hoopla

The club didn't owe Jnr anything, they didn't kick him out.....

He was captain of the club and he wanted to play on but the club said no. Most people would see that as being kicked out !

Stef has real talent . He is precisely the sort of player Collingwood needs ............. an athletic big man to complement Jolley ................ so the rumour makes sense.

In these circumstances , I'd be asking for a lot more than their second round pick ................ Wellingham would do Too much you say? - then no deal.

I'm sure the club made up its mind to get rid of Junior during the 6 weeks he was out with a "slight hamstring". He was playing good footy at the time - but they didn't expect his body to stand up. They were wrong!

All the players looked up to him . By kicking him out the club shot itself in the foot. Work hard -and the rewards will follow - unless you happen to be Junior McDonald! How to kill a culture by pulling out the foundations !!

Fortunately we have new people in place now ............

Bunker down. The coach did warn us.

Correct ....... can't see what the problem is.

We will probably want to promote 3 rookies ( Nicholson. Evans and Magner) and use 5 to 6 picks ( including 3 in the first round). That means creating 8 or 9 vacancies ie delisting 8 or 9 players.

Lets be realistic. Blokes who couldn't get a regular game in a bottom side aren't going to command much of a price in trade week - and player swaps don't create any free space. How angry would we be as supporters if we only added 3 new players to our main list?

Green has retired, Moloney is using free agency and Jurrah doesn't want to leave home ( Adelaide). 6 more to go. Petterd who had a shocking 2012( after being dropped by Bailey in 2011) is logically one of them. End of story.

Keep doing your job Harrington - manage that list - at least 4 or 5 more to go

Has suffered from OP throughout the season, apparently. Not an excuse, but a factor in his slowness. Was not slow in first year.

I'll accept this.

He regularly slotted goals from 50 metres last year ............ now he struggles to make the distance from 35 metres .............. classic OP symptom

Buying a membership doesnt obligate you to turn up every week, if it did I wouldn't buy one.

Correct. The fact that you buy a ticket - even though you have a young family and can't make Sunday evening games - makes you a terrific supporter!!

On topic .... it was an appallingly insensitive act by the unthinking twit who was responsible for it. It was an insult to Brad Green and the 10000 plus people who waited back after the siren to acknowledge him - and an embarrassment for the Adelaide players who waited on the ground to salute him

It even made the announcer sound like a spud " Ok - let's hear it one more time for Brad Green" ...... ( "We're the pride of South Australia... " again saluted an expatriot Tasmanian !!)

we literally got smashed in the center bounces and around the contest! even last week against GWS we kept getting smashed in and around the packs. i think its time for this bloke to go im sick of our midfield having no idea what to do around the ball ups etc.

time to go!

I just don't understand the logic here. We have midfielders with limited experience like McKenzie and Nicholson up against hardened stars like Dangerfield and Thompson - and a ruckman just jumping for the sake of it ..................... and its Brian Royal's fault that we are not getting the ball?

Royal had better lift his game next week.If he can't come up with a plan to ensure that Spencer eclipses Sandilands and Bail outguns Fyfe, then I'd have to agree with you - Royal's a dud!!

Really don't know why everyone has concluded that Royal is a dud coach .So what if he's hesitant in a pre-game interview? He's struggling to balance the need to give interesting information to supporters with the importance of keeping interesting information away from opponents. OK ... so he's not comfortable feeding [censored] to the media - that doesn't mean he can;t coach!!

His reputation may have suffered because he was part of Terry Wallace's team at Richmond .... but that is not to say that he can't coach either. He's generally credited with being the key man in establishing a strong mid-field culture at the Bulldogs ............ and as part of the St Kilda coaching team in their grand final years he was hardly a failure !!

Neeldy may want to bring more young blood into the role nexy year - and someone like Lingy would seem to have much to offer - but I don't see how you can point a bone so clearly at Brian Royal. He hasn;t had the cattle - much less consistently fit cattle!!

How slack is Channel 7?

Tommy Mac has been taken to hospital ......... and all Ch 7 has given us is that "it is something internal" !! What if it had been Jonathon Brown?

Can anyone who doesn't relied on live free-to-air television for their information tell me what the problem is ?

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to be at Bulleen for just about the most amazing 15 minutes of football I am ever likely to see.

Halfway through the last quarter Old Carey was 6 goals down and struggling when Adem Yze pulled the first comeback goal out of the hat – a “goal of the year” snap from the boundary line 35 metres out on the wrong side Of course us Demon supporters have seen No 13 do that many times – and were in familiar territory when “Oooze” went up straight afterwards.

Then the show really started – 30 metres off the ground - right foot snap out of the pack – left foot over the shoulder out of the pack – Oooze! Oooze! Oooze! Oooze! – 4 goals in 5 minutes and Carey was back in the game. 5 minutes later No 13 flew in from the side to take a classic little speccy and convert – Old Carey in front – Oooze!

