COACH Paul Roos has thanked the Melbourne supporters for coming out in force for Monday’s clash against Collingwood on Queen’s Birthday at the MCG.

The match attracted a crowd of 68,124 and although a large contingent was also made up of Collingwood fans, Roos said the red and blue faithful was to be praised for getting behind the team.

“I’d like to thank the fans for coming along. I thought it was a great day and I know it’s been a frustrating period for Melbourne supporters and it was probably a frustrating day for them, as it was for me as well,” he said.

“I think it just shows that there’s some hope and I’m sure the players really appreciated having 70,000 fans there.

“The support was really, really good. Credit to the Melbourne fans to stick with us and they can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel and our end of the bargain is to keep getting better and better.”

Following president Glen Bartlett’s comments in The Age on Monday, where he said he wanted Melbourne to become “the New York Yankees of this city”, Roos said every club was looking to gain an advantage in some area.

“Everyone’s battling for their own territory and turf, and we’re certainly not a Collingwood in terms of revenue or Freo and West Coast or the bigger clubs,” Roos said.

“You’ve got to fight for relevance, you’ve got to fight for air time, but certainly our thing at the moment is we’ve got to fight for respect on the field first.

“We’ve got to be a team that people do want to come and support and hope that they win. I think we’ve at least turned that around, where Melbourne fans at least come with some hope that they’re going to see their team improve every week.

“Every club’s looking for an edge and every club’s looking for more money and to try and compete, particularly with the bigger clubs.”

Meanwhile, Roos said he was not worried about key tall James Frawley, who is a free agent at the end of the season, yet to decide his future with the club.

“At the moment, it’s fine. We know where James is coming from,” he said.

“We’re just sitting back and [we’ll] wait and see. In terms of your overall planning and where our money goes, and whether you go draft or free agency, [the] backend of the year is fine.

“Hopefully he decides sooner rather than later, but I’m not fazed by it, at the moment. I think he’s enjoying his footy and he’s enjoying being around the club and if we continue to improve, hopefully he’ll stay.”