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There's a strong rumour that the Trade/Draft Rumour Mill thread has turned into a wishlist thread and there's no actual rumours in it at all ...

well at least this year we were the hardest side to play against it must have been really hard for other sides to take us seriously

So many lowlights. We Melbourne supporters are spoiled by choices.

Just our luck. I'm sure we would have won the 23rd.

Offer him a million. Worth every cent!

My old man had a touch of the Clarke Grimshaws about him in that VFL Park was our Lampoons Vacation Wally's World. We'd arrive three hrs before a game (minimum) and park as far away as humanly possible. Long muddy walk to get there and at the end of the game we'd wait for the carpark to clear to be on the safe side.

b

1981 and 2013 were similar in that most of us were full of hope at the the start of the year, and destitute before year's end. But that's where the similarity ends in my view. In 1981 we had 'the Messiah' as our new coach, and most believed that a return to the heady days of the 1950s and '60s was imminent. We had been told by the man himself that it was a "five year plan" and we believed every word. We still had hope in spades. In 2013 we have had Mark Neeld and a stand-in coach, and even our most fervent supporters know that we are light-years away from being competitive with the best. Most of us are still looking for hope, or pinning what little we have left on an un-named coach, a handful mostly tryers, a CEO who has been with us for a few short months and some untried youngsters. I've been a Demon from the early 1950s and will be until I draw my last breath, but 2013 has come close to breaking me.

Robert Flower certainly made watching a poor football team watchable.

Old Dee was in the back pocket.

It was 1981. And I beg to differ. That year we had a percentage of 63 at year's end compared to our current 53. Also, we had players of the calibre of Flower, Gary Baker, Laurie Fowler, Gerard Healy, Peter Giles, Steve Smith, Cameron Clayton, and even other players past their best, or no world beaters in Crosswell, Pinnell, Michael Byrne, Kelly O'Donnell, Zantuck and Craig Hutchison. We even had Jacko kicking goals. This year is EASILY the worst that the MFC has ever had.

Who would that be? Do you really think that Jackson will gamble on an Adam Simpson? Do you really think that a Leigh Tudor will excite fans? Neil Craig is more of a chance to coach this club than an untried coach.

Best of luck to Davis. Should have played him at the height of his form not as it waned. Why promote Magner then not play him or even have him as an emergency? Craig's mantra that we will reward for when Strauss can't get a game after being in the bests 3 of 4 weeks especially when 90% of the side can't kick. Gawn and Toumpas fair outs but plenty could have followed particularly Davey, Howe, Byrnes. McKenzie was always going to get a game particularly after 30.

The main problem i have with all this is.... Regardless of the the penalty.... The have effectively boosted their player development, with drugs.... They are ahead of where they would be, had they not used drugs.... They may get all their points stripped this year.... But next year they are still going to be a head of where they would have been without drugs..... They have cheated! And they need to feel the full strength of the law on this....

Can I just say that last Saturday or the North game was not a reflection on Craig as a coach. He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone - and maybe as MFC supporters we can't see when people outside our sphere have achieved something. He is a good coach.

I know this is off topic but Nasser Husain looks like Mr Burns from The Simpsons. He could be his twin.

Yes but the games Ditter played in always had moments of particular interest. There was no "bruise free footy" - for the opposition.

Not only that, they could be viciously sarcastic.

Some great bands at the Beauie

Epic Theatre...Now you are talking The Great Sword & Sandal movies.. Frank Thring being fed grapes...even Michael Pate (Senior Seargent Madden) made it into those old movies..I reckon Epic Theatre started about 1.30 PM

And you are kidding if you think that Jackson would give the reigns to Brown, Ling or Kirk and that fans would be excited over them. Fans would be wary of them, anxious even. And Craig is contracted for next year. And he is a proven head coach. Now you are becoming boorish. What agenda or you paranoid about? And why do you think a MFC employee - which Jackson is and will remain for the life of his tenure - will do what you are so nervous about?