What made the whole thing sweeter was the team song after the game – “It’s a Grand Old Flag”. No problem with the words..

VAFA Premier League is a pretty fair standard of footy.Junior MacDonald’s stats for Old Xaverians last year weren’t much better than they have been with GWS this year.

How good was Oooze in his prime? How good is he even now?

As "The Age" said this morning,the 400-odd people at Bulleen yesterday will never forget what he can do

Look at his track record over the past 20 years. Ask anyone at Richmond, the Gutnick people, and Freo but not his mates.

Why? Richmond sack their servants for fun; the Gutnick people know even less now than they did when they kicked out anyone who didn't lick Joseph's boots;and Freo went from a basket case to a solid club under his watch..

I certainly wouldn't hold it against him that Caroline Wilson likes throwing mud in his direction!!

The club hasn't been stronger off the field for 50 years - and the brand has at last regained some popular appeal. Surely we should all be pressing the Board to extend the CEO's contract ?

Just read the article.

I don't know why I would have expected any less, but like previous posters have mentioned, there's nothing new.

I wonder whether journalists these days are like a majority of rioters/looters/angry mob. They're not sure why they're angry or why they're there, but everyone else is doing it so they should too. Some sort of pack mentality.

Shocker Mike.

I actually hoped that he was coming out of retirement because he had something new and insightful to say .............. how naive if me. Same old beat up - with perhaps an extra pointed dig at Gary Lyon thrown. No wonder you retired Mike - tired worn out repetitive journalism.

So, let me get this right, ignore the facts that have emerged (and the still unanswered questions) because they are unpalatable and everyone else must be wrong, despite their current success and our current failure, albeit short term so far. Caro's article today seemed pretty right. Looks like MFC repeating the mistakes of the past and the same old responses coming out again - stand by your club, they are right, they know what they are doing,...! How about a few people 'fessing up' to what really happened, forget blame, and then we move on to fix the problems!

Caroline Wilson is a mischievous journalist with a strong track record of stirring the pot at Melbourne. Remember her pathetic little "expose" on Cameron Schwab's home loan a couple of year's ago?

She digs up one apparent fact out of the past - failure to undertake a psychological test - many of which are inconclusive if not flawed anyway - and then tries to imply that our whole process was amateurish. A "maybe" here and a "what-if" there - and all of a sudden there is a lead article suggesting that our coach is a major problem

There was nothing fresh or insightful in Caro's article. She is nothing more than a professional stirrer.

Let's all accept McLardy's statement - and Grimes' assurances - and move on

Looks like Caro has done it again...............

No new facts, no fresh insights, just the same old stuff - with just a couple of subtle innuendos designed to raise a few suspicions.

From her Richmond roots , she carries some sort of strong bias against the MFC - and against Cameron Schwab - and she's constantly on the look out for opportunities to stir the pot. "Oh yes - the anniversary of 186 - can't let that chance go by - besides I can't think of anything current to write about"

Really we shouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that she has successfully reopened some old wounds which need more time to heal.We have a completely new management structure in place ...................... let's move on ( Please)

I normally pillory Bartram on this forum for his disposal and decision-making, but I actually thought he was one of our better performers yesterday. The sooner we find a replacement for him the better, but at the moment he does things no one else on our list seems willing to do.

No mate.... stick to your normal policy. We are not going to have an effective backline with a small back there who can't even start a threatening rebound let alone finish one. In today's footy there is no place for a pure stopper - particularly one who is not big enough to apply any real physical pressure.

The fact that Barts is getting a regular game just demonstrates how poor our options are at the moment.He'd get a game at GWS - and probably the Suns - but no other team would look at him. He could be a terrific mentor for our youngsters in the VFL - and might be a useful depth player when injuries hit - but he should not be part of our best 22. What's Barts willing to do that others aren't .... run along 5-10 metres behind his opponent in the hope that he can knock it out of bounds?

Tommy Mac might have weaknesses at the moment - but at his age he does have an upside.

It was sad to watch Davey today. I really hoped that he might give us something to cheer about

But he is a shadow of the old Flash. Not enough belief to take on the opposition - hesitant in the tackle - too quick to handpass -confidence absolutely shot.

He has no self-belief anymore. He might be dropped again.....and that would just about be the end of him.

A couple of good passages of play - perhaps with LJ - might get him going again..... but there is chance he's finished

Last year it was widely reported that there had been a rift between you and the players, in particularly the leadership group. Prior to the Geelong debacle esteemed football writer Caroline Wilson said you were to be sacked and the decision was essentially complete.

We all know what happened that day and the bullet that was heading your way found its way towards Bailey, which in my opinion was long overdue. I don’t confess to know all that goes on behind the scenes but this kind of rubbish does not occur at other clubs.

Actually Cam, in light of last year's media mischief, I think it is really important that Don McLardy specifically addresses the security of your tenure as quickly as possible.

