Leaderboard

I've been following this team since it was just an idea 6 years ago and I've lost count of all the big name players that were meant to be all but signed. Players like Ronaldinho, Karagounis, Holt, Beckham, Lampard, Neil, Barton and Augustine Sokan. I've heard Munn come out countless times talking a big game saying stuff like we're looking all around the globe for our new manager only to promote the worst out of our two assistant coaches. Saying we've signed a big name striker who is still staring in internationals only to reveal Michael "what's a offside?" Mifsud. Tweeting there's a huge announcement coming only for us to extend Clint Bolton's contract for another season. I've been told by the club we're going to play a friendly against Inter, that the Heart isn't for sale, that we'll play sexy, winning football with an emphasis on youth development amongst countless other statements only to be let down time and time again. Even these new owners told me that my opinion matters, that we'll be our own club, it won't be a Cardiff situation and our days of mediocrity are behind us. Since then they've re-signed Tando "Flappy Bird" Velaphi and Jason "What position can I fuck up this week?" Hoffman and done all they can to change our name, logo and colors. I actually wonder why I still follow this rabble but yet I'm still here, still making massive trips to AAMI Park and around the country, still pouring my cash into the club and the terrace and still reading these forums everyday in the hope that things will turn around. So I'm definitely not going to get my hopes up about us getting David Villa on any kind of contract until I see him walking out of the tunnel at AAMI Park wearing whatever monstrosity of a kit our arab overlords have been so kind to make us wear.

Well if you're a cunt you follow MVFC and if you're not you generally follow MHFC.

Thoughts lads? Made it myself btw.

One stop shop to work out who is talking shit Tony999 -Novillo has re-signed -Williams gone (preseason) -Franjic signed -Maclaren signed (30/6) -Williams will be swapped for Malik (04/01) Attack11 -Germano gone thisphantomfortress -Williams gone (preseason) If Paddy K gives up playing, he will stay with the club in some capacity JVS staying (05/05) Victards -Novillo has re-signed 2 years -Williams gone (preseason) -Germano gone -JVS stays -Kennedy stays -Redmayne gone bt50 -Hoffman stays Dylan -Redmayne to Newcastle, Birragitti to us charlibub -Novillo 2 year contract -Germano gone -Franjic signed -Gameiro signed -New keeper will be signed -Koren will leave -McLaren will sign Malimate -Murdocca staying -Hughes (08/07) Fredinho69 -Franjic done deal Heart of Melbourne -Franjic done deal -Troisi in, Koren out (13/01) Gambau signed & sealed Kisnorbo retiring. (29/04) Bruno has signed. (29/04) if Mooy is sold then JVS is gone. Part of the sale will cover his pay out. (04/05) There is an assistant coming from Manchester (name not known) (04/05) strider -Novillo signed -Gameiro signed -McLaren signed -JVS gone by Jan (15/11) -Next years home kit will be Man Citys but reversed (12/01) heart_fan10 -new kits nos89 -Gameiro signed -Georgevski signed [LIBBA] -kits wont change info@VW -Novillo signed 2 years -New keeper signed -Koren staying -New striker signed -Preseason in Australia -Not going after Georgevski -Playing Man City in Gold Coast Baka11 -Germano gone Tesla Kuzmanovski Hughes (08/07) drewmelbcity Maclaren will be with us (30/6) Sherlock Player from Ireland announcement tomorrow (12/07) Kingofhearts -Signed Zullo (announced same day) -JVS 100% gone (29/04) Thrillhouse sorensen in (23/07) mooy staying (23/07) mus-28 Germano 1 yr deal with the option of a 2nd. AlexDaGroza Dekker on senior list (19/07) benzema23 Guest player is gonna be Abou Diaby (28/10) sheepdog Deal involving Melbourne, Wellington Phoenix and Foxtel. AntiScum Our next coach is Josep Gombau (03/01) Heard Troisi is pretty much a done deal (03/01) Kaka done deal (10/01) JVS wont be around next season (22/01) -JVS already sacked. Announcement post grand final (26/04) Matinclattenberg1 Mooy not leaving in Jan transfer window (03/01) Paartalu is on the way out after they got a transfer offer from an Asian club. Don't know which club, said to be leaving in the coming weeks. (03/01) Just spoke to someone from the club today and they said it's a done deal re: Troisi (13/01) Melburnian -Next years home kit will be Man Citys but reversed (11/01) -JVS gone next year (22/02) Johnny Blaze David Williams going overseas (11/01) CityHeart Gombau to coach, Carrusca to come with him. (22/01) playmaker Ronaldihno deal will be announced next week. (any club) (22/01) JC22 I've heard from a very good source that Bruno is going nowhere and not to stress. (03/02) Just heard from a source inside the club that he (Bruno) isn't going anywhere. (20/05) Kiro Kompiro - JVS staying, given 8 weeks into next season Deviant Paddy K gone at end of season (04/06)

With the task of selecting a new name, the core for the brand new Melbourne City FC terrace asked the wider club fan base to submit their suggestions for consideration for the final name to eventually be decided by a vote by the whole Melbourne City FC community. Having met as a supporter group once, the direction and style of the new terrace had largely been decided and the majority of structural suggestions were backed without contention. From this meeting a major theme ran throughout all discussions, this theme was one of inclusion, togetherness and unity as supporters of the club. On this basis, amongst the many suggestions received, none had more support than the name that has been chosen and seconded unanimously by both the core and the outer-core groups. It is our pleasure to present to you the future of Melbourne City FC, a group for all supporters, a name by which we can all be proudly recognised. MELBURNIANS As a leadership group we believe that this name encompasses all that we stand for, it is a name of inclusion and without division. Along with this name, we plan to utilise the year 1847. Our club badge includes the Melbourne city coat of arms, our away kit includes Melbourne’s official colours of red and white, and we will continue to support the city’s history by proudly promoting the year that Melbourne officially became a city. The numbers ‘1847’ will feature heavily in our logo, many banners and many nicknames for our beloved terrace. Common nicknames have already popped up, which some people may prefer to use when referring to the terrace, names such as ‘M47’, ‘The Four-Sevens’ etc. The great thing about this name is it is such a wide umbrella, every supporter regardless of where they sit at AAMI can feel included as part of the group. It goes without saying that some people may find the name to be a bit plain or boring, it will definitely grow on you, and the benefit is that if you attend games regularly with friends, there is nothing to stop you from having your own sub-group under the wider banner of Melburnians. Our colour scheme will largely remain red and white, but as you can see by our logo we will not shy away from incorporating hints of sky blue. We are supporting Melbourne City FC and will therefore support ALL the colours of our club. This continues to align with our core value of remaining inclusive and welcoming to all supporters of the club. We will be very purposely keeping the nickname ‘Heart’ for the club and of course for ourselves as supporters. You will see this utilised in chants and visual displays on a regular basis. Along with the name we can also introduce you to the core leadership for this inaugural season as a terrace. King Malta (Matty) Jimmy (James) BeardedHeart (Tony) Fingman (Jarrod/Fingers) This leadership group does have the potential to be expanded in the coming weeks as we find our feet in this challenging role. One thing we really want to do a great job at is communication with the wider supporter base and the inclusion of every Melbourne City FC fan. We will definitely be keeping everyone up to date with our progression over the next few weeks. Info on meetings, our first game against Sydney FC in the FFA Cup and how you can get involved will be coming soon. Please follow and like us on all of your social media platforms! Facebook: Facebook.com/melburnians1847 Twitter: @Melburnians1847 Instagram: @Melburnians1847 Also keep an eye out for an official app for Android and iOS devices as well as scarves and other merchandise! Cheers, Melburnians Core

