3) gave Cam Pedersen a 3 year deal

This keeps being brought up, but Harrington and those above and around him in the FD (e.g., Schwab) are/were responsible for structuring contracts.

Edited May 27, 201312 yr by bing181

The above articles from Gerard Healy must be taken seriously.

$3 mill will become 4 if this continues.

Let the AFL in.

But you can't be taken seriously.

It's amazing you want the AFL to come in and take over MFC after a likely horrendous loss after 2 months ago you wanted to launch an expensive costly legal action against the AFL over the tanking debacle.

And you won't have the basic wits to realise the sheer lunacy of your continually emotive wolf calls.

This keeps being brought up, but Harrington and those above and around him in the FD (e.g., Schwab) are/were responsible for structuring contracts.

Neeld has to take responsibility for the mature age recruiting at this Club. It's his call on the player and its naive to think he was not a key party to the deal with Pedersen. Pedersen is a small beer issue compared to the other monumental failings of this coach onfield.

With the exception of Clark, Sellar, Rodan, Byrnes, Pedersen, Gillies have given us nothing. And the first games of Dawes have provide little evidence that the 2.2 million over 4 years is a good outcome.

I can see you being pretty stunned when the Club finally has the rare good sense to terminate Neeld.

Edited May 27, 201312 yr by Rhino Richards

The above articles from Gerard Healy must be taken seriously.

$3 mill will become 4 if this continues.

Let the AFL in.

A week or two ago the CEO said the loss was going to be a little over $1m.

Who said it was $3m let alone $4m?

And if it is, then the CEO must go and the bloke who installed him (Vlad) should foot the bill!

A week or two ago the CEO said the loss was going to be a little over $1m.

Who said it was $3m let alone $4m?

And if it is, then the CEO must go and the bloke who installed him (Vlad) should foot the bill!

Probably a calculation as to the horrendous damage Neeld has done financially and his payout sum included. It's not Jacksons fault.

A week or two ago the CEO said the loss was going to be a little over $1m.

Who said it was $3m let alone $4m?

And if it is, then the CEO must go and the bloke who installed him (Vlad) should foot the bill!

He said it would be 1.5 but that's not the point. Hopefully all can now see the folly of Schwab and where the club really is on a financial level, everything is tied to performance and it was only a matter of time before we started heading into the red.

The whole Lyon, Schwab thing has been a total failure both on ground and off.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-05-23/combative-football-our-focus-neeld

Contested Possession 109 to 150

Jobe Watson was also the focus when we played Ess. He had 12 disposals in the first 10mins.

Their words are meaningless and have been for 6 years. "we are going to turn it around next week" "We didn't come to play and must lift our effort"

Its all [censored].

We are failing dismally because we don't have a midfield, that's what it comes down to. It is the worst group of midfielders I have ever seen at AFL/VFL level, I challenge anyone to come up with another. Now, for the sake of this discussion, who's fault is it?

First of all let's look at the players we've lost.

Scott Thompson: Go home factor at a time when the club was reasonable strong culture-wise, nothing we could have done about it. Moloney was a decent return, but we lost out on the trade.

Brock McLean: Bailey has to wear this one, although at the time Brock wasn't going well and the future was uncertain. Pick 11 was a good get.

Tom Scully: Left for $6.6m over 6 years, how can you compete against that? The question remains though, would he have left if our culture had been stronger? nfi The club has done well out of it though, Scully is just a vanilla mid.

Morton & Gysberts: Delisted and traded, they wouldn't have made a difference at all.

Brent Moloney: Moloney would be pretty handy right now, not sure why the reasons why left but on face value it appears to be at the root of our current issues. Different players I know but when Boak was all but gone to leave Port they moved mountains to get him to stay. We took a different path.

Jack Trengove: I only put him in here because of the decision to make him captain. I'm still unsure of the effect it's had on his development, his injuries have made it hard for him to perform.

Individually the losses haven't been that bad, it's only when you add them all up that it becomes a problem.

