John Crow Batty

If he is holding back to see who will coach us next season is a red herring planted by his manager to hold back the inevitable. Tom has never said this. The only way this proposition is probable is if Tom has a sour relationship with Dean and is wanting him to go. But not likely. Despite your trust in him your doubts are well founded.

Well theres Malthouse, Clarkson and Roos around. Maybe you missed all the threads about them this season. But has the club the guts, will and leverage to get one of these guys to coach us?

Don't know much about him either but anyone with potential should be looked at. My main concern is that we have been hiring untried coaches for for the past 25+ years with no luck. This time around I'd like to see some proven track record in the senior role. I believe only a coach who has tasted genuine success and has competition wide respect will have the confidence and tools to break our losing ways and culture.

I thought Jack was OK. Not his best game but nothing of shame noted. Looked like he just got out of a shower for the whole game. Some people can't cope with extreme humidity. Again very impressed with Martin. He was one of my big hopes pre season and he is starting to deliver big time.

Tom looked flat last night. A few errors didn't help. If his name was Maric though there would have been bloodlust calls for his dropping.

Sums it up. Nothing much has changed. These guys only seem to play when their pride is hurt. Well #@$& pride. When they have a chance to make a genuine step forward they don't show up. The bad loss against the dogs cost us plenty. Still can't beat other Vic clubs except Richmond and Essendon, still playing other sides into form, still can't win away and interstate unless we are playing lame ducks.

As everyone knows I am in the "he's long gone camp" but I also noticed what you have said. I wonder why this carpet bagger manager was not asked what other benefits GWS could offer Tom other than a haystack of filthy lucre? If Tom's not greedy, could it be he has no love or bond with the club?

Why not. Jimmy is MFC and Tom it appears is the opposite.

Removing a couple of mice so as not to upset the elephant in the room.

Yes HT, I am not worthy but I know you would follow Tom anywhere even he goes to Collingwood.

Very well said. And also I'd like to know is what are his real feelings towards the club.

Yes, I recall the euphoria from many who were thinking that he was commited to us after his speech. But on analysis it is obvious he said nothing. As I said before it was an impressive well coached speech.

The logic is, he gave himself the option of changing his mind whenever he wants to whilst keeping the fanboys happy. Now you are pinching my fanboy tag. Be careful I got a post deleted for using that word.

I wanted to be a premiership player and Brownlow medellist but I changed my mind. I didn't lie.

At this stage I prefer not to call him an outright liar. I believe that is the case but as yet it has not been proven. Can't wait to hear the excuses come October I did not believe him in his press conference. It was clear to me he was coached as to what to say. While quite impressive in his speech he was very unconvincing when he had to make a direct answer. All this would not have happened if someone had not blabbed away to the wrong person and would have avoided the intense scrutiny at least till later in the season. Many posters here believe what they want to believe and when Tom said he wanted to be a one club player they took it as he meant he wanted to play with us forever. But he never said he wanted to be a Melbourne player for the rest of his career. Whether he did or did not sign something with GWS last year is another matter. Where ever he ends up I am certain he will not be playing with us. I had more to say at the time but co-incidently 20 minutes before the press conference I was suspended for a trifling matter. HT is always following me around out of morbid curiosity and very keen with the delete/suspend button.

Tom has not lied. He and Velocity Sports have been spurting out spin and being "economical with the truth" as is the modern way to dodge the real issue. Many here should learn to read between the lines instead of believing spin and tripe.

Next thing some will claim he can turn water into wine after he's walked across it.

Sucking money out of a charity??? You got to be joking. He'll bring the same despair to them as he has brought to the club.

Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. When he leaves there will be many jilted Scully is staying fanboys. I'm sure the loudest boos and jeers will come from them.

I raised this earlier in the season. We should go for Clarkson. Offer him everything but the kitchen sink. Malthouse will only be coaching for his pension fund. Roos is OK but I think he's a one trick pony and perhaps not hungry anymore. Clarkson is still young fresh, hungry and proven.

Given the unlikely(impossible) scenario that Tom signs with us at the end of the season it will demonstrate that he is is the most selfish footballer that ever was for dragging this issue out to everyones despair. He is not selfish but a complete professional footballer. He will play out the season with us to the best of his ability. He should play for us as long as we have a sniff at the finals and beyond if we get there. If we fade then he should be dropped to give someone else a chance. I am sure Tom will deliver his best for the rest of the season. It is also a discredit to this forum of the behaviour of the moderators. For the most part they have fuelled this controversy here by siding with the Scully fanboys instead of being even handed and impartial. A shameful example is allowing the recent hatchet job on David Schwartz to continue for daring to opine that Tom is already gone as the rest of the world apparently already knows.

rpfc getting the final word in

Suburban pokie venues are soulless mausoleums where one goes to get euthanised. How can anyone have a good time when it's populated by only the lonely doing their dough and all you hear is PING, PING, PONGO. The club should get out of the business or get a venue back to where the soul of the club resides that is the inner city, close to the MCG and near a tram and train line. And offer attractions that attract real supporters and not just suburban losers. I've lived in the Melbourne area most of my life and don't even know where Bentleigh is and never been to that other place Leighoak nor do I want to.

I ripped off half my big toe nail once when kicking a drop kick. It can happen and is extremely painful. Not a problem with clunky old fashioned boots with solid toes. I agree it was a very low percentage kick for all except a very few. The advantage of it was its low fast trajectory and extra distance. It was also better suited for the more static game played pre 1980 hence obsolete for a long time now. The torp is just as unreliable but a fluffed torp will not grub along the ground as a fluffed drop kick usually does.

He may have been a very good drop kick but I don't recall Danny ever kicking one and I saw him play many times. I have trouble recalling if I saw any one else kick drop kicks from the mid eighties onwards.