Don't Blame Neeld

[BIG JIM 508]

I think rocket eade would have been the man to take this team forward he has the hard side plus his game style would be perfect for us. I still will stand by the clubs pick but im not to sure why they said they would get the best coach avalible and went down the rookie path again? When this did fail with bailey

Edited April 15, 2012 by BIG JIM

[Sir Why You Little 36,602]

I think rocket eade would have been the man to take this team forward he has the hard side plus his game style would be perfect for us. I still will stand by the clubs pick but im not to sure why they said they would get a the best coach avalible and went down the rookie path again? When this did fail with bailey

No coach can win with a crud midfield BJ. It aint called the engine room for nothing.

Neeld will be fine. The list isn't.

[Retrospective 104]

If we lose to GWS or GC, the pressure will be on.

As long as Gablett is at GC, they have a very good chance against us. They are well ahead of us imo. Well ahead.

GC are better than a good chance against us... I'd expect them to go in solid favourites based on what we have seen to date. We should be able to handle GWS...but it is round 13 and whilst we couldn't conceivably get worse they could improve enough to give us a real shake

[Adam The God 29,327]

Richmond have been training and playing the same game plan for 3 years. Melbourne for 3 weeks.

Richmond played their last 2 games at night. Melbourne have played in 30 and 31 degree heat (and each player lost an average 3.2kgs last week). Might explain their being knackered by half time.

They have been down by half time all three weeks now though.

Why not stop the collective hand wringing until season's end, and actually see if (and how much) they improve in that time.

That said, I agree.

[Adam The God 29,327]

We lack ELITE LEVEL AFL FITNESS. To play the press and the spread you have to be at elite AFL fitness levels. Playing the press and the spread is not optional in 2012.

Very good point.

[Macca 16,603]

For whatever reason , it appears to me that our players aren't playing for the coach . Obviously I have no concrete proof but that's the way it appears . It could be that the players simply aren't up to it or they don't believe in the game plan or perhaps it's something else . What we do know is that our game plan is not even close to working .

Shane Crawford said on the footy show that it could be a case of "Too much information" from Neeld . And he got support from Brown and Lloyd . Brownless was in Neeld's court . Malthouse is backing his man but of course he would .

I have put my support behind the coach and haven't changed my stance - yet . And before people jump up and down it's important to remember that we are all allowed to change our mind - about anything .

We have virtually no teamwork to our game plan . None that I can see anyway . To have 140 less uncontested possessions than Richmond is ridiculous . There are those who think that Neeld wants us to master step 1 first ( get the contested ball then generally boot it along the boundary ) . My opinion on that is thus - you can probably get a 4th division reserves EFL team to do this with 1 pep talk . Our blokes are professional sportsmen . Surely they can multi-task .

Can we not use the corridor and not use handball ? How about some short passing to an open teammate? Switch of play? Gut running? Passing to a leading forward ? When are these parts of our game plan going to appear ? Going around the boundary is an outdated game plan anyway . And our players haven't the talent to pull it off - so what's the point ? Neeld needs to do a rethink on this boundary hugging style - it might be the toughest decision of his footy life . But he has to do it in my opinion . Get rid of the boundary hugging style - it won't work . Just let them play .

Now , it may be that our players aren't up to it and so far , they've been ordinary . This may not improve even if we manage to play a way more attacking style of play . Right now I reckon most of us are just totally confused with what we're seeing . Except , perhaps , the crystal ball gazers . By the way , I like Neeld's no nonsense style . No complaints there .

But ............the players and the coaching staff need to lift their game . So far , the large majority have been way less than average , based on the results and our style of play . People are talking of the team going zip and 11 . It's hard to disagree right now . If we get towelled up by the Dogs we are in serious trouble .

cheers !

Edited April 15, 2012 by Macca

[Fitz Fitzpatrick 886]

Worst. Post. Ever.

bezelbub, youre a sook

[Fitz Fitzpatrick 886]

there might well be more than an ounce of truth in this idea...and then there are those oblivious to it.

bezelbub, youre a sook.

youre the kind of supporter this club needs to shed. the players who whimper and quit at the first sign of hardship and challenges must be removed from this club. The supporters who whimper and become defeatist whenver things dont go well need to be removed from the club.

The word ' culture' gets thrown around more than cale morton in a bar fight, but im not sure how many actually know what it refers too.

Club culture is derived from the board , the FD, the players AND the supporters.

A strong club has a strong goal driven board, a smart hard working FD, competitive win at all costs playing group......AND a fiercely one eyed loyal supporter group.

negative sooks like bezlebub harp on about club culture yet they are a piece of the problem.

we supporters ARE the club culture. with out the above groups of people a football club is an empty building.

