Much better. When the last time a nice friendly coach won a flag.

Paul Roos?

After 4 years it was safe to say the demons didn't get baileys plan. How do we expect the same list to get neelds in one game. It's laughable to think bailey said the next coach would have an arm chair ride into the finals this year. Bailey was a class act but obviously very delusional.

I totally agree WYL and loved his honesty from day one, but it just stood out to me that he wasn't surprised by the result. If he didn't expect to beat Brisbane without Brown who is he expecting to beat.

Edited April 1, 201213 yr by Knuckles

I totally agree and love his honesty, but it just stood out to me that he wasn't surprised by the result. If he didn't expect to beat Brisbane without Brown who is expecting to beat.

He is the one at top looking down. It is obvious he knows a lot of hard work is still needed. Would you prefer sugar coating?

In the 3rd Q we went to pieces with zero resistance on our own turf.

As for winning games, on yesterdays performance that is a long way off so why disguise it.

Our list can play, but how much does it want to? Really. After his first real game Neeld can start honest work.

Edited April 1, 201213 yr by why you little

Paul Roos at the Swans had a number of strong players at the club that provided the same leadership. He probably didn't need to go hard at the players, the leaders did that themselves. We need to weed out those that are comfortable at the club and do so without pre-conceived opinions about players. I liked Bailey, I thought he spoke well, but lacked in parts of his coaching. That the players loved him....but as they wouldn't perform for him tells me that perhaps we need a coach that is not necessarily popular with players but certainly respected and perhaps a little bit feared. You only need to look at the recent successful clubs to see either strength in coaching or player leadership.

No I don't want sugar coating at all. My point is when the players pick up the paper this morning and see that their coach wasn't surprised that they lost, what goes through their mind and what are they thinking in the lead up to a trip to Perth.

I would have liked him to say he was hugely disappointed by the effort of the team and had every expectation of winning. Then explain that it will take time to adapt to the new game plan. Not sugar coating, just letting everyone know he expects to win games, but understands the challenges ahead.

Give me the senior players that demand more from the teammates and we can petition Neeld to be nicer...

We needed a 'Neeld' before we needed a 'Bailey.'

I didn't realise it until the disaster of The Senior Player Catastrophe of 2011.

They need a Neeld.

Gotzy until the players become hungry for the hard contested ball i am not going to judge the gameplan.

Neeld will respect the players who work hard and learn fast.

He did coach the Malthouse midfield. Don't forget that.

That's the thing though.our players were hungry for the contested ball.we were winning contested possession but not spreading and working hard enough on the outside.IMO that's because it's not being emphasized enough by neeld and our gameplan looks to have been overcorrected. Have you ever worked in an organization or team that's had a leader like a neeld? I have and believe me it can create negativity and division amongst a group. People start thinking of saving themselves from the sinking ship not helping others Fear of failure is not a good thing to embrace

That's the thing though.our players were hungry for the contested ball.we were winning contested possession but not spreading and working hard enough on the outside.IMO that's because it's not being emphasized enough by neeld and our gameplan looks to have been overcorrected. Have you ever worked in an organization or team that's had a leader like a neeld? I have and believe me it can create negativity and division amongst a group. People start thinking of saving themselves from the sinking ship not helping others Fear of failure is not a good thing to embrace

Yes i have worked for many tough bosses that i was not a fan of. The best way to gain respect is to work bloody hard.

Otherwise you must resign and find an alternative. The MFC is just not used to hard work yet.

Neeld is implementing a contemporary game plan that will be resilient enough to stand up when the pressure is on. Neeld is demanding that our players learn and implement that game plan which has as its core the press and the spread.

Bailey could not teach us the press which is the basis of contemporary post flood game plans. He held essentially to the Geelong game plan circa the flood era of 2007. The game changed multiple times between 2007 and 2011 but there was no sign that Bailey adjusted his game plan at all. Remember Paul Roos saying last year that the Dees defended from too far back and Dean retorting that defending from the defensive 50 was not our game plan. And then week in week out we'd go out there and defend from our defensive 50.

