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If you are not extremely concerned that this club is seemingly being run by a bunch of blind monkeys flinging poo at the wall to see what sticks, then you should be. Leaving the Clarry trade aside, you've had Green take over as caretaker president, and since then he's had his pants pulled down by Gutnick, he's got Pert running a review when he should be reviewed instead, all the while this sinking ship is leaking worse than the Titanic. I am going to give Pert the benefit of the doubt here, and say that he isn't sitting in Noosa and ringing clubs around without the backing of the board. So if the board is letting Pert run the show, because they have lost faith in the FD, be it Goody, Lamb or Richo, then forget trading Clarry and get on with replacing the people in the FD and let their replacements make the list management calls! One thing is certain, a bunch of doctors, lawyers and ex footballers sitting on a board, have 0 credentials to make list management calls. And having the CEO act as a proxy for them, is even worse!

Calm down, ChatGPT.

I just listened to Clayton Oliver on The Unlaced Podcast with Jake Barker-Daish. It was an excellent listen. Do yourself a favour. My takeaways: 1. Clayton is in a very good head space. He sounds like he is in a very healthy state. 2. He loves the Melbourne Football Club and all his mates there. 3. He can’t wait to get back into training, he’s going back with the 1-4 year players. He acknowledges he was not fit this year and still describes himself as being “a bit fat”. He is very confident he will get back to where he was. 4. He rubbished the claims that Melbourne’s culture is poor. “We’re all mates and love having a laugh together. We just laugh at the media because they don’t know what’s happening on the inside”. 5. He loves Gawny and all that the skipper has done for him. This was recorded last week. If Clayton is sitting down with Geelong, I can guarantee that it is not him that is pulling the strings on any potential move. Over to you, Melbourne.

Demonland: we need a review, we need heads to roll. Club implements review, Clayton Oliver is shown the door. Demonland: not that kind of review

Media relations at the club are a joke. Pert brought in Clare Petty to lead our Comms department. How are we getting destroyed in the media and always seem late to the party to respond? We've somehow gotten worse at it. In my 20 years in corporate affairs I've never seen such contempt for a major stakeholder (being the supporters in a footy club's case). The comms strategy is in the toilet. They need to work harder and better and controlling the narrative here. Seems like a massive disconnect between the CEO office, the football department, and the media team. Key job as chief/GM of comms is to control the external messaging, and build internal ambassadors and engagement to avoid leaks/disgruntled comments externally. https://x.com/JoshGabelich/status/1769602121350156534?s=19 If you're going to "deny deny deny" you need to craft it in a way that is neither the truth nor a lie. Melbourne straight up lies.

My advice to anyone who needs it - disconnect from footy media for a bit, focus on playing golf or whatever it is you do, and come back for the trade period. All of this speculation eliciting emotional reactions is exactly what the media want and get paid on. Ignore it, its 90% BS. You know in your heart of hearts that we'll look back on all this and wonder why we got so worked up about it.

Using Oliver as a scapegoat for our cultural issues, while the people who actually run the show like Pert, remain unblamed. No wonder Oliver met with Geelong. He must be sick and tired of being blamed for everything that’s gone wrong at our club, despite his continued and best efforts to get better, and despite his unwavering love of the club! If Geelong, who some claim have the best culture, are interested in Clarry, Smith and took Stengle, it goes to show you that the problem lies not with the individual, but with the club behind the individual.

People having a crack at the club but the only thing that has created this are Oliver’s actions.. club has supported him continuously & only so much they can put up with ….

Can you demonstrate this by deleting your Demonland account?

Your post says more about you than what it does Clarry. He has been an amazing player for us, one of our best, ever. Who knows what someone is going through/experiencing that can often lead to certain, abnormal (for them) behaviours. How about you quit being such a child and show him some support. Since bombing out of the finals two seasons in a row, in straight sets, we’ve been low-hanging fruit for the media. Don’t blame Clarry for the media’s almost constant witch-hunt, over the last year or so, on our club. Consider how the media would react if one of our players found themselves in a situation similar to that of Stengle earlier this season? The media would have been unforgiving. Yet, Stengle, who plays for Geelong, has faced little to no backlash

I don't care if we get 5 first round draft picks for him, which we wont, there will never be another Clayton Oliver. We've won one premiership in 60 years and he wins the b&f and coaches award, dominates the premiership quater by taking out Bont, kicks the goal that seals the grandfinal and has been the best player of a generation. I'd prefer us to stick fat with a club legend, who loves the club, family love the club and risk he doesn't get back to his best than let him go and see him get back to his best at another club which will destroy our culture more than it's already been

Absolute clown club On Sunday night Clarry and the coaches were absolutely positive about the future at Melbourne today he’s on the way to Geelong and it won’t be for much either there is nothing functional about the club right now nor is there anything to be proud of.

I don't want to lose Clayton Oliver. In fact, I will be devastated if he leaves the Demons. But if we are forced to trade him then we need to get 2 first round draft picks. We should not accept anything less for a champion player.

