LAST year, Fremantle had more than 43,000 paid-up members. That put the Dockers in third place behind West Coast and Adelaide as the best-supported clubs in Australia. The numbers haven't been finalised for this year, but they will be well up there again.

A lot of members means a lot of support and a lot of dollars. Pity that the Fremantle membership is being sold short by the coaches, management and players.

That the Dockers have allowed former captain Peter Bell to live hundreds of kilometres away from Perth and train only once a week with the team smacks of compromises. You are either 100% in or 100% out.

That they thought 18 months ago that Chris Tarrant would be the solution to their forward-line problems shows a lack of nous. Tarrant has rarely fired in big games and question marks on his commitment to the cause at Collingwood continually surfaced.

That they traded Paul Medhurst and a first-round draft pick for Tarrant defies logic. As does their decision this year to draft and play former Essendon veteran Mark Johnson, 30 this month. And the Dockers have been too sentimental in playing favourite son Shaun McManus. While he plays, a youngster misses out. It's time to give him the gold watch he should have been given two years ago.

And the membership should be screaming at management about the complete lack of discipline the team shows. In the past 2½ seasons, Fremantle players have been on 49 reports and lost 29 games to suspension. That is at the top end of the scale.

Adelaide is at the bottom end in the same period with eight reports and three games lost to suspension. This is a serious flaw in the club culture and the responsibility lies with the coaches who set the standard for what is acceptable.

Missing from Sunday's loss to Melbourne was midfield veteran Josh Carr. Why? Because he was suspended for stupidly kneeing Gary Ablett the week before. It could well be argued that Carr has cost his team wins in successive weeks.

The Cats fiercely protect Ablett and you run the risk of ruffling their fur if you go after Gary. That's what Carr did, and the Cats responded magnificently to win a game they should have lost. So Carr, who returned to Perth a hero after being a Port Adelaide premiership player in 2004, gets reported for the eighth time in his 71 games with Fremantle. It is a disgrace.

So come Sunday, the Dockers are 50 points up at half-time. Melbourne rallies magnificently to win the game by a goal. Had Carr played and kept his mind on winning the hard ball at the clearances, his team wouldn't have lost. Dockers members must demand some answers. Why is Carr allowed to play without discipline, why has he lost focus on winning the ball (average disposals in '08 are only 14 a game), is he paying a financial price for his indiscretions, and what steps are being put in place to prevent what was once a very good career going down the drain?

Finally, if I was a Dockers member, I'd be saying it's time to have our own people leading the club. Many years ago, as a young coach, I learnt that you can live with your own mistakes, but not those of others.

Fremantle is a proud city with a proud football heritage. But a patchwork quilt of outsiders has run the club since it joined the AFL.

West Coast, Adelaide and Port Adelaide football clubs have locals in the chief executive and senior coaching positions.

Perth folk can relate to John Worsfold. Crows supporters love the fact that Neil Craig is one of their own. The names Williams and Port Adelaide go together.

But there is none of that at Fremantle. What does the club stand for? I don't know.

It's time the West Australians showed confidence in themselves and replaced outgoing chief executive Cameron Schwab with one of their own, and do likewise when Mark Harvey's days are numbered.