Goodvibes

I hope for the sake of Mark Neeld that Don doesn't change his stance on the coach as quickly as you did!

The irony is beautiful. And so is me responding to you again.

From the man himself. Thanks!

And what was that Einstein quote about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome? Something about stupidity? Engaging certain members of this site and expecting a change is clearly stupid! I'll learn.

Sorry I thought you wanted the AFL to take over. Today was the club looking after the best interests of the club and a faithful servant doing what had to be done.

That was a classy exit. A horrible two weeks and the pressure for blood was huge. Schwab took the bullet well. Hope that a single exit at this point is all it will take for on-field improvement. We now need stability for the remainder of the year and then make the tough decisions at the appropriate time which will hopefully set us up for the next decade. I've never warmed to Don but it is imperative that he and Neeld and Craig and Misson and the board all stay for at least this year but that of course will only be possible if we improve on the field. Have our odds for Saturday shortened?

Awesome stuff. Wish I was heading down south a day earlier. Hope you get some big numbers!

If I could choose one person at the club to sit down and have a beer with it would be Neil Craig. I'd be very very interested to hear his honest views as to: why we're in this hole whether he thinks Neeld can actually coach why Scwhab is seemingly detested by so many whether we have the quality on our list to become contenders club culture - is it real? Do the events of years and years ago really impact on the current? the way forward?

McLardy and Schwab are obviously under the pump. They've helped us to wipe out our debt, re-align with the MCC, improve our training facilities and create increased revenue flows and brought some impressive sponsorship deals to the club at a difficult time. They've channeled much of their funds towards the footy department. They chose the coach. We have more assistants than ever before. We now have one of the best fitness/conditioning guys in the business. Our footy department has never received this level of financial support before.They know that if the team keeps failing they'll be out and they'll fall on their sword because at the end of the day they've got to live with their decisions. Is it unfair that they place a little pressure on the coach and the rest of the footy department to get things right on the field? You call that passing the buck. We all talk and talk and talk about being ruthless and the minute we put a little pressure on the footy department to improve our on-field fortunes, they're passing the buck. McLardy and Schwab aren't there to get the footy team playing good footy. They're there to allow the footy department to get the best out of their players. As far as I see, that's exactly what they've done. If they've chosen the wrong people and we continue to lose, they'll be out but in the mean time they have every right to put pressure on those they placed their trust in.

Like Fifty-5 I've read the tea leaves and I don't like what I see and agree that change is inevitable. The challenge is in the timing. Mass sackings two weeks into a season is not a good look. This playing list has shown that a change of coach won't necessarily result in a change to our on-field fortunes. I don't think it's fair to judge a coach on what he says immediately after a game. Not many people could put a positive spin on what has happened over the past two weeks and not many could communicate effectively the reasons why we're where we're at. I think he deserves an opportunitity to fight his way out of this mess. The odds are stacked against him but he's worked hard (as Rangey ironically said) to get this senior coaching gig and clearly hasn't thrown in the towel. I'll be at the G on Saturday and I'm interested to see what he comes up with yet. One good quarter or even a good half of footy and our confidence will grow. A week later we may have 4 premiershp points and the landscape will have changed and the media spotlight will be on another team. Our young team will continue to develop and when the dust settles we'll decide on who is best equipped to take us forward. And not because the entire football world has decided our destiny for us but because that's exactly what we have chosen to do.

So at the end of the day, that's where your point starts and ends? We're stuffed - bring in the AFL?

Could the champion of change provide us with a little substance. Tell me about these changes and how they'll shape the club. Or has your thinking stopped at the point where you realized things aren't good and because they're not good we therefore need a change?

Actually I'm not interested in blame. It's a waste of energy. I want us to get to the root of the problem and make sensible decisions about our future in a professional manner. Talk of protests and strikes and mass sackings will do little to change the perception in the media that we are a basket case. We need to ride out the on-field crap and make decisions that bring us closer together rather than ripping us apart. Those decisions need to me made but not right now when we are at an emotional high point. The reason I mention the media is because they are viewing us as an easy kill right now (a bit like you on this forum) and if we're to roll over and start wielding the axe then they will have won and the perception of weakness will have been reinforced. If we instead bunker down (as it appears we're doing) support the footy dept and then see an improvement on the field over the next month we'll have grown as a club. At the end of the season we can make sound strategic decisions about the direction of our club and our footy department. I appreciate the danger of things not getting better but I'm willing to bet that this week we'll see a much better showing and we may even have a win on the board in less than 11 days. The world is a different place after a win! And I'm certainly not blaming you for what has happened over the past two rounds but right now you're the cheerleader for negativity and sniping on this site and as a consequence people like me might speak out occasionally. You don't seem to like being challenged. You seem to struggle with alternative views. And you're yet to give me any substance apart from the handing over of our entire organization (as if we've gone into liquidation) to the AFL to do with as they please. It's the type of thing a club in their death throws would do. We're not there yet as last nights membership drive shows. Hanging tough in the bad times is difficult RR. I understand if you're not up to it.