Granted, this is a very low period for OUR club. this is where strong supporters rally behind THEIR club and become part of the solution.

Any one with half an idea about football or even team sports would ve been well aware 2012 was going to be a tough year.

an analogy. look at a bloke who goes in to the marines. probaly a tough kid at school who could hold his own. now he goes in to the marines and gets schooled. within days the master sergeant has him crying and wanting to go home to mum and dad. 12 months later hes tougher than he ever was.

this is what neeld is doing to the playing group. the players last year were playing poor football. to improve neeld is breaking them down to build a base on which to mould these kids in to fiercely competitive footballers. 2012 is boot camp.

stop the negativity, back YOUR club and enjoy the journey. success is going to be sweet.

[Ned 156]

Melbourne are bloody shocking. When James Hird came to Essendon they underwent dramatic change over a pre-season. It wasn't too much for them to ingest a new game plan.

What gets up my nose about Neeld is all the chest-beating and bravado. If he understood we were in major trouble you start trying to manage expectations. It looks to me as though he had no idea that was the case until we were pounded on the field.

I wish the guy well. But I'm a bit concerned about his judgement.

[3Dee 1,153]

A simple solution would be to make the players watch Braveheart at halft-time.

The club needs a psychiatrist.

[Its Time for Another 4,080]

Personally I think Melbourne games should be switched from Fox Footy to The Comedy Channel.

Ha! Something has finally made me smile for the first time since Saturday.

[rjay 24,577]

It looks to me as though he had no idea that was the case until we were pounded on the field.

I wish the guy well. But I'm a bit concerned about his judgement.

I think he had a very good idea and said as much after the first game press conference.

[Sir Why You Little 36,602]

Neeld has joined a club that has no leaders on or off the ground.

Nobody at our club has had experience with success.

Neeld has to build this template from scratch.

I agree with Patrick Smith on that one.

But what the hell happened behind closed doors between 2008-11

When the coach says he is concerned about the supporter base, that tells me that Neeld now realizes his job is actually going to be a lot tougher than even he first thought.

[Tricky 341]

Neeld has joined a club that has no leaders on or off the ground.

Nobody at our club has had experience with success.

Neeld has to build this template from scratch.

I agree with Patrick Smith on that one.

But what the hell happened behind closed doors between 2008-11

When the coach says he is concerned about the supporter base, that tells me that Neeld now realizes his job is actually going to be a lot tougher than even he first thought.

Or maybe he's been reading Demonland?

Good points WYL.

[Sir Why You Little 36,602]

Or maybe he's been reading Demonland?

Good points WYL.

We are the "real" supporters here mate, This would give a very good idea of overall feelings whether you believe it all or not.

To mention the supporter base in a press conference is not a good sign. But at least we know Mark Neeld is honest.

[Tricky 341]

We are the "real" supporters here mate, This would give a very good idea of overall feelings whether you believe it all or not.

To mention the supporter base in a press conference is not a good sign. But at least we know Mark Neeld is honest.

Not suggesting otherwise WYL, but we aren't always the most objective/realistic!

[Sir Why You Little 36,602]

Not suggesting otherwise WYL, but we aren't always the most objective/realistic!

No, but we do stick fat. I would be suprised if our coach has not had a scan of this website from time to time.

[Deemort 28]

Disagree.

I think some blame has to go to Neeld. We didn't get 12 goals worse in the space of one off season. We dominated this team, and the bombers... and now we look worse than a VFL team. SOME of the blame has to go to Neeld. His plan may work, but right now, I don't see how humiliation that hurts your club is actually HELPING.

We were always going to go backwards before we went forwards. The players need to learn to play with actual discipline, something most of this group have never done. I agree he needs a base to start with, and that means starting from scratch and teaching players basic structures and disciplines.

[Fat Tony 5,072]

Neeld entered the club like John Wayne and it clearly hasn’t worked. Trying to toughen us up has been counterproductive (lowering the players’ confidence) and he is wasting his time. Building a tougher club comes at the draft table not from the coach.

“Going with grunt” and a defensive mindset has resulted in three hidings. He won’t last long if he can’t adjust and build a modern game plan around our strengths.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Before the start of the game, as the players walked to their respective positions, I commented to my Brother, "If their body language is anything to go by we're in for a hiding". The players walked with their heads down and without any zest, or energy. I'm not a behavioral psychologist, but I've previously never felt the compunction to utter those words before a game.

