Duff and Joseph have won.

[mark73]

The Board has been elected and now should be given the time to develop their direction for the Club, and to communicate this to the membership. I spoke to many key players tonight and am now willing to judge them on their actions. Although they can't afford to be slow if the next election for one third of the board is held in Oct 07.

The supporters and members can only address the GC relocation issue by buying memberships and attending games. The stronger the support in Melbourne that harder the GC relocation arguement becomes.

I want to see the Board and Club have a much stronger Melbourne focus while maximising the GC venture.

I was dissappointed in the manner by which the AGM was run in gagging questions and debate but that water under the bridge.

Yep thats it in a nutshell.

And bad luck John. At least you had the balls to give it a nudge. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy with the likes of Joseph back on board, but you should be commended for the work you put in with the rank and files and having the drive to be compelled to go some way to enforce the view of what we all really want deep down despite the way some may put it across. Well done.

 

[Z_K]

Melbourne has 10 clubs.

Really?

 

[Roobunny]

Okay, I've taken several deep breaths, and although I continue to be ashamed at the way the whole thing was conducted, I'm going to take the view that the Board are planning on doing the right thing for us, and won't just walk away from Melbourne. Perhaps they are being smart about the GC and are taking the AFL for the ride not the other way around.

Nice to see you back here Limerick

 

[wooostace]

Serenity now.

 

[mark73]

Serenity now.

Didn't she recently retire?

 

[The Other Dean]

I was dissappointed in the manner by which the AGM was run in gagging questions and debate but that water under the bridge.

The Nerang River ?

Good to see you back, Lim.

Bad "luck" on tonight's result.

 

[giantroo]

Hands in. As a group. Were a team. Were North Melbournes Most spirited Members! We are the ones that will save this club from extinction.

 

[Lidge]

The fat lady hasn't sung.

It's not over until it's over.

And I'm prepared to go down swinging (as usual).

 

[giantroo]

The fat lady hasn't sung.

It's not over until it's over.

And I'm prepared to go down swinging (as usual).

You dont want to go down alone.Will go down together! As a team!

 

[Event Horizon]

You dont want to go down alone.Will go down together! As a team!

I hope we're still talking about the relocation fight, and not some bizzare sexual fantasy...

 

[Limerick]

I admire your response Limerick, all things considered. Fantastic stuff. Are you more positive about the direction of the club considering your discussions tonight, or less?

I still haven't given up on maintaining the NMFC at Arden St, but I don't see the GC as being only a three year deal but some positive comments were made, although utimately it will be the subsequent actions that will give me the real positive feel. Playing only 3 games on the GC next year may be the first test.

I don't see that Mark, Dan, Paul or my role in the future of the club has been squashed. This wasn't the message from some senior people. We still have the opportunity to have a voice.

 

[ReturnOfTheKing]

Sure is deflating reading about tonight's events (the result and the way the election was conducted).

F**K the Goldcoast.

 

[roofus]

You must be joking, were members even allowed to ask questions?

Nope!

Basically we were told to put up and shut up by the board's legal eagle.

 

[evo]

Gee this is just awful.

I can't fathom that such long and staunch shinboners ,that the shareholders are, have awarded it so easily to the Duff ticket.The Brayshaws getting in(although not suprising given the free media run they had) just rubs salt into the wound

Gut wrenching for NMFC supporters and the entire Victorian football community is all the poorer for this result.

At least most of the posters on this board can hold there heads up high. I've really enjoyed reading the gallows style humour displayed in the face of adversity on this board over the last few weeks.

 

[kangalover]

The Board has been elected and now should be given the time to develop their direction for the Club, and to communicate this to the membership. I spoke to many key players tonight and am now willing to judge them on their actions. Although they can't afford to be slow if the next election for one third of the board is held in Oct 07.

The supporters and members can only address the GC relocation issue by buying memberships and attending games. The stronger the support in Melbourne that harder the GC relocation arguement becomes.

I want to see the Board and Club have a much stronger Melbourne focus while maximising the GC venture.

I was dissappointed in the manner by which the AGM was run in gagging questions and debate but thats water under the bridge.

Good intelligient post Limerick and we can only hope that all posters on this board can respect and acknowledge your comments because of the respect that they all have for you.

