Goodvibes

Is that a smile? 10 Year Alastair Lynch contract coming up . . .

When it turns it will turn quickly. Spoken to any Port fans lately? They're not talking about 2012. They're loving this game. Sydney got flogged by us and rebounded to win a premiership less than 50 games later. When Geelong found belief their rise was sudden. Even Melbourne in 2000 showed that a rapid rise is possible. The demographic of this team means that in 2 - 3 years we'll have the experience to be a contender. Whether we have the quality in the midfield is another matter. It's easy to spread the doom and the gloom. Finding light at the end of the tunnel takes far more vision. My vision involves us securing a topline midfielder like Thomas and drafting a ready made star like Selwood. Put Thomas and Selwood into our midfield and add another 2 - 3 seasons of experience to Viney and Toumpas as well as the addition of Jones plus Trengove, Grimes, Sylvia and Howe rotating through and we've got to be getting closer to having a top 4 midfield. As the Swans have shown, a competitive, disciplined, hard working midfield that follows September-driven structures with a couple of game changing forwards can win a flag. In Clark and Hogan I think we have the game turners to be a serious football side. My vision might be fanciful but I prefer it a hell of alot to the Fitzroy-esque devastation that most here seem to take joy in spewing forth. At the end of the day, I follow a footy team and following footy should be fun. I don't know how most of you guys continue to get to games and log in here when you're so devoid of hope. I don't have much hope left either but I'm hanging on to the romantic view that one day we might just get there and in the meantime I try to enjoy the journey and visualise how this crap that we're currently enduring may one day be remembered as the start of something special. Why else would you bother?

My Premiership jigsaw looks a little like this: FB: ? Frawley Terlich CHB: Grimes McDonald ? C: Toumpas ? ? CHF: Howe Clark Trengove FF: ? Hogan ? Foll: Gawn ? Viney Int: Jones Sylvia ? ? In other words I'm confident that 13 players have the quality and talent to become MFC premiership players. I certainly haven't given up on Blease and obviously Dawes may well feature but I'm not convinced. Watts hasn't proven to be AFL standard in any one position over his 5 years. I'm concerned. Garland also may take that next step but I'm unsure. Matt Jones, Evans and Bail all add impressive run and endurance but lack the polish required to be premierhsip players. Perhaps one could emerge as an important role player in a premiership year. Fingers crossed Barry develops and Taggert and Tynan remain in the hopeful basket. I don't rate Strauss, Dunn or Tapscott. I see Grimes as more a back flanker and Trengove, sadly more of a half forward flanker who rotates onto the ball. I'm going early on Terlich - I think he'll make it. My jigsaw reveals that we need 3 quality midfielders at least. One out and out star that is truly inside and outside and another first dibs inside midfield and another silky skilled outside running machine. We also need a quality ball user out of the back half and one or two genuinely scary small forwards. With the potential on our list I'd hope that at least 3 of my nine holes can be filled internally. I still think we're 6 players short at the moment - and that's a hell of a lot if you consider our patchy recruiting/drafting efforts of the past decade.

Having 3, 4, 5 changes each week certainly doesn't help with continuity when you're trying to implement zone-like structures.

I got along as well. Looks like Max and the Russian playing deep forward will be integral to our structure. Watts involved with backline drill. All 22 named were present plus Nicholson as the only emergency. Just a light run. Boys in good spirits. Max is a legend. All the players great with the kids after the session.

"He's given the blokes a licence to just go out and play". Soooooo what was he doing before this? Sounds like a complete abandonment of his gameplan. My natural instinct is to be positive but I'm worried. I wish my boss would "take the shackles off". I'd loosen the tie, beers for breakfast, introduce some more colourful language to my lessons. My classes might even become fun!

You're only as good as your last quarter. Or not.

What was that line from that Verve song about drugs . . . . .

I think 99% of Demonland are showing withdrawal symptoms. Like a bad radio station - the hits keep coming!

Anyone on Demonland who's still here after three losses with an average losing margin of 107 points still cares. It's ok mate, we're here too and as much as we want to protect ourselves from more hurt by pretending we don't care, the truth is, we still do and that's why we keep fronting up. I'm starting to adopt a Papillon-like attitude. Which would make the MFC my Island Prison.

I'd target Adrian Fletcher at the end of the year. He's had experience at quite a few clubs and has had a long stint with the Lions and has helped re-build their midfield to be a competitive outfit again. I'd like to see what Clark, Hogan and Dawes could do with a midfield on a par with the current Brisbane engine room. Like ours it doesn't possess any big names but they work hard and stick to their structures and win plenty of contested ball. There spread from stoppages has been impressive over the last 12 months. I've heard Fletcher speak at a coaching course and was very very impressed.

I'd keep it really simple. One word - BELIEVE

Media Communications/Customer Relations - Travis from Taxi Driver

I'm disappointed that Blease and Watts were dropped. I'm disappointed because I know it's the right decision and that put simply both have major deficiencies that they haven't gone close to rectifying. And I fear they never will. I had such high hopes for both.

Struggling to understand where you're coming from. How am I being thin-skinned? I was disappointed that on the same morning that so many fans were supporting the team by attending training, one poster chose to threaten to withdraw his financial support, seemingly as a lesson to those on this forum who disagree with him. I probably should have avoided getting involved because I certainly didn't help creat a good vibe! We're all at a low ebb and posters are more than entitled to vent but at some point we (myself included) have to move on and practice what we preach about club unity.

Sorry, there's lots of people on this forum who give generously to this club and the big spenders don't tend to share that fact with others. Threatening to withdraw those funds to win an online spat is sad.

Did you just flaunt your financial prosperity on an internet forum and then threaten to withdraw your financial support as punishment to those who dare disagree with you? Wow.

Let's do a poll.

Matt Le Tissier - the Robbie Flower of Southampton!

I might send the HUN my resume. You've just described me!

Che would be rolling in his grave.

IN: McKenzie, Tapscott, Pedersen, Jetta OUT: Gillies, Nicholson, Rodan, Toumpas I strangely/morbidly want to see how Watts and Sylvia respond to the week of media they've had.

If Don had followed Cameron's lead and focused on the "fresh eyes" angle he would have been ok. He could have acknowledged that Cameron had done a great job, supported his re-structuring of the footy department but conceded (as Cameron did) that after 4 years and performances heading in the wrong direction that it was time to find someone with new ideas and different experiences. He could have maintained that Cameron was doing a good job but his responsibility and the responsibility of the board (particularly when the team is struggling on field) is to see if we can make the club better and if bringing in a new CEO would do that then that is exactly what they had to do and that's why we had to say, with much sadness, goodbye to Cameron today. It's our genuine hope that history judges Cameron kindly and when this great club does again become a premiership team, we'll look back fondly on the groundwork laid by Cameron.

Schwab sounded like a president today. McLardy sounded like an extra from Williamson's 'The Club'. I'm craving stability and unity right now. But when the dust settles . . . .

How long ago was our AGM? Where were the revolutionaries then?