Just got back now. Can't speak more highly of the night. It's occasions like that which typify what our club does and should stand for. Probably had about 45 of us there which was good considering the short notice. A few senior members went over to speak to Aziz's family and handed him a scarf before he left, which he loved. Don't think he could wipe the smile off his face. Aziz was an absolute gentleman. You could see how much it meant having us fans there thanking him for his services and wishing him good luck on the next stage of his career. Personally thanked everyone one of us before he boarded the plane. Not sure there was a dry eye in the terminal, even had a tear well up myself as he left to board the plane. As he walked towards the gates we let rip with a final rendition of 'Whomp Aziz', and a cover of 'You Are in My Heart' to great applause from his family, who couldn't thank us enough for turning out to wish him off. I know we've all been feeling down this week, but it's the moments like this why I follow this club. Where the wall is broken down between family, player & fans, & we all get to share in a special moment. It was a pleasure to be there and be reminded of what a fantastic club we all follow. Something other club's supporters don't get to experience. Bring on the Mongs on Saturday.

Last night was definitely the most emotional I and my mates have been at a game. Last week we lost a mate who was an Active member and stood with us at home games for the past two years. On behalf of my mate's in the terrace, Ash's family and friends who all watched last night looking out for the tribute, a massive thank you to the wonderful terrace for making the 26th minute happen. It meant so much to so many people, we felt Ash was there with us last night. Special mention to Jimmy and King Malta for getting this done. We can't thank you enough. If you could see the messages and Facebook posts on his wall you will truly know the impact this had. Love this club. Love our fans.

Got mine today. Melling the first to like his backhander on Instagram. Lad.

The Campaign Our home match against the Western Sydney Wanderers on the 12th of April is our last chance to make ourselves abundantly clear to the new owners that we don't want our colours to change. This match will be Harry kewell's last ever game, and the fact it is against the Wanderers means there will be a alot of media focus on the match. Turning the tide against a possible colour change won't be easy, and will only work if it has the support of all supporters on here and on social media. It needs to be a full blown campaign that tells everyone we are united in wanting to keep this club Red & White. I want to make this clear, that this is in no way a protest against getting taken over or Manchester City investing in us, we just don't want the investment to come at the expense of our club's identity. Donations As I said earlier this week, I've contacted a few printers to see about getting a few thousand A3 sized placards printed with the words “Keep Melbourne Red & White” on them that can be handed out to supporters at the match, and held up during the match. We're also planning on making banners and possibly red and white balloons. To fund this, a few of us have gotten together and setup a an email account that can accept Paypal donations at keeptheredandwhite@gmail.com To send the donations, you have to sign up for Paypal. Then just enter our email at the link below, and select "Friends and family" that way we don't get charged https://www.paypal.com/au/webapps/mpp/send-money-online All up, this will probably cost around a $1000. I know many have already pledged money on here, if we get enough together over the weekend, we can quickly get everything printed and made for the game. If we get anything over, it will either go to the Big Issue or back into the terrace, and If it doesn't go ahead the donations will be refunded. What can I do? Right now, what we need from everyone on here is to -Like the facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/keeptheredandwhite -Follow the twitter account at https://twitter.com/Keeptherandw -Follow the instagram account at http://instagram.com/keeptheredandwhite -Donate to the paypal -Talk to all your friends about this -Keep spamming the Melbourne Heart facebook page with the link to the facebook page above -Use the hashtag #KeepTheRedAndWhite -Get active yourselves, either make banners or signs against this -Suggest other ideas we can make this bigger If anyone wants to do media, post this campaign on other forums like 442 you are more then welcome too. Anyone else, who wants to be involved over the next week, let me know and I can add you to the facebook group. Thanks all, lets do this. #KeepTheRedAndWhite Campaign images below (courtesy of Fingman) https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9OlKjr_Io-bYzNoeFpTcDAwRTQ

Goes in harder than Melling, but Melling is built like an MMA fighter, not this bloke. No fancy AIS and gyms for 'nando, only eating dirt and surviving the villa miserias. That's how you make a real hard mf. You think he gives a fuck that he looks like he stole some batteries from Coles and then tried to refund them for a pack of smokes? Nope, he's not a narcissistic pretty boy like Novillo. Doesn't even have any social media profiles. The club did like a 5 minute video exclusively on this guy and he spoke two words during the whole thing, because he does his talking on the pitch. Won't be throwing any tantrums either, if 'nando has a problem he'll just do us all a favour and shank JVS. Love this cunt.

Notch it up one more member. I decided that it was time that I showed some solidarity with you guys so I bought an international membership. I have a zero percent chance of making it to any games this season (maybe in future seasons, but give it a few years) but it felt like the right thing to do.

The Western Sydney Wanderers are Big, Brash and Loud and therefore according to the Media and The FFA: Beautiful. Oh and they are also The Best Thing to have ever happened to Australian Football... apparently. Do you believe this??? Do you think that just because a Club is Big, Brash and Loud its therefore superior??? Because I for one def do not. (If I did why I would not have even chosen Melbourne's second club??). What I believe in is the Strength and Unity that I felt right from the start as Heart Supporter. And the Camaraderie I feel when among my peers in the Yarraside End. What I believe in most of all is the sense of belonging to a group I love that is: "Small But Strong". Anyway this Friday night the Western Sydney Wanderers - Football World's Red and Black T-Rex comes to town... But who gives a fuck? Because even if Heart plays Shiite and some other Heart fans decide to do something else on their Friday night. We will be there, those of us that matter - We will be there standing on the Terrace. As its time for us Yarrasiders to dig our heals in like a Small Triceratops and make a stand and out sing these blokes back to Bankstown regardless of the result. This is the game where your Team and your Terrace needs you most, when a Big Bloated FFA Funded Enemy comes to make look us like fools in our Beautiful City on Free To Air TV . Remember Lads: "Small but Strong".

After a lot of lengthy public discussions, a plethora of suggestions and of course a public vote, the Melburnians core leadership is proud to present to you the brand new Melburnians badge as voted by Melbourne City FC fans. The vote was very close, a big thank you to Tesla who spent a fair bit of time going through the votes and culling a number of multi-votes from the same IP addresses on both badge 3 and 4, this has helped us fairly work out which badge was the true winner. Let it be known that although badge 4 came off as victorious by something like 16 votes, because it was still quite close, badge 3 will still be used in some capacity perhaps for stickers, banners etc. Thanks for all having a say and helping us move forward. This is just the beginning of what will be an exciting inaugural year as a supporters group with many more challenges to come. Stay tuned for info on the FFA Cup and of course round 1 and 2 of the season proper in October! Cheers, Melburnians Core

In answer to the nay Sayers, i am a foundation member who has a country membership. My self and my wife travel for three and a half hours to watch Melbourne Heart, if i lived closer i would try to attend more games. On average it costs us around $100 -$150 to travel and stay one night. In former years we have had a concession as pensioners but this year there were no concessions available and the price has risen but i have still signed up for another season and will be cheering the team on no matter if we win or lose, for goodness sake get behind the club and stop worrying what any other club is doing. That is the ONLY way we can progress to better things in the future, sorry about the rant but it annoys me when i read all the negative posts on here.

