MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos has no doubt the Demons are heading in the right direction, but warned supporters of a "bumpy road" ahead.
Roos, along with CEO Peter Jackson and president Glen Bartlett addressed Demons members at the club's Annual General Meeting at the MCG on Monday night.
In front of an estimated 250 Melbourne members, Roos spoke of the positive way the club had renewed its direction and leadership structures since he came on board last September.
"I honestly don't know how many games we're going to win this year. The only commitment I'll give you is that we are heading in the right direction," Roos said.
"I have no doubt, whatsoever, that we are heading in the right direction.
"I have no doubt, whatsoever, that we will get there at some point.
"We're up for the fight and at some point we'll win the fight."
However, the Demons coach urged all supporters to temper their short-term expectations of what he and Jackson referred to as a "two and twenty (win-loss) team".
"One thing we don't know is how scarred the group is and how down on confidence they are, and how soon we can get that up," Roos said.
"It is going to be a bumpy road. We are a 2-20 team and we are certainly aware, as a coaching group, that we have a long path to go."
Roos will at least receive some financial support, with Jackson declaring a boost of nearly $1 million for the club's football department.
"We have to put football first, it's our core business, it's our reason for being and it's what we have to get right," he said.
More than 12,000 members are yet to renew their membership from the past two seasons and Jackson was under no illusions as to why.
"We as a football club have breached their trust," he said.
"We need to earn back their trust and the only way to do that is to perform."
Jackson oversaw a nightmare $1.7 million operating loss last year after being given the club's recovery job.
"When we started looking at all this around May, June, we couldn't really make any changes to mitigate that loss," he said.
As the rot on the field set in, the Demons lost more than a million dollars through a lack of corporate and member support, with an average attendance dropping from 31,000 to just 23,000.
Adding to the pain was a bill of $780,000 towards the AFL "tanking" investigation and the club's restructure that left Melbourne $580,000 out of pocket even after a $1.45 million AFL handout was factored in.
