"Unrecognisable"

[H_T 3,048]

It's been a very hard few days, and it's been very hard to digest. How on earth, a club coming from several poor seasons, apparently a belter of an upbeat pre-season in preparation for Round One, with a 'next to no-injury list', can produce such a performance on the introduction to a new season on it's home ground is just bewildering in the extreme - despite a new look line-up.

What is worrying is the coach coming out after the game with his explanation on matters against Port Adelaide.

Alarming when he says he has "absolutely no idea" what happened and "didn't see it coming".

Asked about the difference in training standards from 12 months ago, he said it was "unrecognisable".

He concedes they just have to "stick at it" and "keep at it", well, I'm kind of hoping that he'll think outside the square and try anything this week that will make the players play for him.

Because he went on to say, “What we spoke about at three quarter time was unrecognisable when the [final] quarter started,” - that in itself is very alarming, but not as alarming as the following comment....

Neeld said some home truths were spoken immediately after the match.

“The players were really honest with each other and honest with me,” he said.

A few home truths for the coach perhaps??

Here's a few home truths from me: -

*When a debutant is leading the charge in the dressing room post match and telling some home truths, it really hits home with where our club is at and secondly, what he's about.

*Shave those beards off and look like footballers, pi55 off any other side-track games the players have going and get them to focus on the matter at hand in helping resurrecting this football club. If it improves things by 3% in being switched on, I'll frick'n take it.

*We were smashed early on in the midfield and clearances and it didn't let up throughout the day. I recall the figures during the second being 11-3 or 11-2 in clearances Port's way. We already know our midfield is inferior, but FGS, bloody well address it. or at least get to a 50/50 split on our home deck.

I am sick to death with having to vent and put up with [censored]! And I know the majority of who read this are as well.

It should be a privilege to play and coach for the Red & Blue, on the G.

Clearly not every stone has been turned to ensure the team plays to their best, or the coach/coaches - coach to their best. We all know that failing to plan, is planning to fail!

SO do your homework, and f**king well do it to your best! Each and every week!

Because it certainly isn't good enough to date and it hasn't been good enough since 2006.

That game was as significant a loss as the massive 2008 Round one loss to Hawthorn under Bailey. That's how bad it was. And it probably hurts more given Port's 5 wins last year and our recent minor win over them at Renmark.

7 months to prepare and serve up that crap, particularly after half time, given what the club has already been through, is just the pitts.

If the coach and team somehow turn it around and get 4 points against Essendon it will be a slap in the face to the supporters, by showing that results can be achieved when you put in effort. And it will be a lesson to the club of how to prepare each and every week in getting the players mindset right.

Ref: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-04-01/we-didnt-see-that-coming-neeld

[frankie_d 1,471]

"

If the coach and team somehow turn it around and get 4 points against Essendon it will be a slap in the face to the supporters, by showing that results can be achieved when you put in effort. And it will be a lesson to the club of how to prepare each and every week in getting the players mindset right.

"

This is the worry, for me... we'll have a dip and maybe we'll win it, or get an "honourable defeat". That would tell us so much about the crap culture of our club - up one week and down the next

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Pretty much sums it up.

I do however get the feeling, that there are some that don't particularly want to play for the red and blue and are biding their time.

I've learnt in business that if you stuff something up you can retrieve the situation, but only if you try really hard and acknowledge your mistake.

Edited April 2, 2013 by RobbieF

[jabberwocky 2,301]

I get that we will miss targets, and spill marks because some players are not up to standard.

I get that some of our kids will fail under physical and mental pressure often when the heat is on.

I get that our midfield is at least 2 years away from being able to even compete with even the middle tier mids.

I even put up with losing most one on one contests.

I don't get our failure to run...both ways. It is an absolute fundamental. If you can't or don't make the contest you are screwed.

If the fitness levels have been addressed and the game plan is solid and I believe that it is the energy and resources of the club need to go into why we have a football team that has a losing psyche.

Failing to run is a sure sign that the belief and faith within the group is low.

The issue of failing to run was an issue through 2012. A lack of "fitness" seemed to be the reason that the educated gave for this.