In light of a new entity taking the place of our club, we regretfully announce that Yarraside as a group will be disbanding, effective immediately, and will no longer exist in any capacity. Yarraside has and always will be the active supporter group for Melbourne Heart FC, and as Heart now ceases to exist, the decision has been made that Yarraside cannot become the official supporter group for Melbourne City FC. This decision was not taken lightly, but, after being the subject of much debate ever since the takeover was announced in January, the final decision was unanimous amongst the group of 22 senior Yarraside members. We will continue to support Melbourne City out of respect for the legacy of Melbourne Heart, the players and personal relationships we have developed over the past 5 years at football, and will still be present at the games. We are moving aside from the terrace as not to impede any new active group that wishes to occupy the active area. We ask only that any new active support groups respect the history, legacy, and all the hard work undertaken by members of Yarraside over the past 5 years and in doing so preserving the fond memories many of us have. We would like to thank every supporter who gave their time, money and passion towards building and running Yarraside. There are hundreds of unsung heroes amongst the ranks that we would like to acknowledge, and to that effect we would also like to announce that we will be having a function to mark the end of Yarraside as a send-off and thank you to everyone that has been a part of Yarraside over the last 5 years (Details will be confirmed within the coming weeks).

Look, that's me at the derby, with Heart jersey

Fookoorf

So I’ve been pretty disheartened with Bay 17 in general over the last few weeks, and I think as a collective terrace we need to make some changes for next season so that we can all take pride in Yarraside again. I’ve been thinking about it all night and here are some ideas I have come up with for improving the culture in the terrace. This thread is intended to be a place for brainstorming and planning for next season so please add your own ideas or give feedback to mine. I hope that the Core will not take offence but rather receive my ideas in the spirit they are intended: full of respect for the work that has been done so far but recognising that something desperately needs to be done to stop the stagnation of Bay 17. So, without further ado, my ideas: Make the Capo a fixtured, rotating curation position. I think everyone acknowledges that this is a tough and often thankless job, which requires a lot of effort and sacrifice (usually of actually watching the game that we’re all ostensibly there to watch) and can be very morale-draining when everyone ignores you. I don’t see why it has to be just one person’s responsibility to bear this burden for the entire season, and I perfectly sympathise with our regular capos who wanted to take a break this week. The thing is, we can’t just have NO capo in any given week. So let’s use the off-season to spread the load. It can be 2, 3, 6, 10 people who put their hands up for the job, be it for a single game or for many. But when the fixture list for next season is released, I think a similar roster for capo should be assigned in advance of the season, and published publically on the forum so that everyone is aware who to look to for guidance and authority on any given matchday. The people who put their hands up for it should get a bit of ‘training’ in advance, and put in some effort to learn the chants (otherwise what’s the point). But I really think that if a capo knows that next week he (or she??) has a break coming up, where he/she can just stand and sing and drink and enjoy the game with their friends, then this will in turn inspire them to be a better capo on the day they have the job. In my opinion the capo should try to stay relatively sober, because we’ve seen already this season that it just doesn’t really work if the capo is wasted by the second half. This is a much fairer expectation if it’s just for that game, and next week they can go back to drinking/enjoying the game. Hopefully they will also be inspired to really put in the effort to cajole and inspire everyone else, because it’s not the same old crap as every week, rather this is THEIR turn to shine and be a good leader. Approximately two minutes before kickoff, whoever is capo on the day should give a short speech to everyone in Bay 17, reminding them of the basic rules/expectations that come with being in the Active area. i.e. stand for 90 minutes, sing for 90 minutes, follow the capo, follow the drum, clap with your arms over your head, don’t start your own chants unless the capo invites you to, etc etc. A speech could also be given to Bays 16 and 18 to remind them that they have also purchased Active tickets so these rules really apply to them as well. Invite anyone not comfortable with these expectations to leave the Active areas at the outset. I know when I first joined Active these rules were outlined to me at the start as non-negotiables, but I think that as time has gone on, new faces have drifted in and out of the terrace without ever really being told what is expected of them. It’s not really fair on new people to expect them to pick up the rules by osmosis and then get annoyed with them if they don’t follow them. Let’s help educate people each and every matchday. Instil and encourage a culture of individual and collective responsibility for enforcing these rules/expectations – encourage people to call out those beside them, whether stranger or friend, if they see them failing to stand/sing etc. Shame people out of thinking that that behaviour is acceptable or tolerated in the terrace. Applaud people who are brave enough to call out those slacking off. Divert some of the terrace tifo funds to repairing the musical instruments. Both drums desperately need new skins. One side on each drum is torn right through (the actual snare part of the snare hasn’t been available all season), and the skin on the other side of each is so loose and stretched that it needs to be hit much harder than usual to produce any volume, meaning we are also going through drumsticks like candy (they keep snapping in half). Similarly, my trumpet needs to be literally bent back into shape after capo fell on it a few weeks back. Repairing the instruments will provide a huge boost in volume, meaning that their sound will be much more imposing. Currently it is easy to ignore a sound that you can only vaguely hear from several rows below you. But produce a clear, strong drum beat that cuts through the crowd and in combination with a strong capo suddenly the average Joe is much more compelled to feel that they should do what the drum tells them to! We need a huge burst of creative output in the chant department over the off-season. Bozza and I will be doing our bit to try and incorporate the trumpets into more chants, or adapt new trumpet-led songs ala Espana. Even so, Yarraside’s repertoire has gradually shrunk more and more as players with catchy songs have left, never to be replaced. Many of the other tried and tested favourite chants have become tired/stale/boring to sing 5 times in a game. We have had some new stuff this season which is great, but I honestly think we need to double the number of songs currently available to us to inspire Bay 17 as a whole to get involved in singing again. In order to achieve this – and this is where I’m probably going to get unpopular – I believe there has to be a lot more willingness on the part of the Core to accept suggestions from ‘unknowns’. Whether this means giving a chance to a chant you think will just never catch on, or whether you disapprove of the chant because Club X in League Y once did it, I really think that for a while we just need to suck it up and allow the creative juices of people to flow. If someone makes a promising suggestion but their suggested lyrics are weak, have a go at polishing them instead of shooting down their whole idea or just ignoring it altogether, as often happens. Desperate times/desperate measures, and all that. So those are my ideas. Love them or hate them, I believe they are real, achievable targets for next season, and at the very least they are practical suggestions rather than just complaining at the status quo. So if you hate them, don’t just ignore me or tell me I’m wrong, but offer me alternatives that will feasibly work better. Better yet, add to my ideas with your own. Let’s work cooperatively as a terrace to bring the pride back into Yarraside and make us the envy of the A-League. After all, our new owners mean we’re going to win the league next season, right?

