Lifelong Demon

I would just like to say "GO YOU DEMONS". On an unrelated note, to all my friends with Foxtel, thanks for the thousands of updates in theist quarter.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/st-kilda-forward-stephen-milne-will-take-indefinite-leave/story-fndv8ufg-1226665916676 STEPHEN Milne's playing future is in doubt after being told to take leave for an 'indefinite' period. St Kilda president Greg Westaway said while Milne would remain a listed AFL player, the decision was made in the "best interests of all parties" and out of a duty of care to the goalsneak.

Well... 9 months before my birthday would put me conceived in September... maybe my parents were Tigers supporters?

It's cause today is my Birthday...

Spot on!

They've gone backwards at a rate of knots and score the same... We go backwards at a rate of knots and score 33 points more. Maybe it's because I have lived in Queensland for so long now, but 3/4 of the posts on this site make no sense to me at all. From both a logic and support point of view. Wouldn't a 33 point improvement mean a 54% improvement? How about this instead: "Well done Mr. Neeld. To take a club in this position and to have hardly any support from your so called supporter base and work a 54% improvement is great. Of course, we would have absolutely preferred the win under the circumstances, but we will take a 54% improvement over zero improvement. What can we as supporters do to help?"

In 2007, the Demons finished 14th.In 2008, the Demons finished 16th. (Bailey's first year) In 2009, the Demons finished 16th. (Bailey's second year) In 2010, the Demons finished 12th. (Bailey's third year) In 2011, the Demons finished 13th. (Bailey's fourth year) You can call that 8 wins if you like - which, of course is what the record shows, but I call it undermining the Demons future. Two years of Tanking by a coach who thought he "was doing the best thing for the club" is what is killing us now. Now that we actually have a coach that IS doing the best thing by the club, we discover the real problems: 1. We weren't at an elite training level. 2. We accepted mediocrity at best, nothing at worst. 3. We don't have a solid midfield. If I were Neeld, I would have recruited the same way in my first year too. It's very hard to win games if you have an elite midfield, but nobody to kick goals or stop the opposition from kicking goals. And yes, I can hear everyone highlighting that line in your replies, but even though it isn't fully functional yet, doesn't make it any less true. In my opinion, Mark Neeld should at least be given the decency of seeing out until the end of next year. The first year was a clean out. We all get that. The second year was recruit, train and give match time to goal kickers and goal defenders. How does anyone expect team unity and cohesion by round 5 when there are 14 new players involved out of 40. Think of your own workplaces. Do you think that with a 35% staff turnover you will be producing the same quantity and quality of output after 15 hours of 'actual' work time? Next year, with the forwards and defenders functioning, the recruiting will be focused on the Mids. It has to be, this is the only area of the club that is so far below par, and the only area not heavily recruited for. If you throw Mark Neeld out now, half way through the set down plan that had the backing of everyone involved, and when you take the blinding passion and heart out and look at the facts and figures you can only see that you will either doom the club to a rebuild of this rebuild, or someone else will walk in and have success on this method of doing what is best for the club. All I am saying is that the supporters follow this method as well. Support. Don't be a mindless mob performing the dirty work of the media. *Edit -Spelling

Coaches, managers, administration, trainers, recruiters, runners... Everyone!

Out of curiosity, who is the longest standing Melbourne Football Club employee? Is there a list that we can see that shows how long each person has been in their position?

Another way to prove an inexperienced side? "Our players only rate in the 100's, the other team has 7 80's, 5 30's and a 4!"

Port v NM should be a cracker next week!

Haha. Not sure how I missed that one!!

Oh, and I almost forgot..... Jack Watts has shaved his beard!!!

Took the family in to the open training at the Gabba today and had a great time! The team did a lot of drills, handballing, kicking and shots on goal. They split up for a little bit and did some area drills. The defenders did a drill with four of them... three running towards the goal - middle one picks up the ball, hand passes to the guy to his left, who handpasses to the guy running across from the right who handpasses to the guy running away from the goals who kicked it out to the mids. Most of the kicks were pretty accurate and the entire team was very vocal for the whole session - you could clearly hear them from the other side of the Gabba! The team then came over and signed whatever was available and handed out posters and stickers and such. Had a chat with Max Gawn for a few - says he used to eat 16 weetbix when he was growing up, but has cut back to 8! The team was all in great spirits and am looking forward to a great game tomorrow!