Perhaps fitness was part of it, but it appears that there are other issues which may be less tangible. Whatever it is it needs addressing now before the club enters an abyss from which it cannot escape.

Edited April 2, 2013 by dandeeman

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

I get that we will miss targets, and spill marks because some players are not up to standard.

I get that some of our kids will fail under physical and mental pressure often when the heat is on.

I get that our midfield is at least 2 years away from being able to even compete with even the middle tier mids.

I even put up with losing most one on one contests.

I don't get our failure to run...both ways. It is an absolute fundamental. If you can't or don't make the contest you are screwed.

If the fitness levels have been addressed and the game plan is solid and I believe that it is the energy and resources of the club need to go into why we have a football team that has a losing psyche.

Failing to run is a sure sign that the belief and faith within the group is low.

The issue of failing to run was an issue through 2012. A lack of "fitness" seemed to be the reason that the educated gave for this.

Perhaps fitness was part of it, but it appears that there are other issues which may be less tangible. Whatever it is it needs addressing now before the club enters an abyss from which it cannot escape.

I wanted to bring myself out of excite to simply say this post sums up my thoughts perfectly. Edited April 2, 2013 by Clint Bizkit

[old dee 23,792]

Pretty much sums it up.

I do however get the feeling, that there are some that don't particularly want to play for the red and blue and are biding their time.

I've learnt in business that if you stuff something up you can retrieve the situation, but only if you try really hard and acknowledge your mistake.

Me too RobbieF

I will wait another couple of weeks but I think I have a fairly good idea right now.

[loges 6,767]

Pretty much sums it up.

I do however get the feeling, that there are some that don't particularly want to play for the red and blue and are biding their time.

I've learnt in business that if you stuff something up you can retrieve the situation, but only if you try really hard and acknowledge your mistake.

If this is the case, and Frawley has been mentioned, they can fark off now and hand back their years pay. Who do they think is paying them for this season. Sick of attitudes like Moloneys - just play out the season and then go elsewhere, really professional!

[Satyriconhome 10,878]

Oh wow!!!!! one of the most important things to do is "shave the beards off and look like footballers".....dear dear me........Michael Tuck, Adam Goodes, Akermanis in his prime........reallty get a grip, there is a lot more wrong with what is inside the head than outside

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Oh wow!!!!! one of the most important things to do is "shave the beards off and look like footballers".....dear dear me........Michael Tuck, Adam Goodes, Akermanis in his prime........reallty get a grip, there is a lot more wrong with what is inside the head than outside

It's not so much the beards that annoy people it's the perception they give that they are pi55 farting around with beard competitions when they should be switched on not and playing like retards. How about having a disposal efficiency competition? Or a second effort competition?

[H_T 3,048]

Oh wow!!!!! one of the most important things to do is "shave the beards off and look like footballers".....dear dear me........Michael Tuck, Adam Goodes, Akermanis in his prime........reallty get a grip, there is a lot more wrong with what is inside the head than outside

If anyone needs to get a grip, it's you Satyriconhome.

It's not the most important thing to do, it's one of my home truths, so you can save your sanctimonious bullsh!t for someone else.

[Range Rover 1,935]

I can't fathom how Neeld reckons we were travelling well in the pre-season. We were bog ordinary. Didn't we lose all the games we were involved in? I saw us play the Suns up at Southport and we were made to look second rate by them. Thrashed in the midfield and shaky in defence.

I think the bloke is out of his depth and reckon he'll be gone by round 7. We'll lose to one or both of GWS and the Suns and that will be that.

[rpfc 28,480]

Good on you, HT.

I like the anger and the passion of RR and others but sackings in April isn't just unhelpful and unrelaistic - it's not going to happen.

The players will deliver the response of the club. And the coach.

And how they play under him.

I am not worried about the long term, or even medium term - the revamped FD was always about Craig and Misson for me.

But if Neeld is wasting our time then it is a massive short term embarrassment.

They were lifeless and boring and looked like they didn't want to screw up. You have to be willing to screw up to do anything of note in this life.

