they have all been given the opp to walk at seasons end

So if they walk do Melbourne think people will be lining up to play for them lol?

Tiger watcher, what is your source for such information. if this is true, i have never seen a coach stay and a whole team go, Gleeson will have to go. The Tigers can't lose their best players due to a coaches ego!!! especially with a new Melbourne team coming in. I think the Tigers need to get back to that 'Tiger Family' attitude it used to have when it was at it greatest point.

For the second year in a row the selection of the team has led to major issues and may end with a second coach losing his job.

2011 - To big
2012 - To many players in same position/s

In both situations the teams were set up to fail. Team selection is 70% of the battle. Need to put together a balanced line up...

There are also spots opening up on rosters with Campbell and Hoare retiring. Harvey may not come back and i would think Saville will go soon too.

Good time to be a combo guard / 3 man at the moment

Most players on the tigers roster will find a roster spot elsewhere (except: Lang, Lewis) as they could be good pieces in the right situation.

I never reveal my sources but I can say that it is the same source who tipped me into Patty Mills signing in Melbourne 6 weeks before it was announced!

You'd think Trig would be the key man to build around for the next 3 years as he is best post scorer in the league and they have a few guys who are more than capable its all about getting good balance.

Watch the Tigers of 93.Whats missing: Passion and Entertainment!!!!! Those were the days....

crazy, that is usually because a club, once hearing of it, boots the coach first.

Tiger Watcher, with an extra team around, I'm sure Lewis can get a bench spot somewhere. Lang, yeah, wouldn't bet on him when there are other project Cs around.

Tigerwatcher: Who is your source? Perhaps some players don't like him because they actually have to train for their paycheck? He was very well liked by players, fans and community in Townsville so doubtful he's the problem. And players have complained to what management? The young kids running the front office? What are they going to do?

He probably could have coached in TV for 20 years. I wonder what changed so much at Tigers? More expectation?

Well if players want out, I'm sure they can find the door. They're welcome to use it. I'm sure Tigers fans don't wants players there that don't want to be there and there would be plenty of other players out there happy to step up and show professionalism. Some of the best CEO's the world are very difficult to work for because they demand the best out of their staff. I don't see professional sports as any different.

Agreed tropical booz. I think Tiger Watcher is seriously over-reacting to one bad season. They probably would've made the play-offs if not for the Ayanda sacking.

I have to wonder what's the tipping point?

In other words, how many players have to leave before management starts thinking about changing the coach? (By which time it might be too late to get those players back.)
They're not all going to resign on the same day, are they?

"They probably would've made the play-offs if not for the Ayanda sacking."

Tell me you are joking? The Tigers have been stinking out the gym since the day Mills left.

I'm not over reacting I've just been told what’s currently going on down at the Tigers, but if the rumours on play unrest are true you can’t sack every player and if all parties choose to stay put it will just create a bad culture moving forward into 12/13.

Anon: Townsville has a small town mentality compared with Melbourne and the culture/environment of the players/fans are very different so I think it is not a fair correlation to compare the past and present.

By the way ....I have no vested interest as I don't follow a particular team due to my living between Adel/Melb

anon, are you suggesting that Gleeson answers to nobody? Are you suggesting that Adam and Mike don't have anything to do with the decisions made? Did Gleeson buy the team? As far as the club goes, how would it look if the whole team walks out? who cares what he did in Townsville, this is Melbourne and this year has been a horrible for them. Trevor has to take accountability for this as he selected the team in whole. The success of the brand is bigger than the coach and all of the loyal Tigers supports will not stand by and watch this while there are some great Tiger sons sitting around the sidelines that could help! I say they have to move past the McPeake era and grab a new coach.

@Emu...from memory they had just won 3 straight before losing to the GC resulting in his sacking. That's hardly stinking. Get a grip.

The Tigers were not making the Playoffs, they were stinking the gym up as said earlier.

Leading up to Ubaka's sacking the Tigers record was:

Away loss in 2OT @ NZ
Away loss in OT @ Cairns
Home win over Townsville
Home win over Cairns
Away win over Gold Coast
Away loss in Perth (5 points)
Home loss to NZ (11 points)

Then after all those very competititive performances against tough opponents they had a shocker against Gold Coast and Ubaka was made a scapegoat. Since then things have fallen apart.

Realistically, whoever made the decision not to sign someone to fill the Mills/Corletto roster spot cost the Tigers a red hot playoff chance.

Gleeson let a bench player @ the Tigers go so he could go to the current champions and become a starter lol

Ummmm, they'd lost a couple on the trot before the Ubaka sacking....

Tigers have stunk since xmas. They played well up until then.

"Gleeson let a bench player @ the Tigers go so he could go to the current champions and become a starter lol" - LOL

Hardly, they won on the Gold Coast on NYE and then chased Perth to the line in Perth the week after. But from mid January they have stunk it up big time. Never recovered from the Ubaka sacking.

Re the topic, there has been talk of this for some time. The Tigers need to sort it out, after three poor seasons in a row they need to start producing some decent performances next season, even if they dont make the playoffs.

Unless they have a few good recruits lined up they really need to keep the better players they have. WHat that means for the coach depends on how true the rumour is.

Of course Gleeson has to be accountable to some degree, but look at the guys who were new to the team that he would have had the biggest say in.

