Jaded No More

Don't care about the almanac much, but the stickers are awesome! Every year I complain about the crap quality and general ugliness of the stickers, but this year they are definitely worth the wait. 2 of the 4 stickers are now proudly displayed on my car :D H.B.K, as we don't pick up our gifts until Round 1 (you are obviously a country/ interstate member), can you tell me whether the club logo on the tie is embroidered or printed?

Have you bought your membership yet Yze_Magic?

Exactly. It's very rare that you hear Lyon promoting the club in a positive way. He mostly makes no comment, or discusses negative issues. I would love if, for once, he actually showed some bias towards us and really stood up for the club in the media. As a journalist, he chooses not to do that, and the same goes for Ox. Being overly bias is silly and annoying, but a good word here and there wouldn't hurt. We get attacked from every angle, and we get over it, but when the people who are meant to be on your side pick at your flaws, it really does hurt.

If it was Neita, he wouldn't have a long list of previous incidents. Everyone deserves a second chance, but Sylvia has had more than enough chances, as has Fevola. Funny how Fev was suspended last year for a smaller incident, when the Blues weren't all that keen on winning. Double standards?

The day we start following the CFC, is a bad day indeed. By the way, Sylvia never was, nor is he currently one of our best players.

Me too! The stickers are not only nice and simplistic, but they also look like they are much better quality (thicker paper, deeper colours).

Now people can stop going on and on about how we're a rabble being kept alive due only to the AFL's money. The AFL is just spinning the money distribution the way they want to. I hope our new CEO highlights these figures ASAP and ensures that ignorant supporters are not fooled into believing that Melbourne is one of the only club that gets AFL money. Every single club in the competition is being kept alive by the AFL.

I'd rather Frawley at CHB and Dunn at CHF. Seeing Dutchy line up at CHB, is just going back instead of moving forward. Miller at CHB is an option, but he most definitely should not go anywhere near Buddy. I also don't mind the suggestion of Dunn on Franklin.

Fantastic news. And may all the nay-sayers go and stick their damn criticism where the sun don't shine. GO DEES!

It's as if I've died and gone to hell

We need help from former players who can drive the elusive corporate support essential to the bottomline. How is writing negative articles about Melbourne going to do that Gary? If you think we're in trouble, come in and help, instead of publicly sinking the boot in. Yes he is a journalist, but I thought he was a Melbourne man first. And where were you last night when PG was staring you in the face? Why didn't you speak up then?

Lightweight interview with nothing important said. The board chose a CEO tonight, and the club will announce it before Round 1. Apart from that, it was the same old shite. How 4 people could come up with such a boring interview, is beyond me. Bailey is next!

I think it's more the nature of the injury than the importance of the player. Bruce is ready to play Round 1, because his injury was a straight-forward one. He is able to put weight on the knee, therefore he is ready to play. Rivers' injury, as we know, is a week by week proposition. One extra week could make a huge difference, especially when he hasn't played for so long. The huge leap in pace between VFL and AFL could flare up his groin injury, and that really is the last thing we want. I rather he has a couple more VFL games under his belt, where he pulls up 110% the next day, before we throw him into the next level. His injury, if it returns, will probably sideline him for a whole season again (ie Moloney). Not sure whether this is true for Bartram as well.

Exactly why a curfew is a splendid idea. The longer you are out, the more alcohol you consume, the bigger [censored] you become.

I'm pumped! BRING IT ON :D

Any money is good money!

That's what he used to say, wasn't it? And yes, a marathon is a race, but a race is usually quick, in a marathon you have to pace yourself. Ugh, you know what I mean!

I rather he miss Round 1, than miss Round 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and... well you get the point. You do not take risks with your most important players. If the doctors want to take it slow, than slow we should take it. We've seen too many players return from OP only to break down again. As Neale Daniher always used to say, the season is not a race, it's a marathon.

I would say that neither are likely to get much game time, even if they do get elevated, however I think Valenti could probably cover holes left from injury better than Aussie. Even though Valenti is a class below most AFL midfielders, he can still find the footy at senior level, so he could still make a solid contribution if selected to play. Aussie is far too raw, and doesn't have the experience of playing against AFL listed-players like Valenti has.

What's $5000 for a player who earns 6 figures a year? He deserves his punishment, as did Brock, as did Carroll. I don't care how unhappy the players are with the curfew, if it keeps them away from sleazy night-spots and away from trouble, it can only be a good thing. Besides, as it was player-imposed, the players really don't have much to complain about. We all have certain rules and guidelines we have to follow at work. These guys are made big money and they need to keep their bodies and their minds fit. They are lucky the club didn't ban alcohol either. I'd happily stick to a 1am curfew for a 6-figure annual salary!

I'm interested to see who will be the back-up ruckman, who will play in Rivers' absence (almost certain he won't be rushed back into the side), and whether Yze will get a game. Finally it's here... can't wait till Sunday!!!

Fantastic news about Rivers and Bartram. We desperately need these two to have injury-free seasons (well, careers actually). I have huge hopes for Dunn. He is my adopted player for 2008, especially if he is given a permanent role in the midfield.

Some ideas which could lure younger supporters to buy a membership: 1- a free Melbourne ring-tone (you can claim online by entering your membership barcode) 2- a red and blue USB or MP3 player. You can get these very cheap if you buy in bulk 3- an AM/FM radio we can take to the footy. I actually think it would be great if we got given a choice, which we could select when refilling our renewal/application forms. That way everyone gets what they want, and the club doesn't spend money on crap that nobody likes. For example, this year we should have been given a choice between a cap, a scarf or a tie.

As much as I loath the scum at Carlton, they are not he first team to tank. They have probably done it more than any other club, but they are not alone. Tanking is hard to prove, and sanctioning Carlton is going to open up a huge can of worms. How can you prove we weren't trying to lose? what about Richmond? The AFL need to remove the source of temptation. What's done is done, even if it is incredibly unfair.

I don't think I'm accepting mediocrity. In fact, I've been quite clearly venting my spleen about the club's problems in this thread, and on many others. I hate that we're crap, believe me, there is no pleasure in feeling like your pity is required as much as your support. We are not in a good position right now, there is absolutely no two ways about it. We're not winning and we're not making money, so basically we're failing our two main purposes. But what good does it do to stick the boot in? It's like we're spitting on the club when it's down in the dumps, instead of rallying around and saying "this year, I need to help our more than ever". And yes, it does seem like that saying is thrown around every year, but until we can get a consistent membership number, we can't really move anywhere. We go into a season without a clue as to where we'll stand financially at the end of the year, because who knows what fickle Melbourne fans will do if we're 0-5 on the ladder. See, it's a vicious cycle. We have poor memberships and attendances. As a result, sponsors don't come on board which is probably where the big money is. So we have no money, which means we don't have the extra cash to throw around our marketing, membership and most importantly our footy departments. And so we suffer, year after year, as the cycle of poverty continues. The thing is, big sponsors won't come on board unless we have the memberships and the attendances, that will never change. That means that the cycle will only be broken if supporters consistently put into the club, even if there is no immediate reward. If you don't have a solid foundation of followers, you have nothing. Players come and go, as do administrators and CEOs, but loyalty is forever. They weren't exactly breaking down the doors in a mad rush when we were winning and playing finals either. Nothing and no-one is 100% successful all of the time, but we haven't exactly been collecting wooden spoons in the last few years either. How appropriate that as soon as we have one down year, after 3 fairy good years (acceptance of mediocrity, yes I know), we struggle to get 20,000 members to sign up before Round 1.