up for the fight and they can do it. Craig says once the fire gets going, it can all change, but we need to be up for the fight. What is the message being sent from above (e.g. Schwab and McLardy) to the football department? Craig says the message is that these performances aren't good enough. There is strong support from above to get us back to where we were back in the 'fantastic days'. Craig believes the Board and Management have dealt with a whole range of issues in a professional manner. The next stage of the club is to get the on-field aspects in order. Does the MFC have a strategy to make sure we get the strongest players? Our players seem to do things that you don't see at local football. Craig says mental strength is very important, we need it. We need highly competitive players, players who want to be leaders. He says 'we've got those players', though it's hard to prove that in the public arena with our actions not matching our words. Craig says he's seen it, 'make no mistake'. Jones and Grimes are examples he gives as players who are strong. What kind of support will Craig give to Neeld this week? Blowtorch is clearly going to be strong this week. Craig says that part of his role is to support Neeld in a whole range of ways. He needs to keep calm, not let his thinking get derailed, so Craig will give him whatever support he asks for. What's the thinking with our recruiting? Rodan and Pedersen dropped after one game. Walls was disappointed with our lineup - we give these new players one game, then we drop them. Craig says they were considered for selection. We can't let ourselves become a 'revolving door' in times like this. Each week we'll assess the group and make decisions based on that. Has Craig ever been associated with a club this bad before? Craig says no, these are uncharted waters for him. 'Exciting' isn't the right word, but it's challenging. He says 'I'd have it no other way'. He has to use all his skills in a tough environment in a tough town to make us better. He wants to be part of it. 'I'm in it, I'm in it for the long haul'. Does Craig have an interest in coaching an AFL side again? No, he says. I'm done. I'm enjoying my time at Melbourne, those days are done, I'm in this role now. What are we looking for next week, scoreboard aside? Craig says it's the non-negotiables; energy, intensity, urgency. These will let the rest unfold. We need to be demanding about this. If we're not there next week, we keep going and we keep demanding. Eventually, with this group, it'll come.

Craig not good enough - not near it want to develop winning culture - part of that is handling these times in correct manner and use it to you advantage this must be an opportunity needed to be used rohan connoly - unravelled early, no pressure, no tackling - how could this be after port thrashing - anyone can tackle etc - thus supporter angst nc - agreed! people want to see effort - effort not seen last night - again, actions during training not going over to the game - need a realistic optimist about the future and yet deal with the current issues why open up the pregame - haven't they got enough pressure as it is... nc - media a stakeholder - some responsibilty to them - but was that group ready for it (coaches and players) ?? r walls - couldn't believe what he saw - watts staring at the floor - what's going on??? nc - well, bad outcome s lucas - what are the non-negotiables of the game plan?? nc - yep - watching the game you wouldn't know.. the non-negs are combative effort, desire to compete, intensity, urgency, see in training, not in games - saw a bit of it in nab cup but not for 4 points - forget about the game plan until the competitiveness is there. s lucas - what did you make of comments of Watts "we don't have any leaders - other clubs have them, we dont" nc - mumble mumble r walls - insult to n jones - who should be captain - nc - context was different from the media - but sort of agreed - said grimes / jones outstanding in port adelaide game, and both tried to stand up in the essendon game don't know who - what about the crap culture of the mfc and the repeated attempts to change the culture - and the coaches can't fix it compared to Adelaide nc - can't argue against the win/loss ratio - thinks the coaches are ok. - then mumble mumble how hard it is to change culture how far away are mfc? commentators reckon they are miles away... nc - don't know - really don't know - to change a culture you need strong people - leadership - saying this to members: this current playing group want to change the culture to a successful one and one that people want to belong to ... (seems like he's admitting the current culture isn't that...) need to be strong and up for the fight sl - what is the message from CS and DM? nc - msg is those sort of performances are not up to standard - think the board has handled things in the last 12 months in a professional way, now the next stage is to get the playing group into order ?? - what about the weak players - how about picking the strongest characters to play nc - ability is important, but need to have strong and competitive players - mfc have them - but gets it that our actions don't mirror our words... jones and grimes are oozing with the qualities we need ?? - observations of what MN might need for support nc - part of his role to support MN - I'll do my best walls - recruiting - pederson and rhodan both dropped after second game - wtf?? are mfc second guessing ourselves nc - carefully considered selection - reassess group each week mumble mumble - ever been associated with a club at this low an ebb? nc - NO (FMD....) real challenge - loving the challenge - in it from the long hall nc - no interest in coaching AFL again - (really clear about that) - next weeks game - what must we see from mfc nc - energy urgency intensity - keep going - it will emerge from this playing group not much really...

Seriously, if you are out then don't come on here spouting your melodramatic crap. It's like threatening to always leave someone. Either stay or go, but don't keep saying 'I'm out' after every loss. It's boring. And, I'm in. Not because I'm better then you, or more foolish, or more determined. It's because I realised last night watching our players getting torn to shreds by weak Essendon supporters with no real love for the spirit of the game that for me the MFC is a part of why I love the footy. I'll take the bad, and demand that they get better, because that's a part of being a lover of the game.

