Jaded No More

Cheers for the info. Why don't they just pull the plug on him and let him have the rest of the season off? I'm not liking this 1-2 week injury of his. It must be one hell of a stubborn hamstring!

Memberships are not about value for money (which often they actually are), their value lies in the fact that they help our club to compete with the rich, successful clubs... so that we don't have to have team meetings in a tin shed (which we currently do). I drive past Junction Oval nearly everyday on my way to uni, and that place is falling apart. It would be a huge lift for the club to move to some decent facilities, which will be happening shortly, and then of course there is the issue of how much we can afford to pay our staff and football department. We can't afford to send our players to ice rehabilitation in L.A., hell we can't afford those fancy ice- helmets either, but we need to be able to compete on the most basic level, by having as many trainers, development staff, equipment and so on.

Now now children. As amusing as I find this argument, and god knows I find it VERY amusing, lets just end it by saying that not everyone here knows what they are talking about, but everyone is still allowed to talk. This entire thread has turned into a circus, it started out reasonably well, but now we're trading kids to get better kids and Ferguson is a youngster. My head hurts just trying to make sense of it all. So let's move on. Plenty other threads to bicker in.

Yep, read it this morning. As I said all along, he had nothing to do with the story. But hey, in the future, we shouldn't let facts get in our way of pointing the finger at our own players! We should defend them to the death when they stuff up on the field, but if they go out and have a beer at a strip joint, we should hang them.

No, not on TV. I was at the game and saw the scuffle and I don't remember thinking "gees, he'll get done for that". There was very little in the whole thing, just Carroll getting bored and wanting to start a punch-up for fun (a weekly event which has most FF's sucked in). He'll probably get off Ash... in the tribunal we trust! <_<

Ha... Ha... Ha Look at that list, what a joke! Neita has a hamstring injury now as well, does he? Yze, Bartram and 122 (that's Rivers for those who haven't figured it out) are done for this season. I've had enough of 2007. Send everyone into surgery, wrap them in cotton wool, and start again in October. And without knowing anything about physiology or sports science, I dare suggest that we need to look at the fact that in Bodan's first season at the club, we've had more injuries than I can remember. Probably not his fault, but we can't rule it out. Especially given we'll review the entire football department in the next few months.

Excellent news about Moloney! Thanks pigeon :D

6- Junior 5- Sylvia 4- Neita (bravery points!) 3- Godfrey 2- Bate 1- Would it be lame if I gave Newton a vote? (otherwise Davey)

My comment was clearly tongue in cheek. However, as far as I'm concerned, losing from now on is as much a positive as winning. If we win, great, if we lose, we're one game closer to getting a good draft pick. I don't want us to do what Carlton is doing, and tank in the most obvious of ways, but I won't be happy if we waste the rest of the season playing ordinary senior players, playing unfit players, and not playing the kids in order to win a few extra games. We need to use this season to our advantage, and a huge advantage would be to finish bottom 3 and gain some good draft picks. Nothing would be worse than finishing 10th. Whether you agree with it or not, the AFL rewards clubs who have bad seasons. We should cash in on that.

Hmmm, I'm still not sure exactly what he's done to deserve the suspension. This has 'tank' written all over it. They want our draft picks and I'll be damned if I let those scum have it. Come on Melbourne, get beaten (you've been so good at it all year)!

Bell, as much as I've been obsessed with getting him into the midfield in the past, is very much needed in the backline. Our need in defence is greater right now. Bartram will play a tagging role, so he'll find himself all over I would suggest. At least for the next few years. Am keen to look at Warnock for the rest of the season. The club obviously saw something in him to promote him, and he wasn't too bad earlier in the season but got dropped. He needs to play out the year.

Have they got odds regarding what Melbourne supporters will do if the club appoints Connolly as head coach? You know.... - Not renew membership $2.50 - Relocate to Mt. Buller $1.50 - Burn down Junction Oval $1.20

Can we have some confirmation please? If they did play and didn't kick a goal between them I'd be very very worried.

They won by just a point with that team? What happened to Dunn, Moloney and Miller?

Agreed with the sentiments regarding Carroll not being a FB. He does his best each week, but people are completely underestimating the value of Rivers. He holds a fragile backline together, and without him we are lost down back. Belly has been good this year, but there is only so much he can do given his size. This is precisely why I was mighty [censored] off that they dropped Frawley this week. Not only that, he isn't even playing this weekend because Sandy have a bye. Nothing has been gained here. He must play on Sunday and until the end of the year. He must be given jobs, every game and told to stick tough and do his best. We need to find a FB and soon. Miller might be worth a try, and there is Garland who is incredibly raw as a potential CHB. A backline of Rivers, Bell, Carroll, Petterd, Bartram and Frawley looks the goods for the future.