Neeld and Misson know the fitness levels reached by 2 of the best performed clubs of recent years in Collingwood and St Kilda. Neeld is demanding our players put in the hard pre seasons required to get to those levels. Bailey either did not think our fitness standards were an issue or was unwilling or unable to instruct the players to do the hard work required to reach the elite fitness levels required to compete with the best in the AFL.

No wonder the players loved Dean. Well except you'd hope those who are committed to taking this club to Premiership Number 13.

End of story.

Go Dees and continue the hard work Mark and David.

Edited April 1, 201213 yr by demoniac

Ben Hur u clearly didn't read my post before jumping on your very high horse. I don't give a flying f**k what neeld did at frigging ocean grove. How could you be so negligent to draw any comparisons between club footy and the elite level. My point is that at this stage it looks as though neeld coming in from the outside is trying to implement a gameplan that is almost playing to our weakness and which we don't have the cattle to execute. Because it worked at Collingwood doesn't mean it will work with us. I'm not saying we were successful under bailey but at least we won 8.5 games in 2010. We won't win 3 this year the way were going.

All teams not just Collingwood played the press and the spread in 2011. Meanwhile we were defending from our defensive 50 week in week out even though Dean kept on saying week in week out that was not our game plan. There are subtle variations from club to club but the press and spread are the non negotiable features of all 2011 and 2012 game plans. We have to learn it and implement it.

This is insane!

Bailey had 4 years and had the worst wining percentage in the league ever.

Bailey failed.

I have said earlier our expectations should be no higher than they were in 2009.

Neeld needs 2 years to get the side to play the way he wants reliably.

Bailey had little time for ensuring accountability and defensive structure.

It hurts so much because the years of pain seem to have been for nothing.

Blame the previous regime for our situation give this one a chance.

Spot on

I was a great fan of Bailey, whose last year at the Dees was destroyed by infighting and division within the club. Rightly or wrongly, however, history will always associate his name the 186 point thrashing. Sometimes [censored] happens.

However, Neeld is now the coach and everyone should get behind him and give him time to teach and lead his team. FFS, it's only round 1. This club needs unity of purpose more than anything else.

Rudeboy you talk about infighting and devision, and the need for unity at the club, care to exlpain going behind the clubs back to put Liam on Eddies show?

Rudeboy you talk about infighting and devision, and the need for unity at the club, care to exlpain going behind the clubs back to put Liam on Eddies show?

I have been waiting for this one....

Gotzy until the players become hungry for the hard contested ball i am not going to judge the gameplan.

Neeld will respect the players who work hard and learn fast.

He did coach the Malthouse midfield. Don't forget that.

Agree totally along these lines, Neeld will work out who at this club & in the upcoming drafts/delistings from other clubs want to and are willing to follow his plans that is what will take time. I believe there will be pain and the team we see towards the latter half of the season will be very different in terms of personell & playing style as the great man would say himself "Whatever it takes"

I was a great fan of Bailey, whose last year at the Dees was destroyed by infighting and division within the club. Rightly or wrongly, however, history will always associate his name the 186 point thrashing. Sometimes [censored] happens.

However, Neeld is now the coach and everyone should get behind him and give him time to teach and lead his team. FFS, it's only round 1. This club needs unity of purpose more than anything else.

Aside from not moving on from 2007 Flood Era tactics to the press and the spread and not making sure our players were as fit as players at clubs like Collingwood and St Kilda I too was a fan of Dean Bailey. He seems like a good bloke and all that. An AFL Senior Coach? Not so much. If it was Schwab and Connolly who made that clear to a Board relying solely on a gravely ill Jimmy Stynes for footy knowledge then they did what had to be done.

Neeld, Meeson and the other coaches have a big job to bring us up to speed fitness wise and tactically.