You've chosen wisely, us City fans are all wonderful, kind-hearted, well-adjusted positive contributors to the society of Melbourne, and the other mob's supporters are a bunch of incestuous, dog-fucking, no-hoper, ugly, toothless shitcunts. So welcome aboard the City bandwagon! Here's a few things you'll need to know to help you get started on the right foot: 1) Don't let the evil oil overlords of the City Football Group fool you, the colours of this club are red and white, not sky blue. Any expression of positivity towards sky blue on this forum will lead to you being called "brainwashed" or a sheep or a Melchester City supporter. Never, ever say that you think our home kit is nicer than our away kit. Talk only about having no training ground and having our players do their recovery sessions in wheelie bins and finishing second last. This era is what we call "The Glory Days". 2) Our wonderful Dutch manager John van't Schip, who you may recognise from his playing days as a member of Ajax and the Dutch national team, is awful. He is a man who despite his best efforts, cannot be sacked by the club. He was our first ever manager when the club was founded in 2008, and then a couple of years later he decided that he wanted to leave the club to return home for family reasons. "Family reasons" meant moving to Mexico to manage a club over there very poorly. Whilst he was gone he left former player and Australian football legend John Aloisi in charge. Aloisi decided that he didn't want to win a game ever, so he didn't. When he was eventually let go, our lord and savior JVS returned to lead us to glory (this has not yet happened despite having some of the best players in the history of the league). 3) Tim Cahill is the only person you will ever hear about in the news for the next few months. This is because he is the Australian equivalent of Pele. He is worshipped by the masses due to the fact his forhead is a ball magnet. Expect slightly longer than average lines for beer at AAMI Park for his first few games before it slowly returns to short lines as the crowds leave when they realise that we're shite. 4) Bruno Fornaroli is now your god. Worship him. 5) You may only live on a diet consisting of warm flat mid-strength beer from the stadium bar and sausages from the sausage stand. The sausage stand is the Melbourne City fans sacred place. 6) Try to avoid the Club Room section of the forum unless you enjoy discussing libertarian politics, the evils of each religion, and gambling. 7) We hate every other team in the A-League. There are reasons for our hatred of each individual club. ADELAIDE: - They are a pissant team from a pissant city. - They take all of our shit players that we don't want anymore and turn them into league champions somehow. - Stefan Mauk is the worst person alive. Worse than all of ISIS and Hitler combined. BRISBANE: - John Aloisi is their coach. We hate him. (See point 2) CENTRAL COAST: -They're shit. - Like really really shit. - They have a brass band at their home games? - Their kits are actually recycled from a 4/20 Legalise It rally. MELBOURNE VICTORY: - They're our arch rivals for no reason other than the fact they are based in the same city and wear a different shade of blue and white. Our derbies are a great spectacle, but this isn't exactly Celtic vs Rangers. - Besart Berisha and Kevin Muscat are cunts. NEWCASTLE JETS: - No matter how badly they've been playing, they always seem to beat us. PERTH GLORY: - Perth is full of bogans and wankers. - Every time we go to Perth we lose. Every single time. SYDNEY FC: - Our owners hate them because they stopped us from wearing a full sky blue kit. - We hate them because the Football Federation of Australia is incredibly biased towards Sydney and Sydney FC is their favourite club. WELLINGTON PHOENIX: - They're from New Zealand so they fuck sheep. Our relationship with New Zealanders is the same as the rest of Britain's relationship with Wales. - Their supporters are actually really nice so we don't hate them that much. WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS: - Imagine every single Green Street Hooligans wannabe ultra you have ever seen and you will be able to imagine the WSW fanbase. - They were established several years after us and have established a much larger fan base and achieved massive success which is kind of a kick in the guts to us. So there you have it! You are now a fully fledged Melbourne City supporter! Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of mediocrity and disappointment coupled with the occasional joy of Bruno Fornaroli being way too good for this league. Good to have you on board my friend!

Placards arrived this afternoon. Quality is fantastic Was not expecting them to arrive so soon, great turn round, Will put details up later of how people can help hand them out on the day and when to hold them up. Have also attached the file here for anyone else who wants to print more off kmrwPRf.pdf

I will lock this thread after this post. Thank you all for your kind thoughts and words at this difficult time. It means a lot to me. On Sunday afternoon my son and I are hosting a small afternoon tea at home for close friends of my wife - this was her wish instead of a funeral - and so I will not be at the match. I know that we are supposed to remain anonymous on here, but I should be at all the remaining home matches this season, so if anyone would like to come around to Section 19 behind the southern goal to say hello, I'm at the end of row DD next to Section 20. I will close by saying that I received every sympathy from the club when I wrote to the membership team concerning my wife, and I don't think we know, and therefore we can't appreciate, how hard Ryan and his team are working to bring the club closer to its fans, and perhaps we can remember that into the future. Thank you all once again. JW

The FRG meeting was pretty productive. I'd say the club has a comprehensive and very good understanding of supporters' concerns. And whilst I personally found a number of the club's explanations satisfying, I'm sure everyone won't 100% agree with the club's explanations. I didn't take full minutes of the meeting, but I did note a number of comments and explanations. Most of the comments were made by Scott Munn, who's a pretty honest and impressive speaker. In no particular order: Active supporter issues/concerns - 8 supporters have been banned over the club's 6 year history - The club thinks bannings etc. "don't warrant details in the paper" (pretty much they weren't happy with the Daily Telegraph article) - Bans can be appealed through Melbourne City, and the club will make representations to overturn a ban if there's sufficient evidence On field issues - It was firmly stated that the club is not happy with its on field performances, and it was stated that the only remedy is winning - The club is firmly against the idea that injuries are the main reason for the team's performances. It was stated the club went out of its way to try and sign 2 players for each position - The club doesn't buy "the pitch is too hard" argument at all. The pitch readings today indicate the training pitch is effectively the same as AAMI Park's pitch - The club believes this is by far the strongest squad the club has ever had - It was made very very clear that "if success doesn't come [the club] will make changes". It was made unambiguously clear that these changes could include coaching changes. However it was also noted that club staff has "the full support" of the club (at least, in the present moment) Memberships/attendances - It was stated that "matchday attendance is a direct correlation of results". In short, it is believed that more success will bring more members and higher attendances - Also it was pointed out that across the whole league memberships sales and attendances are down 15% to 20% - The A-League is the only league in Australia which had no "brand campaign" leading into its season. That is, and this is connected to the FFA, the A-League wasn't properly promoted/marketed going into this season A guest player - A guest player would have to be a football decision, and couldn't simply be something short term and disruptive (like Villa) - The club is open to signing a guest player. If a guest player is signed, it will be in or after January, so the guest player can play all Melbourne City's remaining games (including finals) - The media report that CFG issued an ultimatum to the club and the A-League, that the club wouldn't sign a star guest player like Lampard or Pirlo unless Melbourne City adopted a sky blue jersey, was said to be "bullshit" - It was noted that a loan from NYCFC would have to happen during the next transfer window, in January 2016, and with the MLS pre-season starting in February 2016 a loan move with Villa, Lampard or Pirlo is not going to happen Jerseys - Next season's home jersey will be predominantly white, with some sky blue (and no navy). Next season's away jersey will be red and white. So over the next 22 months the club will have a predominantly white home jersey and a red and white away jersey. These jerseys and the club badge is one way the club is uniquely Melbourne, and not a "mini-Manchester" club - "Long term" the club wants "more sky blue" on its jerseys. However it was clearly said that the club "doesn't want the same kit as Manchester" Investment - Melbourne City (like many other A-League clubs) wants more freedom with regards to decision-making. It was noted that the club might invest more if the A-League was less centralised and A-League clubs had more power to make decisions - Overall the club wants a return on investments, and seemingly the club doesn't see much potential big returns on potential investments that are currently possible City Voice - The club is now trying to provide answers to posts/comments, after not being able to provide much personalised or question-specific answers/response immediately after the launch of City Voice. It was also noted that it might sometimes take a little bit of time for Melbourne City's media people to get answers from the right people before they post on City Voice. Further it was stated that the club will be increasingly looking at feedback on City Voice, and they recommend supporters who aren't currently using City Voice to start using City Voice Food at AAMI - It's easier to propose to caterers to sell food at Melbourne City home games if the club gets bigger home game crowds - The club might post on social media when there is some new food available (such as sausages) at an upcoming Melbourne City home game at AAMI Anyway that's all I wrote down on my notepad. The next FRG meeting is in January.