If all you are worried about is beating your opposite number - you have already lost.

The ethos of this team worry me and I hope it is an aberration and we see a better effort against Essendon and for the bulk of the season.

My faith can be won back with that.

[Satyriconhome 10,878]

If anyone needs to get a grip, it's you Satyriconhome.

It's not the most important thing to do, it's one of my home truths, so you can save your sanctimonious bullsh!t for someone else.

It's not sanctimonious [censored], although it is nice of you to be so poetic in your put down.

If it's not important why bother putting it, ruins the rest of your argument to put something so frivolous, what you reckon the players are concentrating more on that, it is a bit of levity, what you don't have any in your life

We must have had about 45 topics today all about Sunday.

Yes I am as angry and annoyed at what was dished up as the rest of the 'supporters' on this board, but like most of them as well I have no idea what the problem is or how to solve it, but I am sure shaving off beards is not part of the answer

If the Club can turn it around and actually beat Essendon, I won't regard it as a slap in the face, I will regard it as the Club has found the answer to whatever the problem is and fixed it

45 topics and posters working on personal agendas, venting their spleens, putting forward frivolous suggestions, etc will not fix anything, the only thing it probably does is make the poster feel better, if they need to do that then all well and good

If you want to vent, vent at the Club, I did, but that meant coming out from behind my nickname

If you don't like what I post, then don't read it, but keep the insults to yourself

[Cards13 9,117]

Oh wow!!!!! one of the most important things to do is "shave the beards off and look like footballers".....dear dear me........Michael Tuck, Adam Goodes, Akermanis in his prime........reallty get a grip, there is a lot more wrong with what is inside the head than outside

Dont forget the main man Johnny Gastev!!!! Bruce D the flying door mat. FFS beards?!

[stevethemanjordan 6,952]

It is as clear as day where the problem lies.

The club has been below average for so long that it has infected this playing group inside out. We have been mediocre from the top down for so long.

The appointment of Bailey and the staff employed at the time has given way to all of this. Below average recruitment has led to below average players. Below average standards has led to a below average culture.

Our players have been conditioned to be lazy. Many of them are not up to standard. Neeld has tried and will still try to strip the place apart, but perhaps after the weekend even he didn't fully know just how infected these players have become because of the past 5 or 6 years.

I'm telling you right now, I would have no problem with getting rid half the team next season because the MFC is so badly infected. Frawley, Dunn and Garland. I don't care if they all go. They are infected. Can people see it?! They are not AFL players.

Edited April 2, 2013 by stevethemanjordan

[stevethemanjordan 6,952]

We are a sick club.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

It is as clear as day where the problem lies.

The club has been below average for so long that it has infected this playing group inside out. We have been mediocre from the top down for so long.

The appointment of Bailey and the staff employed at the time has given way to all of this. Below average recruitment has led to below average players. Below average standards has led to a below average culture.

Our players have been conditioned to be lazy. Many of them are not up to standard. Neeld has tried and will still try to strip the place apart, but perhaps after the weekend even he didn't fully know just how infected these players have become because of the past 5 or 6 years.

I'm telling you right now, I would have no problem with getting rid half the team next season because the MFC is so badly infected. Frawley, Dunn and Garland. I don't care if they all go. They are infected. Can people see it?! They are not AFL players.

Add Watts, Jamar and Davey to that list.

Keep weeding them out!

[binman 43,020]

It's been a very hard few days, and it's been very hard to digest. How on earth, a club coming from several poor seasons, apparently a belter of an upbeat pre-season in preparation for Round One, with a 'next to no-injury list', can produce such a performance on the introduction to a new season on it's home ground is just bewildering in the extreme - despite a new look line-up.

What is worrying is the coach coming out after the game with his explanation on matters against Port Adelaide.

Alarming when he says he has "absolutely no idea" what happened and "didn't see it coming".

Asked about the difference in training standards from 12 months ago, he said it was "unrecognisable".

He concedes they just have to "stick at it" and "keep at it", well, I'm kind of hoping that he'll think outside the square and try anything this week that will make the players play for him.