 

[rb214]

Why didn't you get up say something?

Believe me I would love to of said something but as soon as Raleigh got up to speak you could see there was no way they were taking questions or comments. I would have been most likely asked to leave.

 

[The Big H]

Lets look towards the Gold Coast in the same way as Hawthorn do Tassie. They even call themselves the Tassie Hawks when down here, but they are not going to relocate. This is how we need to approach it. Learn from other clubs who had their backs to the wall and fought their way out of it.

 

[Daphne]

I haven't read all through this thread so i apologize if someone has already said what I am about to say.
Isn't it true that if someone tells you over and over that you are stupid, unworthy, not going to make it etc. that eventually you believe it. You have no pride in yourself , you are ashamed about yourself. And then they start telling everyone who will listen exactly the same things about you. Isn't this exactly what is going on here. How many times have I heard on TV, radio, read in newspapers that North are not going to make it, we all listen and it has been said so many times that others like the members who have not signed up this year are all starting to believe it. This is exactly what they want, they being the AFL or other Victorian clubs. I think we are falling right into their hands and we are responding how they want to. Some of the comments on here are so defeatest it is just crazy. I think that eventually have to stand up and say what we want and what we think, they will have a big fight on their hands if they want to send us there permanently, there is absolutely no doubt that about that. These people can always be voted out next year.

 

[Rooboy 96]

The Two best posts of this thread are saying the same thing… buy a bloody membership… buy your dog a membership… buy your neighbor a membership… buy your sister a membership… buy your work colleague a membership… buy your goldfish a membership… or better still get them to buy it themselves… they wont be moving us anywhere if we have 35000 members in Melbourne… it is up to us… we can cry in our soup and be as pessimistic as we want but it isn’t going to help us… the only way forward is to buy memberships… forget all the whinging about how the club ********ed up and buy memberships… or we are gone and it is those that did not buy a membership that caused this to happen… and if you want to reply what has the club shown me... you are the problem get over your own importance and buy a bloody membership...

This was the whole issue with Canberra, it was providing a bit of cash but should the crap hit the fan would not give us any security, there was no room to grow in Canberra.

Switching the games from Canberra to Gold Coast really pushes us to get our house in order during the short-term. We probably would never achieve that while we were at Canberra and would have seen us suffer a slow, painful death with merging or disappearing as the only likely outcomes.

Nobody can dismiss it because it is the contingency plan. If we can't make Melbourne sustainable the AFL will probably bankroll any club wishing to relocate there, like they have done with Sydney. You do not really want to drive people away from the club who are in the contingency market by saying we will never go there when they do figure as the unpreferred option.

I think the club has not been dishonest with the supporters and I think that is important. We were always open with Canberra about why we were there, the scenario with the Gold Coast is different.



I think everyone around the club would love to see the club thriving here, but we are struggling and probably lack the means to reverse that at this point in time. We are not getting enough exposure, we not expanding our supporter base fast enough and for all the good media exposure we get there is just as much negative. We haven't had a positive outlook on the club sine 1999 and the club can only sustain a period of non-performance for so long.

I think the club sees the Gold Coast as a real option for co-existance where we play a chunk of games there and get a guaranteed number in melbourne. They will continue to think that way until something changes. If we grow to 30-35k members in Melbourne the club would probably feel we have the supporter base sufficient to stand on our own playing all our games in Melbourne.

There is no point making the Gold Coast hostile by saying we are only there for the cash, or making the AFL look elsewhere for someone to help develop the market there. At this point in time we need a successful GC campaign. It is no coincidence that our CBF payment more than doubled the year we decided to work on the Gold Coast. Now it is not in the AFL's interest for us to tread water, they want us to be able to afford to put a winning team on the park because it serves their interest. A successful side playing in GC suits the AFL's agenda.

We just need to be clever the way we play the football politics. The club can buy the time and money it needs to make a real fist out of expanding our supporter base here by promoting the Gold Coast. They wont be ready to support an AFL side for many years to come. We can help them grow to become ready while we secure our own interests here in Melbourne.

If our support here does not grow or wanes over the years then the club will have an alternative down the road if our desired result doesn't work out. Irrespective how much we want for our club to be a Melbourne based club only, their responsibility is primarily to ensure the club survives and is in a position to compete.