Recruiting or development: Bothhave been [censored] ordinary. We've constantly picked up the smokies, Lucas Cook being a good example. Hearing Morton talk about how he trains now is not surprising at all, but the fact remains that we have continually wasted our top picks, the effect has been disastrous.

List management: Do we have it?

Club culture: [censored].

I think we've sucked at almost every level, from the President downwards. I think the problem was much greater than Neeld ever imagined and he's tried to fix it but went about it the wrong way. I Still believe he's putting in procedures that will be successful in time however he's contributed to our problem by not managing the ego's of the players well. The solution is to get good midfielders by either FA or trade because it will take too long for our kids to mature, but convincing talent to come to us now is going to be bloody difficult.

Neeld has to take responsibility for the mature age recruiting at this Club. It's his call on the player and its naive to think he was not a key party to the deal with Pedersen. Pedersen is a small beer issue compared to the other monumental failings of this coach onfield.

With the exception of Clark, Sellar, Rodan, Byrnes, Pedersen, Gillies have given us nothing. And the first games of Dawes have provide little evidence that the 2.2 million over 4 years is a good outcome.

I can see you being pretty stunned when the Club finally has the rare good sense to terminate Neeld.

Did you add the .2 to the $2m for flavour?

And Clark, Magner, Jones, and Terlich have given quite a bit more than nothing on field while Sellar and Byrnes have not given nothing either.

Mature age recruiting will help us, and has helped us, in the short term while we wait for the talented kids to be ready to play rather than just throw them into the fray.

Just because Neeld brought it, doesn't mean it is a failure. Life is more complex than 'Neeld = Failure = All things Neeld did = Failure.'

Then 5 and then 6. Why?

Because that is the linear progression of the Western numerical sequence moving upwards...

Just think about that people. Think about that.

More likely Fibonacci series 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 ...

Did you add the .2 to the $2m for flavour?

And Clark, Magner, Jones, and Terlich have given quite a bit more than nothing on field while Sellar and Byrnes have not given nothing either.

Mature age recruiting will help us, and has helped us, in the short term while we wait for the talented kids to be ready to play rather than just throw them into the fray.

Just because Neeld brought it, doesn't mean it is a failure. Life is more complex than 'Neeld = Failure = All things Neeld did = Failure.'

Rise above the mindless point score...if you can.

$2.2 million came from Footy Classified last night.

I have already excluded Clark but the ex AFL players i exampled have not given us much.

And give up on the all issues stem from Neeld straw man argument. I have said frequently that in this thread that the issues at MFC go from the top and that Neeld should be held responsible for his area . Your silly efforts to suggest otherwise say more about your shortcomings..

Rise above the mindless point score...if you can.

$2.2 million came from Footy Classified last night.

I have already excluded Clark but the ex AFL players i exampled have not given us much.

And give up on the all issues stem from Neeld straw man argument. I have said frequently that in this thread that the issues at MFC go from the top and that Neeld should be held responsible for his area . Your silly efforts to suggest otherwise say more about your shortcomings..

Pointscoring? Have some self-reflection...

And you ridiculed the Recruitment of Mature Age Players and stated that it brought nothing but Clark.

But that is clouded judgement.

Magner, Matt Jones, Dawes, and Terlich look like they will be able to come in and fulfill roles immediately and make the team better.

That's not nothing and I pointed it out.

Leave the snide asides to yourself.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-05-23/combative-football-our-focus-neeld

Contested Possession 109 to 150

I wonder if he understands that the game is now more than ever about uncontested possession. No wonder we don't spread, work hard and make an option.

Last year I was savaged by posters on this site for pointing out the bleeding obvious. I will state it again.

Neeld is missing a major skill required to have success as a senior coach. This is the skill to be able to get the most out of your players. Neeld has no ability to create the confidence and self belief required to be an AFL coach. The number of players who play as a shadow of the players they were prior to last season in staggering. Virtually all players have gone backwards despite them being mostly low draft picks, young and up coming. I watch as our x players who were moved on suddenly find there lost ability at new clubs and point to this as further evidence. At the same time our recruits from other clubs suddenly struggle to get a kick, struggle to play.