Because he went on to say, “What we spoke about at three quarter time was unrecognisable when the [final] quarter started,” - that in itself is very alarming, but not as alarming as the following comment....

Neeld said some home truths were spoken immediately after the match.

“The players were really honest with each other and honest with me,” he said.

A few home truths for the coach perhaps??

Here's a few home truths from me: -

*When a debutant is leading the charge in the dressing room post match and telling some home truths, it really hits home with where our club is at and secondly, what he's about.

*Shave those beards off and look like footballers, pi55 off any other side-track games the players have going and get them to focus on the matter at hand in helping resurrecting this football club. If it improves things by 3% in being switched on, I'll frick'n take it.

*We were smashed early on in the midfield and clearances and it didn't let up throughout the day. I recall the figures during the second being 11-3 or 11-2 in clearances Port's way. We already know our midfield is inferior, but FGS, bloody well address it. or at least get to a 50/50 split on our home deck.

I am sick to death with having to vent and put up with [censored]! And I know the majority of who read this are as well.

It should be a privilege to play and coach for the Red & Blue, on the G.

Clearly not every stone has been turned to ensure the team plays to their best, or the coach/coaches - coach to their best. We all know that failing to plan, is planning to fail!

SO do your homework, and f**king well do it to your best! Each and every week!

Because it certainly isn't good enough to date and it hasn't been good enough since 2006.

That game was as significant a loss as the massive 2008 Round one loss to Hawthorn under Bailey. That's how bad it was. And it probably hurts more given Port's 5 wins last year and our recent minor win over them at Renmark.

7 months to prepare and serve up that crap, particularly after half time, given what the club has already been through, is just the pitts.

If the coach and team somehow turn it around and get 4 points against Essendon it will be a slap in the face to the supporters, by showing that results can be achieved when you put in effort. And it will be a lesson to the club of how to prepare each and every week in getting the players mindset right.

Ref: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-04-01/we-didnt-see-that-coming-neeld

Spot on. Great post.

I was away with the family on the weekend and watched the game yesterday without knowing the result. Unfortunately (or fortunately i could only watch the second and last quarters as the Big Pond download of the other quarters froze). I can't believe what i saw. This rubbish about not knowing what happened is ridiculous. I'm sorry Mark but it is your job to know. And it is your job to have the players ready to play. They weren't.

I feel completely betrayed by the club. Every year i find a way to be positive and optimistic. This year on the back of Neeld and others at the clubs optimism i thought perhaps we were ready to start climbing the ladder. I backed us to win this game and make the 8. How stupid am i? (nb: rhetorical question, no need to respond).

Can't add much more to the post quoted above. Some random thoughts however.

• Watts did not handle being tagged (only took till round one for opposition coaches to work out he needed to be shut down) and was poor all day. That said where was the support from his team mates like Dunn who could have run through Stewart or the coach - who could have thrown him to another position.
• Why did Neeld allow 2 players to sit on Clark all day?
• Where was the sort of gut running that Nick Riewoldt showed where he ran the length of the ground chasing a smaller player and eventually got the ball out of bounds (and nearly then collapsed through exhaustion)?
• Why was Terlich not selected given he was probably out best player in the pre season games?
• What the hell is going on?
• Why did i choose to barrack for Melbourne (yes it was my choice!)?
• Geelong were awesome yesterday and i couldn't help be pleased for Rivers.

Edited April 2, 2013 by binman

[stevethemanjordan 6,952]

Add Watts, Jamar and Davey to that list.

Keep weeding them out!

It's a disgrace.

[stevethemanjordan 6,952]

Another mass list culling at the end of the year.

No more mature age bodies like Pederson and Gillies who are not doing anything for the club. I want Neeld to realise just how deep and complex this situation is. It is not a matter of filling holes with mature bodies. I understand it's an attempt to change the attitude and culture of the playing group but it runs too deep. It is ingrained. Neeld must know this.

I don't care if we have to build with kids again however we need one or two stars through free agency who work extremely hard and will lead us... We have a new recruiting team so I trust we can make the most out of the picks we gain from the next couple of years and pick players who show the same desire as Viney does. It will make turnovers bearable at least.

