BangkokDemon

I know the game was over, but his goal was a beauty! Showed great speed and skill to get the ball, then backed his own judgement to kick a beautiful 6 pointer ! Welcome to the team.

Yeah, can't believe some people on another thread saying he needs to be dropped next week to make way for Jamar. That tackle he laid in the 3rd qtr was a real "club" effort. What does dropping a guy and ignoring such an effort, say to him ? In a perverse way, it's a nice dilemma for the selectors to have, eh ?

I was out and only saw the second half, but why would you want so many changes next week ? I understand Rush needs to come back, but when we have an effective ruck combo in Martin and Gawn, what's the hurry? These guys even held their own last week against the Maggies. Just to say Gawn's gotta go, doesn't make sense. That tackle he laid in the 3rd qtr which ended up with the Trengove goal was as good as you'll see. It was from a player, giving his all!! Think about people management a bit and logic, before making suggestions like this.

LJ was never going to be easy. But, I have enough faith in the club - particularly with Jimmy at the helm - to know they will not only do everything to keep him, but also to help him through what is such a difficult time in his life. Sometimes, football clubs are about more than winning games.

There could be something in this. But at around 28 mins when a super effort was required, if we were to pull off a miracle win, he did try a couple of times to find that spark, he is capable of igniting. If you watch the replay, you will see him put in a couple of his great runs for goal which leaves everyone in their wake. Trouble was, he had little support and was stopped by St.Kilda's experience. LJ needs a lot of care and understanding - or we'll lose him; probably not to another team, but from the game.

Okay got me! Guess I'm too excited about going to the MCG next Sunday to see them play live - for the first time in 20 years!!! Go Dees

Exactly !

I'm not defending the club for using a "standard" response . But I will say, that's quite normal in the business world, when there's a crisis and/or sensitive issue requiring a response. What do you want them to do? Sit round in a room with Jimmy, DB, Cam & CC, and read out everyone's mail to each other, noting our "brilliant" solutions to a problem we pay them to deal with ? As WYL has continually stated in his posts on the subject, the important bit is,they know we are angry. That they might have used a template response, indicates to me, they probably got lots of mail. More, they got the message (a common one from all of us)and are now doing something about it.

That's a cynical thing to say about the membership department - and to my mind, quite unnecessary. Do you sit in the office and know what goes on? It's possible that she replied to me, because it was obvious I had written 3 times and as I had another matter in my mail, the task of a response was given to the membership department. I don't know why I was "granted" a response. I just know I was and it could have been as simple as my explanation here. Moreover, the last statement, that the mail would be passed to the Football Department, leads me to think, it will happen. Don't be so cynical. What do you want them to do ? Come to your house, sit down and have a chat with you ? I think they have much more pressing things to do with their time right now. Hopefully we will all get the answer we want; next Sunday and as other posters have said - which I am sure we all want - that we stay on course for the rest of this year, so as to achieve the ultimate in the years ahead.

I can assure you this was personally written and not some soppy template. I wrote to all the email addresses in the "contact us" section, of the MFC website. This one was to the Membership department and had some other points - which I didn't copy - which were also responded too. They are listening. They won't reply to everyone. I got no replies to my other mails, but that's not the point. The most important point is that the club knows, the supporters are not going to accept this sort of play anymore and we all want something done about it - quickly!

For those who think the club is not listening, I just received this : Thank you for your email regarding last night’s game. The game was extremely disappointing for everyone involved with the Club. Please be assured that no one at the club is satisfied with the result or the standard of the game last night. It is now up to us to respond and the players and coaches are already focussed on our round 7 match against Adelaide at the MCG. Your email has been forwarded to the Football department. Thank you for taking the time to write and for your support of the Club.

Correct

Of course I still plan to go ! My frustrations are so great it will be good let them out - just like before !! You are 100% correct, staying away will achieve nothing, but 35,000 pi$$ed members, actively supporting/blasting what is going on, is a lot harder to ignore.

