pitmaster

There is no way of answering this but watching AFL360 tonight I could not help but wonder if those disgruntled, embittered ex-officials who fed the tanking investigation against Melbourne during Bails time (as opposed to Collingwood, Eagles, Hawks and Blues) have not had a moment of deep reflection. Who knows what stresses the guy was under and what it did to him, but those whose egos were in need of some kind of revenge, what are they thinking tonight?

Terrible news. You have to feel for his family.

29,114! More than 1000 in the past week and a bit - 1400 actually, which is a great boost but still 7500 unsigned from last year. Should be able to set some kind of record whether we make 40,000 or not.

Last week's inside 50 stat does not count for those times any pair from the combination of Hogan, Clark, Howe and Dawes is up forward. They will straighten us up instantly and we'll see much less of the lateral movement we had against the cats.

You must have a lot of hate in you (not that that is a bad thing). There are plenty of others who have done worse by us than the Sainters.

Rupert's a Melbourne supporter...OK maybe not a close follower of the club but that's his declared allegiance.

One good thing coming out of this today is that I now know that Mark Robinson identifies himself as "Man of the People". What a joke. Man of the people who hang out in Napier Street Essendon maybe, but that's about it. Although looking at his shockingly rough head you could be forgiven for thinking he's got some gummy shark DNA in there somewhere so perhaps he just needs to assert his human DNA after all.

That is a 700 boost in one week - better than it has been since the pre-Christmas roll on and it means we should head in to round one with 30,000. Not great but it sets us up for a high 30s outcome if we show some early style. And that would set us up for 40,000 next year.

No excuses now.

I'm going to boost myself here and say from the reply you received I had it right - he was writing about the state of the place that Neale inherited as opposed to the fact we were a well performed, albeit non-premiership club in the previous decade - as well as our chronic low level resources, something we still have not fixed, and may never fix.

Finalists 1987-91, including GF in 1988 under Northey, finalists again 1994 under Balme so that's your 6/10 before Daniher. But we were wooden spooners in 1997, the year before Neale D took over and lifted us back into the finals so Jake N can defend himself on the basis we were dismal when Neale took over, but I think he is consciously writing from the perspective of a contemporary spectator. Jake gets that most football people now still regard us as rubbish and he is emphasising Daniher's achievement perhaps also because we were (are) under resourced compared to the power clubs. I must say I have never sensed that Jake Niall was anything but a fair observer of the game and he has written some good insightful stuff about us. He is not a Denham trying to big note himself on radio by bullying the perceived weaklings. I'm giving Jake a pass on this although I wish had had not capitalised our name in that context. That was unnecessary.

The conclusion to this matter might come March 14 at the commencement dinner. The only stronger announcement they could make would be that chip had re-signed and that's unlikely prior to the season proper.

Better them than us. http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/collingwoods-marley-williams-convicted-of-gbh-20140221-334zs.html

Dawes may be just a corky - could be nothing to worry about. I remember seeing a cork on Schwarter's calf that made it seem he had gangrene and he did not miss a game.

Well, that's probably the last time Jack Watts will talk to any of us except in standard football cliches. Well done SD. Have you considered a career with the Department of Foreign Affairs? You could be handy dealing with Indonesia.

Only three players on the injury list (Clark, Garland and Riley). Is this a preseason record?

This is the great thing about the internet. You can make a fool of yourself before anyone has the chance to interrupt. Grant Thomas took a basket case St Kilda to consecutive preliminary finals in two and a bit seasons (2004-05) and was sacked a year later while they were still playing finals. How that is a "complete fail" is beyond me. As for stabbing someone in the back, Blight as coach at St Kilda was off the air. Even he admits his head was not in it. It looked dodgy at the time, the way Butters moved on Blight and installed his mate Thomas, and it still looks dodgy. But the fact is Blight had to be replaced and they moved quickly to do it. What Thomas then achieved with the side who were wooden spooners in 2000 is significant. In each of those prelim finals they were knocked out by the eventual premier. As for his opinions, they are frank and forthright and a contrast to the mealy mouthed shite that many others offer.

I am not bitching about spelling or grammar. It just makes no sense. I'll put it another way: We've been enough of a laughing stock these past two years. Can't we at least get something right?

I don't like to bag the Burger since he means well and has a tough job at times but surely PJ can afford an editor for the website. I know what he's trying to say, and I welcome the message but "progressing positivity"? http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2014-02-05/clark-progressing-positivity-misson

precisely

That is the filter you choose to apply. Try as an alternative: 'I love our indigenous game. It does not need US-style or soccer-inspired hoopla. It is distinctive and special. Let's maintain its uniqueness as much as possible.'

It adds clutter and won't be legible (did you not get that bit) - that's two arguments against it that I consider valid - or if it is to be legible it will need to be so big that it will add even more clutter. the WHOLE POINT of numbers is that they are a short hand way of identifying individuals. That's why they were introduced in the first place.

Agin it. More Americanised crap , more suited to the theatre goers as others have noted. It might also be a soccer thing which is another good reason for giving it the flick. And a one day cricket thing which is etc... No need for it and the jumpers are cluttered enough as it is. And in the heat of the contest who is going to have the time to read names from the cheap seats anyway, let alone from the fence if play is on the other side of the oval. Now I have thought about it a bit more I think it's total horseshit.

But the yellow and browns still have not matched our record - 10 flags in 26 years(1939-64). How sick of us the rest of the competition must have been! Oh let it be so again!

And if we make the eight? And maybe win a final?