Sir Why You Little

We were in as much in a winning position as the horse that came last on Cup Day. We were still 200+ behind and given the history of 4th innings run chases it would suggest the game was open. But dont mind your hyperbole.

Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor both enjoyed having Glenn McGrath, Gillespie and Shane Warne at their peak. They also had the Waugh brothers, Gilchrist and Langer and no real opposition during the period 1994 to 2005.

We batted poorly in Day 5 and each batsman should take responsibility for their failures in the 1st and 2nd innings not just the Captain.

Yes continue to blame Ponting. And if he does replace your broken radio then could he also replace my broken lawn mower. He did not break it but I will continue to blame him for it. The Bastard.

Last Horse in the Cup!!! Fair Go Rhino-Ye of little faith. The Indians lost 6-50 (including 3-3) during that period before tea. We were mounting a good challenge. Ponting refused to see it through. I Hope He enjoys his First Test Payment when he plays New Zealand because he doesn't really deserve it

Blake Caracella was a fine player-would still be playing if not for that neck injury, but i agree the talent pool is very lean apart from him in the last few years.

Ah slowly but surely the fog lifts !!

its very sentimental to adopt the G for all reasons...but we cannot afford to play at the G all season !!

If Geelongs Stadium was Bigger they would get bigger numbers. At Present opposition supporters cannot get in. Bloody disgrace that games are scheduled there under thos arrangements

I doubt that. Most probably he has reneg'ed on the deal. If he decided he doesn't want to be there after all, its silly to try to enforce the contract.

I'd hate to think why he has changed his mind.

But its not like he has decided to go somewhere else, he is only staying at his old job.

Maybe ties were stronger than he realised until he tried to leave?

Too many people are leaving before they even start right now. This Club may be in a worse position than we are being told. Find out as much information as you can, those that are invited to the Summit on Sunday.

Firstly we were never in a winning position but we had the chance to push for better advantage which was no certainty. In addition, the way we batted on the final day made us no certainty to win the match anyway

And your comparison to Steve Waugh is flawed And why was Steve Waugh so successful??? Because of the arsenal he had throughout his captaincy period. The Australian side that was sent to India has to be the weakest side to have left Australian shores in years with the very real prospect of failing to take 20 wickets in a Test. Steve Waugh would have struggled with this side on the continent.

Despite this unfortunate situation, Ponting is a far better choice to lead than Michael Clarke. No need to get the knickers in a knot.

You bet we were in a winning Position to win at tea Rhino. Sure there was work to be done but it was possible, But our wonderful captain turned his back on it to appease an over rate that both teams had flaunted with.

Steve Waugh Moulded his team from Mark Taylor-Yes he was part of a lucky era but he made it stick.

Australia would not have batted the same way on Day 5 if that advantage had been pressed on day 4. That is why i shall continue to blame Ponting. Pathetic Capt he is

I have pulled this across from the casey thread as it has prompted a thought/idea.

If the stadium deal we get with the MCC is not good enough to generate desired gate income, is there anything the MFC could engage itself in to utilize the MCG in other ways, that could then be negotiated to subsidise the stadium deal?

Ridiculous examples might be; The MFC in association with the MCC sponsors concerts, business conferences, APEC summit... etc etc.

Now you are talking. This is what i am trying to get across. The use of the MCG and getting a better deal out of it should be the Number 1 priority for sunday's Summit. It is a beautiful sleeping Giant for the MFC that is Central to us all. Casey should never be more than a SUMMER Training Base.

Walk the Plank?......You think he deserves to lose the captaincy over this WYL? I certainly don't think so, he has credits for me. The 2nd most successful captain behind Steve Waugh.

Sure, he deserves some criticism for trying to fix the slow over rate by introducing part timers, but he went to White who got carted by Harbhajan and Dhoni to all parts of the park, so he then made another change in Hussey. What he should have done, and I'm sure he'd have his time over, is go for the win. Should have brought on a frontline bowler.

Yes i do think he deserves to lose the captaincy. The team had got itself back into a winning position. If the 4 wickets were taken after Tea then it was Game on, and the over rates would not be an issue.

But little Ricky decided to wave the white Flag, that is unnacceptable.

