The Reverend

Here's another reason to be positive. How many teams have someone who generates this much excitement? http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/tabid/8667/contentid/491869/default.aspx

Jake Neade, I hear. I'm not there any more but still keep in touch.

You had me up to, "I rate him in the same class as Tom Scully." I also think it's important that we take a stand and refuse to draft or recruit kids with stupid names.

I had some experience with this kid at St Pat's in Ballarat. Not just a good footballer but a genuinely good kid with the right attitude. We need more of him

Tom McDonald - another reason for optimism. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/7415/newsid/148172/default.aspx Just goes to show that we don't always get our drafting wrong. Sometimes we get it right. It would also appear that young Tom has thrived under the coaching of Neeld and Co. Here's a young man making the most of his opportunities and contributing to our future success. Go Dees!

Some honest assessment of where we're at along with some real reasons to be optimistic. I think the selection of players who speak says a lot about the shape of the team to come.

Bless you, young man. All is well in the world.

I get what you're saying but unless we have dreams we have no goals. Don't underestimate the power of positive thinking. As a teacher I know that if I tell kids it will take them all year to understand a concept, that's how long it will take. If I provide them with the right motivation and incentives they have something to focus on and we can actually achieve things much more quickly. Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. Thomas Jefferson

Reality sucks. Dream big.

C'mon Old Dee, We will do better than that and sooner. We will play finals in 2014. We will play in consecutive finals for at least seven years after that and will win two premierships in that time. How do I know? I've seen the light and its name is Neeld/Clark/Jones/Grimes/Howe/Viney/Trengove/McDonald/Watts/Frawley/Blease. My support has and always will be unconditional. It's just not possible to stop supporting. No way, no how, never. Go Dees!

Is that all? Praise the Lord and give thanks for new opportunities. Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.

What's "a prepostion"?

Good work fellas. I can't see any clouds on the horizon. All blue sky from here on in. 2013 can't come quick enough. It's the eye of the tiger, Demon it's the thrill of the fight Risin' up to the challenge of our rivals And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night And he's watchin' us all with the eye of the tiger Demon. Risin' up, straight to the top Had the guts, got the glory Went the distance now I'm not gonna stop Just a man team and his its will to survive.

Positivity is it's own reward. Only the good go to heaven and to be good you have to be positive. Makes sense, yes. We're all going to heaven. Not too sure about Tonatopia though. Blessed are the long suffering Demon supporters for they shall inherit the cup.

I thought we were being optimistic. Now I can see that that dying and going to heaven requires some optimism but talk of suicide is definitely not on.

Yeah I thought that was what you were getting at. I agree. The signs are more encouraging than anything I've seen in the last who knows how many years. This is why I'm optimistic. Neeld and Co. are like a good dose of laxatives. We need to have a serious purge and keep only those who are willing to put success ahead of their own interests.

20 reasons for optimism! 2012 Melbourne best and fairest - total votes 1 - Nathan Jones (368) 2 - Jack Grimes (348) 3 - Tom McDonald (314) 4 - Jordie McKenzie (312) 5 - Jared Rivers (310) 6 - Colin Garland (297) 7 - Jeremy Howe (293) 8 - Jack Trengove (275) 9 - James Frawley (266) 10 - Lynden Dunn (257) 11 - Rohan Bail (238) 12 - Colin Sylvia (233) 13 - Joel Macdonald (228) 14 - James Magner (219) 15 - James Sellar (197) 16 - Jack Watts (195) 17 - Mitch Clark (182) 18 - Dan Nicholson (166) 19 - Mark Jamar (157) 20 - Sam Blease (157)

I've got no idea what you're saying here. Maybe it's early in the day and the brain's not switched on yet but what's your point?

[ I think it's worse than that. He knows nothing about anything. For God's sake pantsman, what's your agenda and where do you get these ridiculous assertions from? A coach should just let players play the way they want should he? What a lovely idea. Just how would that lead to an improvement in TEAM performance? It just came to me! You're actually Brent Moloney aren't you. Or maybe it's Mrs Moloney annoyed at the way her little boy's been so unfairly treated.

Another reason to be optimistic. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/7415/newsid/147291/default.aspx Bring on 2013 - Go Dees!

I agree with everything you say but what is the "issue" you suggest is staring us in the face?

Is that you saying that Stuie? Hmmm. Seem to recall some pretty critical stuff from you in recent times. Oh but then you were attacking the coach and that's different isn't it?

Some most uncommon common sense PRB. These are exactly the reasons why MFC will attract high quality personnel. Perhaps not the elite 'stars' so many seem to want, but certainly players with a sound work ethic who want to be the best they can be and who want to be part of an exciting ride to the top. Geez, I'd be excited by that. Go Dees! Go Neeld!

I agree that it requires emotional intelligence but how do you know Neeld doesn't have this? Could it be that we only hear what we are told and that there could be lots of stuff going on within the club and, more particularly, the playing group, that we simply have no idea about and that some of these decisions were beyond Neeld's control. I'm not sure why you think he has poor skills in this area or why you think he is fracturing the club. Why can't you give the guy some time to see if he really is as hopeless as you seem to think? You may be left with egg on your face - and let's not forget that you have to break an egg to get to the yolk.

Ah, you're back. Nothing's changed I see. Still trotting out hypothetical nonsense. Of course Matthews would have been alongside Jurrah to stop him getting involved in the brawl. Matthews would have solved Wona's family issues. Matthews would have given Petterd a heart. Matthews would have magically prevented Jamar's injuries. Matthews would have pandered to Moloney's wishes and made him captain. What's wrong with Tapscott and Rivers? They've both had good years. Come on, get real.