Demon Dynasty

I think it's a weird arrangement but it's better than not getting him.

Thought they could have held off the succession plan info till later in his tenure (publicly). Just let the good news of him being coach filter through to the fans and sell sell sell the new brand etc.

At least we now know the players have no excuses from here. We have our man and those who haven't been lifting their weight will have to ship up or they'll be moved on fairly smartly.

I have my fingers crossed for a much better result this time around because the last eight years seems to have been a total failure.

Do i detect a tiny weeny bit of optimism there Mr dee?

You can just taste it, cant you?

We are a sadistic bunch, and wouldn't it be fitting if he walks to the eagles.

Nothing but pain since '64 for us, and I can already feel the depression that could occur in the coming days...

One thing you can bet your payslip on, come March 2014, we will see improvement.. regardless of the Roos affect or not.

My Makers Mark? Yep, goin down real sweet ty

Robbo and Gerard on AFL360 have just said that WC should give PR a call just to make sure he ain't interested.

That way they can say they at least tried and spoke with him about the job.

Robbo said he still thinks PR will coach Dees but said imagine how dees supporters would feel if WC got him.

God I hope the presser is tomorrow and this doesn't drag out cause the longer it goes the more worried I get.

Better organise something to keep you occupied over the weekend, oh and make it a long weekend (Monday included!)

PJ knows, and is already thrilled, but is smart enough to know timing is everything. He will announce it when is is best for the club.

Sometime after the bluey. It will depend when contract is signed. The club is aiming for Friday, it will be up to Roos.

Imo he will announce it before that for exactly that reason, i'm thinking friday or saturday but that's only a guess

OTC monday would be like hell if he was going to announce it the next day anyway.

id be inclined to think Friday now

Word 'whispered' at Bluey, official announcement Friday at presser

of course someone ought to call Tammi, she'll know for sure

Bb's almost on the right track. A divorce to accompany the new position? Announcement Tuesday. Tammi & family in attendance.

He is an absolute class act as a person, a coach, a football mind.

the players would be far, far better for having had the time they have had with him,

If Roos is a done deal, then I hope Craig gets the Brisbane job. I too have a soft spot for the bloke and just can't see where he would fit in our club with an experienced senior coach at the helm (just being realistic).

Thanks Neil. The caretaker job of a struggling club really is the epitome of being on a hiding to nothing, and I think you did well under the circumstances.

What an amazing performance under the circumstances (not so much on the field i mean, more in terms of how he carried himself etc). Class act from a top bloke. Well said.

Stick around Neil. Good man.

We need great minds.

Let's hope so WY. Seems like he's been a great mentor for the young boys for the most part of this season under the biggest (public) blow torch this club's seen in it's history i would think.

Nathan Jones probably deserves an appreciation thread too, i could not respect the bloke any more, he should be our captain in 2014!

Has to be one of the best efforts i've seen from any MFC player given the circumstances. Class act. Tough hombre'. Can build a great team around this bloke. True professional. If only we could clone 2 or 3 more of the Jones boy's attitude, professionalism and never say die attitude on game day.

I would also like to add the Demon Army into the appreciation mix. Worst year in MFC's history and they stood tall under extreme fire. Well done to all involved!

Please please please I really need some good news right now.

Jaded your female tendencies are showing

We can rise quickly with some smart decisions recruiting very good midfielders. This is the only thing we are lacking!

Everyone knows we need a massive mid field boost. I wouldn't say the only thing though. We need a classy crumbing small forward/goal sneak with pace and good 'chase down' defensive capabilities (at times). We also need a super quick clever ball user off half back who can run the lines but most importantly, deliver the ball (more often than not), lace out to a hit up forward rather than just bombing it on top of the forward's heads most of the time as the bulk of our players tend to do now and have done for years (Davey the possible regular exception). One of the mid fielders also needs to be able to hit up leading forwards on a regular basis with classy delivery as well.