I said it last year and I will say it again now. Neeld is not our man. He may be tough and smart, he may have a good footy brain but he is missing the skill of installing self belief and confidence while still being tough. He must be sacked ASAP. The perfomances since he became coach have been beyond appauling. Come season end we will see another wave of our better players asking to be traded or leaving through free agency if we don't get someone in who can install the most important thing in football........ self belief. Further we will be unable to trade for any quality recruit as the MFC will continue to seen as poison for any players career. We must get rid of Neeld before more damage is done.

You were savaged?How do you think I felt?

Sunday was a disgrace! Worse than church! Man what have we become. A schizenhausen rabble.

Neeld will be sacked after the Hawthorn match.IMO Craig should join him but my gut feeling is Craig will take over that is failing a major coupe starting with R.

Last year I was savaged by posters on this site for pointing out the bleeding obvious. I will state it again.

Neeld is missing a major skill required to have success as a senior coach. This is the skill to be able to get the most out of your players. Neeld has no ability to create the confidence and self belief required to be an AFL coach. The number of players who play as a shadow of the players they were prior to last season in staggering. Virtually all players have gone backwards despite them being mostly low draft picks, young and up coming. I watch as our x players who were moved on suddenly find there lost ability at new clubs and point to this as further evidence. At the same time our recruits from other clubs suddenly struggle to get a kick, struggle to play.

I said it last year and I will say it again now. Neeld is not our man. He may be tough and smart, he may have a good footy brain but he is missing the skill of installing self belief and confidence while still being tough. He must be sacked ASAP. The perfomances since he became coach have been beyond appauling. Come season end we will see another wave of our better players asking to be traded or leaving through free agency if we don't get someone in who can install the most important thing in football........ self belief. Further we will be unable to trade for any quality recruit as the MFC will continue to seen as poison for any players career. We must get rid of Neeld before more damage is done.

Good post.

But you can't be taken seriously.

It's amazing you want the AFL to come in and take over MFC after a likely horrendous loss after 2 months ago you wanted to launch an expensive costly legal action against the AFL over the tanking debacle.

And you won't have the basic wits to realise the sheer lunacy of your continually emotive wolf calls.

yes i certainly did want to go to court Rhino. I have made that clear ad nauseum to you.

You disagree. Fine.

And Yes the AFL will be in the door whether i like it or not. We are still part of the larger comp.

I wonder if he understands that the game is now more than ever about uncontested possession. No wonder we don't spread, work hard and make an option.

Not really. I believe it's a balance of both Adam.

If you don't have enough players willing to committ to the contest and capable of getting first use of the ball your team mates (outside and runners) are unlikely to spread intinctively as they're too concerned about covering their opponent defensively believing that most of the time we probably wont win the contest. That is they don't want to be the one allowing their opponent to get away off the break from congestion. Coach & staff are watching and reviewing, watching and reviewing. Almost everything the players do on a footy field now is captured on tape and reviewed. They are held accountable for all actions, poor, indifferent, good, average, sublime. Defensive and offensive.

Good teams will win a fair share of the contested footy (not necessarily the overal stat though, just a decent balance vs the opponent's stats) AND drill significant ball skills into the playing group across the board. Provide a balance of inside mids, outside mids, top running HBs with a few who are very accurate by foot. Have most players drilled into handball circle work/blocking etc, which enables them to escape almost any congestion under pressure acts. This includes getting them to lift their arms when they're about to be tackled so they at least have the option of getting that pressured handball away to yet another receiver, hopefully on the move. And on it goes.

Instill quick ball movement and skills by both hand and foot in, around and finally out and away from congestion with a slick succession of handballs and then hopefully a short pass or 2 to the next lead up target up the field. Failing that option being open, to pre designated spaces/zones that we know player X/Y will be leading into or doubling back into etc.

Once they have this belief in their skills and ability, more players will start to tackle a little more to try and force more turnovers as they'll "want" and hunt the ball because they'll believe in their skills and ability to use it quickly and well and find receivers away from congestion. And on it goes. Players outside the contest will begin to work harder to block/separate a little more, cirlcing just outside the main contest calling for and looking for that first outlet handball, instead of too many heading for the contest hoping to bottle it in (allowing opposition players to get the first outlet pass and run away without pressure), or purely worrying only about their opponent and being second to the contest hoping to pressure their opponent out of it if possible.

