I think we have improved....Just little things WYL.....Even last week Carlton struggled to get it clear without pressure by the lads(not all the time but you could see what they were doing)....It will take time to gel but I think we are heading on the right track for once....

Speaks volumes - we got beat by 10 GOALS and you're seeing improvement !

We have been completely uncompetitive throughout MN's reign. We don't look like winning a game. This is a results business. He needs to turn it around, or it will be Goneskii - sooner or later

If we keep getting belted he will not see out his contract. It is quite simple. There is to much at stake for the Sponsors, the AFL, 7 & Foxtel & even the long suffering members.

Neeld expected improvement this year so we the members must hold him to that, & i mean scoreboard improvement.

Mate we are 6 games into a season....very bad start I will agree....but the is 18 games to go.....Is it not to much to ask that a coach gets this time to refine the team, get it to gel, improve over this time??

Members and supporters will nearly always watch their team on the tele...The TV networks buy a package....They know that there will be crap games every week..but rely on the blockbuster games to compensate....How good was it watching Pt vs GWS last year?????....compare it to Ess vs Coll.....What guarantees can you give that a new coach will succeed??????

In the past month I have not heard him or anyone else mention the word "winning"

It is all Snap shots, small improvements, games played etc

It would appear we do not have the expectation of winning anymore.

Surely this week we have an even chance.

I will be hanging on ever word.

I might add that I don't expect to win either but I am not the coach or the FD.

Yes, to not emphasize "winning" as a coach seems strange to me. It gives the impression that Neeld deep down does not trust himself. That's the vibe i get.

Now if the board have told him to not mention the word winning, then they should pack their bags right now.

Mate we are 6 games into a season....very bad start I will agree....but the is 18 games to go.....Is it not to much to ask that a coach gets this time to refine the team, get it to gel, improve over this time??

Members and supporters will nearly always watch their team on the tele...The TV networks buy a package....They know that there will be crap games every week..but rely on the blockbuster games to compensate....How good was it watching Pt vs GWS last year?????....compare it to Ess vs Coll.....What guarantees can you give that a new coach will succeed??????

So you are content to just let things wallow along Boss?

You are a very forgiving man. Personally i am tired of the snail improvement, when many young kids seem to step up in weeks at other clubs.

I will bet you any $$ you want the AFL want visible improvement in the MFC this year. It will be our 7th year underground.

Yes, to not emphasize "winning" as a coach seems strange to me. It gives the impression that Neeld deep down does not trust himself. That's the vibe i get.

Now if the board have told him to not mention the word winning, then they should pack their bags right now.

Spot on! Neeld needs to change his tone. He is trying to be too nice...FFS

At the end of the year when Sylvia and Frawley walk and we potentially lose Watts too I wonder what the defence of Neeld will be then?

You can't sell people on potential when you are offering nothing. The AFL know exactly where we are and how dangerous our situation is.

If we don't get any new player buy on over the off season, 3-4 big name talents leave and we come out in round 1-4 of 2014 and get belted then where are we?

The AFL know where we'll be, and it's why we'll have a new coach at the end of the year. It's just business.

Well said THBT

So you are content to just let things wallow along Boss?

You are a very forgiving man. Personally i am tired of the snail improvement, when many young kids seem to step up in weeks at other clubs.

I will bet you any $$ you want the AFL want visible improvement in the MFC this year. It will be our 7th year underground.

No not just wallow along......Steadily improve.....and I couldn't give a continental what the AFL want to be quite honest.....The AFL are not a dictatorship....and last time I looked the MFC is a democratic organisation....All members have a right to vote in their elections and board....The AFL are a non profit organisation to help and guide clubs.....

I can never understand why people are anti-AFL when they surely want the same thing we want as supporters - a competitive, financially stable successful MFC. We've given no indication over 7 seasons we can get there ourselves.

Am I simplifying this too much?

I can never understand why people are anti-AFL when they surely want the same thing we want as supporters - a competitive, financially stable successful MFC. We've given no indication over 7 seasons we can get there ourselves.

Am I simplifying this too much?

Nup

I can never understand why people are anti-AFL when they surely want the same thing we want as supporters - a competitive, financially stable successful MFC. We've given no indication over 7 seasons we can get there ourselves.

Am I simplifying this too much?

Exactly!