Mills - Tigers were doing well before he ditched and ran for more money.

Ubaka - Sacked by tyrannical owner without Gleesons say so.

Dorsey - Terrible season, underperformed big time and unlikely to get a gig on any nbl team next year

Dillon - Was a shadow of the player he promised to be last season.

Rush - Now 30 and although still a good player, not the player he was 3-4 years ago.

There were a lot of guys either taken out of his team or having poor individual years. Hardly all the coaches fault.

@crazy...the head coach doesn't report to the front office. And to answer your question, no they don't have anything to do with decisions in terms of team and coach selection. That's not their job or area of experience. Who cares what he did in Townsville? I'm sure the Townsville fans do considering he was their most successful coach in their history. If you're suggesting they move past the McPeake era wouldn't you then be referring to most of those Tigers sons? After all, McPeake was their paycheck. And I agree with you that the success of the brand is bigger than the coach. New coach after 1 season with incredible instability? Glad you're not my boss. Clearly the Tigers have had an awful year but I have no doubt with new professional owners in place and some stability (uhummm not sacking a seasoned coach after 1 season) they'll go well for future.

Look at how Gleeson handled Corletto signing with NZ after he cut him from his team, the guy is a tool regardless of how his team has performed it's just funny that his team has followed suite and sucked.

Do you think Triggers drop in form is a sign of the internal problems at the Tigers?

Tragardh with Ubaka = 19.1 @ 57% (last four games 19.5 @ 55%)

Tragardh without Ubaka = 12.1 points @ 47%

Might have been Ubaka's influence on court or the mental fallout of the sacking etc, or perhaps a bit of both. But Trigger hasnt been the same since.

Could be that most dissatisfaction with Gleeson has come from the general unpleasantness of their season:

- Corletto getting pushed out
- unsettled from Mills leaving
- Dorsey under pressure all year
- McPeake dumping Ubaka
- Rush getting played out of position
- Tragardh getting called out
- Burston's injury

Those are a lot of things impacting morale. They could have reacted to the expectation and negativity by lumping a bit on the coach expecting too much.

Tragardh's number have also fallen when Gleeson thought it would be a good move to send him to the bench!

It's always a good move with the leagues leading scorer to hurt his confidence, pkus who really buys the whole "rebounds" excuse he has never been a big rebounder or defender he is a pure scorer and thats what you sign him for...hence you have 2 rebounding bigs beside him...opps i forgot they dont have any of rebounding bigs (sorry Bruston but you don't play enough to count!)

Trigger needs to be a leader & help this team out of this slump. Him getting involved in internal politics & letting his form slump is not helping. Remember he was a star at the Gong 2 seasons ago but both his years at the Tigers have had diff dramas with diff coaches. It's not his fault but pro sport has these moments & its how u handle them. Gleeson needs another year to get it right & needs his players to support him!!

So who is going to run the tigers offence next season?

@ Anonymous. Agreed, @Isaac and Tropical Booz. Agreed. I hate it how the coach always gets blamed for things. Understandably the head coach needs to accept responsibility for a horrid season. But, the Tigers seriously haven't done THAT bad considering all of the dramas they've had. Gleeson is a good coach, he isn't an easy coach that's for sure but he is a good coach that is well respected among his peers. I actually feel for the whole team and I hope they can prove everyone wrong with a great season next year. I think some people are being extremely unreasonable with their expectations of a first year coach.

Anon, who signs the cheques? Who ever that is has the most say. Not the coach. At the end of the day, money is involved and it is a business. 1 season at a club is long enough to build rapport with your playing group so that they respect you. A good coach will have the respect of his players, and unfortunately I have heard the same thing as TigerWatcher from an inside source. Where to next, well the owner will need to decide if it is better to keep his key players or his coach. If its the coach, he better recruit well though, or people will say oh but he only had his 2nd new team for 1 season and give him another go!

Had heard that about Trigger, and Worthington was using his CEO influence to get him up to the GC next 2 seasons. Gleeson taking a bit longer than I expected to sort out the politics and the rosters at Melbourne. It has personally been a challenging year for him. Disappointed if Burston is unhappy enough to want to leave. Could be terrific value, and influence on a new group, in 2012/13.

Which players did Gleeson actually sign up?
Was Rush one of them?

I have to defend Gleeson here. Has taken over in difficult circumstances and is being criticised for holding the players accountable. Was no different in Townsville when he would bench homicide. Tragardh can shoot 20 a game, but he is there biggest liability on defense. As was homicide. I think Tragardh's benching is justfied leading scorer, but worst defender by far

Gaze is having a great life ATM.(even tho I loathe that AFL show) Why would he turn "the life of Riley" into a nightmare? Can still do plenty for his beloved Tigers on the sidelines.
Forget this season, was difficult from the first, 12/13 will be a big improvement. Tigers never stay down for long. Hope to see Stephen Hoare back with them in some capacity. Make him an offer guys?

I would absolutely love to see you negative, know it all but actually know nothings have a go at what the Tigers had to go through this year and do better. Wouldn't happen this millennium. Always easy to be a coach from the sidelines.

More than had enough of Carfino and his style,
but happy to see Gaze be part of the tv coverage for a bit longer.

I like Carfino and Gaze on TV...could be worse...BT!!!