John Crow Batty

Did your sources spot any knives hidden behind backs and did they share the same bottle of wine?

Associating Melbourne supporters with that flogg? Not as many Chinamen in China compared to how many times you slag of posters you don't agree with.

Wish we could bring back or clone Phil Rhoden.

One similarity hard to ignore. Corby has a Mercedes and Hird has a Tanya.

Whats the difference between Schappele Corby and James Hird? Any idea?

According to The Age this morning it looks like Mr Little is realising that slavish kowtowing to "Team Hird " may not be in the best interest of his club. It also appears now he may be the next propaganda target of said team.

Dr Reid is a loyal clubman squeezed and compromised by all this. How could he dare challenge the Hird Reich? I also note that dirty word "integrity" is liberally sprinkled throughout the article. I hope we never have to read or hear that word associated with our club ever again.

You are right. It was a long time ago. I maintain that game was our undoing.

I was there. It was the last round of the season. We thrashed them. Maybe they were foxing a liitle waiting for the finals. Scenes at the end of the game were very ugly with player scuffles and some of our players were making innapropriate gestures to the WC fans as they left the field. Rod Grinter gave and copped a lot of attention that day. The WC fans were absolutely crazy and giving heaps to the few Melbourne supporters. Lucky for me I was not wearing Melbourne colours and escaped attention. Because we beat them so easily I believe some of the players got swollen heads.

West Coast had a score to settle with us after what happened when we played them in Perth late in that season. We beat them in a very spitefull game and there was a little too much "rubbing it in" at the end of the game by our players to the oposition and their fans. They remmenbered this and extracted sweet revenge. Since then we have been their bittch

Thats refreshing, I recall we were always hearing of how everthing was on track and going to plan. You must have not been reading the club propaganda and spin from the previous regime.

ND left us in a position that most moderately successful clubs have been after a sustained good run. Worn out and in need of a rebuild. The rebuild turned into a disaster because of Schwab's looney polices. ND's biggest failing was not being able to get consistency of excellence year after year. Bad years always followed good years to the frustration of all. I am sure if he remained in charge we could never have been as bad as we became unless he too had to work under Schwab.

It would be so simple if the AFL had an approved list of substances and medicinal products that could be used and everything else would require permission to be used no matter how long it takes to get an answer. if not on the list it remains banned, no exceptions. It would also be best that products must also come from branded manufacturers where active ingredients are more likely to be identified and measured. For example use Panadol rather than a no name generic brand paracetamol. This also to go with a time limited self reporting period for when non approved substances have been used for whatever reason.

Its all a matter of absorption. There are many different ways for taking drugs. There would be no cream if was not effective for the desired effect.

The spin aspect really grated with me. Too many news reports on our fate with future success. Too frequent TV appearances and press conferences every other day by the coach. Add the public humiliation of miscreant players, the saturation lauding of the indigenous brotherhood and endless cheesy articles and photos of our supposed future young stars and what is rarely discussed was IMO the shameless saturation exploitation of Jim Stynes's illness and elevation to messianic status.

And the festering issue was not solved by hiring Neeld. Neeld by default became part of the Schwab faction and I think any coach no matter how good would have been in a no win situation as long as Schwab and Co remained. I believe Neeld was a bit naive to what he got himself into and was expecting. I seriously doubt an experienced coach would have ever taken the job on or even considered it during the post 186 environment. They would have smelt the rat in the hole

The only identifiable players are Dunn, Toumpas and Jones. Seems like a random selection. At least they are still standing. Those who fell were too ashamed to fall on their faces obviously.

You know things are getting better when we can have a laugh on ourselves.

The word "integrity" is also particulary overused and abused by persons (in relation to themselves or their organisations) like politicians, big business leaders, community leaders, journalists, media moguls, commentators and others in fields where there is the potential for a lot of grey between black and white. I would put the likes of Demetriou and Eddy in this category. The more they mention the word the more "lack of" they seem to have.

When an individual or organisation have the word "integrity" mentioned in the same sentence no matter the context it usually means it/him/her mostly don't have any. The word is superfluous to persons or organisations of genuine integrity because their integrity does not need questioning.

A delay in dispensing infractions to mid season may not be ideal for the AFL but the competition will go on. And another written off season for the bombers won't cause too much grief beyond their supporter base and the Murdoch press.

So why did Robson, Corcoran, the Doc, Dank and Weapon go? And Hird suspended. Obviously victims of a great miscarriage of justice.

I just like to see the Bombers issue mature a little longer. Like to see them finish below us this season. Let their pain drag on.

Yeah watching paint dry is boring. But this can be like waiting for a fine wine to mature before drinking it. Then again there is the chance the wine may be off.

I would love to name my suspects. But then I would be accused of casting aspersions.