Ummmmm.........are you serious

a job is a contract

so what?

spargo was always just an emergency interim ceo

and so what if the afl helped find an interim ceo because the club wanted time to decide on a permanent appointment. the afl is there to help clubs

of course the afl are involved to some extent in mfc's problems

people are reading way too much into things with little proof

so we've hired an Ex ceo from essendon, for the princely time of 6 months,,, straight on the back of vlad offering us help,,, so we tell spargo to back up, while we go with Action-Jackson, for 6 months???

c'mon DC, its the AFL who has hired the Action man for a 6 month look inside, on the back of (2) back to back Sagas.... this has the AFL Commission's long arm, all around it.

Mate we are 6 games into a season....very bad start I will agree....but the is 18 games to go.....Is it not to much to ask that a coach gets this time to refine the team, get it to gel, improve over this time??Members and supporters will nearly always watch their team on the tele...The TV networks buy a package....They know that there will be crap games every week..but rely on the blockbuster games to compensate....How good was it watching Pt vs GWS last year?????....compare it to Ess vs Coll.....What guarantees can you give that a new coach will succeed??????

Bossdog - Surely you jest here? You would have to be having a lend of all of us! Cold hard fact Mark Neeld can not coach and must be removed urgently to ensure 1. MFC ' s survival. 2. The retention of our senior talent into 2014. Overwhelming evidence he has failed to deliver. 7 years Bossdog, 7 long painful years, it's time to make the tough necessary decisions. I am rapt the AFL has stepped in to assist in getting these decisions right this time. Neeld needs to be removed Now. Screw another 18 weeks of non existant improvement.

Bossdog - Surely you jest here? You would have to be having a lend of all of us! Cold hard fact Mark Neeld can not coach and must be removed urgently to ensure 1. MFC ' s survival. 2. The retention of our senior talent into 2014. Overwhelming evidence he has failed to deliver. 7 years Bossdog, 7 long painful years, it's time to make the tough necessary decisions. I am rapt the AFL has stepped in to assist in getting these decisions right this time. Neeld needs to be removed Now. Screw another 18 weeks of non existant improvement.

We have seen snap shots OMR

Surely that is enough!

I think we have improved....Just little things WYL.....Even last week Carlton struggled to get it clear without pressure by the lads(not all the time but you could see what they were doing)....It will take time to gel but I think we are heading on the right track for once....

... little things, we've improved In BIG things, in lots of little ways.

across the board we are learning to play real afl footy, accountable footy...

something we lost over the course of the last 20 odd years since the team built by the Barassi-Jordan group had wound it up, by around 94/95ish...from there it was all flash in a pan footy again... entertainment.... we had some wins but we lost the team stuff, & the 1%ers etc....

.... "C"

.

Our seemingly never-ending debate on whether or not to replace the coach has actually been covered in the sports psychology arena quite a few times and for a number of different team sports.

To summarise, the results seem to be that if your team is doing badly changing coaches mid-season wont help, indeed the team could actually perform worse in the short term.

For those interested:

http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/12/21/is-changing-the-coach-really-the-answer/

Our seemingly never-ending debate on whether or not to replace the coach has actually been covered in the sports psychology arena quite a few times and for a number of different team sports.

To summarise, the results seem to be that if your team is doing badly changing coaches mid-season wont help, indeed the team could actually perform worse in the short term.

For those interested:

http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/12/21/is-changing-the-coach-really-the-answer/

Wow that beggars belief

we could play worse!

Oh yes I forgot we could have lost to GWS.

If you're really old OD, you'll recall the MFC in July 1965....

Wow that beggars belief

we could play worse!

Oh yes I forgot we could have lost to GWS.

Wait and see what happens this weekend.

Bossdog - Surely you jest here? You would have to be having a lend of all of us! Cold hard fact Mark Neeld can not coach and must be removed urgently to ensure 1. MFC ' s survival. 2. The retention of our senior talent into 2014. Overwhelming evidence he has failed to deliver. 7 years Bossdog, 7 long painful years, it's time to make the tough necessary decisions. I am rapt the AFL has stepped in to assist in getting these decisions right this time. Neeld needs to be removed Now. Screw another 18 weeks of non existant improvement.

Neeld has not been here for 7 years......He has been here for 1 and a 1/4......He took on a basket case and stated when he first arrived that it would take 3 years to even resemble an AFL side......He also brought in one of the people that is accredited for StKilda's three grand final appearances......Many here think he should go now.....but very few can tell me who will replace him and the football dept...1/4 through the year....Will you be yelling for the next coach to be sacked when he loses the first 5 games next year???

Think a bit long term....and not instant success.......

Neeld has not been here for 7 years......He has been here for 1 and a 1/4......He took on a basket case and stated when he first arrived that it would take 3 years to even resemble an AFL side......He also brought in one of the people that is accredited for StKilda's three grand final appearances......Many here think he should go now.....but very few can tell me who will replace him and the football dept...1/4 through the year....Will you be yelling for the next coach to be sacked when he loses the first 5 games next year???