The spread and run will occur once the balance between contested (inside work by designated mids/insiders/on ballers), uncontested (outside mids and runners) designated to sit just outside the main congestion are skilled up and understand their roles and play to them accordingly. And they also start doing the little common sense things to protect space for their fellow players and block etc when it makes sense to do so. All the things we do so little of or if we do ...for such short patches....now.

We are severely disorganised and confidence is rock bottom. Most players are therefore unwilling to get that first contested possession, waiting for their opponent to get it first, then try and shut him down. The alternative is to get it first and risk turning it over as they are poorly skilled at short disposals via hand and foot (in general, there are exceptions).

Most players are now hanging back IMO, waiting to try and attempt the shut down rather than risk getting it and being shown up with a poor clanger. In addition, if they are on the receiving end they're so down in confidence, most are just dishing it off to the easiest, but not necessarily the most ideal, option. In many cases just a quick lateral pass sideways or even 20 to 30 meters backwards, sometimes even into the defensive goal square or across it under pressure. Just give it to anyone....i don't want it is the general idea lol.

Unfortunately even Jones is starting to dish up this carp. Pretty sad to watch.

To me this is mostly a skills/ability issue and organisation.

And much of this is a coaches (and line coaches') domain. Neeld has recognised this and probably planned to instill it all along, but in a steady as she goes manner after inducting all of them through a heavy fitness/defensive program in the first year and a bit. But i fear he's upped the ante on the skills/drills circle work stuff (particularly by hand) in the last few weeks, only because reality over holding on to his position has finally struck.

Lets hope the pennies (and the payoff from the increased skill/drill work) finally pays off for Neeld and the boys.

By instilling skills/spread/run/overlap and confidence into the playing group over the next few weeks, and with the return of some reasonable cattle, Neeld and the players just might (emphasis on might) have an outside chance of pulling off a giant upset win against the Filth in 2 weeks. Unlikely i know but......

And personally i would hope the Board allows Neeld to at least Coach untill round 14 against the Doggies and Saints at the G to give him every opportunity to turn this around before possibly moving on his position. I realise he's made a mess of it and all but i'd like to see him given a fair and reasonable chance, whilst under some sort of notice, to show us if there's some fight and coaching ability there.

Not nice to see anyone get the big A and coaching this bunch would have to be one of the toughest gigs of all time i'd reckon. And yeah, i realise he's created a rod for his own back in some cases but the whole blame can't and doesn't lie with Neeld alone.

Good luck to him and the boys over the next part of the season. Let's hope they can win a few games for everyone's sake.

Edited May 28, 201312 yr by Rusty Nails

Id like to know the credentials of some of the posters on here.

People calling for Neelds head know nothing about the game. He inherited a list full of pea heart soft [censored] who were given special treatment by our former coach.

Our players are simply not up to AFL standard, they are a bunch of front runners who cant defend.

Nicholson is a VAFA player at best, Gillies needs to go play at Surrey Park, Seller needs to go back to auskick.

I'm offended by your remark about Gillies needs to play at Surrey Park. I played junior football for Surrey Hills at Surrey Park and he wouldn't get a game in the team I played in - and we didn't win too many games.

Not really. I believe it's a balance of both Adam.

If you don't have enough players willing to committ to the contest and capable of getting first use of the ball your team mates (outside and runners) are unlikely to spread intinctively as they're too concerned about covering their opponent defensively believing that most of the time we probably wont win the contest. That is they don't want to be the one allowing their opponent to get away off the break from congestion. Coach & staff are watching and reviewing, watching and reviewing. Almost everything the players do on a footy field now is captured on tape and reviewed. They are held accountable for all actions, poor, indifferent, good, average, sublime. Defensive and offensive.

