Dr. Gonzo

Hopefully we don't gas ourselves out in the first quarter CFH but rather come back from a pummeling and Hulk Up in the last quarter to steal an improbable victory.

That clip is brilliant clucka. Should be shown to the players pre-match tonight. "If you want to advertise to the world that your parents have raised someone that is a little bit timid then go and play something else, go and play tennis." - John Kennedy Lol'd at that and thought instantly of Cale Morton and Jack Watts.

So according to that article Taylor is "rumoured" to be contracted to the Pies til November 1. Pretty stupid of them considering the draft is only a few weeks later which means he can walk to us before the 2012 draft. They might as well just let him go now.

No need to sook, just act ruthlessly like successful clubs do.

You forgot one group - the supporters.

This article should be pinned to the top of the board. Mandatory reading for every poster.

Yeah, I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate if the footy boot was on the other foot. Eddie, he's all nice and reasonable until he doesn't get his way then it's all bets are off and he starts sooking like a toddler.

Here's an idea - tell Eddie to GAGF.

That argument is plausible as well and lets face it, if we were winning no-one would be asking questions. There are definite issues/queries though as I raised above and whether or not these will be seen as "bad" enough for Schwab to lose his job (or whether he is seen as accountable for them) will remain to be seen. Is the Red & Blueprint available publicly? I'm not sure that I've seen it or maybe I have and have forgotten.

He is definitely injured and with my novice medical opinion I would bet on OP which is why he is continuing to play. Check his run a minute or so before 3/4 time on Sunday when Jones kicked him the footy into space and he just couldn't run. Compare this to his previous seasons and it is obvious he is not running freely. It's like he can't raise his knee above a certain point to get the acceleration. Having said that I would rest him and manage him through the year to get him right for the pre-season and 2013.

On Schwab, I think it is fair for questions to be asked about what exactly he has achieved in his time at the club; - AAMI Park was set-up by the previous admin - Kaspersky was lured by a supporter overseas - Hankook, although led by a long term supporter, ceased business with the club due to being unhappy about their treatment - The debt was wiped by supporters and on the back of Stynes and his goodwill - Energy Watch was signed either without looking into Polis' previous business dealings or neglecting them - Failed to sign a second jumper sponsor for 2012 until well after the season had started - Allegedly meddled too much in the FD resulting in the fracturing of the club between admin/FD - Webjet signed after being approached by a supporter and no knowledge of how much Webjet/Opel sponsorship is worth (after the spruiking of how much EW was worth you would assume it is vastly less than that otherwise we would know about it) I'm sure there is some stuff I am missing here and Schwab is not all bad and obviously has some redeeming features but I think the negatives outweigh the positives at this stage and I think he will be gone at the end of the year. One thing I think is overlooked is the relationship between Schwab/admin and the FD. Even if Schwab has been put in his place after the debacle that was 2011 the noses seem to have already been put out of joint and the damage done. If this is the case then regardless of how good a CEO he might be (and I think the jury is out) he still has to go as you cannot have a successful football club when there is disunity between the on & off-field components.

Will be interesting to see when Taylor's contract finishes. Am I right in thinking most AFL contracts expire October 31 or is that just players? As the draft isn't until November we could still use him on draft day if that were the case.

You don't accept that fitness levels can affect a professional sports teams performance? Righteo.

This. The problem is he thinks too much. That may sound stupid but your point about him being a marker and not a crumber is pertinent. He summed up the contest and thought he should stay down as the rule is one up, one down. Go for the ball and let the others crumb. If they get in your way knock them over they will soon learn not to go again.

Haven't read the thread but yes fitness is a huge part of where we are at at the moment. It was evident last year and is being addressed by Misson, Craig & Neeld. The players are still apparently going through a heavy training load in order to get us up to scratch for R1 2013. So you then get results like we have seen this year with the players faltering at the end of the first half and in last quarters. This doesn't just affect the players ability to get to contests, it affects their decision-making, ability to implement a new game plan, skills and attack on the ball. I expect this to improve in the second half of the season (when I assume the training loads will taper off a bit) and in 2013 following another pre-season. There will be more pain this year but if the results start coming through next year (which I expect will happen) then we will truly be able to see what the ability of the players is and how Neeld's game plan will stand up.

Of course rational criticism is reasonable. But how can you judge the man before he has even had the chance to put his "game plan" into effect? He is not merely a new coach taking over an under-performing squad. He is trying to revolutionise a mindset that has existed within the club since Norm was sacked. The last two coaches had a very "open" and free-flowing style of play which looked great but had little to no accountability. Get a copy of the 2002 Semi Final for everything that was great and horrible about that style of play. The best way I can describe it is he is trying to mould a champion team rather than a team of champions. A lot of MFC players over the last decade would not survive in a Neeld team and I think that's a good thing because after all where did that get us anyway? Exactly.