What the actual [censored] If Pert is acting against the wishes of the footy dept then he needs to be marched out the door immediately.

I wonder how Max Gawn is feeling after all the effort he has put in over the past 12 months. Would it be relief or pure anger at how this ended? I also doubt we will ever know the truth behind the decision. My kingdom for a stable, smart, proactive, water tight football club. We are a disgrace.

I just listened to it too. I agree with your summary. If you listened just to the podcast and didn’t know anything about this week’s reports, you’d walk away from that podcast feeling pretty good about where he’s at, both individually and in relation to the club. Given that, it makes it even harder to reconcile what’s been reported this week, and IMO only strengthens the concerns people have about the club’s administration.

As stated, Oliver doesn't want to leave Club open to him staying Pert goes and does his own thing. And yet he opens up enquiries on other parts of the football club. He's a disgrace

The only absolute disgrace is this post

Oh yes , the saints will suit christian, with their massive crowds and near term success and 16 for Pickett? It’s not April 1, Adam

A Melbourne Football Club member has written an open letter to newly appointed club president Brad Green demanding an “unbiased and transparent review” of the club in a bid to restore faith among disillusioned supporters. Demons supporter Ricky Dunn expressed his deep disappointment with the club’s current direction, saying he would not renew his membership for the upcoming season. “The current situation has left me and many fellow supporters feeling more disenchanted than ever. The lack of transparency and handling of recent issues have eroded our trust in the club’s leadership,” Dunn wrote to Green. “My sole condition for renewing my membership is that the club’s review be conducted entirely independently of CEO Gary Pert and any members of the administration who have overseen operations in the past couple of years. An unbiased and transparent review is essential to restore faith among the supporters.” The Demons’ 2024 season has been plagued with off-field drama, including last month, when president Kate Roffey abruptly quit her role and the board. Roffey’s departure came amid the ongoing saga regarding star player Christian Petracca, who raised concerns about the club during his end-of-year review process. He was frustrated at the club after he believed club figures did not check in with him enough after he suffered life-threatening injuries during the King’s Birthday clash with Collingwood, which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Despite the club continuing to make headlines over its handling of Petracca, days before her departure Roffey revealed in an interview with SEN that she had not spoken to the star midfielder about his disgruntlement with the Demons, prompting widespread criticism. Former Melbourne president Kate Roffey, pictured with chief executive Gary Pert, came under fire for her interview with Gerard Whateley on SEN.AFL Photos In the wake of Roffey’s exit, Green, a board member and former player, was appointed as president and announced he would lead a review into the board. On September 10 the club announced a second review, focussing on the operations and overarching environment of the AFL program, to be conducted by Green, Pert and former All Blacks manager Darren Shand. “Darren is already familiar with our program, having spent time in the club earlier this year observing all elements of the men’s football program,” the club said in the announcement. Dunn has raised concerns about the integrity of the reviews, arguing it is inappropriate for board members and club officials involved in past decisions to oversee their own evaluation. “If they choose to be more transparent and Green and Pert remove themselves from this review, I’ll sign up again in a heartbeat. I still want the absolute best for the club. I love it,” he told this masthead. “I just don’t really understand how you can have a review of what’s taken place when the person that’s been responsible for many of those decisions is a part of that review.” The Demons are also dealing with speculation surrounding the future of four-time best-and-fairest winner Clayton Oliver, who met with Geelong on Tuesday. Dunn said it was time for the club to face the music and address the internal issues appropriately. “For me, and I think for nearly all fans, it’s just about transparency. I hold no ill feelings towards Brad Green for the decision he’s made. I assume that he’s acting in what he sees as the best interest of the club. But like absolutely any review out there, if it’s not independent, what’s the point in it?,” Dunn said. “All I want is to feel that the money and the time I invest in the club is somewhat appreciated, recognised, and that they’re accountable for it, and I don’t feel at the moment they are accountable for it.” The Melbourne Football Club has been contacted for comment. Feel free to write your own open letters here

75 million followers. Now that's BRANDING.

I’m pretty certain that the media have completely fabricated this story just so they can use the pun, “Oliver’s Twist”, in all of their headlines.

If we haven't got sufficient nous, talent or people skills within the administration, football department ..... or whatever the [censored], to retain a player of Oliver's calibre then the MFC is a totally irrelevant and [censored] up organisation.

We spent all year backing him in. As recently as last week he was all in for a big pre-season with us. It doesn’t matter if he transgressed. We’re morons if we expected him to be a perfect model player after everything else. We had to know it was a risk, otherwise there was no point sacrificing our season playing him through his injury. I find this all disgracefully poor management from the club. Not just Pert. Everyone.

I think back on all the drama that's happened at the club since 2020 and it's all happened under Gary Perts watch. He is the one that needs to leave. I think he's making Clarry the scapegoat to save his own hyde.

Clarry at Geelong, with their culture and ability to support players, will win a Brownlow. They are a club that doesn't drop their load every time a player gets a little too ummm 'happy' at a nightclub in the middle of the week. They know how to keep their standards, without demanding perfection from players. They support each other from top to bottom. Chris Scott, an annoying [censored] that he is, would take a bullet in the media for his players. This is a club that knows how to SHUT UP and get on with it.