I'm not 100% sure he wasn't under internal pressure... "West Coast Eagles coach John Worsfold has put the Eagles' phenomenal improvement in the past two years into perspective - comparing his wooden spoon playing group of 2010 to current cellar dwellers Greater Western Sydney and the Gold Coast. On Sunday in a western derby clash against Fremantle, Worsfold will pass Mick Malthouse as the Eagles' longest-serving coach, notching his 244th game in charge. West Coast enters the match on top of the ladder, a far cry from the end of 2010, when the Eagles were rooted to the bottom of the table and Worsfold was considered a prime candidate for the sack. Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/afl/afl-news/woosha-says-we-were-like-gws-20120521-1yzv8.html#ixzz2Ra2pADHP" "For the two years I have been committing my sporting thoughts to this site, John Worsfold has been telling everyone who will listen that his team are on course for glory. Today is the last time I will have the privilege of sharing my thoughts with you. And yesterday's abominable result against the worst team in the competition meant Worsfold had to finally admit he had also lost the right to maintain that message to Eagles fans and those beyond. The inconvenient truth which has been building in this most miserable of seasons for the Eagles came to a head at the MCG. Advertisement The players are not developing as Worsfold told us they would. The coaching strategies are also falling down. And perhaps most worrying of all, the coach and his team also seem to be in a funk. After getting their initial match-up on Jack Riewoldt wrong yesterday, it then took the Eagles brains trust much too long to react to his phenomenal first term. By the time the cavalry arrived, the Eagles were four goals down, and the yellow and black players were Tigers once more. His younger troops are also struggling, chief among them Nic Naitanui. In my time as sports editor of WAtoday, Naitanui has been the single most exciting development in WA football. But his performance yesterday screamed of a young man in need of a break, physically and mentally. Worsfold is one of the most impressive, driven, dedicated and committed individuals you are ever likely to meet. And unlike his original coaching mentor, Mick Malthouse, and other senior coaches in the AFL, he never feels the urge to belittle those who are trying to deliver his message to the wider public. But that message has been wearing thinner by the week, even to the yellow and blue army wanting to hear it. I have sometimes struggled to come up with new ideas when trying to find something interesting to say about familiar themes every week. And it could be Worsfold, after 200 games in charge, is also finding his message harder and harder to deliver. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/blogs/western-eyes/worsfold-faces-up-to-an-inconvenient-truth-20100614-y7e8.html#ixzz2Ra3VGHxE" These are just two of the articles Google turned up after a quick search. Are we meant to back a coach that is happy 'to do the best thing for the football club' but forgets to control or develop his players, but give up on the next one dealing with the rot and returning the club to its elite history?

Not me... Can't stand Sooker. http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/soccer-players-pretend-theyre-hurt.jpg

*Generally*, I would agree... But even the Eagles went from 11th to 16th before they went to 4th. And yes, "so far" you might think we look worse than last year, but the light at the end of the tunnel is no longer switched off due to financial difficulties and I think that some 'supporters'' are going to be so busy complaining about everything that they won't enjoy the ride. It is always darkest before the dawn...

I have been reading a lot about the Demons lately - as most of us probably are - and have been trying to formulate my own unbiased opinion about which way the club is headed: up or down. Personally I think we are headed up - and have come a long way - it's just that we started from so far down, to the rest of the world we still look disorganised, uncontrolled, demotivated and below standard... But in the back of my head I recall an interview with Woosha about the rise of the West Coast in 2011. (For some background information, West Coast's end of season positions since 2006 have been 1st, 3rd, 15th, 11th, 16th, 4th, 5th.) I cannot remember where I saw the interview, and if anyone can find it that would be great, but I think it was probably during On The Couch or something similar because I recall hearing the question as well as the answer (why can't reporters be mic'd at press conferences???)... The question went along the lines of: "For the last three years you have been pretty terrible - last year you even won the wooden spoon. Now you are in the top four. What have you done different? What changes have you made?" The answer: "Nothing. We have been working on this training plan and gameplan for a few years, and the players have finally caught up with how we want them to play." I think this is exactly where the Demons are at. 12 goals in one quarter is an accomplishment - even considering the opposition. In our 150+ year history, this surely isn't the first new team we have played against. A lot of people seem to be sick of the rebuild of the rebuild of the rebuild. I concur. But not for the same reasons.I don't see this as a rebuild at all. Quite simply, its a build. Build our club; build our momentum; build our supporter base; build our profitability; build our professionalism; build our player list. But build it right. Stuff the media - it's their job to whinge and whine - but be nice to them, they cant help it, they are like politicians - all about "What's in it for me?" The attitude you get from selfish people that have no concept of bonding teamwork. And stuff the critics. They are probably all Collingwood supporters anyway and who wants to listen to them? I have been supporting the Demons for as long as I can remember. My father is English and supports Liverpool and my mother can recognise the Demons Guernsey and knows if we are doing well or not, so not so sure how I got this passionate for them - but the one thing that being a Demons supporter has absolutely taught me is loyalty. Whether we win 1 game in a year, or every game in a year, I will still wear my Demons guernseys/shirts/jumpers/sweaters at every opportunity and I will always look forward to the next match. I do hope that the Demons win a premiership* - hell, I hope they win them all - but just like I wouldn't kick my kids out for underperforming, I will never turn my back on the Demons because I believe that, just like Neeld, Craigy and the entire club keeps saying, the players are doing what is required of them and just like Woosha said, at some point everything will fall into place, and the Demons will return to the top of the ladder where they will see the success we are all waiting for. * I would prefer the Demons premiership winning run to wait until I can afford annual trips down from Brisbane to the MCG with my family of five... but understand if they aren't willing to wait that long.

What do the boys eat and drink at half time? Who is in the change rooms at half time that isn't there before the game, or who isn't there that is before the game? Something MUST be happening regularly during that break that IS NOT helping.

What happens at half time? Surely it can't be lack of fitness? Who's is the change rooms at half time that is or isn't there before the game? There must be a valid explanation for this??!!

Is there a site or app somewhere or can someone post a link to any news program's that run a #demonunity story? It would be great to show the kids and supporters who couldn't make it that there are great positives to be had by supporting the Demons.

Satyriconhome, thanks for the great rundown. Listening to a federal government guy at the moment and this was the perfect way to stay awake and look interested and excited about what he is saying!!

Sitting here at an education conference surrounded by the grey rainy skies of Brisbane reading this has made my day.

Hey everyone, I have just finished a twelve hour shift at work to come home to a stack of emails from Twitter. Even got Russell Howcroft to retweet #demonunity! I so wish I was in Melbourne instead of having to start work again at 7am tomorrow!! Can we get regular twitter updates while you guys are at training using #demonunity on twitter?

Bed time for me! Don't stop the tweeting!