Ouch!

Its probably too early to make the call... as you say if he finishes the season well, and from that I mean form AND physically well. I wouldn't have a problem signing him for an additional year... Long way to go before considering it though

I agree with these guys that granting a PP is useless as it just gives the club another player that can be targetted by stronger clubs. 10% of salary cap works ok to start with.... but surely it causes damage as you try and reduce it again! unless you get 110% reducing by say 2% each year thereafter... so it gives you an initial boost, but with a reduced impact gradually over time. Hmmm I actually prefer this idea, but it would have to be funded by the AFL and participating clubs would be required to spend the full amount of the cap... I know a lot of people don't like the thought of handouts, but its not a level playing field now with the Qld and NSW teams... you are kidding yourself if you think it is.

TBH I don't know how you can argue with his article at all.

Whilst I don't disagree... it seems odd that an ultimatum is issued so quickly after Peter Jackson comes on board. Also goes against what he mentioned about taking his time to assess whats going on in the football dept.

I agree that the AFL needs us to be competitive, but what exactly can they OR their man do? They cannot give us more money to offer these guys, they can't change the minds of the players or the other clubs in expressing interest in them... Only thing is to sell a vision to convince these players to stay...

Don't think people have commented on this yet but have people looked at the coaches room today? (Apologies if it has been mentioned) Neeld addresses the 3-5 year issue, and said that this has been misconstrued in the media, his reference to 3-5 years is a measurement of how long it takes individual players to feel comfortable, and to play solid consistent football, not the club as a whole as a result of rebuilding. Points to Garland who has had this long and is now showing consistency expected. States that he expects Howe and others to show that consistency in the next year or so... It makes sense, but it's been a little poorly communicated.... Even Mitch Clark seemed to think it was Neeld referring to the club as a whole. ... that said we have a lot of players who haven't played a lot of football.

Thought his second half was ok today. He was quiet in the first half. Cameron Ling watched him on the coverage today closely at one point and said that it looked like his role today was to draw his player away from the other forwards, and that he was doing a huge amount of running, and that it was a selfless role he was playing.. but he also commented as to whether that is the best role for Trengove, as the captain of your club to play.. Don't think he was our worst by any stretch, but it's not the role that a lot of supporters want to see from their captain I guess.

Is it just me of does Dawes look a bit like the late great Sean Wight? Better kick for goal tho!

... and dropped to the VFL to find form!!!

I know what you are saying.... except that you are torn because you don't WANT to. I feel similarly, I have to detach myself from the MFC for sanity's sake, but FFS I want to be able to talk, live and breath the MFC through the season, but at the moment it hurts too much!

I might be wrong but didn't Peter Jackson say that there were no less than 4 lines of reporting all coming back to the CEO from the football dept, and that the CEO shouldn't be so close to football operations. That suggests more a deficiency with CS structures than Neil Craig. Schwab backed off after the Geelong massacre but perhaps it wasn't restructured enough.

Its not just your young player careers and lack of development, we can't afford to lose Sylvia, Watts, Frawley to other clubs, this forum constantly debates about these players and their worth, but we need these players to stay at our club in 2014. A new coaching direction is probably the only way this can be realised IF they aren't playing for Neeld. Rivers comments about the MFC before the friday match hinted as much.

I live interstate, so don't get to a lot of games, but I am just gutted at the moment with where the club is. The thing I hate the most is that I don't even get heckled or ribbed by friends who support other clubs, it's pity. Have to admit up until this week I felt that posters such as yourself Robbie have been overly negative and critical, but I can't even argue against yours and the views of others (WYL etc...) It's your passion for the club and for a while I thought it would be too destablising to change the coach with everything this club has gone through... but we have to act or we face losing more players, more supporters, more corporate sponsors. I don't dislike Neeld, I don't even think we put the wrong coach in at the time... I think he came in with some hard truths and got some people off side as a result, I listen to his press conferences and I understand the message he is trying to convey. I just think that this club has been a slow motion train wreck that would have killed off any coach given the last 18 months we have endured (not to mention the years prior...) Bailey killed off the senior players too early in a youth driven rebuild, Neeld alienated several more leaving us with a badly unbalanced squad of players, and whilst I understand him trying to bring experience and leadership from other clubs in to help... fact is each club has it's own culture and I don't think that can come as easily as Neeld expected. We need an experienced coach, don't really care who (Matthews, Roos, Eade, Worsfold, WIlliams ... don't care if it's Sheedy.) we need Jackson to do his job, and possibly as part of that try and negotiate with the AFL to defer our 'Tanking' fine whilst we pay out those that need to leave. We need to see what comes at a board level at the end of the year. I am a member, as is my 10yr old son, and soon I'll sign up my 3yr old son... That's as much as I can do to support the club at the moment. I watch as many games as I can (for as long as I can )

