PaulRB

My theory is we are playing for time on the coaches front, having received a nod and a wink from either Ross Lyon or Mick Malhouse. My suspicion is we lined up Mick a couple of months ago and are simply putting on a show to ease the speculation on Mick/ Pies (or Ross/Saints) till the finals are over. No big secret that Garry Lyon wants big name coach and only Lyon and Malthouse fit the bill. The new coach would have to have an influence on young Tom's decision, and undoubtedly the MFC will use everything they "have" to keep Tom.

I reckon if Tom stays we will have also been given a BIG hint as to who the next coach of Melb will be... B)

Not wanting to risk the ire of the doomsters by being too optimistic. I think our young team has just experienced a character building year that will serve to build the grit and resilience of our list of gifted kids. 2010 saw the team over perform on the back of Jamar, Green and the old brigade. This year the senior group struggled with injury and form and the young kids were revealed to be a year or two off the required level. However, with another pre-season into our kids the following will get better and (if injury free) have better years in 2012: Bail, Rohan Bennell, Jamie Blease, Sam Grimes, Jack Gysberts, Jordan Howe, Jeremy Jetta, Neville Jurrah, Liam Martin, Stefan McDonald, Tom McKenzie, Jordie Morton, Cale Petterd, Ricky Scully, Tom Tapscott, Luke Trengove, Jack Watts, Jack Wonaeamirri, Austin Others will display their mastery of the art and continue to produce consistent performances: Frawley, James Garland, Colin Jamar, Mark Jones, Nathan Macdonald, Joel Moloney, Brent Rivers, Jared Sylvia, Colin Bartram, Clint Some will fight back to redeem their performances in 2011: Green, Brad Bate, Matthew Davey, Aaron Some kids will blossom before we expected them to: Gawn, Max Spencer, Jake Cook, Lucas Davis, Troy Fitzpatrick, Jack And some will confirm our suspicions or pleasantly surprise us: Maric, Addam Warnock, Matthew Dunn, Lynden And one poor sod will hopefully fully recover from a broken leg: Strauss, James In 2012 we have a new coach, a renewed focus on accountable team footy, and most importantly a maturing team of proud and talented young players who have just endured the most humiliating year of their football careers to date. Bring on 2012!!! It will be a cracker...

Nice work Flemo. I recon Gareth (and others) needed a hug, so you are spot on. Go Dees.

Perhaps from inside the club a Port team with pride to play for is better than a a MFC team without Scully, Sylvia, Gysberts, Grimes, Petterd, and Jurrah (and Davey)... Don't know who Port had out, don't care. Either way, to say we "delighted" in a loss to the spooners is very embarrassing...

Viney hoping for Scully decision soon

Classic work RR

Interesting what Sylvia said about his "confidence" in the panel to find the next coach. I reckon the coach is "en route" once final are over (i.e. MM) and knowing that is making Toms decision soooooo hard (or at least long to announce)...

31 maybe?

Do you think Tom would have sat down with his team mates and discussed his decision? Would the thoughts of your team mates be relevant when deciding weather to stay with or leave the team? I hope he has and I hope the team has, irrespective of what Tom decides. It's been a tough year for Tom. I hope he stays. But if you do go Tom as the great song says "... keep your eye on the Red and the Blue".

I want to see our team play passionate and aggressive footy and come off the field with big f#@king grins on their tired faces. Give it a break... The Melbourne Football Club team need a win after this year more than we do.. Go Dees.

I think Morton's only issues are between his ears. By using his skinny body continue to be an excuse for his performance ignores better players with similar physiques. He seems to be unable to will himself into the contests or the right spot in motion, to add the value we all believed he could. Next year will make or break him at Melb. I reckon the new coach will allow alot of players remake and/or establish themselves as quality players post 2011. This would be good given the tragically bad a year we've had from Brad Green and Aaron Davey. These two...?

Karma gets you in the end... Play to win. Go Dees

I reckon Sylvia has had a look at future football abscurity (curtisy of Green and Davey) and will have a rip snorting 2012...

Part of what has transpired seems to be that Schwab and connelly were pushing the "premiership model" too fast/hard and off-sided the senior players, who complained to the board just prior to the Geelong game. They then got belted by a record margin by Geelong and the board sacked Bailey (who it seems these players had no problem with...), and Viney took over...

I hope we belt the crap out of GWS twice in 2012,13,14,15,16,... irrespective of dear Toms decision. Don't mind GC, can't stand GWS...

But that means...

what's your point?

Could Col be GWS's fall back position if Tommy signs with the Dees? If not, whats the hold up in him resigning?

Given Tom Scully's year is over, how do we rate his performance in 2011? I've most games in Melbourne and only seen moments of his good stuff this year, balanced by him being brushed off the ball or opposition too easily (he's not alone in this dept)... He's been a consistent trier, running all day, yet seemed more damaging last year... thoughts?

Hee hee hee

You don't happen to know the name of the psychological term? I might go see the Shrink and get me a cure.

Even if the story is not as fairy tale as big bad Barry's, "The Return of Fev" would be fascinating entertainment, and as the late great Kurt Cobain once sang... "With the lights out, its less dangerous Here we are now, entertain us I feel stupid and contagious Here we are now , entertain us" And tell me a forward line with a combination of Watts, Jurrah and Fevola would not be entertaining???

I'm sure there is a PR term for what MFC fans have been put through this year re TS and GWS. I.e. Use ongoing ambiguity and compensation over a period of time (say a season) to reduce our attachment to Tom, so that when he finally tells us he's going, we are relieved... and thankful it is all over. Evil AFL voodoo in my book..

I remember Barry Hall at St Kilda wildly throwing punches at Steven Feaby (i think) in a final. Some years later he was the captain of a Premiership team. The trajectory of our past does not have to define our path in the future. And from an aethetic point of view there is still another act to play in this three part drama called "the Brendan Fevola story" Act 1 - The arrival of a precocious talent Act 2 - The fall of the spoilt brat Act 3 - The redemption