This is how I think this weekend will pan out. The line-up is announced late, just as the gates open at 4pm. It doesn’t include Villa, but Duff is named, and Koren will start on the bench. The usual suspects round out the squad, aside from Archibald who replaces Ramsay at left back, and Mauk, who replaces Murdocca. The game is already a sell-out, so we don’t need to worry about getting the crowds in for this one, the real concern is whether or not people will get a decent GA seat on level 3. By all accounts going GA might be the best decision anyone has ever made. The roof is closed. David Villa is nowhere to be seen. Kick-off is delayed by five minutes as some trouble makers from the NT let off a few flares and obscure parts of the field. The stadium fills with the acrid smell of fireworks as the sun sets over Melbourne. Clouds race in from the south and a cold wind blows outside the stadium. The first half is a cagey affair, with both sides probing for the opener, but defences hold firm. The selection of Archibald at left back seems to be a masterstroke by JvS, as he keeps Barbarouses quiet for the opening stanza. Thompson looks dangerous getting in behind Hoffman on a few occasions, but the steel wall of Kisnorbo keeps these forays from being overly dangerous. At the other end, Williams is making the most of Villa’s absence. He’s everywhere, popping up for crosses from Duff, and streaking past Leijer to put a few shots on goal. And yet Villa remains absent. Half time comes and goes, with the scores locked at nil all. Another derby stalemate is on the cards as the clock ticks over to 80 minutes gone. The sound of thunder echoes around the stadium as JvS makes the first substitution; Koren will make his debut in place of young Stephan Mauk. Rumours of Koren’s injured calf appear to be well-founded, as the Slovenian international hobbles out to the middle of the pitch where Mauk waits. A collective groan from the City fans emanates around the stadium as Koren limps toward the young midfielder. The roof slowly opens. Dark clouds swirl in around in a maelstrom directly above Etihad Stadium as Koren stalks towards the hapless youngster. One by one, the stadium lights are extinguished. In the eye of the storm, Koren places a hand over the forehead of Mauk and closes his eyes. An inhuman groan from Koren, a shriek of pure terror from Mauk, then the crack of thunder announce that this is no ordinary derby. No, dark forces are at play tonight, and the blood of Mauk is already being consumed by a ravenous A-League marquee. At the height of the raging storm, Koren utters the words handed down to him from ages past, and hoists the limp form of Mauk into the ozone-heavy air. A beam of pure energy surges from the eye of the storm and impales the hapless Mauk, as his skin sloughs away and his veins boil off into the atmosphere. Darkness flows across the pitch and through the stunned crowd like a roiling ocean of madness. JvS stands up, raises his hands to the sky, and screams “SIBON!”. Reality distends and reflects back in on itself as Koren slumps to the grass, with Mauk nowhere to be seen. In his place, a towering figure emerges from the absolute blackness. Chaos. Insanity. Despair. Those in the crowd who have not gone insane from witnessing the past, present and future as one now stare in wonder as Melbourne City’s saviour calmly gathers up the ball. Gerald Sibon has returned. City go on to win 1-0 with a Williams tap-in in the 92nd minute.

welcome we have a few rules here and some people you should know. 1: there are no rules (except when you get banned) 2: @cadete is the resident sex machine/essay-ist and general sick cunt (contact him if there's any poon that needs slaying/if you need a wingman). also goes by "det", "the cad" or "red scooter hooter" 3: @kingofhearts is det's arch nemesis -- it is unclear why. Only one shall emerge as the alpha 4: @Tesla is the resident mogul. it is unclear how he goes on random trips across the world. it is apparent he bets for a living 5: @Baka1 does steroids, claims natty 6: @malloy is usually gonna be the first person to argue that you are wrong. he will also be the first to argue that he is right 7: @Tony999 next 8: @bt50 is literally a fucking car 9: @tomby and @Hackett are probably dating 10: @jw1739 will be the first mod to ban you for anything remotely right wing 11: @BeardedHeart is like big foot. we all know he's alive but nobody really sees him on the forum 12: @n i k o and @thisphantomfortress and @KSK_47 are ok, don't think anyone has wished death on them yet the rest of us are pretty nice guys and (some) girls. i'll be in active, say hi i'll grab you a beer! nobody has found me yet, I have a scorpion tattoo on my neck and a half-sleeve. Cheers!

You don't get it, do you... The FFA have bent their own rules just so someone (us) could bring Cahill back. It's Cahill or no-one. Effectively a free hit outside of the cap and a massive advantage over any other club in the league. Why wouldn't you?