Gee Wyl you gave me a laugh and brought back fond memories of the old transistors I used to listen to. I've taken a day off work to do some painting at home and jeysus if that wasn't bad enough I took a lunch break and opened this thread and was feeling like necking myself. I read your post and a big smile of childhood memories came back. With the memories whilst we have been shite most my life there have still been some good times and many good players, our biggest problem was timing mismanagement with the introduction of the new franchises. The compromised drafts have killed us because with all the talent Suns and GWS have picked up don't worry as bad as our recruiting has been we would have fluked one or two. There have been many occasions since 2011 I have thought that has to be rock bottom, but the club continues to prove me wrong. In my 33 years of following this club this one has hurt the most. I just hope I look back on 2013 as the year we hit rock bottom and started to move back up the ladder and earn back some respect.

I remember listening to that with the National Panasonic wireless under the pillow as a kiddie!!! 1971 started so well....42 years later i/we still wait for the 13th..who would have thunk it!!

This explains a lot No run out of the backline. Also may explain why these days he suffers from having a stiff neck. due to watching the ball continuously going over his head.

We should rehire that guy who was our midfield coach in the early 00s. What was his name again?

I believe we have blamed someone for this - Neeld and Bailey. We have picked wrong and we haven't developed talent we have gotten in. What I keep suggesting is that this fascination with potting assistant coaches is purely guesswork. The head coach sets the agenda, the game plan he wants to implement and the overall communication tone with the players. An assistants role is to advise the head coach on strategies, tactics and even give input to influence on the game plan. But at the end of the day it is the head coach who decides what should and shouldn't be implemented. Under Bailey ( and Royal was there during his time) we were attacking and high risk, high reward and little emphasis on defence. Under Neeld the plan was to become more defensive and boundary centric. So tell me - was it Royals epiphany that he changed his coaching method from attack to defense under Neeld or was he operating under instruction ? ( rhetorical question) We have all heard rumblings about players leaving clubs because they don't get on with the head coach. Call me when someone leaves the club because of the incompetence of an assistant.

I think one of the major underlying reasons why PJ is adamant we need an experienced coach is not so much because an experienced coach will turn the ship quicker, but because there is a realization that the ship wont turn quickly and an experienced coach will be able sell a slow rebuild easier than a Neeld or a Bailey.

I am not a defender of Royal but you seem to be missing the obvious - right here and now - what midfielders of A grade quality do we have ? Go through every club and our best midfielder would 2nd or 3rd best choice at their clubs and we dont have anyone else who rates a mention ( Viney is young and hasnt impacted as yet). You put Royal in charge of the likes of Hawthorns midfield and we would probably be calling him a genius. We. have. no. cattle. in. the. midfield. Edit - irrespective - the new coach will bring in his own team anyway - and further to the point about the assistants being a reflection of the head coach - there wont be any assistant appointments before the head coach is selected - it is his call.

Tuddenham playing for Frankston. There's a name that brings back memories.

You are kidding yourself if you think Craig is a chance to coach the club next season.

They're cooked because of our list WYL***. Not because of his coaching ability. I said it before but if Roos took over this week, we would still lose to to Gold Coast on the weekend.

Exactly....how can people not see this? Too think that MFC is more attractive to coach is being ignorant......

In the Age a report on Robinson's assertion Hird spoke to a New York Doctor about a cream, Hird denied talking to a Doctor. It has now been leaked that Hird has admitted to ASADA he spoke to a New York Pharmacist about a cream. Seems like Robinson mixed up a Doctor with a Pharmacist, but he was right on the money about Hird asking him to investigate a cream. Hird is looking very ordinary in this affair.

