I will put it simply. Neeld will not make it as a coach. A good coach creates a game plan that matches the strength of the playing group. A good coach creates confidence and self belief in his players. Confidence is everything in football. Unfortunately Neeld has set out to replicate an outdated Collingwood game plan. A game plan that suited a 25 - 30yo team and the strengths of that team, it is not a game plan that matches the skill set of our 18 - 23 year olds learning the game. He is right to address the teams weakness (defensive pressure) but it is dumb to have pushed a game plan that exposes our weaknesses rather than our strengths. Our players were recruited for a skilful run and carry game, now they are being told run and carry is girls football.

Recruiting Neeld is the single biggest mistake this club has made since sacking Norm Smith. As a person who works in the financial markets you learn when you must cut your losses. Neeld must be cut. It will cost the club $500,000 but this is muchless than the cost of the loss of players at seasons end.

I have donated significant money to the MFC in the last 5 years. I will not donate another cent until Neeld is removed. Further I will be letting my views known to the board. Every supporter should do the same.

Neeld must be sacked and Neil Craig must take over before our players start looking for new homes.

Brilliant post 'Grand New Flag'! (I assume you only mean Craig as a temporary measure though.)

I will put it simply. Neeld will not make it as a coach. A good coach creates a game plan that matches the strength of the playing group. A good coach creates confidence and self belief in his players. Confidence is everything in football. Unfortunately Neeld has set out to replicate an outdated Collingwood game plan. A game plan that suited a 25 - 30yo team and the strengths of that team, it is not a game plan that matches the skill set of our 18 - 23 year olds learning the game. He is right to address the teams weakness (defensive pressure) but it is dumb to have pushed a game plan that exposes our weaknesses rather than our strengths. Our players were recruited for a skilful run and carry game, now they are being told run and carry is girls football.

Recruiting Neeld is the single biggest mistake this club has made since sacking Norm Smith. As a person who works in the financial markets you learn when you must cut your losses. Neeld must be cut. It will cost the club $500,000 but this is muchless than the cost of the loss of players at seasons end.

I have donated significant money to the MFC in the last 5 years. I will not donate another cent until Neeld is removed. Further I will be letting my views known to the board. Every supporter should do the same.

Neeld must be sacked and Neil Craig must take over before our players start looking for new homes.

That is the biggest load of crap I've heard on this site....Defensive footy has been mastered by every team that has played off at a grand final for the past 20 years....and we are just learning it.......Also, all on this site have donated money time and effort into this club for many many years......Neeld only fault is that he was not appointed 5 years ago......If he had we would be a strong ,competitive club.......I take it you will be putting your name up at the next election??????

what's with all the Rudeboy bashing ? and why do people think he's writing on LJ's behalf ? surely he's allowed his own opinion ?

Defence is just one part of a total football game plan. You are partly correct, Bossdog, in stating the importance of defence in grand finals. However, the really defensive sides have had much less success than those sides who combined strong attacks with an 'attacking defence', eg Geelong and Brisbane as opposed to Sydney and St Kilda (and yes, even Collingwood).

what's with all the Rudeboy bashing ? and why do people think he's writing on LJ's behalf ? surely he's allowed his own opinion ?

i agree quite a disgrace actually.

Bossdog: We will see how you feel after we lose the next 3 games by 15 goals each and then lose to GWS at the MCG. This is going to happen. The reason is not just the wrong game plan (coaches responsibility), and the rape of our players confidence and self belief (coaches responsibility), it is also clear he has lost the players. In particular the senior players. I don't know how he has managed to do this so quickly, but sacking everyone of them from the leadership group was simply short sighted and dumb. It is the coaches job to get the most out of his players. This is perhaps the coaches most important skill. This is a skill Neeld does not have and why he must be fired asap.

Defence is just one part of a total football game plan. You are partly correct, Bossdog, in stating the importance of defence in grand finals. However, the really defensive sides have had much less success than those sides who combined strong attacks with an 'attacking defence', eg Geelong and Brisbane as opposed to Sydney and St Kilda (and yes, even Collingwood).