Some might argue this might include Toumpas (classy outsider through the mid), Blease/Kent off half back breaking the lines through the mid (although we've yet to see if Blease can finish off his good work running the lines etc. To this point he hasn't. I believe Kent will be a very accomplished player in this area in the next few years and also be more damaging on the scoreboard. May end up in the top 5 MFC players given a few more pre seasons IMO) and maybe Grimes off half back (looks promising but a long way off being a classy ball user/finisher on the run. Quite good at chipping it around accurately).

We also need mids who can shuffle/throw/flick and handball the ball out of packs/congestion with lightning/accurate reflexes. This is critical IF we are to start competing with the top 4 to 6 clubs with most of them throwing/shuffling the ball out and away from congestion with lightning precision. Many of these players with the top clubs would be great in a scrum situation with the Storm they are so well drilled at it (and disguising it to look like something that resembles a handball!).

Our ball movement in/around and out of congestion at this point is 1980's like at best. SLOOOOOOW, painful and very unlikely to win many games in today's lightning quick ball shuffling game. This painfully slow (outdated) ball movement allows our opponents to lock down on us with ease in many cases (not always....see Toumpas's ball use recently, we need much more of his slickness/class around the contest), causing plenty of turnovers and taking the ball and doing what we aren't able to do in congestion when they take it off us or get first use (see above).

Hopefully we can also unearth/recruit a mid fielder (this might be Viney and/or Toumpas) with great lateral movement as well so they can create time/space almost at will (a la Sam Mitchell/Gary Ablett style) and link up/bring other players into the game with classy quick ball movement as well as passing the ball (to our advantage on most occasions) into the forward 50 for our KPFs.

If we can fill in these gaps i have no doubt we'll compete with middle of the rung teams within 2 pre seasons under Roos and should be able to match teams in the 4 to 6 bracket on a regular basis with about 3 to 4 pre seasons of building.

Having a competitive mid field will also allow us to more effectively enforce the forward press, walls and zones etc. Garland and Frawley might finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief and start seeing a pay off to their many years of being under the pump in pretty much every match.

Having watched the post match presser from Sunday, i really hope we can find a role for Craigy. Took on one of the toughest jobs (interim coach) ever i would think after a horribilis year and a half under Neeld. Seems a little disappointed that he's unlikely to get a shot at it.

Comes across as a top bloke, solid thinker of the game and a pretty good people manager. Hope all goes well for him as all this unfolds. I'd personally take Craig over Eade (if these were the only genuine candidates for the role) all day every day.

It's already decided...My thinking is it will be after the B & F..that is the hurdle.

Paul Roos will have made up his mind..he met the players last week, was at the 'G with MFC Powerbrokers on Saturday night.

Cool.

Yes i know it's a done deal WY. Just having some fun. Hard to emphasise sarcasm online.

I suspect what we're hearing from Roos is a semi truth re Tami/kids. That is, he did go through the discussion process with them (obviously), but this was a week or more ago. Now it's just a matter of how and when the announcement is made.

Like any top coach with an ego, he wants it stroked a little and to put his enemies on notice that he's back!

Still needs to discuss with wife and kids whom are on holidays until Tuesday. Won't make a discussion until then..

He hasn't heard of Skype? Someone send him an i-pad pronto! Actually better make that 2...Qantas express to Tami!

Does anyone here know if we can pre install a Roos look alike avatar that just keeps repeating.... "Sorry but i'm not taking no for an answer!!??"

Yeah, I think our membership will be 40k+ next year with Roos. The numbers go up every year but 10k members is worth $2m+ with attendance at the gate incredibly dependent on who you play so I Won't go into that but selling boxes at the G has always been tough - I reckon that gets easier.

Sponsors take less work to get but the value will only be marginally more than without Roos.

I am doing some preliminary maths about the competitive advantage of this but it's hard to do without the data about attendances, sponsor money etc

Jackson would know those numbers however and his actions tell me that not only is this a good football decision - it is a fine commercial decision.

Exactly RP. The AFL know that helping us to pay overs to get Roos is a short term loss making venture that offers a medium to long term pay off. It's about limiting the amount they would have to fund us for over say 5 to 7 years if we don't snag the big sausage.

In any business, especially team oriented sport, its all about selling the sizzle and winning. But for us to even start selling the sizzle (eg Friday night matches Demons v Swans etc ) we need the big sausage.

