The heart beats true

Thai, your comments about Dawes are way off base. On the weekend Sylvia alone kicked the ball over his head 5 times with a dumb long bomb. It happened too often to be a coincidence. It's obviously part of the game plan and is bloody terrible. Dawes was in front each time and a couple of times sprayed at Col (who thoroughly deserved it). I can't understand the desire to crucify Dawes already from some. So we paid overs? well we did it so we met the salary cap and you can bet the contract is front loaded while we can afford it (from a salary cap perspective). Put Dawes, Clark and Hogan in the same team and we have the potential for a brutally good forward line. You have to think passed last week when we had the worst midfield we've put on the park in 150 years.

While I do think that fresh blood would be constructive for the board of the footy club I also think that's it's important that we all understand the difference between the Board and it's role in corporate governance versus the CEO and his role in management. While I've not supported the tone from the board in regards to communication to members I do think that 80% of our clubs issue are management issues as opposed to governance issues. It's fairly obvious that the board brought too heavily into our previous CEO and as a result must share the blame for his failures. In that regard they should be held accountable. But moving forward I also think we should keep in mind that it's the CEO that is making daily decisions regarding the club. I think thats where my hope for the footy club will come from. A strong President is important but a visible, authoritative CEO can make a huge difference on a day to day basis and thats more likely what the players and footy department will buy into. To put it more bluntly - I doubt Daisy Thomas gives a [censored] about Russell Howcroft, but I reckon he'd like to sit in a meeting with Jackson and talk about his future.

At least he has a dip. As first year players I can handle the occasional skill error as they adapt to the speed of the game. I'd say Terlich is the same category. I don't mind mistakes when they come from players who go and get the footy and are still adjusting to the pace. Both of these blokes are good picks by the MFC (can't believe I just typed that sentence).

All of these things are OK with me. What's the alternative? I don't think Diamond Joe is lurking in the shadows with his cheque book out (Although with the season quickly turning into a soap opera I could actually see that being our final episode cliff hanger).

It's a fairly common problem. Our issues are exacerbated by a genuine lack of on field leadership. We probably have 1 player over the age of 22 who is both consistent in his effort and is on the field often enough to have an impact. Most other teams have 10-15. There isn't a whole lot that any great leader could do with that. It's easy to say that everyone isn't working, but I agree with what Jackson said on the weekend. It's really hard to tell what works when nothing appears to be working. I'm slowly coming around to the idea that he should just challenge everyone to show us what they've got in 2013 in order to keep their job. I would have thought that it should be obvious that a bunch of highly paid professionals should be doing this anyway, but given the obvious management void that had been prevalent at the club then maybe establishing a standard and holding people accountable to it is all we can do.

Todd Viney seems a little lost there. Shouldn't recruitment and list management report directly to the Head of Football. I'd say there is some potential for really clean structure there, but I'd also suggest its going to need 3-4 new people who aren't bringing the emotional baggage of our previous structure to make it work.

Seemed easy to relate to, spoke intelligently, and wasn't frustrated with the pressure the club is under but instead understood it came with the territory of recent performances. I wonder if we can nominate him for the board?

You should run Jack. I'd support you. I'm not being facetious. I reckon you have the right mix of a level head and passion for our footy club that seems to be missing from some on our current board.

Machine11, I'm really tired of being a Melbourne supporter and being told we are [censored] weak. We are the only reason the club still exists and we will very shortly be asked again to keep the club going. We are the only thing about this club that is AFL standard, and it breaks my heart.

I'm in shock.

Sounds like a wise woman WYL

"You have got to get your footy right first and build the rest of it afterwards," Jackson said. "Apart from Neil Craig, people are generally inexperienced at their job, not everybody, but generally," Jackson said. "The CEO should support football and not be in football," Jackson said. Halle-[censored]-lujah.

