Nothing wrong with that opinion mate...... Preformance is a real worry through the first 4 weeks of this season, no argument there.

At this stage I am willing to look on the brigh side and hope that the playing group are still a work in progress. Afterall with 14 inclusions and up to 7 - 10 new faces in the senior team it is going to take some time to gel - and young blokes need time to develop to AFL standard coupled with our lack of senior talent who don't preform to AFL standard week to week

But I agree if the poor preformance keep up and Neeld can't get the team competitive he will be in big trouble.

I guess the counter argument to that is how long does a coach need to install a new culture and plan? But ultimetly if Neeld can't get the team to be competitive he will go

The real problem at the MFC that no one has really touched on and again there is no easy answer is why hasn't the MFC from as far back as the 90's - why have we never had a consistent preforming team from week to week - year to year???

This is where I hope Neeld can step up the professionalism - but again I go back to your argument - if he can't get the team competitive he will lose his job

I see your point but maybe there is too much blame and not enough hard work - the new FD has only been in place 1 season (all be it 2 pre seasons)

How long does the blame game go on?

For example - a new coach comes in say round 10 - we put up with more crap until '14 - then he needs to develop the team in his mould so that could mean the whole season of 2014 is wasted and if he fails in 14/15 do we get a new coach again???

Lacks of integrity for the sake of giving hope to supporters.... and that's why I won't back sacking Neeld until 14 (or his position is un sustainable)

I think my main problem stems from the fact that other clubs have managed to get new coaches in that turn around the performances a lot quicker.

I actually like Neeld as far as what he says and what he's trying to implement, I'm just not convinced by his coaching skills as yet.

It just seems like we always miss out on the guys that can perform miracles, and we desperately need some.

I think my main problem stems from the fact that other clubs have managed to get new coaches in that turn around the performances a lot quicker.

I actually like Neeld as far as what he says and what he's trying to implement, I'm just not convinced by his coaching skills as yet.

It just seems like we always miss out on the guys that can perform miracles, and we desperately need some.

Yep, it is depressing, especially the Port situation.

But you do need to consider the circumstances around why teams are under-preforming - and I think Port had the talent but they weren't coached well where we need to develop the talent as we're starting from a low base.

I mean we did ok under Bailey for a year - but c'mon short memories ppl. We only ever beat teh tigers (who were poor) or Essendon or an interstate team travelling to the G. We got flogged a lot under Bailey and we were easily picked apart by good teams.

Purely offsensive game plan with no Plan B..

I just think there is no easy answer to this current situation, sacking the coach will not magically make the team better - as [censored] poor as it sounds maybe we have to bight the bullet and take the hard road and stop looking for 'White knights; and easy options.... Thats just my opinion, i think this club as a whole looks for the easy option too often. We need to develop consistent preforming AFL players who preform week to week, year to year

We've got some good bigs now Stuie - now we need a midfiled and I hear they can be established quickly - so here is hope Neeld and the MFC can turn this around!!!

But I will restate - if Neeld can't keep the team competitive then we are all buggered

If we blame the president for the performance of the club, surely by extension we blame the coach for the performance of the team?

Just too many convenient excuses around 'Land this year.

How long has the current admin/President been in charge for? Now compare that to the current coach/FD.

I agree that Neeld is skating on thin ice. You can't expect to be totally uncompetitive and there be no repercussions. However I think he deserves to at least be given until the second half of the season (and in my eyes until next year) to see if the team can improve its performance somewhat. On top of this I think the club would be mad to get rid of Neeld without having an experienced replacement (like Eade, Ratten, Williams, Clarkson, Roos etc) lined up. No point turfing out Neeld only to get in Scott Burns or some other inexperienced assistant who is going to need another 2-3 years to develop the team his way. At least with an experienced coach we know they have what it takes.

Yep, it is depressing, especially the Port situation.

But you do need to consider the circumstances around why teams are under-preforming - and I think Port had the talent but they weren't coached well where we need to develop the talent as we're starting from a low base.

I mean we did ok under Bailey for a year - but c'mon short memories ppl. We only ever beat teh tigers (who were poor) or Essendon or an interstate team travelling to the G. We got flogged a lot under Bailey and we were easily picked apart by good teams.

Purely offsensive game plan with no Plan B..

I just think there is no easy answer to this situation - as [censored] poor as it sounds maybe we have to bight the bullet and take the hard road and stop looking for 'White knights; and easy options.... Thats just my opinion, i think this club as a whole looks for the easy option too often.

We've got some good bigs now Stuie - now we need a midfiled and I hear they can be established quickly - so here is hope Neeld and the MFC can turn this around!!!

But I will restate - if Neeld can't keep the team competitive then we are all buggered

From what I've seen so far though, our defence was better under Bailey, our oppositions uncontested possessions stats say as much. Plus, how much would we love to be able to beat Richmond, Essendon, and some interstate teams now?! Not saying Bailey was any good etc but can't understand why so many think Neeld is a great defensive coach when we're the loosest I've ever seen us.

