praha

Nah.

Barassi lost me when he said Scully should move to GWS.

The way I see it, the playing group hated Schwab because he wanted Bailey to hold them more accountable on-field. He actively tried to change the playing culture at the club. This was driven by the players. It was always going to happen. Do people think Bailey was sacked as a scapegoat? He was sacked because his team played unaccountable, lazy football when it fell behind. The very things the administration wanted to eradicate post-Daniher was being enhanced under Bailey. That is where Schwab's "meddling in the football department" comes into play. His hiring of Neeld is particularly indicative of his influence to change the club's culture. Neeld has come in and it's clear the players just don't buy in to his hardline approach...although I'm starting to doubt his teaching credentials. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very entitled, self-indulged playing group.

I think it's safe to say Colin Sylvia has been "Melbourne'd".

It's not our "fault". We're stakeholders, paying members. If we demand action we should get it. The sentiment towards Schwab was almost exclusively negative. I don't think the club even anticipated that. Do you really think AFL HQ right now is in damage control over Melbourne? Don't you think that seeing as though the club is balancing the books the league would support the CEO? Truly astonishing that some of you actually think the AFL played a power role in his resignation. The writing was on the wall on Saturday.

I am lost as to why you think what he said is so outrageous? The backlash on Twitter and Facebook was like nothing I've ever seen. Almost every comment mentioned Schwab. Not a football fan in the world wouldn't have noticed that. Demonland is pretty minnow in comparison.

My understanding is that post-186, the board agreed that Schwab should hang back and be a bit more focused on the admin side of things. There was a period there from 2008-2010 when he was very active in the media, YouTube, on the site. Maybe that pushed some buttons?

Well said. The club is raving on and on about how far it's come, the progress it's made. "I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." The club's self-proclaimed inroads will only matter if it responds, and soon. Its "building for long-term success" fails because it's attempting to cross the lake via a bridge that doesn't exist. There's "pain" (quoting Mark Neeld) and then there is just downright ineptness. The club must perform. These are professional individuals. They MUST perform.

Wow! A whole 40 members!?!?!?!?!?! It's like the last two weeks never happened!

I'm sorry, but there's no "reason" for losing by 140-points other than just not being up to the task. Having the "flu" barely passes for a day off from preps, let alone to be let off the hook for two weeks of insipidness.

I blame the trumpet guy. Started blowing that horn in 2007. You get the point.

Michael Jordan played with the flu once... I admire your optimism.

Sorry, but the problem lies in the fact the players appear particularly engrossed in a beard-growing competition, yet fail to actually compete on game day.

Media's responsibility is to scrutinise. The club needs to know how people feel. Amplification is important in ensuring people know what the club is doing at all times: we need to put the club under the microscope so that it truly understands the extent of its issues. The best way to avoid this is to do what you're paid to do. The club simply is not doing that. I take pleasure in seeing the media stick the boot in, because it is payback for what we have to put up with in the stands on a weekly basis. We're not paid to be there. They are.

I actually agree with you. The reason I fail to feel sorry for these players is because I am almost certain it is a mind thing. I think it's all in their head. They need to eradicate that and part of that is on the administration and coaching team to assist them to make that transition, so no one should avoid scrutiny. This team is not without talent. It is just grossly lacking confidence and a drive to win.

Oh, well that's OK then: a 140-point loss in our modern game where brand means everything wasn't as bad as losses in the '70s when players were earning $50 a game. That's it: close it up folks. Everything's gonna be allllllllllrighttttttttt. IMO better perspective is look at how North made the finals despite being flogged by 100+ points last season and also being belted a few other times. Comparing the game today to how bad things were in the 70s is, again, apologist.

You don't need to. My boss lets me have it when I don't perform. 'Cause accountability.

What he says is that players earn a very large pay packet relative to the standards expected of them. If you're not up to the task in a competitive environment then of course money is an issue. And please, PLEASE, don't start with the "systematic bullying" crap. The guy plays in the top-tier premier sporting league in the country. He's made it there in-part because he knows exactly how to deal with scrutiny. That comes part and parcel with being a professional in the public eye where the general public are your primary stakeholders. People are being far too apologetic. Oh, he's grandfather passed away? Welcome to the real world. I don't start sucking at my job every time I have personal issues in my life, and I earn a 1/20th of what he probably gets.

Not to justify the actions of those idiots on Saturday night, but we shouldn't feel sorry for the club. The club should feel sorry for us. Great perspective. We don't boo because we think the team is crap or because we hate them. We boo because we expect more. But heckling and hurling personal abuse is not on. But it is emotional and people get angry. The game is the fans though and instead of asking HOW people acted like that, we should look at WHY those actions were initiated in the first place. We can't sit back and be apologetic supporters. We need to hold the club accountable to its words and actions. In a way, booing the team is representative of that accountability. We all respond in different ways.

A few updates since last night.

Fitzroy's last few years were really bad but there have been far worse teams over longer periods. If I remember correctly Fitzroy flogged us by 10 goals in the last round of 1993. They were OK in the early part of the decade. And it was hardly poor drafting that hurt them: they were just not financially viable as a team. What's Melbourne's excuse? Fitzroy was a victim of league politics. Melbourne is a victim of its own ineptness. Carlton was very, very bad for periods in the 00s. Richmond has been bad in large periods since the early '90s. Melbourne's 2010 and 2011, excluding 186, were OK, nothing more. If anything the last few years have been Richmond-esque: fall to the bottom, show a glimmer of hope, and then fall back down again.

Not bitching and moaning Just constructive criticism.

I fell for it initially...looking back, I am truly astonished at how blind my faith was in this club.

http://beingademonsfan.tumblr.com/post/46924154640/cameron-schwabs-whiteboard-wednesday

Do stakeholders in any company anywhere in the world have any idea how to fix a company's issues? No. We pay a membership because ultimately the club doesn't pay us a salary to win premierships. Apologetic thread is apologetic.