I wish I could say "never mind", but this is so disheartening. It is time to take the boys in the team, out of cotton wool and make them men. It's also time for the "men" in the team, to step up and lead the team. As for the coach(es) ...who knows. It's as if we've put on our time machine and gone back to the times when we were "nice", but hopeless. We've managed to pick up a very talented young group, but with a couple of exceptions, there's no mongrol in them. Then for the "leaders" it seems they are not "leaders" at all. That midlevel group with (bad boy) Moloney, Sylvia and Jones (and the Russian - he's consistent), they're giving it their all and it's their sort of "grunt" which needs to extend to the others. As for the coach(es)- showing how thoughtful and passionate you are would help.

Since moving out of Melbourne in 1990, I have not been to a Melbourne game at the MCG. I was there in '64 and '88 and have followed and suffered the ups and down during that time. Most years I have also been a club member - even though at times it was not possible to see any games on TV. So, as I am going to be back in town next week, I was really looking forward to going to the MCG next weekend, for the first time in 20 years, to see the team live. I was hoping we'd be playing one or our traditional rivals, on that day - thank goodness we're not !

I think the club is being very business-like – which even borders on being professional. Rather than do everything “as it was done”, they are doing things in the way a professional club with a future, approaches things in 2011 and beyond. If anything, they are suffering from an image problem: for far too long,a club with no future, who have, over the past 50 years, generally stuffed it up. This is a timely review. It is not unusual in efficiently run businesses, to do such a study of “the plan”, mid- year. It shows we are now prepared to make the hard decisions and face problems, as much as possible, before they happen. That Bailey needs to perform this year, is a given – I would say, even by him, if his public persona of the last few weeks, is anything to go by. It might be, he/we will have to accept by the end of this season, he has taken the players as far as he can, as the coach. And, as the club is being much more professional, there might even be a less hands on, but equally important guiding role for him. This is also nothing unusual in many new businesses, or dinasour corporations going through a re-build. Some people are great during the “build” phase, but not so good when the hard slog takes over. So a new CEO comes in and looks like the hero – happens all the time. I doubt a Mick Malthouse, Roos, Lyon (who inherited a very young and talented team – didn’t build them) could do the job DB has had to do. It might be, that DB is not the coach to take this team to the flag(s). So, a high profile, or new coach, could well be the one who “achieves” success. But, let’s hope, DB’s contribution (if this is the way it turns out) is acknowledged by whoever it is, who has his name on the board as “premiership coach”.Personally, I hope that name is "Dean Bailey".

Agree with both these posts. I think note should be taken of Schwab's measured words. He was very clear to use "stand aside", rather than "stand down". This means his position is still available - most likely to him, at some time in the future. It was excellent use of words, to convey the message to Moloney, that all is not lost. He can return to his Vice Captain's role, if he can show he has learnt from this and as a result, is once again, ready to be a leader of the team we love. Tuff Love and it will set a positive example, for all the young guys on the list, showing that the club is into supporting those who able to recognize their faults and come out the other side, a better person for it. "standing down", would have been knee jerk; "standing aside", is considered thinking, with the club and the player in mind.

True. And, that's why it's not a good idea to go and get trashed during the season - do what you like out of season.

If your story is true, that's even more reason why he shouldn't have been out drinking at 2am with a recovery session the next day. As another poster said, in the end this could make him a better player and one who now understands that being a great "club man", off the field, means a lot more than being out with your mates on the [censored]. He showed in today's presser and the honesty he showed, that maybe he now gets it. Lead by example - the ball is in his court.

Who said anything about alcoholism? He admitted to "binge" drinking. How many of us can be accused of that - the answer is, lots of us. That is not the issues. Brent Moloney is a Vice Captain, of the Melbourne Football Club. He's not just another player. His role carries responsibilities on and off the field. What he did was not responsible for an elite athlete. Binge drinking takes a couple of days - at least, to get over. I couldn't care less about "moral" issue. But as a Vice Captain of the club he has an obligation to everyone to make sure he is in the peak of fitness at all times. All the science which goes into making footballers super fit is effected by binge drinking. That is why he showed a lack of responsibility for his actions.

