What hit Melbourne was two things, an incompetent board run by a favourite son and a stupid decision to sack Bailey and bring in Mark Neeld. Neeld destroyed the rebuild that Bailey was doing and doing reasonably successfully, they won 8 games in each of his last two season, a feat they have not matched since.
Culture, what culture? It starts with strong leadership at board level and that doesn't exist. I've never seen a successful AFL or VFL side with a divided board. I was friends with the late Phil Ryan (Hawthorn President 1968 - 1979), who I can remember saying when discussing football administration,
"It really doesn't matter what sort of playing group you have, if they see a divided administration and infighting at board level, then you will never have on field success. Leadership is just about having the right captain but it begins with the board and flows down from there, not the other way around."
We have a divided board, that is abundantly clear to everyone in football. It has been that way for the best part of the last decade and really doesn't look like settling down.
As for the "see ya" comment. That's what so many in Victoria have not renewed memberships. The Victorian membership base in the decade after the merger was running at between 6,000-9,000 now it is below 3,000 and that has nothing to do with being poor onfield it has everything to do with treating members like $hit for a number of years. We have finally made a slight step forward in acknowledging the Fitzroy fans, but the clubs is still miles behind where we were when Andrew Ireland was CEO. Take this year for example, there was a brilliant opportunity to have a game played prior to the Melbourne v Brisbane game that would of appealed to both clubs, with Old Melbournians v Fitzroy who are both in Premier B in the VAFA, but was it looked at, not for a second. Yet I can remember in 2003 or 2004 Fitzroy VAFA side did play before an AFL game on the MCG, at the time they were in D3, some 4 levels below where they are now.
In the last two years we have gone backwards. Tonight was the best performance under Leppitsch, but in two years under him we are behind where we were in 2013 and are starring at another exodus of talent worse than 2013 with Aish, Leuenburger and Redden all going, rumours surrounding Mayes, Adcock told he isn't required and possibly others to go as well. You can't tell me that if we get a 2013 with 5 players leaving for other clubs we can honestly think Leppa is the man to lead the club forward.