AFL Insider footage of Mark Neelds coaching and communication style to the players:

Fairly limited footage. But after watching it do you feel inspired? would you play your arse off for this man? would you risk injury for him? Is he likable?

I think a good coach is inspriing, hard but likeable, you can't just have a hard [censored] cos you'll hate him deep down and not bother for him. Footy is an emotional sport, this bloke seems rational and cold or is it just me?

Does it matter?

They're professionals. It shouldn't take a fire and brimstone speech to perform to the bare minimum.

Watch him and our captain in the post-match presser from yesterday and you'll see the dynamics at work, was like watching a teacher and a naughty boy at parent teacher night.

Exactly. We all had teachers we didn't like at high school and they never motivated me to do well. It was the ones I genuinely liked who I'd bother lifting a finger for. Even though these guys are professionals they still need a leader that is inspiring to go the extra mile. Think Malthouse, there's just something about the bloke that makes him a great inspiring coach and I don't think it is in Neeld..

AFL Insider footage of Mark Neelds coaching and communication style to the players:

Fairly limited footage. But after watching it do you feel inspired? would you play your arse off for this man? would you risk injury for him? Is he likable?

I think a good coach is inspriing, hard but likeable, you can't just have a hard [censored] cos you'll hate him deep down and not bother for him. Footy is an emotional sport, this bloke seems rational and cold or is it just me?

Knowing a number of players who played under Neeld at Ocean Grove, I'd say many would have played their arse of for him.

Knowing a number of players who played under Neeld at Ocean Grove, I'd say many would have played their arse of for him.

Let's draft them then...

Exactly. We all had teachers we didn't like at high school and they never motivated me to do well. It was the ones I genuinely liked who I'd bother lifting a finger for. Even though these guys are professionals they still need a leader that is inspiring to go the extra mile. Think Malthouse, there's just something about the bloke that makes him a great inspiring coach and I don't think it is in Neeld..

Nice metaphor, but you've got it arse about. Who, honestly, is being hurt when you're not giving it your all in that environment?

Hint: it ain't the teacher.

Let's draft them then...

Haha, was just thinking the exact same thing. Are they free on Saturday night by any chance?

Actually yes I would. He's clear as crystal about what he wants, and he's a concise communicator. Unfortunately it seems that a lot of our guys are still incapable of translating what they know they should be doing into in-game performance.

Yes Neeld has inspired me.

Do i think Neeld will have the courage to face the reality of what he was part of on Sunday? Yes I do.

Do i think Neeld will be able to diagnose the physical failings of our footy team and game plan on Sunday? Yes I do.

Do I think that Neeld himself will be able to diagnose the mental issues that prevent the MFC from performing at it's optimum in one week? No.

Edited April 1, 201312 yr by dandeeman

I thought he showed all the attributes of a quality coach. What the fark do you want from him.

It wasn't too bad - I thought his speech on 'winning the contest' and getting into a contest was a good one.

He stared a few blokes down.

I'm a touch buoyed - it's obvious he hasn't got 'his' team together just yet.

Exactly. We all had teachers we didn't like at high school and they never motivated me to do well. It was the ones I genuinely liked who I'd bother lifting a finger for. Even though these guys are professionals they still need a leader that is inspiring to go the extra mile. Think Malthouse, there's just something about the bloke that makes him a great inspiring coach and I don't think it is in Neeld..

Why didn't you like your teachers?

Exactly. We all had teachers we didn't like at high school and they never motivated me to do well. It was the ones I genuinely liked who I'd bother lifting a finger for. Even though these guys are professionals they still need a leader that is inspiring to go the extra mile. Think Malthouse, there's just something about the bloke that makes him a great inspiring coach and I don't think it is in Neeld..

Let me guess. You've never been to university, have you?

Neeld aint the problem at this stage.

Neeld aint the problem at this stage.

Big call.

Whether he is or he isn't, he's the one ultimately responsible for how they perform.

It's not whether he's the problem. It's whether he's the solution.

Yeah he reminds me of a [censored] teacher we all had!

No relationship!

No buy in!

Listen to the presser & he refers to how they were training last week to passing & exam!

WTF too much acadamea approach!

Coaching is about people mgt & getting the best of ur players!

Lets see if he can galvanize the group for Essendon. I hope he can.

It's not whether he's the problem. It's whether he's the solution.

Maybe, but is any other coach "the solution"? If so who and when?

Something is desperately wrong with the whole club, but I am not sure about the solution. Is sacking yet another coach the answer?

Maybe, but is any other coach "the solution"? If so who and when?

Something is desperately wrong with the whole club, but I am not sure about the solution. Is sacking yet another coach the answer?

not yet. This is Neelds list. He deserves more than one game.

That is not to say he is now under some heat.

Look, my post was probably a slack response. I will say one thing. He seems to be lacking in warmth and humor (from my observation) and when you deliver a hard message it's got to be couched in a way that will achieve maximum effect. Different strokes for different folks. My concern is that he may have one approach for all players. It does not work and particularly in this day and age.

It's not whether he's the problem. It's whether he's the solution.

Was Northey the solution, Daniher the solution, Bailey the solution. Would Malthouse have been the solution. What is the solution? Was Clarkson the solution at Hawthorne in his first three years?

Northey and Daniher both got sides to perform above expectations and perhaps ability. Clarkson won a Premiership in a year where Geelong was at its peak. So, yes for those.

Who is ultimately responsible for taking Clark off at the 20 minute mark of the 1st Quarter?

In the first 20 minutes we'd hardly had the ball in our forward line and we hadn't employed the flood. Had Clark even set foot past the half forward line?

The few times we did get the ball down there Clark kicked 2 goals. The 2nd of which came at the 20 minute mark of the quarter. His 1st goal came at the 18 minute mark. Then he had to sprint to the wing for a 3 or 4 minute rest. Utterly ridiculous decision to take him off. Nonsensical.

The bloke was hot, he'd kicked 2 goals in 2 minutes and then he's benched. He didn't need a rest. The score at the time was 3.2 to 2.1. As soon as he was taken off I thought, who is going to take a mark if we pump it forward.

Might seem like a small thing now, but we'd just gotten back in the game on the back of Clark's efforts and then we take him off?