Good teams will win a fair share of the contested footy (not necessarily the overal stat though, just a decent balance vs the opponent's stats) AND drill significant ball skills into the playing group across the board. Provide a balance of inside mids, outside mids, top running HBs with a few who are very accurate by foot. Have most players drilled into handball circle work/blocking etc, which enables them to escape almost any congestion under pressure acts. This includes getting them to lift their arms when they're about to be tackled so they at least have the option of getting that pressured handball away to yet another receiver, hopefully on the move. And on it goes.

Instill quick ball movement and skills by both hand and foot in, around and finally out and away from congestion with a slick succession of handballs and then hopefully a short pass or 2 to the next lead up target up the field. Failing that option being open, to pre designated spaces/zones that we know player X/Y will be leading into or doubling back into etc.

Once they have this belief in their skills and ability, more players will start to tackle a little more to try and force more turnovers as they'll "want" and hunt the ball because they'll believe in their skills and ability to use it quickly and well and find receivers away from congestion. And on it goes. Players outside the contest will begin to work harder to block/separate a little more, cirlcing just outside the main contest calling for and looking for that first outlet handball, instead of too many heading for the contest hoping to bottle it in (allowing opposition players to get the first outlet pass and run away without pressure), or purely worrying only about their opponent and being second to the contest hoping to pressure their opponent out of it if possible.

The spread and run will occur once the balance between contested (inside work by designated mids/insiders/on ballers), uncontested (outside mids and runners) designated to sit just outside the main congestion are skilled up and understand their roles and play to them accordingly. And they also start doing the little common sense things to protect space for their fellow players and block etc when it makes sense to do so. All the things we do so little of or if we do ...for such short patches....now.

We are severely disorganised and confidence is rock bottom. Most players are therefore unwilling to get that first contested possession, waiting for their opponent to get it first, then try and shut him down. The alternative is to get it first and risk turning it over as they are poorly skilled at short disposals via hand and foot (in general, there are exceptions).

Most players are now hanging back IMO, waiting to try and attempt the shut down rather than risk getting it and being shown up with a poor clanger. In addition, if they are on the receiving end they're so down in confidence, most are just dishing it off to the easiest, but not necessarily the most ideal, option. In many cases just a quick lateral pass sideways or even 20 to 30 meters backwards, sometimes even into the defensive goal square or across it under pressure. Just give it to anyone....i don't want it is the general idea lol.

Unfortunately even Jones is starting to dish up this carp. Pretty sad to watch.

To me this is mostly a skills/ability issue and organisation.

And much of this is a coaches (and line coaches') domain. Neeld has recognised this and probably planned to instill it all along, but in a steady as she goes manner after inducting all of them through a heavy fitness/defensive program in the first year and a bit. But i fear he's upped the ante on the skills/drills circle work stuff (particularly by hand) in the last few weeks, only because reality over holding on to his position has finally struck.

Lets hope the pennies (and the payoff from the increased skill/drill work) finally pays off for Neeld and the boys.

By instilling skills/spread/run/overlap and confidence into the playing group over the next few weeks, and with the return of some reasonable cattle, Neeld and the players just might (emphasis on might) have an outside chance of pulling off a giant upset win against the Filth in 2 weeks. Unlikely i know but......

And personally i would hope the Board allows Neeld to at least Coach untill round 14 against the Doggies and Saints at the G to give him every opportunity to turn this around before possibly moving on his position. I realise he's made a mess of it and all but i'd like to see him given a fair and reasonable chance, whilst under some sort of notice, to show us if there's some fight and coaching ability there.

Not nice to see anyone get the big A and coaching this bunch would have to be one of the toughest gigs of all time i'd reckon. And yeah, i realise he's created a rod for his own back in some cases but the whole blame can't and doesn't lie with Neeld alone.

Good luck to him and the boys over the next part of the season. Let's hope they can win a few games for everyone's sake.

I agree that you need some contested possessions in order to win it in the first place, so there is some balance to be found there. However, the fact that he's placing an emphasis on contested possessions, when clearly the game is moving towards an emphasis on uncontested possessions demonstrates how out of touch he is. I can see some sense in simply referring to contested possessions by way of playing one-on-one footy, but we don't play one-on-one. We play unaccountable footy. Abhorrently unaccountable. I've never seen anything like it at any level of football, let alone AFL level.