Expecting this to be a good thread. Feel free to add your own items or stroies from years gone by. Goes without saying, remove names/blur pictures etc. where needed. Going through the wardrobe today and came across a few things; FIRST EVER YARRASIDE SCARF One for the Yarraside archives this. Can remember Braveheart rocking up to our 1st ever tifo sesh at some warehouse which we'd spent a full week in at Hoppers & being greeted by about 15 delirious ysiders suffering from acute cabin fever, 3 days out from the club's first ever game, sporting this tattered piece of cloth which he'd ripped out of the sewing machine factory just 30 minutes earlier and asking all us lads if we were fine to go ahead and get another 100 ordered for the CCM match. A resounding yes was offered and that was that. When we get our own clubhouse one day, this will be getting pride of place - framed and hung on the main wall behind the bar. FIRST EVER YARRASIDE BANNER Produced in Braveheart's crack den in inner suburbia. Courtesy of Hendo-sun. Hang up at the pub at one of our first supporter meets. God knows where this historic artifact is now, can remember it being used to wipe spit and beer off our drum in season one. No doubt it's now probably being used as a cum rag for hendo's staph infected cawk somewhere across the Anatolian orient. FIRST EVER TIFO DISPLAY Everton. Pre-season 2010. Tim Cahill. 19,000 Toffees fans, 500 Heart fans and about 40 yarrasiders. Copped beer in the back of head, copped coins for standing and trying to chant for our side, got into a few rumbles & then had to deal with Vucktree flogs trying to knick our gear on the way back to the carpark. We're by no means perfect, but fuck we've come along way since those heady days where we couldn't even stand and sing for our own side. Onwards and upwards yside FIRST EVER FLARE Geelong pre-season Away. Season One. Club's 2nd ever official hitout. First time we ever got told off by the famous Kosta. The anticipation was palpable. Would we score. Would the flare work. Would caridobenj pickup the stick and dance with it like a fucking idiot (for the record yes he did). Great night out that. Special mention has to go to Hellenic John, forever dubbed Pyro John from that day for providing us with the goods. Sadly he was taken away from us by the football gods for some unknown reason, hope he's still around and reading this place, got a free pint waiting for you at the imp from me if you ever make it down again mate. FIRST EVER STADIUM BAN First Away trip to Adelaide back in 2010. Popping the Away cherry. Sleeping on the streets. Fighting with gangs of 12 year old aboriginals. The 14 hour bus ride back. Think there's now about 35 of us who have copped one of these 3 month bans at one point or another over the last 3 seasons. One for something as ridiculous as supporting his club too aggressively "by waving his arms and yelling too loudly" at a game. Really isn't an Adelaide Away without the Weslo cunts in their cowboy hats handing you one of these little green slips. Another item set to be framed and hung 15 years from now when we have our own clubhouse.

With the sale of the club and the takeover to come into full effect during this off-season, I have decided to make this my final post. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have supported me throughout the last four years of running this blog, with a huge thank you particularly to - My wife and family for their unwavering support throughout this project - Baz and Brendan for all their hard work and contributions to the site - Yarraside, not only all their hard work and efforts to ensure that the atmosphere on gameday is always electric, but also all their cooperation and support for this blog - The staff at Melbourne Heart for their support This site will remain up as a tribute to the clubs foundation years and a reminder of the good and bad times which made this club so unique. Regardless of any changes that come from new ownership, I will always be a part of this club and very much look forward to the next chapter in the clubs history. Harry K http://thehistoryofmelbourneheart.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/melbourne-heart-vs-west-sydney-wanderers.html

Melbourne City FC striker Bruno Fornaroli said: “It was great to train in the new kit today; it’s light and cool, and the contemporary look is very smart. I’m confident it will help us to perform at our best this season.” There's not a fucking chance that quote is from Bruno haha.

can you really listen to Chinese whispers?

All remaining Yarraside funds have been donated to Melburnians. When contributions were made to Yarraside, whether through scarf purchases, match day donations, or otherwise, the majority of contributors would have envisaged these funds furthering active support for Melbourne Heart. As many of these contributors have gone on to follow Melbourne City, donating these funds to the Melbourne City active support group, Melburnians, is the course of action which is most aligned with the expectations of the contributors. In light of this, we regretfully announce that there will no longer be a function to mark the end of Yarraside, as the funds earmarked for this have been put to better use helping Melburnians get off the ground. There are still some unsold Yarraside scarves remaining, that can be acquired by contacting malloy.