I agree with you but unfortunatly we have to go back to basic defence and the attack will come when we build a solid defence....We don't have the Men at the moment to bash and crash through the midfield....Moloney and Sylvia are learning to defend at the stoppages instead of doing what they have always done....ie go get the bloody thing.....I hate modern footy...watching StKilda and the Swans do this is ugly but unfortunaty it is effective and it might be changing but we have to learn all aspects of the game before we can suceed

Bossdog: We will see how you feel after we lose the next 3 games by 15 goals each and then lose to GWS at the MCG. This is going to happen. The reason is not just the wrong game plan (coaches responsibility), and the rape of our players confidence and self belief (coaches responsibility), it is also clear he has lost the players. In particular the senior players. I don't know how he has managed to do this so quickly, but sacking everyone of them from the leadership group was simply short sighted and dumb. It is the coaches job to get the most out of his players. This is perhaps the coaches most important skill. This is a skill Neeld does not have and why he must be fired asap.

whats that quote about Bex and having a nap?!

Sacking a coach 9 games into a 3 year contract would do nothing for the club. Infact all it would achieve would be changing the media's focus from Neeld and his position to the club as a whole. "basket case demons sack coach" - No thanks.

Instead lets see the players put in a tough effort in wet conditions against a Blues team who have been playign soft footy. Maybe then the media will lay off Neeld for a week and some of our supporters might be able to chill out

whats that quote about Bex and having a nap?

I think it goes "Have a Bex and a nap." Pretty simple really.

Bossdog: We will see how you feel after we lose the next 3 games by 15 goals each and then lose to GWS at the MCG. This is going to happen. The reason is not just the wrong game plan (coaches responsibility), and the rape of our players confidence and self belief (coaches responsibility), it is also clear he has lost the players. In particular the senior players. I don't know how he has managed to do this so quickly, but sacking everyone of them from the leadership group was simply short sighted and dumb. It is the coaches job to get the most out of his players. This is perhaps the coaches most important skill. This is a skill Neeld does not have and why he must be fired asap.

Short sighted and a panic statement....Worfold and Hardwick would have been sacked long ago if it was up to you....Every side which finished last would have a new coach the next year

I don't know how he has managed to do this so quickly, but sacking everyone of them from the leadership group was simply short sighted and dumb.

You were making some kind of sense until that comment, it is the total opposite. The short sighted move would've been to appoint Moloney as captain and Green as VC with Davey and Rivers in the LG. Empowering the younger players is a clear indication of where he thinks the team will be lead from in 3 years time. The names I have mentioned have had their go and look where it lead us, 186.

I think what drew the club to Neeld (and Neeld to us) was the fact that he wanted to change the club, not fit in with what has been the status quo for so bloody long. As the Mark said, if you can't motivate yourself to play your best at AFL level then you're probably in the wrong profession.

Bossdog: We will see how you feel after we lose the next 3 games by 15 goals each and then lose to GWS at the MCG. This is going to happen. The reason is not just the wrong game plan (coaches responsibility), and the rape of our players confidence and self belief (coaches responsibility), it is also clear he has lost the players. In particular the senior players. I don't know how he has managed to do this so quickly, but sacking everyone of them from the leadership group was simply short sighted and dumb. It is the coaches job to get the most out of his players. This is perhaps the coaches most important skill. This is a skill Neeld does not have and why he must be fired asap.

If sacking the older players from the leadership group has, as you say, disenfranchised them, then surely appointing younger players to be our new leaders has fostered good relationships between the coach and the 18-24 year olds. Since that's the majority of our list, your logic suggests that player buy-in is not an issue.

what's with all the Rudeboy bashing ? and why do people think he's writing on LJ's behalf ? surely he's allowed his own opinion ?

It's not RudeBoy "bashing". Given that he obviously has a strong LJ connection and he's not actually an MFC supporter, it's logical to conclude that his opinion (which as you've pointed out, he is entitled to) could be derived from his close connections. Of course he could just be making his own observations with no input from LJ and that's fine too (and FWIW it's what I assumed when I read his post), but surely you can understand why people are worried about it?

He is right to address the teams weakness (defensive pressure) but it is dumb to have pushed a game plan that exposes our weaknesses rather than our strengths.

How do you propose to eradicate weakness without exposing it?

If Mark Neeld is to succeed as a coach of the MFC he had to change the whole place top to bottom. If people do not like it.

Leave.

Totally agree with WYL. Mark Neeld needs to tread on some toes and tell some people some 'hometruths' about where they are at currently. If people don't like that, well they can move on. We need to be seen as hard and ruthless and if the coach doesn't display that then what will the players do? Keep on being a middle of the road side that never achieves future success or is feared or admired?

There are too many players who have had it too good, for too long, under the likes of Bailey and yes, we had some wins, but where were we really heading?