Ponting is only the 2nd most successful captain because of the team he inherited From S.R.Waugh. Very Similiar to Alan Joyce at Hawthorn in '88. Australia was not hard to captain with all the arsenal available, but it is now and Ponting aint the man. Good Batsmen but not a captain. First over after tea Hussey then Cam White!!!! Why bother Touring and Toiling in Hard conditioons if you are going to bend over to appease Chris Broad?? I am Furious at this outcome. 15 years of Tough Cricket, Ponting thumbed his nose at it. And it was his Decision he is the Captain. Shame on you.

We need to make from the punt road goals around to the MCC Members our members area. Thats where we had the most of our members when the players race was there but since the new stand was finished we seem more spread. There is a good bar on the second level where we can turn into our social club at the MCG plus the Presidents lunch is held next to it. We need to claim the Jolimont side wing turn it red and blue.

Totally agree. The Red seat area was great fun. As an MCC member i would often visit down there as well as the Pavillion to get down & close.. Bring it back.

Games against Gold Coast, West Sydney, Freo, PA are along way from drawing the crowd numbers you speak of. I'm all for the G as our spiritual base. I've been a big supporter of joining the club back to the G and ditching the stupidity of Bubbledome. But we need a money making venue such as Geelong so we can grow the club. Rather than think White Flag, think taking control of our destiny in these difficult times. The State, Local Govts, the AFL can help fund the stadium in much the same way they have helped North, Richmond and Footscray. The difference being we can play games and turn a profit at our sradium. Geelong make a fortune playing games at Kardinia Park. That's what we need to look at. Initially the stadium need only hold 20 -25, 000 people. Who knows in 25 years it may hold 50,000 and be a Demon fortress from hell for hapless interstate sides wandering into it. I am thinking big, I always do, but I'm also looking long term. Start small grasshopper! Gather a larger supporter base over the next 10 - 20 years and then when we play at the G we canadd 25,000 people to our gate. Imagine Melbourne V Collingwood QB 2028, 143,000 watch as the Fearsome Demons revel in destroying the Pies, only the week after playing in front of a record 49,987 at Casey against The Gold Coast.

Who said anything about a white Flag!! Far from it. I Believe we need to aim at getting 50,000 at the MCG against interstate clubs & i believe it can be done with Hard work. The MCG is not hard to get to via PT. Why build a Stadium in the sticks to make money. We need to be more Pro active with the one we have already got. Yes one must spend money to make money i totally agree, but i don't agree with spending when a wonderful under utilized assett already exists.

It's not happening at the moment, and without a miracle it won't happen any time soon.

We're going to have to find new ways of generatin supporters. It's not as easy as saying "get them on the train"

If people see a good club training, playing attacking entertaining Football some of them will get on the train. We have a Fantastic Ground that has never been marketed properly-The time starts next sunday at Jimmy's summit.

Ponting should be ashamed of himself for not going for the win yesterday. I Blame Him Totally.Saving his own ass so he could play in a pedestrian test against NZ rather than going Flat out to draw a series against india to keep a trophy. Shame on you Ponting. Just like you won the toss & Bowled against England after Glenn McGrath had done his ankle. What a tool.

So you may have been suspended yesterday for slow over rates. Oh i think The Aussie public would have got your spot back, But now you will be reminded of DAY 4 TEST 4 for a long time..Hang your head little Ricky. Oh BTW Ricky you owe me a new Radio I broke my old one yesterday in disgust. Steve Waugh or AB would never have done what you did. Put yourself before the Team and the Australian supporters. Walk the Plank....

Our club needs to learn the cut-throat nature of the AFL business world, and find any way to make the most out of any given opportunity to make our club strong again.

If that means we play interstate clubs at Casey where we can build a home ground advantage, build a supporter base and generate income, then i'd be for it. It's better than selling home games interstate.

We would still be the Red and Blue, we would still be Melbourne, we would still have the MCG as our home ground. But the reality is we need a new way to invigorate our club.

I can see why you're reticent, but I don't think you can say you're sick of our club accepting mediocrity, and then reject such a positive, forward-thinking move

Playing Football at Casey Fields is Mediocre-That is exactly my point. Why go backwards??? Get the Supporter base on the Train to the 'G. It aint hard. I caught ithe train from Sandy to Richmond all the time.

A point many plainly fail to grasp is that there will always be "those" games that dont pack the rafters. The idea of a boutique stadium is about reutns for attendances etc. Done right you will get as much money out of 15-20000 bums on seats or feet on ground in a smaler stadium where you have some say in the advertising the catering ...the bloody everything as compared a venue where you get bugger all.