If reports are correct that he met with certain members of the leadership group last week then I believe we have our sausage.

With the Roy boys being my first club as a toddler, I always had a soft spot for them as my 2nd team when growing up following the Demons. My favourite players were Murray, Roosy and Osborne. I would chant "Roos!", along with many other Demon supporters when he took possession regardless of the situation and something I can't recall happening with any other players from opposition clubs. For those of you who might be too young to have seen much of his playing days, this was the mark of respect and admiration this bloke carried throughout his career. One of the most consistent and fairest I've seen play the game.

Reality is this will be a bloody tough gig regardless of whether it's Roos or not so we'll all need to rally around and grit our teeth for a long haul out of the mess over the next 3 to 5 years. But we couldn't be in better hands, apart from say a Ross Lyon, Thompson or a Malthouse

I rarely get excited and I'm a pretty big sceptic in most cases but in this case, subect to an earthquake levelling the G, I believe PJ has our man.

I'm calling it now. Welcome to the Melbourne Demons.....ROOOOS!!!!!

First order of business: Tell Jack Watts he can't have players under his command that have a non-committal attitude, and as such he will be traded for the best midfielder available

Second order of business: Appoint Nathan Jones captain with Grimes and Trengove as his VCs.

Neither Grimes or Trengove should be Vice Captains at the moment.

Almost with you on that. If it's Roos, and I believe it is, it'll be a leadership group consisting of senior players with Jones and possibly Dawes at the helm. Possibly Sylvia and Grimes as VCs. Trengove needs some clear air to just focus on getting himself and his game right without any leadership weight on his sboulders.

did he say anything more?

Yep. He said he places a significant weight on what goes down on club blog sites and if he sees one more D'lander suggesting he's about to toss off he ain't signing!

Settle down fellas would ya!

(heads to liquor cabinet and grabs ye old JD No.7)

Little seemed very confident there will be no ASADA problem. This would suggest he may already know the outcome of the full report/findings from ASADA or that he is potentially already in receipt of key information here from someone in the know. I wonder if tonight's little AFL "negotiated" outcome played a role.

Didn't the Bongers also state that they were unsure as to exactly what was given to the players and to whom? If so then how can Little be so sure that it will have have no issues with ASADA from here?

Melbourne Demons..... Strewn with the cowpats from the devil's own satanic herd

.... Let the Madness Begin

I

Carlton are not very good, are they?

...and anyone who thought Mitch Robinson would be a good get, I hope you watched the game tonight. Lucky to be a 'C' grader, makes so many mistakes and dumb decisions I guess he would be right at home with us. A card carrying 'Dumb Footballer'.

I reckon Casboult would be vying for that title.

A few plays in that last last 5 minutes

Step 1- go to the liquor cabinet

Step 2 - have a real crack at it

Step 3 - repeat step 2

Sound advice RTG

I'll be doing that this evening. Time to crack my Maker's Mark. Hopefully while watching Essendrug get their arse kicked

I usually respect peoples opinion but you obviously did not watch the game or have absolutely no idea. He was easily our most effective and creative player today and to my recollection went backwards twice and only after looking for options forward of the ball. He is one of few players that disposes the ball flat and to where the player should be rather than where they are or behind them. He has been up and down this year but today he was excellent.

You need to watch the game again Big Red. Like many Demon supporters you're easily impressed.

When he worked hard and received the ball in the clear he looked good. When receiving the ball under any degree of pressure, but not in all cases, he panick handballed or quickly kicked to a player 20 to 30 meters behind selling our players (or the team with those kicks) into more trouble. His turnovers and selling players into trouble cost us a number of goals today. He also tends to hang onto the ball while making a decision far too long. Today's game is about super quick ball movement from one end to the other. The more time you give opponents to man up and set up the wall one kick behind play/forward press etc the harder it is for everyone.

He'll get there but some Demon supporters are easily swayed by a number of "in the clear" no pressure disposals a la "Watts". Yes he looks great here and i'm pleased but he won't have this sort of time and space against most of the better clubs on the occasions we witnessed today.

