rjay

mmm....McLardy told The Age: ''It is just rubbish that Mark has lost the players or that there is any manner of unrest. Every player I've spoken to - and I've spoken to plenty of them - has no thought of that.'' and I'm sure all the players have complete trust in you Don after the senior players were shafted last year.

He makes decisions and in your workplace analogy the wrong decisions can send the place broke and everyone ends up out on the street unemployed. At its best many workplaces under perform because of poor management, staff morale is low etc. I'm happy for you that you have never had to work in such an environment.

The big question wasn't answered, what is wrong at the club? We have been derailed from the 2011 season, Bailey couldn't stop it, Viney couldn't and Neeld is not at the moment. Is it all the players doing, yes their effort has been poor but they didn't recruit themselves, list manage themselves for a start. Something is rotten at the Demons and it's not just the players, nor is it 3 coaches in the last year. It is part of the problem but not the whole problem. As my Tiger mate said who just watched the interview with me, "Spin Doctor that bloke", I shure hope you don't believe all that rot you were speaking tonight Don, if you do we are in for another 40+ years of pain. The same people are in senior positions that were there at the start of the re build and now we start again, come on mate. You surely can't trust them with another one.

That's his opinion.

But the people behind the scenes who appointed those people and caused friction are still there.

I hope he is says the people responsible for the stuffed up rebuild will be moved on.

No he didn't, they delivered themselves and got some good exposure for saving the club after a failed sponsorship that was always dubious. Geelong, Collingwood and Hawthorn have all been led by strong, up front presidents.

I think it is inevitable and should have been handled with Bailey after the Geelong game and yes lets get it done sooner so we can get on with this season without any more distractions.

It was swept under the carpet at the AGM and needs to be addressed. A lot like to call players gutless so how about this from the President and CEO get some spine and address the issues that are obviously still at the club. What happened in 2011 is carried through to this season. I was so positive about the future after 2010, we should be sitting with Adelaide and Essendon, one year ahead of the Tiges but look where we are.

No, a clear course of action needs to be spelled out in detail with time frames. If last year was not enough then the Energy Watch and sponsorship fiasco should have been.

A good suggestion re Buckley but I think we really need the best, someone with the runs on the board and that is Cook.

If we are serious about excellence then we must start at the top with someone who knows what excellence and success is. Brian Cook helped build the WC Eagles to a powerhouse and has done the same with Geelong. You can never build anything of value without having a strong foundation. Get Cook.

You know what? I'm with you on this, we were going nowhere last year and it really p's me off when I hear that crap from people like Robert Walls. It's becomes like some kind of urban myth. Yep and the same goes for the defence in general, they have no one to kick to and they are continually under pressure. Watts disposal efficiency was pretty good and Col Garland who a lot like to get stuck into was excellant plus his 1% a's were top notch, he gets a bad rap but is one of the few that is standing up. Rivers is another one that holds up pretty well, probably the best of the senior players. With the amount of ball coming in they are going to make mistakes and with the lack of work ethic up the ground I don't blame them.

Yes, and I totally agree with you. He is not the only one making these throw away lines, they point to issues and nudge, nudge, wink, wink, but no one is coming out and saying why the head is causing problems... I guess I'm thinking there is no smoke without fire. Where is the fire and who is causing it or is it all just a smoke screen?

It looked like it coming on the back of 2010 and moving into a really promising 2011. I did feel uneasy about that one though, the others no.

...and you think Malthouse would be interested in taking over from his mate, and besides take on a basket case that he clearly thinks have a lot of off field issues. If Caro is right then the board members really don't have the resolve required to run a football club and it's no wonder we are where we are. Maybe they have decided it's time to really address the issues from 2011 on and not look for one scapegoat.

It only hurts the club mate, and the club is it's members, you, me and everyone else on this forum.

The only mistake with the senior players was letting Jimmy Mac go, a huge mistake. The rest were past it. Was it all Bailey or were there other forces at work?

Sam will develop if he can string some games together, he has good pace and skills. He needs to keep his feet though, goes to ground too much. I've always found it's hard to run on your hands and knees.

diesel, I'm not sure it's the tail wagging the dog but I get your point. However, something is seriously wrong at the club that hasn't been fully addressed if addressed at all. Football people in the media including Malthouse, Watson and Pickering have all alluded to it without really putting anything on the table. Denham has pot shots and although many are cheap shots there is something behind them. The list is not that bad, it's not a premiership list but it's not that bad. We stalled in 2011 and in my opinion it is way too easy to blame Bailey for everything.

Would love to see Taggert in but he really is underdone and it would be unfair on the kid. Sometime over the next 4 to 6 weeks I would like to see Taggert, Sheahan, Davis and Cook getting a game. It's time to stop going back to the tried and true gunna's and prima donna's like Silvia and Moloney. I think Martin will come up next week and maybe Tappy but couldn't see anyone else at the moment oh yeah forgot Couch, he has worked hard to get a run and deserves it.

With you on this Macca, that they were allowed to sweep last year and 186 under the carpet at the AGM showed a club in denial as I've posted elsewhere. Until this is taken care of we are heading nowhere fast. Sorry Scarlett but the board only half acted after 186 and you could see by the performances under Viney that nothing had really changed, and this year well.... As Tim Watson said about the MFC recently, "the fish rots from the head", well the head is still there.

Tim Watson said about Melbourne a few weeks ago that "the fish rots from the head", I wish he would have followed up with an explaination which he declined to do. It was directed at the CEO, why are there whispers and little remarks here and there but no one comes out and says what they believe the issues are...Greg Denham. Discussion of last year and 186 were more than discouraged at the AGM, it was a club in denial. It needs to be addressed by the board and explained to the members because unless we can come clean it will continue to haunt the club. Clear out all those responsible, move on players who don't show the required commitment and get on with it asap.

MCG not the SCG, they struggle at the MCG but at home they are a whole different team and we haven't beaten them there since 2006 I think. Then again we haven't beaten many sides since then. I hope we can get up but don't really like our chances.

We have another one at Casey, Jai Sheahan who is an A grade kick playing in defence as part of his development. I think he will be a player, a tall who can play forward or back and has also been used in the ruck at TAC level.