Mazer Rackham

Is it Paul Weller?

What Eddie said (with pride) was that there hadn't been an election in 23 years. I believe to get on the board a CFC member has to be voted to the position at their AGM. What Eddie would do is appoint them mid year as an interim board member, then the appointment (unopposed) would be ratified at the AGM by the rest of the board. No voting required. In no time at all he had a board of people who were beholden to him for their positions. Any time it looked like a challenge was going to be mounted, Eddie would start a campaign of Chinese whispers and general agitation that CFC was being destabilised, etc . It worked so well that before long, no-one could be bothered going through the trial by fire involved. Last guy to think of doing it was sidelined by being commissioned to provide a report into any/everything wrong with CFC. Report was tabled, one or two recommendations adopted, and guy was appointed to the board as an interim member and later (unopposed) ratified at the AGM. No voting required. Meanwhile Eddie was reappointed as pres each term, unopposed. No voting required.

The Pies management will fall over themselves to do whatever Clarko wants. But if you're Clarko, and you look at the Pies list (and cap), and then at the Blues list ... do the Pies then look so attractive?

Carlton pulled the trigger and the Pies went into panic mode. "They're going to try to poach OUR coach from right under our noses! Well, Hawthorn's ... but it's the principle of the thing!"

I know a lady with MND, and although she doesn't really follow the football, she knows all about Neale and absolutely loves him and what he's doing. He really does inspire and helps other sufferers just by lending his huge courage. What a great man.

Let's square the ledger by having all next week's talk being about how badly Nathan was let down by the players in his last match.

No. We would need a gameday coach to replace Yze and Buckley is not a gameday coach.

Melbourne Football Club players, you know what to do.

If I was football manager at another club, I would wonder if Clarkson still has the burn. Maybe he does. I wouldn't know. But he's already climbed the mountain. If I as footy manager looked at picking him up, I would be wondering: will he do a Malthouse at Carlton and build up the super fund while winning nothing and eroding the culture?

I predict that their review will indicate that Teague is the man for the job but needs better support. I don't think it's any accident that Barker suddenly decided to walk the plank. If they do jettison Teague they will bring in a "name" coach as they don't want to be permanently experimenting with untried coaches. They're at a crossroad -- their list is pretty good -- and won't want to throw that away with more years of underperforming. Yze is burnishing his credentials each week and it's a race against time. Flag for Demons, or Yze senior coach at another club. Which will come first? Mind you, we shouldn't have any trouble attracting a decent replacement now.

I can recall when we picked up two teenagers as very very early draft picks and they were immediately our best midfielders. Before they'd even showed up for pre season training. Now this kid finds himself surrounded by and learning from Tracc, Oliver, Max, and others. What an education. How far we have come.

How many times in the past have we played a top team, put everything into it, only to be pipped by 2 or 3 goals. Then we'd say: "well, that wasn't a bad effort. After all, they're a top team!" The reverse is going to happen to us now, and already has. Teams will throw everything at us. We're not going to steamroll everyone. Back in the past, sometimes everything would go right and we'd squeak in a win against one of these top teams, and we'd be on top of the world. Same thing in reverse will happen to us, and already has. That's football. Collingwood might win. It's tailor-made for them. But it won't be a trend, for them or us. We're going to keep on winning more than we lose. Enjoy the ride.

OR Tracc 5 + 3 Bailey 5 + 2 Oliver 4 + 3 Max 4 + 2

This game is the old fashioned curtain raiser before the big one. The jump in quality will be like in the old days.

This game looks like it's being played in slow motion.

How will the football journalists of Melbourne account for this topsy-turvy result? I was told the Bomber wunderkinds were now invincible.

Let's see the Pies get some excitement going and get some momentum going into our match. Pump up the crowd numbers. Also I feel their footy department is just waiting for them to snag a win as they can say "see? Buckley, coaching prodigy" and extend his contract.

The beautiful thing to me is not only that Rivers is comfortably holding down a spot in the top team, Kossie is a weapon in the top team, Jordon and Sparrow are showing they belong at this level ... it's the mentoring and in-game development they're getting from the likes of May, Lever & Max. None of those three have any any significant degree of team success, unlike a Hodge, but they sure know how to play football. Makes me feel sad for all the talent we've let slip through our fingers over years without ever seeing their best or even knowing that they had an unfulfilled best. Back on a positive note: everyone knows ruckmen take years to develop before they're any good. Yet here's Jackson. Walk-up start every week in the best team in the land. This really is some list.

Somewhere in a dark underground office lined with computer monitors, Michael Christian is reading this while rubbing his hands together and quietly cackling evilly.

Looks like you've done yourself out of ONE MILLION DOLLARS then

There's a prize for the first person to work out where they come from.

Bricks. Old yellow bricks, crumbling with age in a garden-wall; the sweet breath of young cows standing in a mountain-stream; the lead roof of a dove-cote — or perhaps a granary — with the mid-day sun on it; black kid gloves lying in a bureau-drawer of walnut-wood; a dusty road with a horses’ drinking-trough beneath the sycamores; little mushrooms bursting through the rotting leaves; and — and — and — not parsnips.

That's cool. Nobody's gonna hurt anybody. We're gonna be like three Fonzies. And what's Fonzie like?

It just keeps getting better. I don't think The Collingwood Turtle (Hatley) knows exactly what he wants other than to lash out in frustration. What's his plan from here? To wait and see, it seems. Wait for what? Then Browne announces he's up for it but won't say what his platform is or which 3 directors he wants to keep. Wants an amicable handover (COUP) and then what at the AGM? Everyone confirms themselves as directors without a vote? Again? Meanwhile Korda clings on so he can .... what, exactly? No one knows, maybe not even him. Oh, long may it drag on.

I hope there is. Their members are up in arms that they have no say. A "peaceful" hand over would be more of the same. The new board would lack legitimacy from day one.