Swooper Northey

I'd be pleased if we did, but with what we've shown far this year, you'd reckon that's unlikely...

What games do you honestly think we will win?

And we clearly weren't so hot against the expansion clubs either. Flogged by GC on our home ground and a struggle to get over GWS.

The message the administration is sending right now, is that these performances are accepted. By saying nothing and seemingly doing nothing, what hope do we have?

It surely ain't going to get any better over the next three weeks...

The club just can't afford to sit on its hands, hoping we'll manage our way through this. If this situation is accepted and allowed to set in, we're gone. You can't imagine any of the power clubs accepting a period like this. They'd be calling for heads and taking action as they simply demand better results. We just seem content with rebuilding as our lot in life. Time is almost up.

Unfortunately MN doesn't appear to have learned much during his tenure. We're arguably worse than last year and now we face the good teams.

Experienced coach or the younger breed, I don't really care. I just want the mess we're in cleaned up, so that we can restore respect and above all else, hope. If we don't have hope we're gone.

Well, to use Neeld's own words, "it is what it is." With that being the case, do you feel optimistic against Freo?

Just my thoughts on a Saturday arvo. I felt it necessary to write as throughout my many decades following this club, I'd be jumping out of my skin the day before a game. The hope just isn't there and for me that is the tragedy of it all. Simple as that.

Throughout all my years following the MFC, I've looked forward to the week ahead and our next challenge. Despite the opposition and our relative positions on the ladder, I always headed to a game with a sense of optimism. I'd be optimistic that we'd put in a good showing and excite our supporters. I'd be optimistic that I'd see signs of improvement and the development of our next young star. I'd be optimistic that we'd play with pride and passion. And I'd be optimistic that we could win the game. Yet things have changed in the Neeld era. We've gone so far backwards that the optimism and hope - the things that keep the fire burning for us all - have gone. We've been conditioned to accept 'competitiveness' and not victory as the measure of success. Rather than look forward to the week ahead, I now enter each weekend full of dread - knowing that the result is a given, it's just a matter of how big the losing margin will be. As a long time supporter, I feel robbed that the entity I feel so passionate about has been so badly managed, that it can't even deliver hope. And if I feel that way as a supporter, you can imagine how some of the young players coming through must feel. Things have to change, and fast.

We need Chip Frawley. The club must not let him go.

We need Chip Frawley. The club must not let him go.

A win! Wouldn't that be a novelty?

Have you ever heard Neeld utter the word "win"? If he does, it's almost by accident! Next time he's at the MCG he should stop to look at the Jamie Cooper painting of our Team of the Century. It hangs proudly in the MCC Members. In that painting Norm Smith is addressing the troops. His first point on the old blackboard is very simple, "...expect to win!" There's nothing scientific about it. It's just about having a positive mindset, not one that's about self preservation. An excellent post Darsby.

If we are to retain our good players and attract even better ones, Neeld must go. His comment of 'it is what it is' is accurate. And if it is to continue in that fashion we will decimated. We did not need a rebuild of a rebuild. We needed someone to come in and steady the ship. He has practically sunk it.

I hope that the 'respectable defeat' language being thrown around after today's loss doesn't disguise the bigger picture. A few years ago we were clearly ahead of Richmond in terms of development. We were on the rise. We have gone so far backwards that we now consider a six goal loss a positive step forward. Five more years like this under Neeld and we'll be struggling to match it with B-grade amateur sides. I am not willing to accept that 'it is what it is'.

It's the same depressing story. It's an absolute slog trying to get the ball - we just struggle to get our hands on it week in, week out. Makes scoring rather difficult!

Whilst it was an improved effort, the facts are we were beaten by nearly six goals by a side that only a few years ago, were behind us in their development. i just cast my mind back to 2011 when we put in one of our most promising performances in recent memory, beating the Tiges by just under five goals - Jack Watts was excellent that day. It is a sad state of affairs when in May 2013 we have to take heart from a comprehensive defeat.

Yes, the AFL makes the uniform clash rules up on a weekly basis. The fact that we've been forced to wear a clash strip against St.Kilda in recent years when in fact it makes the clash far worse, is a perfect example. That we'd need to change jumpers against Port (black, white and teal v red and blue!) yet Carlton and Collingwood can play in their traditional jumpers against one another is bizarre. But if we have to adopt a clash jumper, I agree that a red version, similar to what was featured earlier in this post with the MFC monogram would be a preferred option and far more symbolic of our heritage than the white 'surrender special'.

There's a lot that's bothered me when watching the MFC in recent times, much of which has been covered by the members of this forum. Making it worse is that our team's weak and insipid performance is characterised by a weak and insipid clash uniform. To me it's akin to the royal blue we wore in the 70s and 80s - another era associated with a lack of success. Given that we must have a clash strip, I would love for the club to wipe the slate clean and come up with something that has far more presence. I note the Dogs are now wearing red, which we had been told wasn't an option when creating a clash strip of our own. Given that precedent, can we revise the option of simply reversing our traditional jumper?

I made the choice to watch from home today. Earlier in the afternoon I settled in and watched Footy Flashbacks which featured our 2000 Qualifying Final win over the Blues. It brought back great memories of a terrific win, and a team that was everything that our current side is not. It also went a long way to reinforcing my sadness and bewilderment regarding the present state. We were a tough unit back then. We had hardened bodies like Neitz, Schwarz, Rigoni, Powell, Leoncelli etc, to support kids like Green and Bruce. Today, we throw kids like Jack VIney to the wolves and expect they're going to have the answers in their first couple of games. Back then we had system, spirit and fight. We attacked. We could deliver the ball. We were smart with our hands. We had skill. How different that is to the mess we're contending with today. We are so second rate and it's hard to see just where the improvement will come from. Until that day comes, I'll be stuck reliving past glories, as a reminder of what this club used to be!

Throughout all my years following the club, I've looked forward to the week ahead. Optimism made me believe we could put in a good showing, despite the opposition and our relative positions on the ladder. I even remember the days when we'd expect to win. For perhaps the first time that I can recall, I now enter each weekend full of dread. It's embarrassing and deflating - and that's before we've even played! I'll be surprised if we can get within 100 points of Carlton this week. For that reason alone, something has to be done and quickly. I never thought I'd lose faith in this once great club. I'm on the verge.

Without doubt, Magner was one of our most reliable players last year, and one of the few good news stories at the MFC. He tired as the season wore on having shouldered the brunt of the midfield load with Jones. He must feel cheated given the effort he gives and the fact he is stuck at Casey. It's poor man management, pure and simple.

What amazes me, is that Neeld raved about Magner throughout 2012, then when it came time to elevating rookies ahead of this season, he was overlooked, despite our our need for midfield grunt. No disrepect to Nicho, but Magner was the man we needed - he was one of the few blokes who could actually get his hands on the footy in the middle, and Neeld killed him by trying to turn him into some sort of defensive half forward. Bizarre on all fronts.