Some of you posters make me laugh. Many of you don't seem to understand that Jimmy's spray last week, was meant for everyone below him. In the corporate world, this is a CEO/President's job. Bailey understood that and his animation after today's 'get out of jail' win, was a reflection of that. Some of the players, also seemed to get the message. Dropping Jones and Jack to the bench, worked for Jones, but didn't have the same effect on Master Watts. Perhaps, a couple of weeks at Casey, might make him understand, until he is ready to be called "Mr" and not "Master", he will have to play elsewhere. But, the people who I think heard the wake up call, more than most were our indigenous group - even our Vice Captain. There is a post, suggesting the 'revival" was sparked by others, but watching on TV, it seemed, whilst others certainly pulled their fingers out, it was LJ and Aussie (in particular) who did those things which matter - score goals...especially, ones which inspire. That they were a bit quiet, again in the last quarter - where we managed to hold on, but not go for the throat, as we should have, and could have, is largely because, they were spent by then. But, thankfully, our defense was able to regain some of that mojo, which had been missing and they were able to stem the tide. Today was a true indication of where we are at. And this is, we still have a long way to go. But, we showed, we do want it. I would doubt, Jimmy will need to say much about today. Good bosses, don't. He made his point. it's now for others (below him)to make it happen. Go Dees!

It would be great to see this video - but as usual Bog Pond have put a territory block on viewing it outside their pond (Oz). I had hoped this season, somehow, they would see the error of their ways ...seems they are still bogged down in a poor mindset! Please MFC, don't penalize those of us, who don't live in Australia. We might be a long way away, but we are still paid up members. More, you would think the AFL would not like this situation. It hardly helps the game develop internationally - does it ??? Having got that off my chest - congratulations to Greenie, Davey, Moloney and Rivers. You all deserve to be leaders of our club as we rise to the top !!

Exactly. What about last year when we lost Flash? We felt the loss, but other players stepped up. Same when young Ricky was sidelined just after his brilliant (and nearly match winning) game against the Maggies. It was not too long before LJ returned and got better as the season wore on. Sure the structure of the forward line as it was "developing" changed to meet the challenge. Dunn (the mo) finally took up his place as a fully fledged member of the team. Brad Green had a stellar year, possibly because he had to contribute more to the forward line. But, this year our problem is in the defense area. Last year, we had such a good combination back there, playing as a very strong unit. Now that unit is being put under the spotlight. If we are a good team (and I believe we will be a great team) we MUST be able to deal with that.

I have no argument that losing Frawley will make it much harder for us in those first few weeks of the season. You put him in top 6, I would say, more likely Chip is one of the Top 3 "Most Valuable Players". So the impact will be significant. But, my point and that of some others, on this thread,is this will be a good opportunity to test our depth and see just how far we have come in the past 3 seasons. Even if we had been able to put our best team on the park, this year, I don't think anyone would expect this to be a premiership year. This is not the 1950's when we came from nowhere (sort of) in just a year. The game is now played by all teams at such a high level that is a most unlikely thing to happen. In saying that, I will be very disappointed if we are not a significant finals team, who can WIN at least one or two finals. But let's not get ahead of ourselves thinking 2011 is "our year". Remember, in Jimmy's words, we have now left the "base camp" and are now on our way "up the mountain". If we drop away because we've lost one of our best players before the season starts, me thinks we'd therefore still be at Jimmy's Base Camp!

Spot om ADC. Why is it there are so many gloom merchants around? Sure it would be better if he wasn't imjured. Over the last 2 years he has developed into one of our top 2-3 players. But as you correctly say, "if we are to a genuine top side we have to brush these setbacks aside". This will show, if we are capable of that - an important opportunity. if this has been Round 16-17 with a place in the top half of the 8 to be consolidated,perhaps it would be different - but it isn't. and more, it will show if that did happen, if we are far enough advanced with our mission, to win the 13th Flag (at least. See the light in the darkness.