Undeeterred

How embarrassing.

Interesting to look at who's getting most of the footy to date: N Jones Viney Pedersen M Jones Clisby Byrnes Trengove Grimes Kent Terlich Says something about Howe, Dunn, Sylvia and Watts, who are supposed to be leaders!

We really shouldn't have so obviously tanked to get our priority pick at the end of this year... Playing like this, people will definitely get suspicious.

Oh dear.

Sorry, but you seem to be saying in your first two posts that Watts, Frawley, Garland, Grimes, Sylvia and Jones should go because they played in the Geelong game. That's probably the most mental thing you've said on this forum.

And I can name 7 of that bunch who won't, or shouldn't be here next year, too.

Just breaking down the situation, in terms and language I was asked to use, for people too thick to get it.

In 'business' terms, the 'regulator' forces MFC to spend a particular amount each year 'renting' its 'assets'. If MFC doesn't pay rent on one asset, it must spend on another. If you can realistically show us how we could go to the 'market' and 'procure' an asset for the price for which we are renting Mitch Clark, let's have it. Business enough for you?

BB - you never answered my question, even though I answered all of yours. If you get rid of Mitch Clark, as you suggest, where does his $800k go? I suppose we could give it to Sylvia, or pay Daisy Thomas $1.5 mil to come over, for example, but given we struggle to make the minimum TPP anyway, I'd probably just take the punt that Clark has a few years left in him, until proven otherwise. Now, I am on record as saying I don't think he'll play again. But what list change can you suggest, which uses his salary and is realistic, that improves us? Once you sack him, you can never get him back. Plus, what message does that send others coming along - as soon as you get injured, we'll cut you loose.

Not at all. I addressed your 'having to pay someone' comment in my response to old dee, and then responded to the rest of your misguided ideas separately. Happy to be told I'm missing something though.

Firstly, the business we are running is part of a competition whose rules say that a certain amount of money MUST be spent. You're not taking account of the environment the football club is in, it is completely different to what you would call 'business' and I'm not advocating paying unnecessary wages if you are running, say, a small business. That's not comparing apples with apples. Secondly, and I reiterate, who else would you be paying - who is the 'someone who can'? The truck load of free agents we had last season just begging to come to Melbourne? Get real!

I completely agree - we should be able to pay about 50% of the cap, rather than front loading anyone, but that's the system as it stands.

This is a complete irrelevancy. It is salary cap money, which we have to pay someone. Injuries happen. Who the frig else would you suggest we pay his wage too??

Think I've hit a watershed moment in my life and actually agreed with a stuie post. Scary.

Well, it is a small picture, short term memory kind of place.

I think he is the same boat as the rest of our top end midfielders. He needs a stable and environment and some help. Amazing what will happen once those two things are in place.

Sure. Trengove is 21 years of age and is playing in the biggest f-up of a midfield in living memory. Nevertheless, he is consistently in the top half dozen ballgetters. He has played for 5? coaches in 70 games, each of them probably telling him something completely different. He followed the last one's stupid defensive game plan so well that his freewheeling style has been beaten out of him. That same coach turned up one day and tells him that, of the 30 odd blokes older than him on the list, not a single one of them is capable of leading a club better than him. Then, he practically busted his foot in the last preseason. I think he is carrying a huge burden, doing his best to show his teammates direction, and is playing ok. He'll be fine.

Clowns.

Had 20 and 12 tackles tonight mate. As usual, your radar is sadly off.

I'm not sure a priority pick is going to help, other than in the long term. We need big bodied mids to give our poor kids a bit of time to develop in the VFL. Look at teams like Collingwood, they have 21 year olds who have only just broken into the team. Our 21 year olds have been flogged 35 out of 38 games by the time they are that old. Toumpas, Kent et al shouldn't be in the seniors, they should be in the magoos. But then we'd have to take Jordie and Nicho, and no thanks to that.

They gave him a few games and realised he was [censored], just like we always knew.

Go with 'you can't polish a turd' from now on.

The fact is, whether due to a later complication or not, his foot isn't right, there is no indication it is getting better and the club appears to have no idea when it might be.

I don't think it is the uncertainty - I think it is the complete lack of progress in over 12 months from his original injury. He's completely unsighted.

Oh, and since we lured him here a year ago, and the message it would send to prospective free agents or recruits who might actually now be quite keen to come to Melbourne and play under Paul Roos is simply too horrifying to contemplate.