Swooper Northey

For those reasons alone Colin, I'm really glad we're getting some outside perspective from people like Jackson..and possibly Kennett. People who will set a much higher standard and not slip into the mindset of mediocrity that has prevailed at the club for too long. We used to delight in winning games of footy, but we've been starved of success for so long, that in recent times terms like 'competitive quarters' and six goal losses have been dressed up to be positives. It's time to break that cycle.

Ralph, with respect...I think it's fair to say that everyone who posts on Demonland wants the club to be successful again. We've all got our own theories about how that can happen. Whether you believe Neeld should go or stay is a personal opinion. But it is not time to turn on your fellow supporters. Agree with P_Man, no need for the term 'they'. On this forum, it should be 'we'.

Aside from his ticket, I'm interested to hear more about his vision for the club. There's a lot of knockers out there regarding Jeff, but ironically, he's showing more passion and hunger than anyone to lead the club. I never voted for him during his time in office, but if he's willing to step up and help our club, I'm willing to listen. I don't see too many others stepping forward in our hour of need.

The Woey decision still makes me ill. He was the sort of character that younger players learn from - someone who was structured, hard working and disciplined. A player who was admired and respected. We lost a hell of a lot when we let him go. I think plenty of supporters still feel cheated by that move.

If we could attract Matthews, it would be a big win. No doubt about it. Exactly the sort of bloke we need.

Thanks Don. I'll always respect and admire you for the support you gave Jimmy throughout his battle.

I was never a fan of Kennett's politics, but I reckon Don could have been smarter here. If we have a former state premier showing concern for the club and offering himself to help, why would we shut him down, particularly in such an aggressive tone? We're hardly in a good place right now. We should be listening to ideas and gathering perspectives. Don could have said that he was surprised by the comments because Jeff hadn't approached the club directly, but if there's anyone out there that wants to help the club, he'll listen...Jeff Kennett included. That's his responsibility as president.

As supporters we naturally invested trust in Neeld following his appointmemt back in 2011. We were buoyed by his no-nonsense approach and declaration that he would get us fit, give us a finals-style gameplan and make us the toughest team to play in the competition. These were big words that sounded great. But the talk compared to the reality have been two very different things. No one can argue with that. After yet another 80 point drubbing and absolutely no signs of progress during his year and a half at the helm, he has done little to repay the faith. The more I watch, the more I am saddened and angered that he has stripped our club of flair, confidence and above all else, hope. I spent 2012 backing him, then after that horrific year, was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt heading into 2013. My patience has run out. Time is up.

Following the safe path has got us nowhere. We've had one president in our recent past who has managed to get things moving and that was Jimmy. He was special, he commanded respect and people listended. But either side of his tenure, we've just had the wrong leadership in place - Gutnick, Szondy, Gardner, McLardy. Unfortunately they've contributed to our passive image.Jackson is an excellent appointment as CEO, but we will need bold leadership at the board level. I don't care if the Kennett idea goes nowhere, but unlike some I'm willing to consider the thought. As a club we're stale - I'm all for someone trying to shake it up.

The club is so quiet that a couple of comments from Jeff on radio cut through far more than anything the current board has to say. He has a vision for the club and he speaks with conviction about it. I like that - it was more convincing than anything I've heard Don or the current board say. I never voted for him when he was in office, but one thing remains true - when he talks, people listen. Freeman might be a very worthy candidate, but who would know? The silence from club is deafening.

I was never a fan of his politics, but Jeff offers something that we simply don't have - a voice that people will listen to. He's clearly up for the challenge and wants to get his hands dirty. I don't see too many people stepping up to fix the mess we're in. If he's a willing candidate, I'd be up for letting him rattle the cage. Yes, he can be unpredictable, but he will demand results, not mediocrity. He won't stand for the utter garbage we're serving up right now. And given his ego, he won't want to preside over a club that is failing - that could be a powerful thing. We have played it safe for years, why not think outside the sqaure about such an appointment? Don McLardy is a very good man and has worked hard for the club. I'll never forget the wonderful support he showed Jimmy. But it's time for him to step aside as the club seeks to rebuild...again.

His qualifications come first. He has very good credentials and was well regarded throughout a long tenure. The fact that he was hand picked by Dick Pratt to come to Carlton with Greg Swann says something. That he played for the MFC is a pleasant coincidence - it may mean that he has some genuine care and affection for the place. That to me isn't a bad thing.

Clearly we're looking to appoint a GM of Football Operations. What about Steven Icke? Former Bluey Truscott winner, GM of Ops at Freo and Carlton. Now GM of High Performance for Basketball Australia. Eventually fell out with Ratten at Carlton and left the club, but was highly regarded as a very good operator in league circles over many years. Could be a very worthy candidate?

We made bad choices when appointing our past two senior coaches - those decisions have contributed to the culture we're trying to shake off right now. Bailey wasn't the right bloke and neither was Neeld. A good coach can make a difference. Look at what Lyon has done at Freo.

What then does the coach take responsibility for, if not the performance of his side?

I wish this club would DO SOMETHING! We just seem content to go through the motions and I'm sick of it. It's pathetic!

The essence of this thread is exactly what's wrong with our current state. Are we meant to feel better about the situation, because statistically others are worse? How about questioning why we're not up there with the best? We're being conditioned to accept mediocrity. Time to set a new standard.

And to be honest, I don't care how the coaches of other clubs are performing. I just want the one in charge of the MFC to get us firing. The one at the moment clearly isn't doing that.

We finished with 8 wins and a draw the year before he took over. Last year we managed four wins. This year we'll be lucky to manage another win. If you're content with our performance under his leadership then I'm afraid you have low standards.

You can use whatever stats you like to dress up his performance, the facts are we've been garbage since Neeld took over. Show me one area of our performance where we've improved since he took the reigns?

MN would be wise to get some advice from Northey about how to get a team to bond and play for the coach!

They were great memories DN9, because we played with spirit. We were tough and didn't take the soft option. They were teams that did the jumper proud. Other teams feared us.

Yes, and you'd recall that we were ahead of Richmond in terms of development two years ago. We've hit reverse at a million miles an hour. I don't know about you, but given we've been rebuilding since 2007 and seemingly getting worse, I'd have thought the club needs to take a good look at itself and do something!

If only our current mob played with the same spirit and toughness that Swooper instilled. He didn't crap on about elite mindsets or attempted tackles. And he certainly didn't give us the line 'it is what it is' if we were demolished. His greatest trait was simple but very important - his players played for him. That doesn't appear to be the case with MN.

If only our current mob played with the same spirit and toughness that Swooper instilled. He didn't crap on about elite mindsets or attempted tackles. And he certainly didn't give us the line 'it is what it is' if we were demolished. His greatest trait was simple but very important - his players played for him. That doesn't appear to be the case with MN.