In saying all that, should we pick up 2 mature gun midfielders in the offseason things may change quick sticks!

How long has the current admin/President been in charge for? Now compare that to the current coach/FD.

I agree that Neeld is skating on thin ice. You can't expect to be totally uncompetitive and there be no repercussions. However I think he deserves to at least be given until the second half of the season (and in my eyes until next year) to see if the team can improve its performance somewhat. On top of this I think the club would be mad to get rid of Neeld without having an experienced replacement (like Eade, Ratten, Williams, Clarkson, Roos etc) lined up. No point turfing out Neeld only to get in Scott Burns or some other inexperienced assistant who is going to need another 2-3 years to develop the team his way. At least with an experienced coach we know they have what it takes.

Current president has been in charge for 14 months.

Current coach has been in charge for 19 months.

From what I've seen so far though, our defence was better under Bailey, our oppositions uncontested possessions stats say as much. Plus, how much would we love to be able to beat Richmond, Essendon, and some interstate teams now?! Not saying Bailey was any good etc but can't understand why so many think Neeld is a great defensive coach when we're the loosest I've ever seen us.

In saying all that, should we pick up 2 mature gun midfielders in the offseason things may change quick sticks!

It is a good debate - and i think there are some detailed factors to why it looks like Bailey's defence was better then Neelds - But I feel Bailey couldn't implement a press or break it - which is modern football today. Neeld at the moment is only doing slightly better but they are different circumstances....

Mate - there are some reasons to be positive - but if we get smashed by Brisbane this weekend I may jump ship

It is a good debate - and i think there are some detailed factors to why it looks like Bailey's defence was better then Neelds - But I feel Bailey couldn't implement a press or break it - which is modern football today. Neeld at the moment is only doing slightly better but they are different circumstances....

Mate - there are some reasons to be positive - but if we get smashed by Brisbane this weekend I may jump ship

At the moment it's individual players that are keeping some sense of positivity for me, not team performances.

Clark's spirit, the tenacity of the Joneses, the Howe speccies, the thought of Hogan and even Barry waiting in the wings, and of course Chuck Norris Jack Viney coming through, are the things that are keeping the glimmer of hope alive.

At the moment it's individual players that are keeping some sense of positivity for me, not team performances.

Clark's spirit, the tenacity of the Joneses, the Howe speccies, the thought of Hogan and even Barry waiting in the wings, and of course Chuck Norris Jack Viney coming through, are the things that are keeping the glimmer of hope alive.

Spot on mate - Add big Maxie Gawn, Terlich and my boy Jetta to the mix (i really hope the jet can find some consistency and love his attack on the ball) and hopefully Evan and a few others keep developing

Sadly we are not praising too many senior players - I am really interested to see how Sylvia plays this weekend - i am starting the genuinely get excited about watching him play. And here's also hoping Garland and the back six find some confidence

Current president has been in charge for 14 months.

Current coach has been in charge for 19 months.

Cute.

McLardy has been effectively running things since the day Jimmy heard his terrible news.

Neeld has done nothing for our onfield fortunes as yet, but don't sit there and tell me that the off field has been nothing short of a disaster, and don't sit there and tell me some of it isn't of our own making.

When Dank was supervising injections of players - did anyone other than our Dr know?

If yes, I hope they did their due diligence on what they were allowing their investments to ingest/be injected with/smear on their f___ing feet.

If no, then we have a major issue with how the FD is run and why so much latitude is given to a part time employee who was given incredibly important decisions to make that may determine the future of the club and its players.

That is just one question that those that are running the club have to face, or fess, up to.

Current president has been in charge for 14 months.

Current coach has been in charge for 19 months.

Yeah that's being completely disingenuous, McLardy is part of the same admin that's been in charge since 2008.

Cute.

McLardy has been effectively running things since the day Jimmy heard his terrible news.

Neeld has done nothing for our onfield fortunes as yet, but don't sit there and tell me that the off field has been nothing short of a disaster, and don't sit there and tell me some of it isn't of our own making.

When Dank was supervising injections of players - did anyone other than our Dr know?

If yes, I hope they did their due diligence on what they were allowing their investments to ingest/be injected with/smear on their f___ing feet.

If no, then we have a major issue with how the FD is run and why so much latitude is given to a part time employee who was given incredibly important decisions to make that may determine the future of the club and its players.

That is just one question that those that are running the club have to face, or fess, up to.

I didn't sit here and say any of that. Was merely stating facts. Funny how so many here get upset by facts...

I thought Neeld had totally lost the players during the Essendon game, but since the players seem to have really backed him in all of the interviews i have seen,

maybe the hole we are in is just deeper than the other teams have been so it's unfair to compare them?

Hey Stuie, ever feel you are bashing your head against the wall?

http://awesomegifs.com/wp-content/uploads/cat-jumps-into-mirror.gif

I didn't sit here and say any of that. Was merely stating facts. Funny how so many here get upset by facts...

You have been defending the administration from any and all critical observations, hence your 'governance' snark. You shouldn't be so dismissive if you don't won't to be easily dismissed yourself.