....., but there's no doubt that he has some accountability to the way they're playing. Fear has a paralysis effect and I have no doubt that our players are playing in a fearful mentality, which is why they're not spreading and taking the game on. They're not wanting to make mistakes, which means they're too reactive and are devoid of any flare, or risk taking. Paralysis by analysis.

...... but there is certainly a collective mentality that in part Neeld is responsible for. He has a lot of work to do, as does every member of the football department, to get some confidence back into this playing group. It won't be easy.

Noticed it too before the game. Its early days and its his first season but I cant think of an MFC that has had its collective confidence so shredded so early in the year.

I would be suprised if our coach has not had a scan of this website from time to time.

I would worry more if Neeld was reading websites like D'land. He should be focussing on the real issues.

[old55 22,775]

I realise that the midfield is the problem but it's strange that McDonald trained all pre-season with the forwards and is playing back and Sellar all pre-season with the backs and is now a ruckman-forward. I don't actually have a problem with these roles for these players, in fact I though McDonald was really good back last year under Viney. I guess they realised that Martin and Clark aren't contested marking threats, Watts forward has been abandoned for now and McDonald is just not ready for that forward role so they've had to try Sellar there. A lot of plans have turned to ash.

I think Moloney is a very big out against teams like Richmond.

[Deemort 28]

If our senior players were playing well let alone on the field do you think it would be this bad. You think is is Neeld that has made us this bad in one off season?

What about Having Moloney and Sylvia back in the mids playing well, what about Jurrah up there kicking 3 a game, what if Green played anywhere close to his ability, what if Davey played well. Stef Martins gone missing. Scully is gone. Gys injured, Tappy missed nearly a full pre season, Grimes needs games. Howe has played 16 games and was best on field(2 goals 24 possies) Magner has played 3 games and was best on ground for the first 2. Coach looks another Magner type and Jack Viney is just around the corner, not to mention our Scully compo picks and the high picks we will get from this pus of a year.

I also hate hearing excuses, but there are all these things going against Neeld. Surely can only improve.

I know we have all been waiting for so long, but we need to stick it out with Neeld and give him a chance with a full side. Last thing we want to do is continue to chance coaches every 2-3 years like Richmond for the past 30 years.

Hang in there fellow Dees, I know it hurts and to ask us all to wait through another building phase seems like a bad joke, but I'm confident the direction has changed for the better. Just need MORE patience.

[Sir Why You Little 36,602]

Noticed it too before the game. Its early days and its his first season but I cant think of an MFC that has had its collective confidence so shredded so early in the year.

I would worry more if Neeld was reading websites like D'land. He should be focussing on the real issues.

This website is part of the overall club. I am sure the coach is aware of it.

The body language is a major worry. Beaten before the first bounce.

Not fit enough yet. Fitness breeds confidence.

[The Chazz 4,077]

We lack ELITE LEVEL AFL FITNESS. To play the press and the spread you have to be at elite AFL fitness levels. Playing the press and the spread is not optional in 2012. To understand how poor the fitness standards of the Dees players were compared to the elite AFL level think about this. In one pre season Dave Misson could not get our players to that level. He is renowned for his work at the Swans and the Saints, two teams who were conditioned to play tough hard structured footy from the first bounce to the final siren every game.

This is my issue Demoniac. Neeld is concentrating on a game plan that won a premiership 2 years ago, that we currently don't have the cattle (for what ever reason ie skill, fitness, development). By the time we address these issues, is the press going to be a factor? Is hugging the boundary the best way to win a game of footy? We don't know, but one thing we do know is that game styles change, and I just hope that the one Neeld has in mind is with a (twitching) eye on 2014, rather than what worked in 2010.

We were always going to go backwards before we went forwards. The players need to learn to play with actual discipline, something most of this group have never done. I agree he needs a base to start with, and that means starting from scratch and teaching players basic structures and disciplines.

Sorry Deemort, but that's a cop-out. I'm quite sure if Malthouse was coach that he wouldn't be using that. I'm a firm believer that while changes have been made, that when you have spent the last 4 seasons rebuilding, that any change should be seen as a side step, not a step backwards. The teams that take backward steps in this day and age will find it very, very difficult to catch up.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

This website is part of the overall club. I am sure the coach is aware of it.

D'land is a privately owned concern. Its not part of the Club. Whether Neeld is aware or not is irrelevant. If he is reading D'land then I would be concerned

The body language is a major worry. Beaten before the first bounce.

Neeld wont find solutions here for that. And if they are not fit then a question about Misson is valid isnt it?

I have never seen an MFC team seem unable to run out a second half three games in a row in the first 3 games of the year.