Melbourne City Active Support Group – First Meeting Monday June 23, 2014 Imperial Hotel (Upstairs) – Bourke Street Melbourne Meeting called to order at 7:35pm by User: Jimmy (James) Introduction by Jimmy - Thanks to Yarraside core for being so accommodating and helpful with their advice and support of the new active group. - Basic structure: - Core of 5 – 6 leaders and an outer-core of approximately 20 people. - Colour scheme. All of the new colours should be used in the terrace, people should not be scared to enter the terrace wearing a particular colour, and so all colours should be welcome. A bring and multi-coloured terrace makes us unique. - No reference to heart, red, white, sky blue etc in the new name. Try to be unique. - Jimmy and King Malta (Matt) have been in contact with the club, they are happy to support the new group and would like to know more information once the group is organised. - The Imperial Hotel is happy to have the new active group at the hotel on game days pre-game and for away days. The same drink specials will stand moving forward. King Malta (Matt) opens the floor for questions and for anyone to express interest in being a part of the leadership Q: Does the new leadership have roles in mind? - Suggestion made that the core have a specific leader for chants and a specific leader for visual displays, then those leaders have a team of people made up of outer-core members who work together to make game day an awesome experience for everyone. - Other core leadership roles would include finances/accounting, PR (social media etc.), Admin (liaise with club, meeting minutes, planning meetings). - Potential for sub groups to have a chosen leader represent them in the inner or outer core. E.g. The MU5 group may nominate a representative to be a part of core or outer core, the same would go for any other sub-groups of the new terrace. Q: What will Yarraside be passing on to the new terrace in terms of equipment? - Jimmy responds: Drums, megaphone and tifos. - Any equipment that doesn’t have Yarraside written on it. - It was noted that drums would need repair. New skins, approximately $40.00. It was suggested that having a bass drum on either side of the terrace would mean a greater presence without having to destroy the drum skins by hitting them so hard. Q: How can we stop people from sitting on their phone in the terrace, how do we make sure people sing for the full 90 minutes? - Suggested that the capo should be making pre-game announcements about terrace etiquette, basics of what we want to achieve, and invite people who do not wish to stand and sing to relocate to a different area. - It was noted that this needs to be said in a kind way, we don’t want people to feel excluded from the terrace, we just want them to understand that the terrace is for standing and singing. If they don’t feel like standing, that is fine, but if they could relocate to the GA area that would be beneficial towards our vision as a terrace. - Songs should be promoted each week with song sheets; this will give people no excuses for not knowing the words. - Having songs without swearing that have clear lyrics that are easily understood so the whole ground can join in. Comment: Suggestion that pre-game needs to be organised as more of an event, make sure people know about pre-game at the imperial, call last drinks before everyone heads to the game together. - March time to be permanent or well advertised. - March to be inclusive of younger supporters who cannot attend the Imp pre-game. Make sure everyone is aware of the march. - Utilise social media and promote pre-game with fliers on match days. Comment: Make the terrace very approachable and welcoming, say hi to new faces, make people feel included. - Active core should be very approachable and happy to answer questions and point people in the right direction to get involved. Comment: Name idea, get public input for 2 weeks via social media and the melbournefootball.com forum, the core then choose the best 5 or 6 names to put to public vote, slowly narrow it down. - Something focussing on the history of Melbourne. - Melbournefootball.com to be kept as main forum with a hidden forum for the core. Conversation shifted to Chants and match day involvement. - Keep relevant chants from the old Yarraside “playlist” - Chants with red, white and heart in lyrics are okay; chants with Yarraside in lyrics are to be scrapped. - Spontaneous chants are okay; it shouldn't be people yelling over the capo. Tony said he likes to make things varied; every corner shouldn’t be "stand up for your heart" etc. - A suggestion was made that routine is helpful for people who don’t sing for the full time. There has to be a balance between routine and variety. Familiar songs boost morale etc. - A suggestion was made regarding getting the other stands involved. Make every heart fan feel involved in the terrace and make everyone feel welcome. - Suggestion of not associating the active area game day experience with a name too much so that everyone can feel like they are a part of it. - Comment was made regarding people previously not enjoying the Yarraside specific chants because they did not feel as though they were a part of Yarraside and therefore did not feel like they could sing those chants. - Simple chants to get more people involved. - Need a good drummer to keep good timing. - Suggestion made to get all songs on Youtube or on a mobile app so people can learn them before the game. - Make chants gender equal so everyone can feel comfortable singing them. The example used was "We are the boys from yarraside", chants shouldn’t be specific to boys or girls, men or women etc. - Also removing distasteful chants, it cannot be helped if they naturally start, but the terrace should not encourage chants such as “Archie Thompson beats up his wife”. - Debate about banners being held up for the full 90 minutes. Majority agree that it is expected that your view will be impeded in the terrace. - It was suggested that the use of banners is one way of supporting the club and that they aren’t a necessity. Debate around banners fired up and continued for some time. - Comment made that there should be some give and take with banners; Suggestion made that maybe banners should be taken towards the front of the terrace so people at the back can see. - We will never make everyone happy. - Discussion around not allowing banners during a corner, one or two people at the meeting did not like not being able to see the game due to banners especially during corners. - Many agree that corners are the best time for banners as it shows the 11 players on the pitch that we are right behind them and looks visually awesome on TV. - Jimmy explained that we want to look visually awesome because that is what's going to encourage people at home to come down and have a look. - King Malta suggested if it is the same banner in your way every week, move a few seats over. Although active is reserved seating most people sit wherever. First come first served. - Active memberships specify that your view will be impeded, if you want to sit and watch the game, sit in GA or leave the terrace temporarily. Q: How will the new terrace be funded? - Suggestions made regarding donation tins pre-game at the pub, donation tins on game day to be handed around active AND the GA area. A few GA supporters at the meeting agreed that they would donate if a tin was passing them by and if they were made aware of what the money went towards. - Donation tin at Ballarat game. - Suggestion made that the first home game against Newcastle in round 2 should feel like a derby as far as atmosphere is concerned. - Comment made that a reasonable sized tifo costs at least $1000 - MU5 are happy to deploy their tifo that was banned at the final home game of the 13/14 season, at the round 2 game against Newcastle. Comment: MU5 are supporting the continued use of red and white as the terrace colours - Jimmy suggests again that we are best to embrace all 3 colours, sky blue, red and white. - Mark makes the suggestion that the terrace should actively promote red and white as the colour scheme but we should still allow people to make their own banners that include sky blue and we should not make people feel stupid for wearing the new kit, as sky clue is one of the club colours now. - King Malta said that the terrace is for the supporters and that we will move forward with whatever is the most popular idea. Conversation began to shift to more general talk of the terrace. - We don’t want to shut new supporters out - Mark commented that Melbourne is the bandwagon capital. He emphasised that we must welcome the bandwagoners. - Be welcoming and approachable, say hi to people you don’t recognise. - Majority of people agree that we should deter fans from bringing flares. Create a culture where bringing flares is not a cool thing to do. Debate around flares continued for some time. - MU5 believe flares cannot be stopped, it should be the individual’s choice if they want to risk ripping flares, the terrace shouldn’t decide that. - Suggested that chants “promoting” violence against women should be scrapped - Don’t encourage distasteful chants - MU5 are against rules and regulations in the terrace - King Malta suggested that if we instil good values and all have a clear vision of what we stand for, this would naturally guide the terrace. - Mark comments that we are still the same club and that we should keep the same Yarraside terrace vibe flowing throughout the season. - Suggested by Gabi that we should have basic rules and values printed up that we could point out at people who decide they want to do the wrong thing. A vision statement. - Suggestion that pre season games should be used to promote the new terrace. Mark suggested FFA cup as a crucial time to promote the new terrace. - Bring mates to the terrace to help the terrace grow. - "Bring a friend to the terrace day". - Come to Ballarat, have a beer and meet people. Q: What will happen moving forward? - Jimmy and King Malta responded: Get the core organised and put your hand up if there are skills you can offer. - King Malta says there is no minimum time required to give, just get involved. - Another meeting would be called once there is a clear vision and plan in place. Discussion became very general with a handful of questions. - Name suggestions will be submitted via the forum or to an email address that is yet to be determined. King Malta and Jimmy will have official word via the forum. - Keep ‘So Happy Together’ as the song. - No ‘Blue Moon’ - No Poznan - No Ticker - No Mascot Jimmy thanked everyone for making the effort to come out. Meeting adjourned at 8:57pm Informal discussion continued at the bar.

Every Victory fan on social media tonight...

I can now officially announce that the new Yarraside scarves are in stock. They will be available to purchase at the preseason game against Richmond. Price is $40 per scarf with all proceeds going towards funding tifo, maintenance of flags banners drums etc and the running of this forum. The design is based on the flag of Melbourne an icon which us as Yarraside has adopted.

FFS I am over this Garcia crap, Harry Kewell who some people on here seem to think represents everything immoral and despicable about the business side of Modern Game so far does everything right by us: He signed a Minimum Contract, Agreed to complete a decent Preseason, Even kept his signing secret to help us with our Membership Announcement. Richard Garcia on the other hand for months now has continued to clearly play us of against anyone and everyone for money reasons alone. Yet many posters demand the club to not only bump their offer to the bloke but make him Captain??? Now the way Mr Kewell treats MHFC may well be flipped on head over the next 12 months, but ATM why are people saying they will not cheer Kewell until he proves himself or some say they will even boo Mr Kewell? It makes a lot more sense to me for these PPL to offer such poor treatment to Mr Garcia a guy who only will only wear our Kit again on his terms. As opposed to Mr Kewell who shown nothing but a desire to play for Heart with the conditions he has accepted to wear the Red and White Stripes

Don't bring me into this.

"Yarraside terrace boys" is a no go this season so i think a new split the terrace is in order! Hopefully this becomes popular enough for us to use as a call response with the north,east and west ends of the stadium. Top half of the terrace- Ole, Ole Bottom half of the terrace- Ole, Ole Top- Ole Ole Ole Bottom- Ole Ole Ole Together- Melbourne City Ole, Melbourne City Ole, Melbourne City Oleee. (Repeat) Borrussia Dortmund 0:00 - 0:48

Just getting in early.

Confirmed probs should have added I didn't make this, found it on ze twitter

Be fair. Give him 6 seaaons before we make any judgments

Would have thought youd expect it the second time around...

