rpfc

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-08-21/dees-appoint-chief-commercial-officer THE MELBOURNE Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of George de Crespigny to the role of Chief Commercial Officer. Seems to be replacing Peter Maynard from the structure but maybe it is a change in the structure. I guess we will find out - he was the General Manager of the Brumbies just below the CEO and that would be some of Matthew Green's responsibilities... More changes to come I am sure.

For someone I was convinced would delisted at the end of this year, he has done a very good job to carve out something in a terrible year. But as CB has said - life in AFL footy changes quickly and he is an asset that we may barter.

Midfielders get it from one end of the spine to the other. And Viney and Jones vs Redden, Rich, Polec, Rockliff, Zorko, Hanley, Mayes, and I don't want to do this anymore.

A good Board is a great deal easier to find than a decent young midfield. Brisbane are well ahead of us.

I could take this sardonic aside with more humour if it weren't for the fact that the last coach the club hired put many players offside and worried supporters to the point where threads were started based on the fear that players were wavering in their comittment to stay at the club. Now we have a player that is wavering in his comittment to stay and he is the target of much mirth and dismissive ridicule and rage. So make the joke, but in reality - it's on us.

We show up late on game day. Usually when God hands out bad luck, crisis, and ineptitude we are right at the front of the line like Oliver...

Let's hope we can simply add the Bates/Dank drama to the Terrible Governance chapter of our recent history and nothing more... When is that trainwreck coming? Anyone know?

The problem with looking into something is that sometimes you find something.

I think we all know the answer. At least for this offseason. But a good season of footy and the ability to stay out of prison really does wonders for a prospective recruit...

Yes, it's some statement. The AFL just dropped the mike...

Chapman, Ling, Harley, and Bartel and Balme coming across from Collingwood were the drivers to pull their collective finger out from what I heard. I think it does those guys a disservice to say that a teenager pulled the team around.

Neeld was a failure. But we can stop at the terrible relationship with players and the overemphasis on defensive processes. There is no need to invent a maze of cause and effect to also blame our list on him, and also make Viney and Craig look like Saints. Losing Moloney hurt 2013 and maybe 2014. Losing Petterd meant we had to find another HBF with suspect skills... Losing Martin, Morton, and Cook was nothing - just look at how much AFL they have played in 2013... Our list is bad because of poor drafting, short term trading, and poor development - dating back to 1999 and continuing until a date to be confirmed later with brief periods of respite in 2005 and 2006. As for the exiting of senior players - Bruce and McDonald were forced out at the end of 2010. So this burning of experienced players is something that Neeld doesn't have to bear all his own. I won't allow people to waive away our issues as we wave away Neeld, Schwab, and McLardy. Our problems did not begin or end with them, and to think otherwise is doing our rebuild a disservice. I want to forgive the mistakes but not forget them, otherwise history might repeat.

Trade it in for a pick upgrade.

What a post. I disagreed with the first line. Wanted to point out the hypocrisy of the second line. And was revolted at the third line. Bravo.

I misread. You're right, and the AFL can stipulate that we trade the pick or picks they give us. The sanction all trades anyway so if no team gives us something decent then we can be granted the pick at the end of the trade period.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Peter Jackson has said in his short tenure that the most important role at a footy club is that of managing the list. It is our investment file and I don't even care that Watts was Pick 1 in the draft he is an asset that shouldn't be thrown away because of a failure to meet expectations or his dithering over a new contract or his stance in public over staying at the club. If it is determined that we cannot get a commensurate asset in return for Watts then we keep him and trust our new FD (if you want to talk about trusting new processes over the failures of the past) to get him to be a contributor in the future.

With what? What assets do we have? Should the AFL give us one to get a good player? Like, I don't know, a Priority Pick? We would be weak and 'woe-is-us' if we didn't ask for draft assistance. Do you think Collingwood, just 20 months out of it's second GF appearance in two years, didn't know what they were doing when they got Pendlebury and Thomas in the 2005 National Draft? They went 13 and 31 over two years after finishing 2nd twice and got two stars that won them a flag 5 years later. We have gone 23 and 63 since our last Priority Pick. ! Do people know that? Forget the shizen years since 2007. Since 2010, we have battled on our own and have continued to fail to the detriment of the league. Give us some assets.

I have added the above in the OP for those that want to keep track of how many list spots are freed up for the Draft/Trade/FA period.

I am glad he is getting it back together but jeez, he is a long way from the AFL right now. Really good to hear that we have helped him and that the boys visited him, but if he wants back in the AFL his footy needs to do some serious talking and his behaviour some seriousness.

Enough, according to Aaron...

Did you only read the bracketed aside in the first line? I feel like your last line and the last line of one of Baghdad Bob's post are really hitting the mark ("Move on"). Can we 'stop' and 'move on'? At this point it's a rhetorical question until the next time we beat each other up for OUR OWN recent history. At the end of the day, Gardner is me, and Stynes too, I am CC and McLardy, and Bartlett all over again - supporters trying to do their best for the club and not getting where they, and the rest of us, wanted the club to be.

I don't know why you have picked out Watts other than he has vocalised his indifference. With the idiom that actions speak louder than words - you could pick out the performances of most of the team (and some who have left) over the last few years to contrast against Viney. Our culture is pathetic and it didn't start with Watts' lack of physicality nor end with his dithering over his contract. I hope those lamenting his weak efforts don't forget that fact.

Kid got injured. If he wasn't, 'commonsense' would have made him play.

Let's hope we handled this one ok... It's disappointing this was my initial reaction. I have had a good time watching him play and I wish him all the best. He might want to move into coaching, I guess we will see.

When it comes to draft assistance - whether a club 'deserves' it is immaterial, irrelevant, and any other synonym you would like to put in there. We need one, the AFL needs us to have one, the rest is noise and bluster.