I agree that you need some contested possessions in order to win it in the first place, so there is some balance to be found there. However, the fact that he's placing an emphasis on contested possessions, when clearly the game is moving towards an emphasis on uncontested possessions demonstrates how out of touch he is. I can see some sense in simply referring to contested possessions by way of playing one-on-one footy, but we don't play one-on-one. We play unaccountable footy. Abhorrently unaccountable. I've never seen anything like it at any level of football, let alone AFL level.

From where i sit Neeld appears to want the "whole" player group to be this ultimate "competitive"/defensive" unit, all trying to lock down on their opponents and cause as many stoppages as possible when things get ugly (the 2010 Collingwood style or something similar). The problem with this style/mind set is that creative/running players and outside mids (and even runners off HB to a lessor degree) then forget to do what they're best at, that's running/spreading away from the contest, creating overlap and taking risks to move the ball quickly down the field to leading forwards or forwards that are one out against their opponent because we've isolated them with quick ball movement and/or separation by our other forwards leading away from key targets.

And once you fall behind (on the scoreboard) playing such a defensive style with such a defensive mentallity with most on ballers concentrated close to the contest, and you do this most of the time, you're attacking side (both quick attacks from congestion and counter attacks off HB) seize up even more as you're trying to lock down even harder ....it's all a downhill slide to oblivion from there IMO. Attack is one of the best forms of defense. Make the opposition chase us for a change and get them into a defensive mind set and fatigue them chasing OUR tail. And what happens when we do this? We hit the scoreboard more often (in theory) putting further presssure on the opponent to be accountable on us, instead of the other way around.

Also most quality teams have a good "balance" of player types and skills and they allow their players to use those skils/talents, albeit within a particular game style and preferred structure. But they let them play and do what the Coach has recognised they do best. Neeld seems to want a particular "defensive/contested competitive" style from most players and expects them to change accordingly and morph into it, instead of playing them to their strengths whilst slowly but surely implementing a defensive side as they go over 2 to 3 seasons.

Unfortunately for him, he appears to have skewed his focus way too soon and too overwhelmingly (for this group anyway) on an all out combative/defensive game style and mind set at the expense of attack, flair, quick ball movement....and most importantly,SKILLS SKILLS SKILLS in order to maintain possession....SCORE....and ultimately WIN.

I was in Bali watching the freo game and couldn't believe how bad we have become. I chose to leave the pub and walk in flooding rain as it was a better option then witnessing the rubbish that was served up against freo. I hope a caretaker coach is organized ASAP to try and salvage something from this train wreck. Who knows we could win a game without neeld.

More likely Fibonacci series 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 ...

You forgot 1

Wonder how many pages we will get to before Neeld is given his marching orders?

Maybe a poll is in order!!!!

Wonder how many pages we will get to before Neeld is given his marching orders?

Maybe a poll is in order!!!!

Let's not dance on metaphorical graves.

Not really. I believe it's a balance of both Adam.

If you don't have enough players willing to committ to the contest and capable of getting first use of the ball your team mates (outside and runners) are unlikely to spread intinctively as they're too concerned about covering their opponent defensively believing that most of the time we probably wont win the contest. That is they don't want to be the one allowing their opponent to get away off the break from congestion. Coach & staff are watching and reviewing, watching and reviewing. Almost everything the players do on a footy field now is captured on tape and reviewed. They are held accountable for all actions, poor, indifferent, good, average, sublime. Defensive and offensive.

Good teams will win a fair share of the contested footy (not necessarily the overal stat though, just a decent balance vs the opponent's stats) AND drill significant ball skills into the playing group across the board. Provide a balance of inside mids, outside mids, top running HBs with a few who are very accurate by foot. Have most players drilled into handball circle work/blocking etc, which enables them to escape almost any congestion under pressure acts. This includes getting them to lift their arms when they're about to be tackled so they at least have the option of getting that pressured handball away to yet another receiver, hopefully on the move. And on it goes.