If I've ignorantly got you all wrong then maybe it's time you offered a little substance to support your position. Glib crowd-pleasing one-liners and a couple of colour pictures doesn't really make your position clear. You were right at the beginning of this thread when you said we've hit rock bottom. Rock bottom is a dangerous dangerous place because people are tired and hurt and vulnerable. The way in which we fight our way out of this hole is very important. Your calls for a radical sink and all removal of key club personnel is disturbing. We've made alot of progress off the park over the past 5 years and our list (believe it or not) has some serious talent that may just become elite. Sacking Bailey straight after 186 was viewed by most as a mistake. Nothing was gained by making the decision so quickly and doing so via a phonecall was a disgrace. If Neeld isn't the right man then another coach will be found. If Schwab is the cancer (and seriously can people stop using this analogy) that so many claim he is then clearly his time will come within the next 6 - 9 months. McLardy is doing his best but his best may not be good enough but sacking him now reduces us to an even greater laughing stock than we are already. Calling upon the AFL to take over is distressing. To me, it says we've given up. Some very smart, experienced, influential, business savvy people support this club. We must be able to form a strong, dynamic board with vision and determination. You amongst others attacked the AFL for the way in which it dealt with the tanking saga and now you want to hand over the reigns to our club.

You'll leave it at that because you've got nothing. Take it as a compliment Rangey. I very rarely involve myself in personal spats but the pleasure you seem to be taking from this mess makes me sick. 99% of Demonland quite rightly vented post Saturday night and then got some perspective. You've viewed it as an opportunity to grandstand.

The person in this instance is attempting to stir up an emotional supporter base, cash in on their vulnerable state and create further disunity at a time when we need to stick together. I have serious reservations about the coach and the CEO and the President etc etc etc. But it's round 2 FFS. Don't give in to the journalistic vultures and give them what they want. When I coach footy I coach my players to attack the ball but also coach them to attack the player and the ball! RR had prior op and tried to sell a dummy and got caught.

Fence sitters and status-quo merchants please also take note - the Che Guevara of Demonland is a flip flopper of John Kerry proportions. "Had a cushy job at a successful club. Could have stayed there for a few more years. Could have chosen an easier option like Adelaide or St Kilda but no he came to the basket case that was/is the MFC and has staked his entire fledgling coaching career on turning around the Titanic. He's been prepared to put self-satisfied noses out of joint, sack ineffectual leaders, drop soft no. 1 draft picks and most importantly completely dismantle a useless game plan that would have seen us fold under the first sign of trouble in a final. And he's prepared to get flogged week-in week-out, enduring the inevitable calls for his sacking by supporters fearful of change, in order to get the job done. Hard as f..!k this bloke and I for one stand up and applaud him for having the cojones to put his own future in the game on the line in order to turn this joint into what for most of the past 47 years it has only ever been masquerading as ... and that's a football club. I'm backing him in come hell or high water." Thanks for the words of inspiration Rangey!

I'm in and so is one of my best mates. Coming down from Brisvegas. Can't believe I picked this round. So where should we head for the pre-game drinks? Thought I might try the numb feeling pre-game rather than post-game!

So you're telling me next week was a bad choice of week to come down from Brisbane to see the team play?

What do The Bermuda Trinagle, Crop Circles, The Loch Ness Monster, Stonehenge and Yze-Magic have in common?

My faith in Demonland and Demonlanders has been restored. It appears no one watches Sunrise!

It's the kind of piece I've written myself. I hate it! He talks of not wanting the pity of other supporters and then writes a piece that generates . . . . pity. We've got to lose the chip on our shoulders. It's a bit chicken and the egg though. Do we have to wait for our team to turn it around on the field before we get our swagger back or can we actually do something as a supporter base to turn around the fortunes of our club? As much as it is well written, this piece was conceived with the same purpose as many of the vents and dummy spits that have been published on Demonland this week. The author needed an outlet for his pain and found one. I guess we've got Demonland. This club needs a win.

IN: Run, Spread, Discipline, Desperation, Aggression, Confidence, Grand Old Flag, Jack and Jimmy celebrating their first win OUT: Caveman look-a-likes, training cone impersonations, half efforts, Demonland hysteria McDonald is a great inclusion. Also happy to see Terlich dubut and it will be interesting to see how Trengove goes with a limited Prep. Davey as the sub would be my guess. I'm surprised to see him back. I think Jetta has been stiff two weeks in a row now. If Watts could take a bigger body we could drop Gillies and bring in Jetta and the team looks far more balanced. I would have actually kept Pedersen and dropped Gillies and played Sellar back but that's just me. And I don't think we should forget how huge the appearance of Clark's name in the team is. What odds when he was being carried from the ground 4 days ago? His health is very very important.

I'm a coach Cards. I was joking.

His coaching win ratio is almost at 60%. I'd take that. Fire up Neeldy!!