No idea, and there is no mention of that. Not sure Robbo's knee requires surgery. My guess would be Wheatley, Yze and maybe Neita if they decide to postpone his 300th till next season. Or maybe they'll operate on Bruce's feet to get him kicking straight again

Interesting article in the HS this morning, which mentions the following: - Neita, TJ, Green and Bell likely to miss this week through injury (Bell- 4 weeks with the hamstring, Green and Neita with knee) - Bartram's season is over - The club is contemplating sending 2-3 other players to have season-ending surgeries - Rivers could be back next week (unlikely?) Riley is clearly keen to play some kids and is looking to "make sure no one goes into their shell or plays for themselves". I for one am really looking forward to see how the next 9 weeks unfold. We'll be preparing for next season, getting all our injured players fit and ready to take part in a big pre-season, looking at players who are at a risk of being traded/delisted, and of course introducing what's left of our untried kids. Hopefully at the end of this process we'll have a clear idea of who stays and who goes, and that might very well apply to Riley too. If he does a good job, he's every chance to stay on and coach us full time next year. I just hope he is actually as ruthless as they made him sound in the article, because there is no doubt we need a major shake-up. Bring on 2008! You can read the rest of the article HERE

It's a long shot, but the chances of winning a premiership increase dramatically when you actually take the field, do you agree?

It was a knee jerk reaction was it? Daniher has been at Melbourne for 10 years. The longest serving coach in the history of our great game to not win a flag. That's 149 years of history that he's broken. Sacking him in 1999 would have been a knee-jerk reaction. When Gardner made the comments about waiting to review the coaching position at the end of the year, he could not have predicted the position we'd be in mid-season. I'm sure if someone asked him "what would you do if we win just 2 games and lose to Richmond at the half way mark of the season?", he would have said "we'd have to re-evaluate the situation". Which is exactly what he did. He did not sack the coach, he did not ask for Daniher's resignation. The board implemented a review which Daniher decided not to take part in. To sit on his hands and do nothing, would have been terribly irresponsible of our president. He did not go back on his word, he did not force Daniher to leave mid-season. The review was pushed forward, and had Daniher agreed to participate, he would have coached us until Round 22, then the board would have looked at his performance further. IMO the end result would have been the same though, because after 10 years, we are still without a premiership. Not sure what Melbourne supporters you speak to, but I've met plenty who are happy that we're going to have a new coach and some new direction at the club. You talk about perspective, and yet your comments are extreme. Whether you like it or not, Daniher would have been out of a job at the end of the season given the way we have performed this year. That it happened earlier only helps the club in finding the best possible replacement. Ugh, I'm going to take my pain-killers and go to bed. I've had enough of the endless whinging from our supporters. You're damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

Yep, we finally have someone in charge who has the balls to make the tough calls, and now people are bitching and crying about it. A few weeks ago nearly everyone was in favour of finding a new coach at the end of the season. Now they got their wish, and yet they still find reasons to be unhappy. When a coach leaves a club after 10 years, it's never going to be a big sweet farewell. Feelings are bound to get hurt, and people are bound to be upset. What has transpired over the last week has been handled with the utmost dignity and transparency, in order to avoid an ugly media circus. It was short and swift instead of nasty. Daniher chose to not coach out the season, he was not forced into anything. I really don't understand how anyone who wanted him gone, can be unhappy with this situation? Not only is he not the coach of the MFC anymore, we now also have an extra 9 weeks to find a replacement. This is probably the best outcome given the circumstances. Neita and the rest of the players will get over it.

He's emotional at the moment and he should have cooled his head before fronting the media. Neita is a champion of the MFC and his aim would be to win a flag. As long as he thinks his body can withstand another season, he will carry on, and he will have the full support of the board, especially Gardner. Despite what a new coach might decide, I know for a fact that Gardner wants Neita to carry on as our captain next year and be part of our 150th year celebrations. For god's sake, the hysteria surrounding the entire week is completely over the top. Coaches come and go all the time. Daniher has had 10 years, has left in more than respectable circumstances which best served both him and the club. The players who have been under Daniher for 10 years are upset, but they'll get over it. Their aim should be to win a flag, and that hasn't changed and won't change no matter who the coach is. Neita is not weak hearted, he'll carry on because he deserves to win a premiership and he still can.

I was refering to Neita's comments.

This should have been done in private.

Ok firstly Ferguson is not a youngster. Do you actually know how old Ferguson is? And Bartram would fetch more than Bruce? What are you on about? I thought Bruce was Melbourne's best player Name one youngster who has shown a lot of potential who has been traded in the last few years? The only ones I can think of have left to go home (e.g.- Scott Thompson). Clubs don't trade their potential youngsters, they trade older more senior players who they don't think fit their plans. They normally strike deals with clubs who believe they are on the cusp of winning a flag, who are therefore willing to trade draft picks in order to gain the short-term services of players they think will complete their team (e.g.- Byron Pickett, Nick Davis). What could we possibly achieve by trading Clint Bartram? We'd get a second round pick at best, and have to invest time and money into his development in the same way we did with Bartram. The idea is that by trading older players, you get to bring in players who complement your current under 23's who can grow and develop together into a formidable side. If you don't understand that, then I seriously give up.

Yes, lets trade the youth, the players who could potentially win us a premiership in a few years time, just to save us the heartbreak of seeing some under-performing senior players running around at another club. We won't win premierships, we won't have any success, and in a few season we won't have a team to field either, but as long as everyone is happy Do you actually understand WHY they have better trade value.... I'll give you a hint, it's because they have more potential, more room for improvement and are more likely to help teams win games in the future. ARGH! *goes to bash head against a wall*