Think what you want, but of course it is "pulling the weak character card". Any time anybody questions the club, voices their concern or relays that they are disheartened they have "weak character". It is not sticking the boot into the club it is raising valid concerns that we as long-term (some much longer than me) members have every right to raise. If you don't want to listen to supporters critique the club or ask questions then I'd suggest you're probably on the wrong website as supporters of any club will always have queries or cause for concern about something or other. No-one is saying the board has stuffed up and that Viney is hopeless and shouldn't be put in the role. We have merely raised our eyebrows at the appointment considering it was unexpected, he has limited to no experience in the role, it is only a short-term, stop-gap appointment and it could be seen that we only got him on board to get his son's signature anyway. None or all of these things may be true, I don't know. But it is fair enough to raise questions about the appointment, however you are the one who has turned it into something bigger than it is for continually harassing anyone who dares question the appointment. I have not said the club is wrong on this but there are legitimate concerns which I don't know the answer to but which the club will be held accountable for if the decision turns out to be the incorrect one. Considering where we are at and the off-field debacle that was 2011 supporters have every right to query the current board & CEO and their appointments.

Of course I knew you were going to pull the "weak character" card but I've been going week in, week out since 1987 when I was 5 years old - I've been a 23 year continuous member and am now a Trident's Member after a decade as a Gold AFL Member which I gave up so I could support the club better financially. I will still continue to go and will be there this week but can I help it if watching our side get beaten up on by clubs who make us look amateur by comparison every single week is demoralising? In all likelihood the passion will return when we start winning games but at the moment every week is just another loss. Back to Viney - my issue is that the club has been crap for a long time and now in a year when we will have a number of early draft picks we have just plonked someone in the role who has not demonstrated any qualifications for the role other than 1) he used to play/captain us & 2) his kid is in this draft year. He may have been in a role in player development but I would argue that our players haven't developed very well over recent years anyhow and that could very well be seen as giving a job just to get him back to the club (and to shore up the recruitment of his son). He is obviously not our first choice for a Head Recruiter and has only been given the job for the one year which says that someone doesn't think he has the capability to do the ob long-term. That being the case I think it is more than fair enough to ask questions.

What can I say? The AFL works in mysterious ways - not sure if their stance on "profit maximisation" of the draw has changed much since 2005 but if I remember correctly we often played Essendon once a year back then anyway. Don't take it as gospel I think it's what I was told by someone on BF but it does make sense if you think of it that way.

The reason is because we get a home game against Collingwood every year. The AFL splits the difference as much as possible between home games against the Pies and Bombers (or so they say). So as long as we get Queens Bday as a home game we are unlikely to have a home game against Essendon any time soon. As long as we dont have to play them at Docklands I'm not too fussed. Clash jumpers are rubbish though and annoy the hell out of me.

I hate the locker room - I only ever check the main board. Surely things like this can have their own thread instead of being shunted away on a board few venture to.

So we have a guy in charge trying to do two job's - how well did that go for us last time when Leoncelli left? I honestly am losing passion with the club at the moment not just because they are losing but because of the rubbish that goes on behind the scenes and the amateur hour decisions that are made. I'm sure my passion will return when we start playing well but at the moment I get more fired up watching Richmond games than Melbourne and that is just sad. If there is more time spent anchoring the ladder over the next couple of years while off-field we keep making excuses I seriously don't know how much the supporters will be willing to put up with. You'll accuse me of hyperbole but it is just a fact - I will always be a Melbourne supporter and member but if I am losing passion and no longer care when we get beaten what does that say? Overall my view is the most important dates for us this year are in October & November - if we don't have the best team assembled to take advantage then there will be nowhere left to hide for the club as they will have brought this all on themselves.

If he's so good why has he only been appointed until the end of the season? Why wasn't he given a 2-3 year contract in that role?

Why does a Head Recruiter role exist? Why, when we are the worst team in the comp and have not improved in 5 years, are we settling for a stop-gap in this role when we are set to have a very important draft/trade period?

That's fine and it may very well work out - but if it doesn't the club (Schwab, McLardy, the board etc) will have to wear it and will have no-one to blame but themselves. Viney has been exposed to the kids Jack has played with/against but that clearly doesn't cover every potential kid in the draft does it? The club cannot afford to play dice with this draft they have to nail it otherwise continued poor drafting and losing sides will see hardcore supporters and members give up. Football is after all another form of entertainment these days and no-one wants to watch harrowing holocaust movies every single day.