Instill quick ball movement and skills by both hand and foot in, around and finally out and away from congestion with a slick succession of handballs and then hopefully a short pass or 2 to the next lead up target up the field. Failing that option being open, to pre designated spaces/zones that we know player X/Y will be leading into or doubling back into etc.

Once they have this belief in their skills and ability, more players will start to tackle a little more to try and force more turnovers as they'll "want" and hunt the ball because they'll believe in their skills and ability to use it quickly and well and find receivers away from congestion. And on it goes. Players outside the contest will begin to work harder to block/separate a little more, cirlcing just outside the main contest calling for and looking for that first outlet handball, instead of too many heading for the contest hoping to bottle it in (allowing opposition players to get the first outlet pass and run away without pressure), or purely worrying only about their opponent and being second to the contest hoping to pressure their opponent out of it if possible.

The spread and run will occur once the balance between contested (inside work by designated mids/insiders/on ballers), uncontested (outside mids and runners) designated to sit just outside the main congestion are skilled up and understand their roles and play to them accordingly. And they also start doing the little common sense things to protect space for their fellow players and block etc when it makes sense to do so. All the things we do so little of or if we do ...for such short patches....now.

We are severely disorganised and confidence is rock bottom. Most players are therefore unwilling to get that first contested possession, waiting for their opponent to get it first, then try and shut him down. The alternative is to get it first and risk turning it over as they are poorly skilled at short disposals via hand and foot (in general, there are exceptions).

Most players are now hanging back IMO, waiting to try and attempt the shut down rather than risk getting it and being shown up with a poor clanger. In addition, if they are on the receiving end they're so down in confidence, most are just dishing it off to the easiest, but not necessarily the most ideal, option. In many cases just a quick lateral pass sideways or even 20 to 30 meters backwards, sometimes even into the defensive goal square or across it under pressure. Just give it to anyone....i don't want it is the general idea lol.

Unfortunately even Jones is starting to dish up this carp. Pretty sad to watch.

To me this is mostly a skills/ability issue and organisation.

And much of this is a coaches (and line coaches') domain. Neeld has recognised this and probably planned to instill it all along, but in a steady as she goes manner after inducting all of them through a heavy fitness/defensive program in the first year and a bit. But i fear he's upped the ante on the skills/drills circle work stuff (particularly by hand) in the last few weeks, only because reality over holding on to his position has finally struck.

Lets hope the pennies (and the payoff from the increased skill/drill work) finally pays off for Neeld and the boys.

By instilling skills/spread/run/overlap and confidence into the playing group over the next few weeks, and with the return of some reasonable cattle, Neeld and the players just might (emphasis on might) have an outside chance of pulling off a giant upset win against the Filth in 2 weeks. Unlikely i know but......

And personally i would hope the Board allows Neeld to at least Coach untill round 14 against the Doggies and Saints at the G to give him every opportunity to turn this around before possibly moving on his position. I realise he's made a mess of it and all but i'd like to see him given a fair and reasonable chance, whilst under some sort of notice, to show us if there's some fight and coaching ability there.

Not nice to see anyone get the big A and coaching this bunch would have to be one of the toughest gigs of all time i'd reckon. And yeah, i realise he's created a rod for his own back in some cases but the whole blame can't and doesn't lie with Neeld alone.

Good luck to him and the boys over the next part of the season. Let's hope they can win a few games for everyone's sake.

Very good post I agree completly

It is all about trust and confidence in team mates

We are not playing as a team

If I were to criticise Neeld it is for his complete inability to get the players trust and have them play as a team

I Have never ever seen a more disorganised confused hesitant unconfident group of players

No wonder we are getting smashed

Very good post I agree completly

It is all about trust and confidence in team mates

We are not playing as a team

If I were to criticise Neeld it is for his complete inability to get the players trust and have them play as a team

I Have never ever seen a more disorganised confused hesitant unconfident group of players

No wonder we are getting smashed

if we keep Mark for 2014 as coach then you will see a even more disorganised confused unconfident group of players!

As I sure he will start rebuild number 3.

My bet for 2014 if he still coach is the MFC will recuit 16 new inexperince player.