We keep hearing that your "Red and Blue Print" is the glue that will hold us together through the tough battles ahead .Yet a little more than 6 months ago , you, as author and driver of this long-term strategic framework, were said to have just wriggled your way clear of the guillotine - and only for the next 12 months

We know that journos happily twist the truth to sell papers - and that Caro enjoys throwing mud in your direction - but where there is smoke there is often fire. For us to have complete faith in the club's absolute commitment to your strategy, then the Board needs to come out - and tell the football world that it sees you as the club's long-term CEO. Just as you can't guarantee that you will stay forever , the Board can't guarantee that you will have the job forever - but it can extend your contract and it can publicly express its confidence in your work.

I think the Board needs to do this ...... to clear the air and wipe away the lingering concerns about club unity evident in the preceding post.

Thankyou for your interest in the views of Demonlanders. Please feel free to pass this on!

Given the numbers J-Riv and the apparent ~2000 behind, whilst I'm more often an optimist, I think unless there is a momentum swing such as a string of good wins, a membership push, and a massive uptake in membership - 35,000 looks about it at this stage.

Hate to agree with you ...... maybe 37500 .... but 40000 might be stretching it.

We have a relatively old group of members. People are going to keep dropping off the end so its going to take a fundamental lift in our on-field performance to achieve consistent growth.

We really need that big FOJ sponsor to kick along our revenues

I would like to hear the official position from the club before coming to any conclusions, I am concerned at the club's absence in all of this.

I hate to say it but Eddie is a brilliant in front of the camera .......... and he handled the interview impeccably/

But at the end of the day he is Collingwood - and he has put to air a segment which shows LIam in a Collingwood lounge room surrounded by Collingwood people. Bailey JImmy and Flack have all gone - and Flash is out of the leadership group.. How much damage would it do to our efforts to be seen as an powerful influential club if LIam follows BHM and Rupe - and Eddie - accross to Collingwood when his current contract expires. Neeld needs to get LIam and his family over for dinner quick smart.

Eddie's conflict of interest is shameful - not just to him ... but to Foxtel - and the AFL which tolerates it. The man leading the AFL's broadcast media drive into Western Sydney is the same man who a few months ago threatened to destroy GWS if they approached his players. How can that be? Foxtel should insist that he resign from the COllingwood Board.

The man is utterly two-faced - and we should make it perfectly clear to LIam's manager - and to his " brother" (BHM) - that LIam is not to go near him again!

Talk about taking something completely out of context..........

You understand there's a vast difference between what is expected of players onfield, and what support networks would be made available to them?

Yes ..... of course I understand that. But equally there's a difference between walking away from a player after training after telling him you're not interested in his off-field problems ....and approaching him and asking him how he is going and whether or not there is anything you can do to help...........

..... and how when Dean Bailey and Jim Stynes moved away from the Club, some of Liam's support structure disappeared.

They basically said that perhaps that was a sign that Liam needed a little more support from those members of his support team that remained.

That's a pretty strong message to Craig and Neeld and Co

Neeld has made it very clear that no players will get special favours. In principle that is fine .... but no two people are the same - and coaches must retain a measure of flexibility if they are going to get the best out of every individual. There is a lot at stake for the club here and the new Football Department needs to close whatever gaps in its support network have emerged

I have had Bruce Hearn Mackinnon's "LIam Jurrah Story" on my bookshelf since Xmas. I dusted it off yesterday and finished it in one (long) sitting. Fascinating read

Not only did it give me a greater insight into this complex issue - but it reconfirmed my faith in Liam. I recommend it to all

Will someone please change the title of this thread to...

"Just another Jack Watts thread"

What did the brother think when Davey gave away 50 in an important game?................. he is not a leaders bootlace. The brothers can either play for true leader or join brother leader at Casey?

Since when was Beamer favourite for any Captaincy. At best it was an open race with no obvious favourite.

I guess we could always play safe and just stick with the inept leadership we had last year. No risk there.

Some fairly emotional statements there.

I don't there is any doubt that the brothers have regarded Davey as there as their leader. Do you really think that LJ wiped him off his friendship list after a couple of 50 metre penalties?

Split hairs with Moloney if you like - but if he wasn't outright favourite, he was certainly one of the favourites

Nobody is suggesting that last year's group should have been re-appointed .... but. equally we don't want to demoralise them.The Jacks are going to need their support for a few years yet.

Greeny is the sort of bloke who will put the hurt and disappointment behind him. But what about the others?

Flash couldn't realistically expect to be a captain or vice-captain after last year - but he might have hoped to stay in the leadership as mentor to "the Brothers". How will the brothers react?

Then Beamer. He has gone from favourite for captaincy to nothing at all. He will be hurt - he might be angry. Will his on-field spirit drop even 5% as a result?

To make the Jacks captains was a big call - to leave people like Green and Moloney out of the leadership group altogether was a huge call.

I'll back Neeldy in for now - but it was a high risk decision

High risk: high reward ..... but equally high risk: heavy loss...