The Chazz

Jako - good post. Just for my interest, what do you value the FoJ sponsorship at? Everyone else - anyone going to the season launch tonight? Any chance of some updates throughout the night? Cheers in advance.

I would expect more of our players would be in North's best 18, than North players being in ours. List-wise, I'm happier to be in the blue and red, rather than the blue and white.

Spot on WYL. It's amazing how after 1 flogging in the NAB Cup, and people raising concerns about the season ahead, the word "excuses" is starting to raise it's ugly head. I got a new one torn when I said our membership slogan should be "No More Excuses". Even in this thread alone we have seen some say that Watts has been put back to Casey to "freshen him up". Sounds like an excuse to me, I think he was dropped. Then someone else has said that they don't care about how many games we win this season, bascially it's in the way we lose that needs to improve. Sounds a lot like an excuse for us to use if we don't make finals. I'm sick of it. We have no excuses not to be better in 2012.

Good little interview by Ellie McKenzie on the MFC website at the moment with our very own, Jack TrengRove. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/tabid/8667/contentid/430123/default.aspx Oh dear...

It's billy. I don't go around saying d!ckhead disco do I? Wha tI don't understand is your patting on the back that we picked up a player, with pick 11, that is better than Brock McLean. Yes, I understand that we got pick 11 for Brock, which is where we chose JG, but I would like to think that we got the better end of that deal. Put it this way, if Carlton offered us the last pick in the rookie draft and picked me, I think the MFC would still be in front.

At the end of the day, I couldn't give a toss who coaches, I just hope the players do the right thing and listen and act. We could have Malthouse, Thompson or even the Red Fox, it wouldn't matter a stuff who it was, if the players decide to put in an effort that was seen during 186, the coach would have no chance. I'm in Harcourt's boat - I'm definitely not sold, but I'm not unsold.

I honestly think that squad looks slow. For every thoroughbred there are 2 clydesdales.

Absolutely WYL, and let's be honest (or to some degree arrogant), we should have a far better list than them. That's why I couldn't understand the mentality of not caring how many games we win this year. We've been through hell for years, we've stockpiled a heap of good draft picks, it's time. As I said in my earlier, there is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be looking at 5th spot as a target for us. Take out Geelong, Collingwood, Hawthorn and probably Carlton, it could be argued the West Coast be included in that group, the field should be fairly even right down to the bottom two (GC and GWS). We won 8 games last year with what most believe was zero game plan, minimal direction from the FD, and absolutely no leadership from our senior players. This year we have a game plan, we hopefully have direction from the FD, and we hopefully have a new breed of leadership. Surely we are hoping to see our win column in the doube figures???

Is Sportingbet running odds for the Casey practice match this weekend? The Scorp's would have to be around $1.04 wouldn't they?

So am I. What's your point?

In the past decade, North have been a great example of the issues you face if you don't improve your win/loss record but remain cometitive. You regularly finish 9th, 10th, 11th, miss out on better draft picks, and your players don't learn from playing the different brand of footy called finals.

Dennis has been over-doing the funnies during the last few seasons. Bruce just says what he thinks, and most times people are laughing at him rather than with him. 2 great quotes of Bruce's during that Sydney game; "OOOOOOOOH, Aussie Boy..." "They're going to be something the Dees, the DEES ARE GOING TO BE SOMETHING" And another one (not sure which game) where he thought that when the F50 only had Jurrah and Aussie (and their direct opponents), that LJ & Aussie were like a couple of naughty school kids just running around, such was the awareness of each other and the understanding of each otehrs ability. Gee I'm going to miss those 2 playing together.

Kerry O'Keefe is by far the best commentator - I just wished he played 4 games in Melbourne's back pocket and had 36 goals kicked on him. He would have some stories to tell during a footy match!

Watch/listen to the replay of the Sydney game from 2010. If Bruce and Dennis didn't do anything for you downstairs, I don't know if there's much hope for you! On the otherhand, Chewbacca and Nanny Fine could've commentated that game and it still would've been like listening to angels.

So you would be happy if we won 3 games and lost 19 by under 5 goals? I'm sorry if you accept that. Expectations should be as high this year as they should be next year. New coach, the old "blank canvs" comments thrown around all preseason, there is absolutely no reason why all listed players (except for thouse that are injured) not to stand up and make a statement. They have the ability, now's the time to show the new FD what they are capable of. Then, if said players can take that next step up this year, the expectations are higher again next year becuase they will be over 12 months in to this apparent near-impossible thing to implement straight away that is a new game plan. I couldn't care if the top 4 sides beat us by 100 points every time we play them - we are not a top 4 side yet. There's no reason why the next 14 sides underneath them should not be aiming for 5th spot on the ladder.

He's running around at Casey - wouldn't call that a break. Just thought it was ironic that the comment was made about Neeld not giving a stuff what anyone says, then all of a sudden, the man most talked about in AFL ranks has been dropped!

He dropped Watts this week after a slightly improved performace from the week before.

LS - why did King think that someone would be trouble making? It is a very valid concept that the Club is looking at. As I said above, Vlad and the other faceless men aren't looking at the whole situation. Have a listen to who is having input to the suggestion - ex-school teachers. They would know more about a young adults learning ability than most. I also like to think that this is my area of specialty (it's an area I'm actually trained in), and providing the Club have things in place in regards to assisting the players in their 2nd year, etc, then I think it is an idea that shouldn't be dismissed from a woeful article written by a nothing.