Am happy to pursue a stadium of sorts at Casey in future. Good ol home ground advantage too.. The sqawkers do it now..its just in another State.. think outside the oval peope

We just need to get a strong stadium deal from the MCG. Something we have not had for many years. Casey is a VFL Ground. Get a deal similiar to what essendon get from Docklands. Why Spend money on a stadium when our home is already the best there is...The MFC has to strengthen it position in there i believe.

Casey is a VFL Ground-Leave it that way.

I think any link with the MCC will stay with us as long as we exist. We did build the bloody thing.

Some of us just have to grow thick skin, and move on. If we move to Casey, and do it well, our supporter base will grow naturally and hopefully strongly. I see no reason why we should alienate one supporter base in favour of a potential supporter base.

Opposition fans will always give us a ribbing for being toffs, we'll just have to get over it. As long as I live, Collingwood will always be ferrals, whatever the facts.

Urban myths will always surround footy, and the degenerates alike. Our MCC supporter base has dropped considerably, yet suporters of all other clubs will always ignore that. Our club touches 30,000 and no one blinks an eye.

We as a club cannot afford to turn our back on any supporter base, whether it be MCC or in the Casey area.

"We move away from MCC head to casey for new ties with a town that is growing and could get the supporters we need but have to much off a conection to MCC and it will jepodise Supports buying memebership"

I fail to see how our connection with the MCC is stopping any growth into the Casey area. The MCC have not stopped any involvement with the area, as if they would anyway, and how it would jeopardise supporters' buying memberships is beyond me.

I understand the argument about the players' race, and it's a good point that MCC members can get to any race in the ground, but non-MCC members cannot get to the race at present. It's a point that should be made to the club.

I am more than happy for MFC to go to Casey to Train & Build a Supporter base out there. That is great. I am just totally opposed to playing Matches for points out there. We should aim to fill the 'G wiith large crowds. I will never support a boutique Stadium idea. I think it shows a sign of weakness.

Mate, I grew up near Gary Ablett Jr. & just knew him as my friends little brother's mate 'Gaz' (had no idea he was who he was) but I went to school with heaps of guys that had played school footy & TAC cup with & against him. 95% of guys i knew were saying Gary Ablett Jr was nothing & that he was only given a chance cos of his dad's name, but he'd never even make the AFL.

Same thing with Jimmy Bartel who I played on... & got a bath I might add.

I was hearing the same thing about Travis Cloke for years too. Happens all the time.

Its not about how he is as a player now, its what raw tools he has that will allow him to succeed at the next level with the right training. The recruiters know what these things are and how to guage them. Guys playing U/16 against them on saturday only care about the players' abilities at that moment.

& anyone complaining he is soft - Buckley & Crawford both admit in their books that around that age they were soft players, learning in a year or 2 the hard-at-it approach that allowed them to succeed.

I myself in the space of a year went from being scared of a bit of contact to relishing it. If a low-level suburban player like me can learn it, why can't an AFL player with top level coaches?

Definitely not cause for worry. You can relax.

Good to read Commen Sense on here. It can be rare...We will pick the BEST footballer going around-I have no Doubt. Who that is i shall wait for the club to tell me.

I assume you're a moron!

Fountain Gate is Kath & Kim Territory & as i worked on the first 3 series for the ABC, I know what that means!

Must we be Associated with Fountain Gate!! Oh Dear This is not good news. I need a lie down!!

As long as the Melbourne Football Club has chosen the No 1 Young Footballer in the country i will accept their decision. Watts being victorian seems to make sense, but i am not privvy to information. I am sure the Club will choose wisely. All of us have just gotta jump on board & make this club Rock again...

Looks like the clique were a 'done deal'.

Funny thing about this forum is that all of the key posters are MCC members. And an arrogant, know-all bunch, a lot of them are.

I must admit that given the traffic here that tries to find ways of improving membership levels of the MFC, and statements from clowns like Nugget Jones about 'weak country members' (ref post #7, 'we deserved more sunday games'), I'm becoming less amazed at MFC's poor membership/attendance/gate.

The club will probably find that to get the levels of support collingwood, essendon, richmond etc get, you need to appeal to the majority middle class football nuts. I can't believe I am saying that in this country. You are not going to get the levels of support those 3 clubs have pandering to the minority rich. Sponsors know that. The MFC needs to undertand that this part of their history needs some level of rethink, and do something to foster the inclusion of Melbourne Demon barrackers and supporters in the wider demographic, rather than the silvertail, range rover set.