We have not been Ruthless to the point since Norm Smith walked. No offense Swooper you were mighty close.

But NO ONE within our club has gone anywhere near a flag, so how would they know if Mark Neeld is the right fit or not??

.

Bossdog: We will see how you feel after we lose the next 3 games by 15 goals each and then lose to GWS at the MCG. This is going to happen. The reason is not just the wrong game plan (coaches responsibility), and the rape of our players confidence and self belief (coaches responsibility), it is also clear he has lost the players. In particular the senior players. I don't know how he has managed to do this so quickly, but sacking everyone of them from the leadership group was simply short sighted and dumb. It is the coaches job to get the most out of his players. This is perhaps the coaches most important skill. This is a skill Neeld does not have and why he must be fired asap.

Newly appointed club leader Nathan Jones says hello ... http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/coach-not-to-blame-say-demons-players-20120522-1z38d.html

Same goes for Grimesy, Jack.T,, Mitchy Clark and Chippa.

I'm sorry that doesn't suit your agenda but yeah ... change is hard and uncomfortable. No getting around that.

If you are as passionate a supporter as you lay claim to be, we will welcome you back into the fold when we have our first memorable wins against decent sides in Melbourne. This isn't going to happen in the next three weeks but make no mistake Mark Neeld is going to make this happen as he transforms this club into a genuine, hard at-it, fighting defensive unit.

He has the backing of many, many supporters, plenty of whom are similarly cashed up as yourself and willing to back him in.

Cheers.

Good to see the Tiges get up over the Hawks at the G today. Huge scalp. Great win for them and their supporters.

All MFC supporters should take heart in this as it shows that tough changes will eventually bear fruit (Hardwick was 0/9 in his first season).

I think Jon Anderson on 3AW got it right this morning. "What is happening at the moment is by-product of poor recruiting. Too many light bodied, weak minded players and a poorly balanced list"

It's been highlighted many times on this board how poor our recruiting has been over the last 10 years or more. Apart from Frawley no other 1-25 draft pick has cemented a place in this team. That's about 20 early picks wasted. If even a third of these picks, particularly under the Craig Cameron era were A or B Graders we wouldn't be having this conversation now and Neeld probably would't be Coach..

Good to see the Tiges get up over the Hawks at the G today. Huge scalp. Great win for them and their supporters.

All MFC supporters should take heart in this as it shows that tough changes will eventually bear fruit (Hardwick was 0/9 in his first season).

Love your optimism RR . Got anything you can recommend that I can take to get some of that optimism ?

Alcohol and drugs don't seem to be working . Hypnotism ? Acupuncture ? Banging head against brick wall ? Listening to happy songs ?

I'm not one of the "sack Neeld" brigade, but the way some of you are carrying on about him is ridiculous.

The guys has not even coached us to a win yet and you're shouting his praises from the rooftops.

It's silly to say "sack him" this early on, but it's JUST AS SILLY to say he "will turn us around/take us to finals/fix the club" etc at this stage also.

Unless you play for MFC or you're one of the coaches you have no idea what is happening and if it's working, so everyone stop stating your opinions as facts.

Good to see the Tiges get up over the Hawks at the G today. Huge scalp. Great win for them and their supporters.

All MFC supporters should take heart in this as it shows that tough changes will eventually bear fruit (Hardwick was 0/9 in his first season).

I said to the missus as the final siren sounded, "I can't wait until the Dee's do what Richmond have just done."

Good to see the Tiges get up over the Hawks at the G today. Huge scalp. Great win for them and their supporters.

All MFC supporters should take heart in this as it shows that tough changes will eventually bear fruit (Hardwick was 0/9 in his first season).

No, it doesn't.

It shows it worked for this version of Richmond. Plenty of teams have had horror starts to a season after lots of change and NOT turned it around.

I like the optimism and the reach for hope, but I can see some getting sucked in to the same "don't worry, it will happen" mentality that we've had in every other rebuild...

I'm not one of the "sack Neeld" brigade, but the way some of you are carrying on about him is ridiculous.

The guys has not even coached us to a win yet and you're shouting his praises from the rooftops.

It's silly to say "sack him" this early on, but it's JUST AS SILLY to say he "will turn us around/take us to finals/fix the club" etc at this stage also.

Unless you play for MFC or you're one of the coaches you have no idea what is happening and if it's working, so everyone stop stating your opinions as facts.

Nobody has said we did not need to recruit aggressively.