Will be interesting to listen to this.

Will be interesting to listen to this.

Just FYI, from the MFC twitter feed:

Media for today: 12:05pm SEN - Neil Craig, 12:55pm ABC - Don McLardy, 1:05pm 3AW - Neil Craig, 1:05pm Triple M - Cameron Schwab

Looks like the club is getting on the front foot.

Full rundowns or links please guys...i am at work today so cannot listen.

not just the words...are these guys broken or in denial?

Just FYI, from the MFC twitter feed:

Media for today: 12:05pm SEN - Neil Craig, 12:55pm ABC - Don McLardy, 1:05pm 3AW - Neil Craig, 1:05pm Triple M - Cameron Schwab

Looks like the club is getting on the front foot.

Looks like the spin merchants are out in full force. If they were on the front foot they would do something and not just talk about it.

I'm sure they will be happy to take calls from the members.

Edited April 7, 201312 yr by rjay

That's actually quite good of the club, to let us all know when/where to listen.

Holy crap Schwabb is alive.

rjay, on 07 Apr 2013 - 11:35, said:

Looks like the spin merchants are out in full force. If they were on the front foot they would do something and not just talk about it.

I'm sure they will be happy to take calls from the members.

It's well overdue for the so-called leaders of this club, McLardy & Schwab, to take the heat. Last week they were MIA and left it to the likes of Grimes, Trengove & Watts.

Need to be on the same page

Opportunity to use this in a positive manner

Not good enough.

Need to be on the same page

Opportunity to use this in a positive manner

Not good enough.

Same old rhetoric?

Would make an excellent caretaker coach.

Nothing we couldn't answer as supporters. He is walking around every question and SEN aren't pressing for their answers. At the moment he is talking about pressure when he was asked what the team stood for.

Nothing we couldn't answer as supporters. He is walking around every question and SEN aren't pressing for their answers. At the moment he is talking about pressure when he was asked what the team stood for.

Why even bother doing the interview if his just gonna beat around the bush. Waste of time

Why even bother doing the interview if his just gonna beat around the bush. Waste of time

Whats he meant to say, Neeld should be doing the interview.

He is meant to say that he is investigating why the players dont buy into Mark Neelds game plan. Sack the coach if needed. Sack Schwab is needed and then step down.

Pathetic football club at the moment.

One of the worst interviews I've heard.

Neil seems very detached, almost bored, just giving the same old answers.

Whats he meant to say, Neeld should be doing the interview.

He should say "i have nothing to talk about" then go to the track and make the players work.

Panetlising in the media with nothing to clearly say is a waste of time to everyone

Spin, spin, spin......

He should say "i have nothing to talk about" then go to the track and make the players work.

Panetlising in the media with nothing to clearly say is a waste of time to everyone

Agree

stuie your ability to read an interview is as hollow as the conclusion you draw.

One of the worst interviews I've heard.

Neil seems very detached, almost bored, just giving the same old answers.

Questions aren't top shelf

He is very knowledgeable character and I have faith in him

"strong support, an ability to keep calm"

Id prefer they just shutup and stopped doing anything to do with the media (outside of contractual obligations) unless

A. Something serious to say or

B. they start winning

Seriously 4 interviews in the space of 1.5 hrs.

Other clubs are probably working hard on the track or in recovery and we have the same old crap answers to crap questions over and over.

Mfc need to do a media block until we win.

"I'm in it and I'm in it for the long haul"

I get the feeling Neil is just trying to stay loyal to Neeldy and the players. To come out and shoot off at the mouth now would stuff the group. He can't really give the real answers without poisoning the well further.

Craig

not good enough - not near it

want to develop winning culture - part of that is handling these times in correct manner and use it to you advantage

this must be an opportunity needed to be used

rohan connoly - unravelled early, no pressure, no tackling - how could this be after port thrashing - anyone can tackle etc - thus supporter angst

nc - agreed! people want to see effort - effort not seen last night - again, actions during training not going over to the game - need a realistic optimist about the future and yet deal with the current issues

why open up the pregame - haven't they got enough pressure as it is...

nc - media a stakeholder - some responsibilty to them - but was that group ready for it (coaches and players) ??

r walls - couldn't believe what he saw - watts staring at the floor - what's going on???

nc - well, bad outcome

s lucas - what are the non-negotiables of the game plan??

nc - yep - watching the game you wouldn't know.. the non-negs are combative effort, desire to compete, intensity, urgency, see in training, not in games - saw a bit of it in nab cup but not for 4 points - forget about the game plan until the competitiveness is there.

s lucas - what did you make of comments of Watts "we don't have any leaders - other clubs have them, we dont"

nc - mumble mumble

r walls - insult to n jones - who should be captain -

nc - context was different from the media - but sort of agreed - said grimes / jones outstanding in port adelaide game, and both tried to stand up in the essendon game

don't know who - what about the crap culture of the mfc and the repeated attempts to change the culture - and the coaches can't fix it compared to Adelaide

nc - can't argue against the win/loss ratio - thinks the coaches are ok. - then mumble mumble how hard it is to change culture

how far away are mfc? commentators reckon they are miles away...

nc - don't know - really don't know - to change a culture you need strong people - leadership - saying this to members: this current playing group want to change the culture to a successful one and one that people want to belong to ... (seems like he's admitting the current culture isn't that...) need to be strong and up for the fight

sl - what is the message from CS and DM?

nc - msg is those sort of performances are not up to standard - think the board has handled things in the last 12 months in a professional way, now the next stage is to get the playing group into order

?? - what about the weak players - how about picking the strongest characters to play

nc - ability is important, but need to have strong and competitive players - mfc have them - but gets it that our actions don't mirror our words... jones and grimes are oozing with the qualities we need

?? - observations of what MN might need for support

nc - part of his role to support MN - I'll do my best

walls - recruiting - pederson and rhodan both dropped after second game - wtf?? are mfc second guessing ourselves

nc - carefully considered selection - reassess group each week mumble mumble

- ever been associated with a club at this low an ebb?

nc - NO (FMD....) real challenge - loving the challenge - in it from the long hall

nc - no interest in coaching AFL again - (really clear about that)

- next weeks game - what must we see from mfc

nc - energy urgency intensity - keep going - it will emerge from this playing group

not much really...