It's fascinating to really understand what Jacksons role is, and who he really answers to. If he's truly been put in by the AFL then I suspect it won't look good for Neeld and the Footy Department. It'd take a brave, and perhaps foolish political, move to tell the AFL that everything is in fact going swimmingly even though we only won 4 games for the year (again). I don't think we are going to be illuminated much by tomorrow's interview. He'll say all the right things and I'm sure tell us that he's been impressed by the endeavour and passion at the club and is looking forward to helping us become as effective and efficient as possible over his tenure. I'd love to know what he's telling Vlad though.

Couldn't help yourself with the Paul Johnson gag could you KC?

Apparently we play on the second most of any team in the league. I think often we give off to a player too often under pressure as opposition clubs are onto our game plan, or our players aren't working hard enough on secondary leads and spread. The spread is a direct result of confidence. You have to hedge your bets when leading and spreading through the midfield or else you are caught out. We don't back our players in to win the ball and hit a target so we don't move around enough. It's bloody annoying because hitting targets and building confidence will only allow us to be more efficient. We need 2 quality ball using midfielders. Anyone know where we can find them, because they didn't want to come over last draft period?

Theoretically we could, but it seems unlikely. 2013 is already over for us and most potential coaches have contracts with other clubs or media outlets they'd need to fulfill. If we are going this poorly with 4-6 weeks to go I'd think we might move to a stand in coach so that the Football world knows the job is open. If the club has any foresight their plan could be in place by then anyways. They'd only need to sack a coach if the supporter angst grew to a deafening level before year end in that case.

Sunday twilight in Melbourne. I predict more Seagulls than people by 3/4 time.

Jesus. Imagine if your career rested on James Sellar?

The fact that there is a report in my opinion is actually a good thing. Those interested will actually put their people in contact with our people and we'll start to create demand, and get a real feel for what's out there. And our current coach will feel the pressure of this reporting and hopefully fight for his job by doing his best to make us as competitive as possible by year end. Who loses? I hope this is the powers that be at the MFC getting on the front foot for once.

Robbie while I totally get the frustration that we are in this situation I think the club has done their best to protect Trenners. If he does, as we all suspect, need the time, either physically or mentally, concocting an injury is an easier thing to explain. Otherwise every halfwit 'journalist' is going to come out and scream about his lack of leadership and self sacrifice in not doing everything he can to get out on the park. In reality I suspect it's his desire to put the team first that's made his situation much worse. Better to have the injury than weeks of negative press on a guy that's already under too much pressure for a 21 year old.

Easy. That's my footy pedigree too

The South Park gif needs to become the unofficial D'Land logo. Seriously. It pretty much sums up everything I love and hate about this forum. It could be placed on the 3rd page of any open thread and adequately reflect the state of the dialogue. It's so genius it even made me smile right after looking at that incredibly uninspiring team.

I can never understand why people are anti-AFL when they surely want the same thing we want as supporters - a competitive, financially stable successful MFC. We've given no indication over 7 seasons we can get there ourselves. Am I simplifying this too much?

I don't 'know' (and neither do you), but I'm on what some people around these parts call the reality bus. Frawley simply looks like he doesn't want to be there. What insentive does Sylvia have to stay as a forward for a team that gets belted each week? I base my thoughts on what I see each week. I knew Moloney and Rivers were going because I couldn't justify why they'd stay.And the fact that you are buying into a coach with a horrible win loss record is proof that you can sell people anything, but it doesn't convince me that enough people believe. Sports clubs don't have to sell results, but they have to sell hope or they become irrelevant.

At the end of the year when Sylvia and Frawley walk and we potentially lose Watts too I wonder what the defence of Neeld will be then? You can't sell people on potential when you are offering nothing. The AFL know exactly where we are and how dangerous our situation is. If we don't get any new player buy on over the off season, 3-4 big name talents leave and we come out in round 1-4 of 2014 and get belted then where are we? The AFL know where we'll be, and it's why we'll have a new coach at the end of the year. It's just business.