Those goals will only clash if our supporter base here does not grow.

The Board has been elected and now should be given the time to develop their direction for the Club, and to communicate this to the membership. I spoke to many key players tonight and am now willing to judge them on their actions. Although they can't afford to be slow if the next election for one third of the board is held in Oct 07.

The supporters and members can only address the GC relocation issue by buying memberships and attending games. The stronger the support in Melbourne that harder the GC relocation arguement becomes.

I want to see the Board and Club have a much stronger Melbourne focus while maximising the GC venture.

I was dissappointed in the manner by which the AGM was run in gagging questions and debate but thats water under the bridge.

 

[Rooboy 96]

Daphnie... this has been a biggest problem for the last 5 years with our club and this forum is one of the worst places for it... negativity breeds negativity... but this should be kept for another thread...

I haven't read all through this thread so i apologize if someone has already said what I am about to say.
Isn't it true that if someone tells you over and over that you are stupid, unworthy, not going to make it etc. that eventually you believe it. You have no pride in yourself , you are ashamed about yourself. And then they start telling everyone who will listen exactly the same things about you. Isn't this exactly what is going on here. How many times have I heard on TV, radio, read in newspapers that North are not going to make it, we all listen and it has been said so many times that others like the members who have not signed up this year are all starting to believe it. This is exactly what they want, they being the AFL or other Victorian clubs. I think we are falling right into their hands and we are responding how they want to. Some of the comments on here are so defeatest it is just crazy. I think that eventually have to stand up and say what we want and what we think, they will have a big fight on their hands if they want to send us there permanently, there is absolutely no doubt that about that. These people can always be voted out next year.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

I haven't read all through this thread so i apologize if someone has already said what I am about to say.
Isn't it true that if someone tells you over and over that you are stupid, unworthy, not going to make it etc. that eventually you believe it. You have no pride in yourself , you are ashamed about yourself. And then they start telling everyone who will listen exactly the same things about you. Isn't this exactly what is going on here. How many times have I heard on TV, radio, read in newspapers that North are not going to make it, we all listen and it has been said so many times that others like the members who have not signed up this year are all starting to believe it. This is exactly what they want, they being the AFL or other Victorian clubs. I think we are falling right into their hands and we are responding how they want to. Some of the comments on here are so defeatest it is just crazy. I think that eventually have to stand up and say what we want and what we think, they will have a big fight on their hands if they want to send us there permanently, there is absolutely no doubt that about that. These people can always be voted out next year.

That's the spirit, Daphne, and nice to hear from you.

There are people like you who have been through so much with the club over many years, right through to some of the kids we have on here who have only just started getting really involved, who will stand and be counted. If we keep believing and staying involved, and keep working on the people we know who might be wavering, we can avoid that defeatist view.

North has always had some struggle. But we aren't worse off than the Hawks and Demons were a few years ago, or than the Dogs were even more recently. Of course we can turn it around.

Directors and elections come and go, but the club is bigger than all that.

 

[knowsalot]

Pres, that's enough of that neagtive JB will be PUMPING UP OUR TYRES on the Footyshow.

RoyalBlue i am right there with you on that. There is no doubt once the Footy Show comes around JB will do his upmost to pump us up at any chance he gets. Will be good to have someone on prime TV to be talking about us.

 

[Contra Mundum]

RoyalBlue i am right there with you on that. There is no doubt once the Footy Show comes around JB will do his upmost to pump us up at any chance he gets. Will be good to have someone on prime TV to be talking about us.

I voted for him [and not his ineligible brother] for that reason

 

[RoyalBlue]

RoyalBlue i am right there with you on that. There is no doubt once the Footy Show comes around JB will do his upmost to pump us up at any chance he gets. Will be good to have someone on prime TV to be talking about us.

Im right there with you as well, especially considering JB is free to pump up our tyres if he's on the board or not.

Im interested in what he can bring to the board table. How often are the board meetings? He'll miss The Cage everytime right?

 

[Z_K]

RoyalBlue i am right there with you on that. There is no doubt once the Footy Show comes around JB will do his upmost to pump us up at any chance he gets. Will be good to have someone on prime TV to be talking about us.

Depends what he says!!