I have been a member of Demonland for only 3 months or so, but it has crystallised to me, to a certain extent, why MFC is where it is.

See, I did not know in 1959 when I was old enough to barrack for MFC that I'm not really the demographic that MFC wants. Neither did my wife later on. And given we grew up and live in Wangaratta, which makes it diffucult to attend games, we have still made the effort to travel and spend and be there.

We now have adult chidren who are also keen supporters.

You city folk, and particularly you MCC know-alls, decide what you really want. Maintain your clique, or maintain your club!

I yell my guts out for the MFC on Level 2 of the MCC Reserve. Not everybody is a "Silver Tail ?Toff who is a member at the 'G. I want to see MFC supporters all around the Ground all yelling together.

Yep... then we can have 3 cheer squads!

What's wrong with cheer squads around the ground. More Red & Blue Passion=more involvement. More intimidation for opposing supporters i say.

I agree that the MFC cheersquad is something that NEEDS to be worked on.

At the moment, we have 2 tiny cheersquads because of some ridiculous rift. We need these groups to come together for the good of the club.

Also - I heard a great idea on SEN this morning when someone rang up and suggested the idea of a cheersquad inside the MCC, which will hopefully add to the atmosphere and make kids want to attend.

The MFC needs to learn how to appease both its regular members and general supporters, as well as its MCC members.

I heard that Guy this Morning aswell on SEN. Brilliant idea!! A Cheer SQuad in the MCC Reserve. It will work. For someone who has sat in the reserve all my life, there is a lot of passion in there even though those in the Outer may disagree. We must all join together in all parts of the Ground for the MFC

Cheer Squad for the MCC-Just Do it Jimmy...

Chris Who?? He Chose to play for Carlton over Melbourne. I have always HATED Carlton and always will so CJ is now an enemy. That is all. Next....

A long shot but imagine this scenario.

A 15 - 20,000 seat stadium built on one side of the ground for club members at Casey. Then the rest could be a mix of grass and sealed standing areas.

Melbourne play 12 games at the MCG with 9 being home games against the better drawing Vic clubs and 3 away games which our members have reciprical rights too. Then we play 3 games against 2 interstate sides and 1 of North or Footscray. The games are billed as family days. A local high school plays in the morning, followed by the Scorpions and then the main game. During this kids are entertained and BBQ's cook snags and sell beer for the crowd. Raffles are held and the days have a bit of a carnival atmosphere. Community groups funded by the AFL and the state government are given tickets and other local groups are involved in other ways. This is not pie in the sky, this is taking footy back to where it belongs. The Community! The Family! The Kids! I would happilt get down there to be part of this.

The Saints and or North could use the ground in a similar way helping to fund it, but when there everyone would know that it's A Demons Venue, lots of red and blue. Bring it on!

Why Aim Low I do not understand. This club has done too much of that since 1965. Great, build a toy stadium out in the sticks that can attract 20,000 supporters.

Why not aim to get 40-45.000 for interstate home games at the MCG?? Don't tell me it is not possible-it is. In 2008 we have 30,000 members. With good planning on & off the field (attractive Tough Footy) People will come to watch. A boutique stadium scenario is too much like the "white Flag, we will never be a big club". I do not barrack for a team that plays in springvale where a sausage sizzle greets me at the side Gate. The Melbourne Football Club must strive to play & Maximize ALL Home Games at the MCG. It is where this club lives.

Yes but you forget that all of a sudden everyone is of the opinion that both A.Johnson and C.Johnson are actually rubbish. This epiphany has conventiently occurred at the moment of their betrayal

Easy Dude. I would never say a bad word about the ability of Alan Johnson. Saw him play many great Hard Games. None better than the '88 Elim Final (he polled a perfect score in the Bluey for that one)

Why are people continually talking about playing "Home Games" at Casey Field on a Boutique Stadium? The MFC Plays Home games at the MCG, anythjing less and we are showing signs of giving up. The Aim of this Club must always be to attract more Spectators to the "G". I am Glad we have the use of casey Fields over summer, that is great. But a stadium out there is not going to work.

We played (were Forced) to play Home Games at Princess Park (Visy) in the past-Nobody went.

Telstra Dome when we play-Nobody goes. Why because its a Rip off-The Ground is to small & the Food is masssively over priced!! Sorry but that is the Bottom Line.

The MCG all the way for me.