Think a bit long term....and not instant success.......

Actually it is now closer to 1 and 3/4 years................just saying

Neeld has not been here for 7 years......He has been here for 1 and a 1/4......He took on a basket case and stated when he first arrived that it would take 3 years to even resemble an AFL side......He also brought in one of the people that is accredited for StKilda's three grand final appearances......Many here think he should go now.....but very few can tell me who will replace him and the football dept...1/4 through the year....Will you be yelling for the next coach to be sacked when he loses the first 5 games next year???

Think a bit long term....and not instant success.......

6 yrs isnt long term?????????

Ummmmm.........are you serious

a job is a contract

so what?

spargo was always just an emergency interim ceo

and so what if the afl helped find an interim ceo because the club wanted time to decide on a permanent appointment. the afl is there to help clubs

of course the afl are involved to some extent in mfc's problems

people are reading way too much into things with little proof

You can't dismiss a conclusion and silence a poster simply by saying that there is no absolute proof. Demonland does not require that we refrain from posting unless we can present irrefutable sources and proof. Such strict proof requirements are not normal in discussions. Why do you think joining the dots is "way too much"?

When things are going badly, conservatives always try to stifle discussion.

I agree that the team looked somewhat better last weekend. We still got belted by a team that was not playing all that well. I agree that statements made by players is evidence in support of Neeld's coaching - but at the same time it would be naive to see these statements from players as compelling and conclusive evidence: obviously players would want to say the right things, out of wishful thinking if nothing else; also, they could have been asked to make supportive statements (this happens in every publicity machine); not that I am saying either of these things is the case here, but what I am saying is that the players' endorsements of the coach cannot be advanced in argument as definitive and irrefutable proof of a good working relationship between coach and team. Neither side of this discussion has absolute proof to support their take on the situation.

In one respect, the pro-Neeld party have a huge advantage - that of incumbency - and time clearly translates into their winning: every week that goes by is another week that Neeld gets to work through his contract. Endless sniping at him is hardly a good thing of course - but then neither are the disappointing performances that we continue to suffer. I'd've thought the pro-Neeld posters, while Neeld continues to work through his plan, should be willing to modify their indignation and derision, and allow less persuaded posters the use of the site too.

You can't dismiss a conclusion and silence a poster simply by saying that there is no absolute proof. Demonland does not require that we refrain from posting unless we can present irrefutable sources and proof. Such strict proof requirements are not normal in discussions. Why do you think joining the dots is "way too much"?

When things are going badly, conservatives always try to stifle discussion.

I agree that the team looked somewhat better last weekend. We still got belted by a team that was not playing all that well. I agree that statements made by players is evidence in support of Neeld's coaching - but at the same time it would be naive to see these statements from players as compelling and conclusive evidence: obviously players would want to say the right things, out of wishful thinking if nothing else; also, they could have been asked to make supportive statements (this happens in every publicity machine); not that I am saying either of these things is the case here, but what I am saying is that the players' endorsements of the coach cannot be advanced in argument as definitive and irrefutable proof of a good working relationship between coach and team. Neither side of this discussion has absolute proof to support their take on the situation.

In one respect, the pro-Neeld party have a huge advantage - that of incumbency - and time clearly translates into their winning: every week that goes by is another week that Neeld gets to work through his contract. Endless sniping at him is hardly a good thing of course - but then neither are the disappointing performances that we continue to suffer. I'd've thought the pro-Neeld posters, while Neeld continues to work through his plan, should be willing to modify their indignation and derision, and allow less persuaded posters the use of the site too.

what are you on? Who said anything about absolute proof or irrefutable proof. these are your words

who is trying to stifle discussion?

most posters are agreeing essentially with what dee-luded says not me, so there is no stifling

imo i think some posters are going a little over the top on the question of jackson working for the afl vs mfc

BTW are you aware of previous posts between dee-luded and me on this subject going back a few days?

If you were you might understand my responses

my friends will get a good laugh on your description of me as a conservative - lol

i take it the rest of your post was not aimed at me so i won't comment

Slightly off topic... how rough a head does Matt Thompson have? Have to look away from the screen and settle for the audio every time he comes up.

Slightly off topic... how rough a head does Matt Thompson have? Have to look away from the screen and settle for the audio every time he comes up.

I've said it before, Matt Thompson is the epitome of AFL journos – he’s a fatty who seems to have gained his footy 'pedigree' from sitting on the couch all weekend watching every game with beer and pie in hand.