Change your name from illdieademon to ill lay over when it gets hard. You can hate the players,coach and admin but still love the club. I love this bloody club and always will. I'll be there next week.

Stick fat you turn coats. I know it hurts - but life wasn't meant to be easy and success isnt a given. You're all sitting on your couches calling the club weak and walking away. However, a club is only as strong as it's members - and if you're all prepared to throw in towel then it's no wonder we're so weak on-field. My 3you and 1yo will have no choice but to support the red and blue - it is character building.

Your friends are flogs. Delete them.

Our midfield is our worst area, by a mile. But Neeld came to us credentialled as the great midfield guru from Collingwood. Surely then our experience proves the saying, "the players make the coach". Without the Collingwood midfield, Neeld has been disastrously unsuccessful - unprecedentedly, I'd say - so let's accept that we have learned something here, and let him go. Because it isn't just that the players make the coach; I say that on the other hand the coach has the capacity to destroy the players. Players who played on instinct and flair have not been valued or required at Melbourne, under Neeld. On the grounds of poor fitness levels, Neeld has imposed on Melbourne a very negative style of play, presumably to "limit the damage". Clearly it is a complete disaster. Near enough all players at Melbourne have gone into their shells under Neeld, and there is no creativity. Trengove is a clear example of someone who tried to buy in totally, and became a shadow of the player we knew him to be. And Jurrah - who threatened to become our marquee player... So, I am prepared to say that Neeld has destroyed the confidence and the potential success of our players. He knows it too, in my opinion - hence the defiant/almost annoyed tone when he said and repeated "we believe in you". Needed to get that message across, and knew it. And then - though he couldn't really bring himself to spell this one out - "mistakes don't matter". Too late, Mark - they know you too well, as the axe-wielding third-person-speaking absentee, for them to be convinced by your desperate (televised!) attempt to cuddle-up. No dignity left for these guys.. So how to restore some? Well, they did tear Sydney to pieces a couple of years ago, and Essendon less than a year ago. Most of the same blokes. They could do some things right. That's got to be a better starting point than Neeld's negativity and down-talking, now. One thing for sure - Paul Roos could be convincing if it was him telling them they are entitled to a lot more self-respect than they currently feel: he could speak with feeling about what he has seen in them, and their ability to take it on and tear teams apart. That's the first thing the players need to hear, and believe, when the change of coach comes. Whoever was guilty of tanking, it wasn't the players. They really are the victims in all this ongoing MFC mess; every fiasco is further psychological undermining of the players, who only ever wanted to play footy! Will they ever get a clear run at it, in this disfunctional club? Any hint of blaming the players for the club's current mess will resonate deafeningly, going straight back through Neeld to "the Schwab win" at Geelong, and to who knows how many disparaging remarks they have been subjected to while slowly disintegrating over the past couple of years or so. Let's see if this time we can put the players first for once, whatever their shortcomings, and make changes that prioritise supporting them in their potential and actual talent for playing footy. Without such a change in the psychological climate of the club, the players may be beyond saving sooner than we'd like. "Sticking together"? Someone will eventually publicly break ranks under the ridiculous pressure and scrutiny they are subject to at Melbourne, and the fallout may be unstoppable.

I'm in, and truth be told, so is everyone on this website. The reason we come on here, the reason we cry for sackings, the reason we whinge about beards, the reason we kick up a fuss about clash jumpers, is because we love this club. With all the emotion, anger, disappointment, embarrassment, and frustration, a response of 'I'm done, no more for me' isn't exactly unreasonable. But in those people's hearts, they're not going anywhere, and deep down, they don't mean what they say (and yes, I'm aware that there will be people who say 'No, this time it's for real'). Eventually, whether it's next week, next year, or next decade, something good will happen to this club, and the lot of us will be the most chuffed supporters you've ever seen for sticking through hell. For now, we're all still in.

“I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.” - Melbourne Football Club.

I can't give up on my team. I would stop going to footy if we folded or merged. Never give up

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

He is the coach of the midfield - out midfield failed at any point in the match to even apply pressure to the opposition in the centre square let alone win a clearance themselves. It was utterly disgusting the way Essendon were able to clear the ball under no pressure whatsoever again and again and again and again and again....

As long as there's a Melbourne Football Club I'll be a member. Other teams have been down - they all rise up eventually. The other day I was listening to the Kelly song about bradman - what's the line? They say the darkest hour is just before the dawn.

What's he up to? Sniping from the sidelines, that's what.

This guy could dodge raindrops. I'm really amazed at his ability to keep his job. Neeld just looked at him tonight and asked for answers. We have been crap in this area for so long . Royal has been there too long .

The AFL will step in at the end of the year and award us a priority pick and the ridiculous irony of the situation will be lost on no one.

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