Whispering_Jack

Actually, there are people calling for a total clean out and it's good to hear that nobody's taking them seriously.I've already had my say about Don McLardy in the context of the revelations about Dank's involvement with Dr. Bates. Even though ultimately it turned out that the club hadn't misinformed the AFL as alleged by Demetriou, the members were certainly kept in the dark and I believe the responsibility for that rests at the top of the club. As for Neeld, he's employed to produce results and although I don't think he's had enough time and moreover, has done his job under incredibly difficult circumstances, like his predecessor before him, he has a use by date which is rapidly approaching. The problem would be his replacement for the rest of 2013 who would hardly be anything more than a lame duck. I am confident however, that we still have the capacity to come out of this as a stronger club if Jackson does his job properly. The short answer to your question is that we will have at least a new coach and a new president next year.

Reading from the transcript confirms my view that while things are not good, they are not as bad as some people paint them. Just as I felt four years ago that it was a bad idea to frogmarch the entire board out and replace it (we lost some good people and the move created enormous resentment), I think it would be a poor idea to throw out our entire board, admin, football department and lop heads off willy nilly just for the sake of it or to make some people feel better. From the sound of things Jackson has things under control and isn't likely to do anything too precipitous. We might be a basket case but we're currently under the patronage of both the MCC and the AFL. It's not the most comfortable of feelings but I do suspect that by the end of June a number of things will have started taking shape.

Crackers Keenan thinks we shouldn't sack Neeld unless there's a suitable replacement available. I think it's more complicated than that but I reckon Crackers is actually talking some sense for once.

I think it's a bad Ruze.

Specifically, what part of the red and blue print referred to tanking?

I think you'll find that's exactly what's happening at the moment. Peter Jackson didn't just fall out of the sky.

Thanks for the vote of confidence but I have too much emotion invested in the club to take it on at my age. The job belongs to someone younger, preferably late 30s, early 40s, immense wealth and a bullet proof vest.

So who's putting their hands up for the job? Any takers?

Terrific posts goodoil (and with due respect to those who post here, somewhat wasted in this thread). Surprised that Redleg missed your point. We sat through quite a few of those CAC drafts shaking our heads in dismay at what was happening. I rate the Morton, Grimes, Maric, McNamara and Cheney draft as another disaster, all of it generated by our failure to realise the importance of getting the priority draft pick that year. Our wins against the Bulldogs at the Dome and in the Kreuzer Cup were costly as well. How much of our history could have been changed for the better had we list managed properly and chosen a decent coach at the end of that year?

Must be a strong wind we're kicking with this quarter?

With 15 minutes to go before the bounce it would appear that the crowd hasn't turned up. Maybe they think the game's at Etihad?

Apparently, the Footy Record didn't arrive at Skoda Stadium today so nobody can tell who # 9 in the funny orange colour outfit is. For this alone, Vlad has to take responsibility and resign forthwith.

Is the game still happening?

Damn, I knew I couldn't trust that Wilson woman with a scoop. Never gets it right.

In an uncharacteristic show of solidarity, support and co-operation, Melbourne CEO Peter Jackson and Collingwood President Eddie McGuire have jointly announced to the football world that effective from midnight tonight, the two clubs will be swapping coaches. Mark Neeld will now see out his current coaching contract with the Magpies until the end of 2014 and Nathan Buckley will take over at the Demons. Jackson would make no further comment other than that in arriving at his decision, he placed great weight on the views of Melbourne supporters on the Demonland and Demonology fan sites citing their superior knowledge of the ingredients necessary to make a great coach. Likewise, McGuire said that he had taken note of the views of the Magpie Army which, after the Fremantle debacle, was demanding blood and the replacement of Buckley with a coach whose game plan more closely resembled that of the previous coach Mick Malthouse. "In that respect, Mark Neeld who was responsible for devising the game plan and strategy that got us to the 2010 premiership was the obvious choice." The move which was gratefully accepted by both men, is the the first straight swap of coaches in the AFL/VFL since David Parkin and Robert Walls changed roles at Fitzroy and Carlton respectively in the 1980s. Recent media reports linking the former Swans coach Paul Roos to both clubs are believed to have contributed to this bold move by Jackson and McGuire. Both men are apparently wary of appointing as coach, someone who reportedly instructed a player not to kick a goal in a NAB Cup game several years ago. "We can't tolerate people in our competition who do things for a joke these days," said McGuire. Jackson said the exchange would be made easier thanks to the fact that each of the coaches will only have to "move their desks 500 metres down the road". Other than that he suggested that he foresaw few changes to the way the team would be organised but that it was hoped that better results were just around the corner. He would not comment on a rumoured player swap involving Daisy Thomas and Dane Swan coming to Melbourne next year in exchange for Cameron Pedersen and Jack Watts." The above is not a real article and isn't what I would be doing if I ran this club. I just thought it was an interesting idea that, like most of what I've been reading lately, won't fly

How nice? Has anyone seen who the Lions play in the next two months.

I'm not sure if Michael Evans will make it into the "superstar" category but I agree that he's done most of the things asked of him since breaking back into the side after a very long term injury. If he can stay healthy, I can see him being a factor in our midfield for some time. I agree Viney and M Jones have also added something and with Jimmy Toumpas returning soon after a run in the VFL, there are some definite signs of improvement in our impoverished midfield.We still need to import more class into this area but at least something is stirring.

And an even better opportunity tomorrow when they actually get a chance to play on them.

Dawes was recruited to give us more potency up forward in combination with Mitch Clark, Jeremy Howe and/or Jack Watts. We haven't been able to get the combination together because of injury. On his own, I expect him to present a target up forward where we had none last week. Perhaps, he can work well with Sellar and Gawn to stretch the young Suns' defence?We're likely to be beaten in the midfield duels but if we can limit the damage in that area and get some drive via the new skipper, we should win this one.

Somewhat of a surprise to see Sellar in the side. I thought Davey might get a run given the lack of experience factor but perhaps the coach is really playing mind games with all of us.

Absolutely, I could never figure out what was going on with our forward line in those early days and I expressed my concern about him as a coach then. I never thought much of him as a coach but believed that he needed time to prove himself even with that 1/12 record in 2009. I also believed that it was the proper thing for the club to do at the time to give him an extension. In hindsight of course, it was a blunder but at least we didn't behave like the Richmond of the last couple of decades which we are now in grave danger of becoming. I was always concerned with his man management - the dealings with Chris Johnson, James McDonald and Brad Miller leaving at the club were appalling. Then I became concerned when we constantly failed against teams that employed the press in 2011 and by the time we played the Bulldogs on 1 July 2011, I thought he was a lame duck coach who had to go sooner rather than later. He lasted a month after that.

I heard it was a fracture in his arm but he's been playing with it for weeks. Assuming Lynden Dunn plays on him, it would be interesting to see him test something like that out.

Really? George Orwell would be very proud of this.

Well actually, Bailey's first 186 was the first game he coached. His second was the second at which point he'd coached twice for an average losing margin of over 100 points and I couldn't work out what he was doing there as a coach. Of course, the board at the time had no idea either. You're right. He should have been sacked there and then.

That makes us even because our Dixon isn't playing for us either. Come to think of it Brian hasn't played for quite a while but let's face it, his loss amounts to a significant reduction in games played.