So much of this story is confusing. Do we want to trade him, or not? Does he want out, or not? The fact that it’s so unclear is in itself an issue. We have repeatedly demonstrated a complete inability to control any narrative about our club.

It’s starting to grate how much negative information about players (be it Oliver, Petracca, etc.) gets leaked once the club starts to look bad in a PR sense. Questioning our culture due to ‘recreational behaviours’ is something, but so easily backgrounding against your own players when the narrative runs against you screams terrible culture and weak leadership. We’ve seen this in political parties of all persuasions and usually ends badly. It’s corrosive and toxic.

I don't think any of Green, Pert, Richardson, Taylor, Goodwin or Lamb are irrational hot heads. They all seem to be very considered people IMO. If the MFC want Oliver out, there must be very good reasons. They know how good a footballer he is at his best.

100%. Pert might be super happy to run the show, but he's not running it unless Green and the rest of the board are giving him the green light to do so. He might also be making decisions without the board's approval, but on the whole I would say the board would have given him support to get involved.

I want Pert gone, but there's no way Pert is acting on his own here. Sure, the FD may not be for it, but what about our board? If you're shopping around one of your highest paid players without board approval, you may as well tender your resignation. People need to be a little bit smarter about this.

Clayton is a product of his environment. Viney, Lever and McDonald aside, our senior players were all scallywags as younger men. Clayton learnt how to adult in that setting. No doubt he's taken things to another level, but don't kid yourself we have/had a list of Trent Cotchin's and Sam Mitchell's

What a debacle. Breathtaking incompetence in the way this is being handled whatever the pros and cons of a trade. We are a laughing stock and Pert and Richardson must go.

Is his license still suspended?

My issue with the Clarry situation: Geelong aren't courting him if they think he's cooked. They clearly believe, with the right support around him, he can return to at least 90-95% of the player he was, which is still one of the best in the comp. Which means either a) we don't or b) we won't or can't put that same support around him. If it's a, fair enough. But it sounds more like b. And I have no interest in watching him get back to his best anywhere but Melbourne, simply because we won't put any more time or effort into it. We don't go close to winning the flag without a fit and firing midfield, and a fit Clarry is still a key part of that. No draftee, short of a Daicos or Reid type (of which Ashcroft is the only one this year), will help fill that void. If we trade Clarry, we might as well admit we've given up on the next 2-3 years, which means on May, Gawn, Viney and probably Trac's time, and get started on a full rebuild. It's time for the club to shut up, get its [censored] together (including at board and executive level) and knuckle down for a huge preseason.

I’m curious how every single thing Clarry was up to last off season was widely known immediately by everyone, and yet these apparent new off field incidents have only come to light today as we try to justify putting Clarry on the trade table. I am not suggesting this isn’t true, it absolutely might be. Timing however is interesting.

Literally zero proof pert has leaked that. Sure it’s possible but don’t talk about it like it’s fact.

That’s about the dumbest thing I’ve ever read

Unfortunately our media department went down the toilet the moment they got rid of Ben Gibson.

I once saw Eddie Betts jogging down the street in Darwin. I didn't immediately realise who it was, because he was running on uneven broken concrete next to the main road with all the exhaust fumes and you don't think about AFL players being so close to the equator anyway, but I gave him the old-mate nod and he gave back a knowing smile. My conclusion at the time, after I realised it was 'the' Eddie pounding the footpath, was that it definitely had something to do with Wade Derksen, but now when I think about it a bit more deeply it probably had something more to do with Pickett and Shai Bolten being mates. I was on a bicycle though, so who knows?

Damien Barrett is a [censored] moron.

With the club currently a joke I’m largely posting in GIF’s for awhile.

"A couple of off-field incidents in recent weeks have put Clayton Oliver back in the trade spotlight for the second time in 12 months. It’s understood Oliver’s recent behaviour has again tested the patience of some teammates, while the club has been disappointed in some things he has not committed to." What did he do? You can't just say off-field, it's the bloody off season. Everyone would assume the worst but who knows. What targets is he meant to be meeting In September, on his holidays away from the club? I am sick of these vague BS articles

[email protected]

You should seek counselling for listening to a Sam McClure podcast. 😁

One thing that is abundantly evident is that there is a significant disconnect between the back office and the football department. The idea of Pert intervening here and telling Oliver directly to look around, despite reports most key figures in the football department wants him to stay is very concerning and unprofessional. It's all getting very tiresome with all the smoke and mirrors of the club these days & hard to believe a word that anybody says.

Because the one thing the club can’t do, is be as good for his brand as the likes of Collingwood or Carlton. The likelihood of Trac not exploring his options again in 2025 are low. It would take some serious success IMO.

How in 3 yrs after winning a flag and a great midfield have we unraveled & unbelievably our top 5 picks of brayshaw retired , Oliver who knows , trac who knows may all be possibly gone ..only the mfc can manufacture this ..