I don't care if we need to rebuild again and gut this list yet again. At least it won't be false hope. At least when I watch in the future I will know each of them have the want and desire to bust their arse at every contest. Jack Viney put every Melbourne player to shame on Saturday. How the [censored] can we have so many laconic players who have no urgency or desperation? It's as if an AFL game is a kick in the park to them. They are dumb. They are stupid. They are not AFL players. How did we recruit these types of players!?! It's disgusting. We are sick and broken.

[Jens Lehmann 75]

I like the passion and love for the club shown by so many with so many extreme reactions, but my god, a lot of it is poorly directed.

Home truths...

Well, I think the beards & haircuts are largely horrible aesthetically, but completely inconsequential in regards to football.

I believe we are on the right track.

I believe the players have had it drilled into them that if they put the work in on the track, and focus on getting the processes right, then wins will follow.

I think the players felt like they had already done the hard work, and weren't prepared mentally for what Port threw at them.

Like most of us, they expected to be playing a rabble.

I believe Neeld has shown good signs and evidence of being able to change the club culture for the good.

We are still in the early stages of that.

I believe it is possible that Neeld may be an awful gameday coach, or more suited to the football manager role, but we've not yet seen anywhere near enough evidence to make an educated decision on that.

I believe our supporters' expectations have been unrealistic in regards to our new recruits.

We didn't swindle the teams we made trades with. We didn't significantly upgrade in talent.

We just achieved a better balance in our list.

I believe the players we recruited were targeted in some cases for character and work ethic, to build a culture, in spite of what they may lack on the field.

I believe the team lost its way, heads dropped, and the domino effect got us.

It happens to many a good team along the way. Happened to the cats against the pies in 2008/9.

We've just (predictably) suffered it more often and extreme.

But those that think this is the worst lost since Northey's days, are caught up in hyperbole.

I expect those unwilling to work hard to be dropped.

I expect hard workers lining up to take those places.

I expect an unwavering desire to chase and win the footy next week from all players, and any that don't to be dropped.

I expect serious change.

And I expect this to happen again in the near future, as it does to young teams.

But I expect it to happen with increasingly less frequency.

[H_T 3,048]

It is as clear as day where the problem lies.

The club has been below average for so long that it has infected this playing group inside out. We have been mediocre from the top down for so long.

The appointment of Bailey and the staff employed at the time has given way to all of this. Below average recruitment has led to below average players. Below average standards has led to a below average culture.

Our players have been conditioned to be lazy. Many of them are not up to standard. Neeld has tried and will still try to strip the place apart, but perhaps after the weekend even he didn't fully know just how infected these players have become because of the past 5 or 6 years.

I'm telling you right now, I would have no problem with getting rid half the team next season because the MFC is so badly infected. Frawley, Dunn and Garland. I don't care if they all go. They are infected. Can people see it?! They are not AFL players.

I can see it. I can see that the confidence erodes very quickly from the group.

Most importantly I can see that the midfield is STILL very poor, inexperienced and no where near competitive enough. Nor accountable enough for AFL level.

I don't want the baby thrown out with the bath water so to speak, but I've taken on board what you and RobbieF have alluded to. And it makes me feel a little sick.

[Jens Lehmann 75]

Don't you see that replacing the players is not the answer?

The "infection" is mental, and will just be passed on the newcomers.

Change is happening.

It takes time.

[stevethemanjordan 6,952]

It's ingrained I tells you.

You can do all the pre season training and analysing you like and it will look swell but as soon as some players jump on the footy field, they will revert back to old habits. Maybe not hard to change for a few, but we have far too many.

Mix that with below average skill level and a moderate to high level of stupidity and you have the MFC.

[Trisul 664]

"I don't want the baby thrown out with the bath water so to speak, but I've taken on board what you and RobbieF have alluded to. And it makes me feel a little sick."

It has been that way for a long time. Very few wanted to really discuss 186 - it was clearly all Baileys fault. And here we are.