Rate Cooney highly, but I couldn't seriously see us as an alternative spot for him if he left the dogs. Why can we pay him so much more than the dogs? But also, if he wants to move on (and it doesn't sound like he does) surely he would go somewhere that he was a chance at a flag. Other thing is that currently Cooney has a competent midfield around him at the dogs... the expectation at the Dees for him to be the number 1 midfielder would not be that appealing I wouldn't have thought. If things broken down... i would expect to see him get heavily courted by the crows. They have cash from Tippett leaving, he is an Adelaide boy, and he could fit in nicely with the other mids they have.

Thomas is 25 years old, hardly pensioning age. After seeing how he played on the weekend (albeit off half back) but the effort he puts in when he doesn't have the ball in hand is huge. He has a media profile and yes with that comes a price tag, but it would be worth it. I find it odd that you want younger players than Thomas, or older ones.... The age profile for Thomas is exactly the sort of thing that the MFC needs. Players in their prime or coming into it, with 100 or so games under their belt. Players that can contribute to the club for 4-5 years... BTW My understanding of Foley isn't that he isn't able to get a run, but that he has been injured and only getting some games under his belt in the VFL.

Its a good point, however I suspect that there are lingering issues from the tanking affair, and with the AFL recommending Peter Jackson as the CEO and doing a review of the footy operations etc... I suspect McLardy is reluctant to take on AD publicly at the moment. Mind you, we haven't heard anything significant from the AFL since the 7:30 report went to air and the subsequent meeting MFC and the AFL where Bates was stood down. Perhaps someone reminded the AFL of everything that *was* disclosed as well as what wasn't....

Why would Garry believe Paul Roos over Craig Kelly though... Kelly manages both, if Garry said to Craig Kelly 'Roosy told me Ross is available is that true?', and Kelly said 'Nah mate, I have the contract with Ross and the Saints before me... its not going to happen.' The saints and Kelly both though it was locked away... why would Garry not believe his own manager and close friend?

Problem with the whole Ross Lyon situation was that both Garry and Ross were managed by Craig Kelly. Given that Kelly was blindsided by Ross Lyon (and subsequently parted ways after Ross went to Freo) it stands to reason that Garry would have sounded out Craig Kelly, was told that is nothing to the rumours that he was leaving the saints, because Craig literally knew nothing. If Garry had gone behind his own managers back he would have jeoparised his own relationship with CK. I don't think it is amateurish at all... Ross Lyon all but lied to his own manager, and his own football club. But Garry should have known better apparently? BTW I am not a fan of what Garry has done recently to the club!!

Not that it will appease anyone, but there is an article on the MFC site disputing the recovery session claims made by Dermott on SEN the other night http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-04-17/recovery-claims-untrue-trengove MFC official claimed that no Storm players were present @ the time, Trengove said he was @ the session and it was a serious session. Make of it what you will, but I get the feeling that Dermotts information provided by the Storm boys would have been more a reference to out of session recovery, and doing whatever it takes... rather than just doing the required stuff... and possibly a reference to the fact that our boys were not hurting enough after the loss. But I can't see this making any difference to peoples views... they either think it's a joke to even think on it... or the clubs a joke.

My comments up until that last one were in the first half of this game. We were not being smashed by the eagles. Sure they are smashing us in the third, but the first half was a good effort by our players (not that I would expect that you would agree!) just get fed up with people constantly slagging off the team, and yet somehow are deluded in thinking that you might be capable of positive thinking yet every bloody post you make is slagging off our players.

FFS!! I was referring to your comment about you being positive when we are leading.... yet at no point in this game have you said anything possive at all. I didn't refer to Priddis at all. Check the rest of your comments in this game thread which one would you suggest is a positive one?

heard the same thing....

17 possessions, was not much of a shutdown, still second highest possession winner in the ground. Didnt see anything from you when we were actually leading... just slagging our guys.

Hmmm similarly looks like Jones is killing them,... Ever thought of having a positive thought

Not able to watch the game, could this be because they are actually having to chase us? or is our pressure when not in possession down still?