Terrible misrepresentation in the title. It's wholly unsurprising that Hogan isn't rushing to put pen to paper. He hasn't played a game, he doesn't know who is going to coach him in his first two seasons, he doesn't know what we'll be like and he doesn't know how he'll go at AFL level. If you were him, why would you sign? Even if he is desperate to stay at Melbourne, he will do so much better by waiting and seeing who his coach his, what plans they have for him, how he fits in with the forward line/midfield, and he'll be able to push his value up if he takes his perceived form into AFL. I'll go out there and say I actually think players like Jack Martin signing up this early are quite silly.

Not true... you gave the thread the provocative title of "We could lose Jesse Hogan" and then opened with the line "Its been reported today that Jesse wont agree to a contract extension." which was a complete fabrication. Slight difference.

If Roos continues to say no, and I believe he most definitely will, then Mark Williams is our man. We need someone to take this playing list by the scruff if the neck and shake it, hard. We need a coach who will not just enhance our players belief in themselves and their team, but revolutionise it. Does anyone seriously think that Rodney Eade has that ability? Having said that, the above post got me thinking that perhaps, and I stress perhaps, a Craig/Eade team could play such a roll. But I only believe that with Eade and Craig working with the players together there is a possibility they can do the required job, one without the other will simply not be enough.

Get Choco. He will transform this club. He'll make it a footy club for the first time since 1964. And he won't take any carp from the Toorak set who, for their own political reasons, have sought to control (and in doing so strangle the guts out of) this club for too long. He'll also own the sheds and inject some real culture into the joint. No brainer. For this club in the current circumstances at least.

Save it for the Vikes, Bears and Lions fella's ... just ease up a bit! Green Bay Packers fighting like crazy in training camp ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HAuXR-x7TY

Rubbish selection. Whilst I understand giving Gawn and Toumpas a rest for their tiring bodies, to have left in all of Davey, Howe and Byrnes, who are giving us squat right now, and thus leaving out Strauss, who is doing all he can at Casey, is ridiculous. Good to see Davis get a game, but totally disinterested about seeing McKenzie again. Should have been someone new.

I want Craig to stay. But he is not the senior coach GC are $1.13 favourites this week That is how bad we are. We MUST aquire a Premiership WINNING Coach to resurrect this sorry club that i love like family.

I heard a terrific interview with the Johm Lord on SEN last night. He played in four premiership sides including a BOG in our last. He was saying that in his view there are three essential elements to a successful club (which the dees had in his time) - A great coach, a great committee and a great president. He said since 64 the dees have times where we've had one, maybe two of those elements but never 3. Mentioned Collingwood and Cats as two current clubs who have all 3. Simple stuff i suppose but he is spot on. I would add the need fro a great CEO in todays game. Roos will not sign if all the elements are not in place but i believe he may well if they are.

If Jack Watts wants to leave and another club is prepared to take him, what does that other club think it can do with him that Melbourne hasn't been able to do? I'd rather keep Watts and sack our development coaches.

I was so close to believing you, until I realized that it's impossible to have a half cousin!

Probably their best effort so far. http://youtu.be/STdOBtZc1bU

i don't care what anyone says - as someone who used to go see the swans on a regular basis at the scg and stadium australia during roos' tenure they were incredibly exciting to watch. quick ball movement off half back through the run and dare of the likes of barry, kennelly, et al, a big power forward in hall, a smart mid-sized forward in o'loughlin, and in adam goodes one of the best players of the era. they had a blue-collar midfield who worked incredibly hard for one another. this is why i want roos; i believe he instils a real team ethic in a group of average players to the point where they were able to win their first premiership in 72 years. as i've said before, i also think he brings a 'whole of club' mentality; people i know who worked at the swans say that he was a brilliant communicator with all levels of the business.

I have no doubt that he's at the top of it. But that by extension doesn't mean he wants to coach us

Some Electro Swing from Parov Stelar Jack Jack's Jazz 4.5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaRNb9tVB-A

You would want to throw in Gilles and Pedersen to sweetin the deal!

I finally got a decent recommendation from Spotify. Air. Or have I taken it the wrong way? Nevertheless they've got some great music. Jack Jack's Jazz 4.4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiglRCekcJ0