You have brought up a number of things that you may have more insight than most of us - one being unrest and division at board level. I'm of the view that with Leigh Matthews on board that we now have stability and more importantly footy smarts on the board.
You forget that we are still in with a big chance to get Schache at pick 2. What a result it would be that we
- finish the season with a win
- not win the wooden spoon
- get Schache
My disappointment to your post was it was so negative on all fronts. You need to look for the positives and the fact that we have an awful run with injuries this year.
Also, as a Victorian Member since 1997 (formerly Fitzroy), I will always follow the lions regardless of ladder position. I see hope and that's all I need for the short-term. Most of my friends (non-Lions supporters) also see that hope. All my Richmond mates speak highly on Leppa and all my mates speak highly of our younger players like Andrews and Freeman.
Another point, sometimes you need to go backwards to go forwards and I'm hoping this is the case with the Lions.
Keep the faith mate
The problem with the board is that it is split between the Mathews camp those behind Shapless.
Kruezer leaving Carlton as a RFA would mean Carlton would almost certainly get pick 2, given the Frawley compo. This is very much on the cards as he has refused to recommit to Carlton and would be a total disaster for us.
My negatively is built out of 8 years of frustration of being a Vic based member and Fitzroy member. The contempt that was shown to the Victorian members over a number of years especially from about 09-13 was disgusting. Family days at the Zoo, family days that went for 20 minutes after a practice match. No after match functions with players for 2 years, meet the players on a Sunday morning between 8-9am, sure they have to fly back, but it isn't easy to get places on a Sunday morning at that hour with kids involved.
A lot of people spoke very highly of Mark Neeld too, but he set Melbourne back 5 years. Look at St Kilda and Bulldogs, both clubs pulled a trigger quickly on new coaches who went performing and look at how they have rebounded. Both clubs who 12 months ago many thought were behind us in terms of rebuild are now clearly in front of us.
Going backwards to go forwards is sometimes needed, but we are in our third or fourth rebuild in a decade, that is just pathetic. Our skills have gone backwards over the last two years and that is what is most frustrating. You can't tell me that there was a single thing you liked about the Melbourne game.