Hello Ladies & Gents, I will be getting my head shaved for the Leukaemia Foundation's World's Great Shave at half-time in this round's match against AUFC at Coopers Stadium. I was going to just shave my head at work, but since we're playing AUFC on that same day I emailed the club about potentially having my head shaved on the pitch during the AUFC game. City contacted AUFC who thought it's a great initiative and will get one of their members to shave my head and I their head as a half-time activation. Since travelling to Adelaide is at my own expense I can't donate any more than what I have so I thought long and hard about whether I post it here and reveal my identity, but as this is for a great cause and close to my heart I don't mind. In doing so though I'm hoping some of you guys would like to sponsor me as I haven't quite hit my goal yet. If you are in a position to sponsor me please go the following link and donate as little or as much as you like! https://secure.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=620316&langPref=en-CA#&panel1-2 According to the club we'll have one of the biggest groups of travelling fans ever to an interstate match so I look forward to meeting you travelling fans at the game sporting my new hair-do

Dissapointed really, that so many are ready to accept these changes. Says a lot about the fortitude of our supporters tbh. Change the colours, change the name, change the logo and you're changing the identity. It's no longer the same club. Simple as that. Same line I have held throughout this debate. I went through the same shit with my AFL club 7 years ago. It's why I'm so passionate about this issue. We mightn't be as old as other AFL clubs, but I'm just as passionate about what we have here. An identity that we've all bought into, and helped build together, over the past 5 years. An idenitty we've spent sleepless nights painting tifos for, drinking for, spending thousands to travel away for. Even split blood for. It means too much. I didn't sign up to support a mini-Manchester City. I didn't sign up to support a local puppet of some foreign football club. I chose to support Heart. A club that wears this city's colours. A club that represents Melbourne. A club that represents our people. A club that respects the game locally, and doesn't shit all over it like the Mongs have. I welcome the investments, but not at the expense of them steamrolling over everything us supporters have built. If they change what us fans have built, then I'm out. But I won't take it lying down and I'll let them know what I think. And I implore everyone to have the same position. Anyone saying 'maybe' is giving Man City more room to push what they want on us.

MUTD/MLBHRT/ESSNDON will make a good post.

HI all I havent posted since just after the takeover as I didnt want to seem like being part of this 'wave' of UK city fans imposing on your forum... however..Ive gotten up early as often as I could and supported City (sometimes to be bemusement of the wife), and I read this forum on a daily basis. As a Man City sesaon ticket holder, and a Melbourne City Fan, congratulations - enjoy it and I hope there is many more to come.

i would assume they're at Townsville

The club had its first open day to view the facilities. I'll put in point form some interesting things I found out about the facilities: -before they built the facilities in Manchester they wanted to find out what exactly makes world class facilities. They spent up to 18 months going around to clubs from all different sports to see how they could create the ideal training environment. -the entrance to the club is on a smaller scale but exactly the same as what you would find at Manchester. They wanted people to know that when they step inside they are in a City football club. -the club has over 50 working staff including coaches. The admin section is quite large. -there are no set car parks for the players or the staff. -they didn't want any hierarchy within the team or the club. The message they send is the admin workers are equal to the players. They're all their to do a job. -within the admin section they have different meeting/media rooms, and each room has a unique name based on the clubs in Manchester and New York. For example one room is called the Broadway room and another is the Turing room. The same is found in Manchester where they have rooms named after the other clubs under CFG. For example there is a 'Yarra' room in Manchester. -the player facilities are fantastic. When you enter the doors to the players section, there's a long hallway. At the end is a door with windows. When the players enter the hall they wanted the pitch to be the first thing they see. As you enter on your left are two change rooms. The first is a players change room which is for fringe players that may be close to getting into the first team. The second is the coaches change rooms. With the fringe players change room there really isn't much to it. Its quite small, has some coat hanger hooks, a bench to sit on and that's about it. They purposefully have done this so that these players (eg. Matt Miller) are pushed have the desire to become a first team player and get a locker in the first team change rooms. It's basically a case of "if you want to get out of this small change room and into that one show that you deserve it..." - the next room is the medical room. It's quite awesome the attention to detail gone into this and for this reason no one was allowed to take any photos while in there. The players come in here before training to get taping done, injury recovery etc. There are also two recovery pools within this room, one set at 10 degrees the other at 38 degrees. The studies done from Manchester indicate these are the perfect temperatures for recovery. They have also positioned the medical rooms without any views to the pitch. This is to allow players to focus on their recovery and to remove any anxiety from players not being able to train with the team. -moving out of this room and across the hall is the laundry. They have someone working full time preparing all the players clothing, from kits to jocks. The players clothes are put in their locker before every training session. -down the hall to the right is the gym. Again the attention to detail is fantastic. The pitch is visible from the gym. They have put glass windows on the inner walls as well so that if you walk down the hall you can see inside the gym. They have done this so that everyone can see who is training or doing extra work. For example if Garruccio and Clisby are fighting for the left back position and Garruccio is in the gym doing extra work Clisby will now see him doing this which creates an environment where they push each other to train and commit to do more. Also the coaching staff has full visibility when they walk by who is putting in more time and effort. -moving out from the gym and into the hall they have a section across the hallway wall with tiny pigeon holes for each player. Inside them are the players nutritional supplements they need to take on a day to day basis. Most had fish oil, some had protein shakes and other had a mix of other things. -the next room was the first team change rooms. Pretty sure there's been pictures posted on here of the, but the room is round. They've done this so all the players are equal, there's no hierarchy. What they have done is put players lockers together according to their position they play. So most of the defensive unit is together, attacking together etc. -there's a punishment system that the players have put together. What it is is if any player breaks the rules they've put together they get a fine. For example being late to a home game is a $300 dollar fine, mobile phone usage in the massage room is $20, late to a team walk at an away game is $100. Paddy K and Franjic look after this and any monies collected. Good to see the players have created this for themselves and set the standards they feel they should adhere to. -the last room before heading out the doors to the pitch is the boot room. Again there's been pictures of this posted on here. All their boots are cleaned and hung up on the wall ready for them to use. - overall the message is the players is they only have one job, to train as professionals. Everything is done for them, they need to turn up to work each day and do their job. This was one of the key messages that the club wanted to send. Everything is done for the players so that they only have their job to focus on and that is to train to the extremely high standard City Football Group expect. - I found out the pitch is set up to the standards of every CFG football pitch around the world. The pitch is cut at a length of 25mm and before training they water the grass. They have found this combination is the perfect playing surface. It makes for technically excellent players because when the ball comes off the surface it moves at a very quick pace which means the technical ability needs to be of a high level to control it. -the club work closely with AAMI park who now cut the grass at 25mm also due to ongoing communications with the club about the best playing surface. Apparently AAMI used to cut the grass at 28mm which would make the ball move at a much slower pace. It makes sense why we have had such success at home, because the club has tried to replicate the surface at AAMI to the training surface. Overall, as expected, I was very impressed with the facilities. In particular I liked the level of thought that went into how each room setup will affect the mindset of not only the players but the whole organisation. I did have a heap of photos to post up but my my upload limit doesn't allow me. If there's anything else I can think of that I may have left out I'll add to this.

Let me tell you how I met Melbourne Heart: First: Sorry if my English is bad, I'm studying to improve Two years ago, playing Football Manager 2011, I decided to play in a new league, I was boring win everything with my team, River Plate. Try in South Africa, but it was a bad league, then I remembered that, a friend lives in Australia. I saw the league and I was curious because a team a team with the same shirt that my team and I decided to play with it, I takes love to that team, and talking to my friend, told me he lived in Melbourne. So I asked if could get the Jersey of MH, after some problems and made ​​a trip to Chile and Argentina, brought the jersey. I hope you liked this little story, greetings!