And your misdirection over McLardy length of tenure and involvement is reminiscent of the misdirection from our club to the AFL and from Dr Bates to our club.

Tell the truth but not the whole truth.

You have been defending the administration from any and all critical observations, hence your 'governance' snark. You shouldn't be so dismissive if you don't won't to be easily dismissed yourself.

And your misdirection over McLardy length of tenure and involvement is reminiscent of the misdirection from our club to the AFL and from Dr Bates to our club.

Tell the truth but not the whole truth.

Not defending them at all, end of the season it should all be looked at. My governance "snark" is directed at those who say the boss is to blame under corporate governance, unless it's the coach because Neeld is driving the "reality bus" blah blah blah... All too convenient.

There's no misdirection, McLardy has been president for 14 months, and that's a fact.

I can't help but wonder what coaches we could attract if we are known for cutting their tenure short. Effectively they would have to consider that perhaps a two year time frame to turn things around is all the luxury they will be afforded. I am not sure about Neeld and agree things have been looking dire, but surely a more experienced and successful coach would view the current Melbourne as a career killer. If we had just scraped over GWS for a win, I wonder how positive the optimists would be.

Perhaps the days of lycra and manicured grounds have spoiled the current players and we will seldom see the tenacity of Laurie Fowler, Ray Biffin or Sean Wight to mention a few. I used to love being taken by my father to get a ham steak and pineapple at the Golden Tower and then off to the MCG. More often than not they lost, but you enjoyed the day regardless. I can't say that so much in recent times. Go Demons tommorrow, I can't help but feel this game may shape the season ahead and if they don't even turn up to try, then the job may well be deemed to above Neeld and perhaps Viney or someone might help. Like every supporter I just would love to see a genuine effort.

I'll stand by my assessment that the playing list wasn't all that bad when Neeld took over.

What it needed was a coach who could bring them together with a game plan they could relate to and believe in - Neeld was/is not that coach.

I'll stand by my assessment that the playing list wasn't all that bad when Neeld took over.

What it needed was a coach who could bring them together with a game plan they could relate to and believe in - Neeld was/is not that coach.

Would that be the game plan that gives us 81/2 wins? The last thing we needed was a coach who was going to let the players dictate the sort of game they wanted to play and by extension dictate how hard they were prepared to train. Yeah that's just what we needed. The clean out has begun. there will be more at the end of this year. We will end up with a list that wants to do more than just be AFL footballers. We will have one that wants to play finals and that wants to bleed for the club. It will take some time but it will happen.

Go Dees.

Would that be the game plan that gives us 81/2 wins? The last thing we needed was a coach who was going to let the players dictate the sort of game they wanted to play and by extension dictate how hard they were prepared to train. Yeah that's just what we needed. The clean out has begun. there will be more at the end of this year. We will end up with a list that wants to do more than just be AFL footballers. We will have one that wants to play finals and that wants to bleed for the club. It will take some time but it will happen.

Go Dees.

These are your words, not mine - don't try to attribute them to me - misinterpretation doesn't help anyone!

You believe what you want, but I'm betting true success won't happen under Neeld!

I'll stand by my assessment that the playing list wasn't all that bad when Neeld took over.

Since Neeld took over, we've let go/lost 20 players.

Of those 20, 1 is doing well (Rivers), 2 are doing OK in the sense that they're at least getting games elsewhere (Moloney, Petterd). Green retired, and Jurrah we know about. But there was still around a third of the list who weren't AFL standard, or fringe at best. Then, out of what's left, add in 4 long-term injuries (Gawn, Taggert, Evans and Clark), and hard to see how the (available) list could be seen as "not all that bad".

Not defending them at all, end of the season it should all be looked at. My governance "snark" is directed at those who say the boss is to blame under corporate governance, unless it's the coach because Neeld is driving the "reality bus" blah blah blah... All too convenient.

There's no misdirection, McLardy has been president for 14 months, and that's a fact.

There are those who believe that both McLardy and Neeld should stay until the end of the year at the very least. Further administrative and coaching instability is only going to make a bad situation worse.

There are those who believe that both McLardy and Neeld should stay until the end of the year at the very least. Further administrative and coaching instability is only going to make a bad situation worse.

I agree with that too. Changes should wait til the end of season, but there's going to need to be some.

I agree with that too. Changes should wait til the end of season, but there's going to need to be some.

I agree there must be change, but my concern is the opposite - the longer Neeld stays, the worse the damage and the harder it will be to undo - I guess we just have to agree to disagree.

I agree there must be change, but my concern is the opposite - the longer Neeld stays, the worse the damage and the harder it will be to undo - I guess we just have to agree to disagree.

We don't disagree that much... It's pretty well known on here I'm not impressed by Neeld thus far, but we're not going to be able to sign a gun coach at this time of year, and I think we're better off finding out more about Neeld just in case than having a caretaker and totally writing off the season.

Keep things simple, if we can get Roos or williams or someone like that to commit jump on it, if we can't we give Neeld the time he needs, if nothing else he will have the fitness up to scratch for the next coach