Craig on SEN

Staying together is part of the culture we're trying to develop. A winning culture is something all clubs try to develop. We live with Melbourne Storm; last year they lost five in a row but went on to win the flag. Not saying we're the same as them, but that it's possible, when you have a winning culture, to come back. We need to have that. We need to look for opportunities to grow.

Craig agrees that it's fair for supporters to ask why we don't chase/tackle. Craig agrees that effort is basic enough and we don't show it. Says that what we do during training during the week isn't flowing over to gameday. We need to 'push forward' with a 'realistic optimism'.

On letting cameras into the pre-game, Craig says we have a certain responsibility to the media to help promote the game. We have some experienced coaches, so we weren't putting them completely in a new situation. Media exposure of us is going to increase; by letting the cameras in, we're helping the players deal with it.

Why did we revert to closed doors afterwards? Craig says we cop it for losing.

Craig is asked about non-negotiables at the MFC. Do we have any? Craig says it's hard to look at the last two games and assess what we stand for. We need to get a combative effort, we need to have intensity and urgency. We see it during the week, but we don't see it during the game. Craig saw 'more than glimpses of it' during the NAB Cup. We can't move with gameplan/structures unless the competitive element is ingrained in our game, and until then, we go nowhere.

Craig's then asked about leaders. At Adelaide, they had leadership. Why is Watts talking about no leaders when he should be a leader? Craig says 'let's leave Watts out of it', but Scott Lucas didn't like it, he should have accepted he needed to lift. Walls said Watts' comments were an insult to Nathan Jones, and that Jones should be the captain. He thinks Trengove is treading water. Walls said Jones always gives a crack so Watts' comments were an insult. Craig said that he read Watts' comments in print, did a double-take, and then went and looked at the video where he said them, and thought they were slightly out of context. Craig said Grimes was outstanding in Round 1, Jones was too, and last night, both Grimes and Jones stood up. We need to keep pushing more people to join those two. He believes Grimes and Jones are beginning to lead the way.

Connolly said the current coaching group doesn't have the experience or personality to turn around our 50 years of inherently weak culture. Our fundamentally weak culture kills us. Craig responded by saying that he doesn't agree about our current coaches. Royal is experienced and has a 'strength of character'. Neeld comes from success at Collingwood, has a strong personality. Rawlings is the same. The others are a bit younger and are learning the trade. He says that changing the culture is a difficult exercise, but it's not impossible.

How far away are we? Everyone thinks we're a million miles away, but where do we think we're at? Craig says that he can't put a time period on it. He doesn't know. What he says is that to change a culture we need strong people, in terms of leadership and playing ability. To our members, he says that our current playing group have a 'thirst to change their culture', they want to take this culture and change it to a successful one. He's been to the club this morning and he sees it. He sees it at training, he sees the work ethic, so he has the confidence that they're up for the fight and they can do it. Craig says once the fire gets going, it can all change, but we need to be up for the fight.

What is the message being sent from above (e.g. Schwab and McLardy) to the football department? Craig says the message is that these performances aren't good enough. There is strong support from above to get us back to where we were back in the 'fantastic days'. Craig believes the Board and Management have dealt with a whole range of issues in a professional manner. The next stage of the club is to get the on-field aspects in order.

Does the MFC have a strategy to make sure we get the strongest players? Our players seem to do things that you don't see at local football. Craig says mental strength is very important, we need it. We need highly competitive players, players who want to be leaders. He says 'we've got those players', though it's hard to prove that in the public arena with our actions not matching our words. Craig says he's seen it, 'make no mistake'. Jones and Grimes are examples he gives as players who are strong.

What kind of support will Craig give to Neeld this week? Blowtorch is clearly going to be strong this week. Craig says that part of his role is to support Neeld in a whole range of ways. He needs to keep calm, not let his thinking get derailed, so Craig will give him whatever support he asks for.

What's the thinking with our recruiting? Rodan and Pedersen dropped after one game. Walls was disappointed with our lineup - we give these new players one game, then we drop them. Craig says they were considered for selection. We can't let ourselves become a 'revolving door' in times like this. Each week we'll assess the group and make decisions based on that.

Has Craig ever been associated with a club this bad before? Craig says no, these are uncharted waters for him. 'Exciting' isn't the right word, but it's challenging. He says 'I'd have it no other way'. He has to use all his skills in a tough environment in a tough town to make us better. He wants to be part of it. 'I'm in it, I'm in it for the long haul'.

Does Craig have an interest in coaching an AFL side again? No, he says. I'm done. I'm enjoying my time at Melbourne, those days are done, I'm in this role now.

What are we looking for next week, scoreboard aside? Craig says it's the non-negotiables; energy, intensity, urgency. These will let the rest unfold. We need to be demanding about this. If we're not there next week, we keep going and we keep demanding. Eventually, with this group, it'll come.