Very early days so no doubt he'll improve although there's no guarantee of anything like that at the MFC now.

I'd be more than happy for him to spend another season at Casey to improve his skills and work on his disposal/decision making skills under pressure/in the clinches with the odd game or 2 every 6 weeks or so in the seniors to try out his trade. Maybe longer than a few weeks if his performance is slowly improving and depending on who we're coming up against.

In any top 8 team a player like Toumpas would have to slowly work and fight his way into the seniors and would spend longer than usual at seconds level. Unfortunately at the MFC we'll let anyone in from day dot who shows any resemblence of being a good/average/solid player. I think Toumpas should and hopefully will be more than this and is an exciting prospect. But let's not rush things too soon. Give him time to build his tank/skills etc as per above.

What i'd like to know is, when will this club ever turn truly professional and start doing what most other teams are doing. There are many apsects to this but some very basic ones (excluding strategies, running patterns for forwards/ stoppage set ups etc) that i'd like to see are....

• Throwing the ball in/out and around congested stoppages and just outside the stoppages in order to move the ball quickly away from (initial spread) stoppages and gain 1st/2nd possessions and hence more control of the play/game than our opponents.
• Creeping over the mark slowly but surely everytime on the mark unless warned by the umpire.
• Crowding the opponent when shooting for goal in the pockets with 2 to 3 players in an around the mark and getting under 5 meters distance to put him off his kick
• Creeping over the mark slowly on the kick outs in order to close down space and pressure the kick in player if the opponent decides to play on
• Staying within closer striking distance of opponents when we lose possession so we can close down space more quickly more often and also stick tackles more often, thereby placing more pressure on the ball carrier more often causing more turnovers.
• 2nd and 3rd efforts around the contest once the first possession is given off with shepards and blocks
• Shepards from players who handball in order to protect the player they just handballed to
• Willingness to leave an opponent when the need arises to spoil down back
• Putting a small nimble/quick crumbing forward into our forward line who can read balls off the packs and position himself front and square
• Putting some quick outside runners with silky skills into the team that can run all day for 4 quarters and DON'T get easily injured, usually within the first half (Toumpas might be one of these in 2 to 3 seasons).
• Putting more support (numbers) into the mid field who are more than just making up numbers (Magner for this match and previous ones but we need 2 to 4 quality mids big time). Viney will be 1 of these given time.
• Bring a uncompromising BASTARD attitude to every single contest where every player is willing to committ and never give up till we re-gain possession for 4 whole quarters a la Jones (Viney once he's had more pre seasons).

I was holding onto some hope with this player, but I agree.....to quote a poster 'built like Tarzan, plays like Jack err, Jane.

There's no room for a straight ahead 'only' small forward now. No lateral movement when leading and too stagnent in general ground play. Not the greatest converter in front of goal either.

Nice build and trys hard but where do you play someone like this in today's game?

Jimmy Toumpas workrate is first class

Will be a star (if we get our player development right)

He might work hard but his decision making in general is woeful. Sells players into trouble far too often and his first option in most cases is the easy kick backwards to a guy in space 20 to 30 meters behind play placing us deeper into defence and losing yardage. Not alone by a long shot at the MFC but is a good season or 2 away from competing at AFL level at this point.

Too many clangers and poor option choices that costs us.

Agree that he could be a star IF.........

Anyone saying we should keep players back in the Casey side just to qualify them for the VFL finals have rocks in there head. The selectors are trying to pick the best side to win a game for the MFC. As much as I like to see Casey do well who cares who qualifies for finals.

Its like when local teams stack their twos late in the season to try and win a flag. No one cares who wins the reserves premiership its all about the seniors. Whats the point of winning a twos flag when your ones are [censored]????

If that were truly the case then Magner would have been in for Pedo.

The point is the club SHOULD at least show an interest in assisting Casey as it is performing well and gives some of our fringe players (sorry, most players at the MFC are fringe players ), a chance to play finals football at the next level down against teams that are probably (in some cases) somewhat equal to or in rare cases maybe better than our seniors team because as you said our AFL team is already [censored] / season's done & season over (months ago).