Don't think winning a certain amount of games is important? You're kidding aren't you? Regardless of the fact that Neeld is in his first year, and the obvious change to game plan will take place, but the fact is that basically the same players will make up our Round 1 team this year as to most of those that played last year in the seniors, so I expect improvement. A season of 8 or less wins is a fail, quite simple. Our young guys are a year older than last year. To not have an expectation on the amount of wins we should have this year is poor planning, and is not setting goals high enough for this current group. We need to get tougher on them, and give them less opportunity to use anything as an excuse.

I can actually see the advantages in this being introduced, and think the AFL are looking at the short term view rather than too far in to the future. As most agree, a new draftee comes to the Club, generally at the end of Year 12, which means they are around that 17/18 year old mark. Within a matter of moments from when their name gets called out on draft night, they immediately become a full time footballer. From teh second they leave school, thy are thrown in to the "rigours" of being a full time employee - something that a lot of ex-students in their situation can find difficult to adjust to. In the first 12 months of their "employment" at an AFL club, they are taught a lot of employability skills that probably aren't taught at univeristy and school for that matter. Things like time management, understanding and respecting the chain of command, punctuality, these sort of things in the workforce have so much more importnace, and in turn consequence, if they are not adhered to. At uni, if you're late for a lecture or a tutorial, your boss (aka lecturer) couldn't give a toss. To have a fresh, 18 year old enter the full time workforce for the first time in their lives and expect that they will be able to juggle both a full time job, which let's face it, is probably as rigourous as most trades, as well as participate in part time study in that timeframe, is putting extra pressure on them. For what it's worth, I am a strong believer that after their "gap year", that ALL players should be invovled in some tertiary or univeristy studies. A standard part time Uni degree takes around 8 years to complete, and the average football career doesn't last anywhere near that long. Having programs in place to make sure that players leave the game in a better situation than what they entered it should be a prioirty for all clubs of all professional and semi-professional sporting codes.

Bobby, the reason why Geelong, Collingwood and Carlton aren't worried about the NAB Cup is because they are Top 4 sides who have to cattle to ensure they remain in that upper echelon. If Melbourne were in that upper echelon, I wouldn't care about the NAB Cup either, but the reality is, we are ordinary, coming off an ordinary year, and have had wholesale changes sweeo through the Club. Am I slashing my wrists? Absolutely not. Am I worried? I do have some concerns about how this season will play out. But regardless of the fact that we have a brand new coach, I still believe that starting our rebuild at 4 years ago that some progress should be obvious. 2012 will display if progress has been made.

The Jurrah "story" could potentially harm our chances of landing a major Chinese sponsor. Why? During the Chinese Exhibition Match, LJ virtually became the face of the Melbourne Football Club. The last thing that we would need is for an alledged incident of our "face" to be broadcasted over there. Think I'm overreacting? I do believe organisations like the TAC have withdrawn sponsorship from teams that have had a player invovled in drink driving charges, etc. Hopefully it won't be the case.

RP - would you be so kind to keep us updated with the weekly figures like you did in 2011 please? Would be interesting to see where we improve and hopefully show no areas of going backwards! Cheers

Not at all McQueen. I knew I was going to be in the minority on this one, but was willing to voice my concerns. I have enjoyed your input in to the arguement. The posts I haven't enjoyed are the ones that are claiming that I'm judging my opinion on one performance, and one performance only. Totally incorrect, and I have explained in earlier posts that my opinion is based on more than one situation. Demonator probably hit the nail on the head - I should've brought this topic up later rather than sooner, but I thought I'd throw up a differnt topic other than how Jack Watts is going and how skinny Morton is. Regardless of how young or old our Captain/s is/are, when we are down, I want that player/s to stand up and make a statement. I want leadership when things are sh!t, because going by the form of 2011, I'm prepared for anything in 2012. I don't want our coach to say that we were bullied - I want us to be the bullies. I don't want any of our players to have a "get out clause" if they don't stand up and be counted. Do I have high expectations? Absolutely. We have been sh!t for too long in my life, and I'm tired of excuses. Bring on Round 1 of the real stuff - let's see the Demons rise up the ladder and play finals. Let's see action! FWIW - a much better membership slogan this year. Using the word "Hard" puts that expectation on our players that gives them something they need to do. As members, we should expect Hard work and Hard minds, afterall, we are Hardcore Demons. I like it - well done!

To be honest WYL, I did say Green, then I changed to Green & Grimes as co-captains. If I had a crystal ball and saw Grimes playing 22 games or more this year, I'd have him outright. This is the bit that I don't know if I should find comforting or annoying! I want a premiership, just like everyone else on here does. We've had some tough times over the past 4 years, and regardless of your age, the MFC has always had something going on that hasn't helped in a premiership assault. For me, I was there when Stynes ran across the mark, I was there in '88 where the most enteratining thing I saw was Noel Watson on his horse, I was there for the No Merger game, I wasn't there for the 2000 GF but still watched, was on the rollercoaster that was the Daniher era, shed a tear for the Broadbridge tragedy, and thank Christ I wasn't at Kardinia Park for 186, I put my hand in my pocket (as much as I could) to help wipe out the $5m debt while we were winning wooden spoons. We all have our own stories and have been there at various times in this long road to the ultimate. When we started the great re-build, the experts were claiming our widow would start opening around 2013/14 and become the team of the decade. I read on here somewhere that someone suggested our window now opening 2016+. Hopefully the current Football Department, and the decisions they are currently making such as possibly fasttracking JT's development by putting him in a leadership role, are going to see our window open earlier.