How do you fix this?

[titan_uranus 22,659]

Most people's step 1 seems to be sack Neeld and get a better coach.

Let's for the moment assume that, first, a better coach exists, and second, that coach agrees to come to Melbourne.

What happens next? What is step 2? Do we commence a total clean out of the list, again? If not, and we try to work with what we've got, what has to be done? More emphasis on running? Fitness? Clearances? Marking? Tackling?

Is it a case of, we have the list, we just need a decent coach to make it work? If so, what is Neeld not doing that a new coach will do? If not, what do we need to target?

In your minds, what exactly does a potential new coach need to do?

[Chook 14,602]

We figure out what we would normally do . . . then just do the opposite.

[Gorgoroth 12,337]

About 40,000 sticks of dynamite.

[demon4eva 110]

We haven't heard anything from the president or anyone from the board. We are bleeding and like to know what comes next.

[deestar 159]

To start how about installing confidence and not continually state were inexperienced and it ok to loose by 10 goals

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,078]

We have to start showing something to attract players or attract interest in the club.

At the moment there is a smell of total incompetence and weakness about the club at every level.

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,078]

Rumour is that Melbourne Football Club is actually an elaborate reality television series designed to measure football supporter's breaking points. All other supporters are actually paid actors as are clearly the players, coaching panel and board...

[titan_uranus 22,659]

We figure out what we would normally do . . . then just do the opposite.

About 40,000 sticks of dynamite.

This is kind of why I started this thread. People continually call for change, but can't explain what that change will entail.

I'm not saying I don't think a new coach would make us better. I'm just wondering what exactly people think will happen, or more importantly, should happen, when we change coach.

To start how about installing confidence and not continually state were inexperienced and it ok to loose by 10 goals

How does one 'install confidence'? I'm trying to see what people specifically want to happen.

We have to start showing something to attract players or attract interest in the club.

At the moment there is a smell of total incompetence and weakness about the club at every level.

Yes, I know. My question is how does that happen? What does a new coach have to do to 'start showing something'?

[P-man 13,239]

Rumour is that Melbourne Football Club is actually an elaborate reality television series designed to measure football supporter's breaking points. All other supporters are actually paid actors as are clearly the players, coaching panel and board...

lol

AFL's version of The Truman Show.

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,078]

What does a new coach have to do to 'start showing something'?

Week by week contracts?

[Lordweaver 235]

_{it's a good question and one the mfc can't answer at the moment, a new coach would spark initial improvement. maybe we just need to move neeld on to appease supporters/sponsors/players or do we tough it out, not sure but I bet there are far more informed people than perhaps me or you who will ultimately decide, from where I sit I see a young team missing some key players who seem to fluctuate too much in the area of effort from week to week, if neeld has the players'confidence then I would expect him to continue, he appears, at least on paper to be well supported in terms of craig, misson, neeld has difficulty in selling his brand to the public, only an insider could truly comment on the situation}

[Sir Why You Little 34,705]

Like any Big company. We need the right people running it.

Top to bottom. Massive clean out.

The List of players are not this bad. They are not great but can be salvaged.

[What 18,810]

Northey, Balme and Daniher all took Melbourne into Prelim finals and Grand finals

Get a proper coach and we will be fine

it starts and ends with the coach. Simple as that.

First step is to not let Garry Lyon anywhere near the coaching selection process

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

We have a serious issue at the club. Due to some highly dubious drafting practices over a number of years, we have a list f players who largely fall into two categories. Hard nuts without skills and skilled players without guts. There are a few players with both qualities who are trying to carry the team, but simply put not enough of them. This leaves us with a dilemma. Do we play the hard players who will fight for the ball, win contests and then turn it over, or do we play the ones who will use the ball really well but can't win a physical contest and so will be smashed at stoppages and in traffic? At present, we appear to be taking the former tack and playing guys who will contest for the footy but who have very limited game sense and skill. It's clearly not working.

What do we do to fix this? Again, there are two avenues. Firstly, we can try to get the skilled players to be harder at the ball and the hard players to think about what they are doing and use it better. Secondly, we can call the majority of the list a wash and trade/delist them and start drafting pure footballers who won't shirk a contest and can use the ball. The first option has a chance of delivering a degree of success in the short term, but I don't think we can get either group up to the standard they need to be to compete at the top level. The second option basically admits that the bulk of the list is a wash and starts again, setting us back at the beginning of "the rebuild" and requiring us to do it all over again, but it may in time deliver us a better result. One important point here would be the ongoing issue of a lack of senior players, since they would likely desert in droves if we followed this path.

[Go the Biff 3,177]

Northey, Balme and Daniher all took Melbourne into Prelim finals and Grand finals

Get a proper coach and we will be fine

it starts and ends with the coach. Simple as that.

First step is to not let Garry Lyon anywhere near the coaching selection process

Norm Smith couldn't coach our midfield. It's nowhere near as simple as that

[Nasher 33,133]

No wholesale changes to the list for mine. Clear off the players who are clearly a long way outside the best 22 as per normal; give the rest the benefit of the doubt. I don't know how you could possibly make objective decisions on these players at the moment; they are all playing with so little energy that you just couldn't tell where they are really at.

It's all in the players' brains IMO. It may be that Neeld can coach - doubtful - but it looks to me that there is just no getting them out of this hole they are in, and it will take a major shake up to do so. I expect a new coach to have a big psychological boosting effect on our players, increase the moral and get them playing with spirit again. From there we can truly start the rebuild, without going back to ground zero yet again.

[jumbo returns 6,515]

Okay, how about this? Can't do polls, but here goes.....

How many people seriously consider Freo a premiership hope this year? I certainly do.

What about looking at the respective teams....10 midfielders to our 2.

Swans, the same.

Doesn't matter what Healy or his spud offsider say, we're rebuilding and this is the case.

Please let's have a debate and respect each other throughout this discussion.

[What 18,810]

Norm Smith couldn't coach our midfield. It's nowhere near as simple as that

Norm Smith would fix the midfield in one trade/free agency period

he would also attract free agents and get our good players to re-sign

[Bombay Airconditioning 5,945]

Rumour is that Melbourne Football Club is actually an elaborate reality television series designed to measure football supporter's breaking points. All other supporters are actually paid actors as are clearly the players, coaching panel and board...

Gold, reading that made my weekend.

[DeeZee 6,805]

Sack the Coach tonight.

Bring in the meanest toughest bastard of a coach we can find as an interim before we get Roos for next year.

Get them up at 4am swimming in the bay in the morning, and dragging tyres up hills in the afternoon, until they learn the meaning,of gut busting effort over 4 quarters .

Sellar, Bail Jamar and a few others shouldn't get a game for the rest of the year.

Bring in the best VFL performers, as we must reward good form , so Fitzy, and Pedo should come in this week.

[Nasher 33,133]

DeeZee, I think a boot camp is totally unnecessary. I think they're already being punished enough on the field.

[Scipio 5,868]

We need the right formula of people at the club - it isn't just a case of change the coach/players and everything will be sweet. We need a capable board and President (McLardy is miles off what we require), some more decent players and probably a new coach. It takes a while to find this formula but it can be done and I think Port Adelaide are a good example. We just have to find ours.

[Deecisive 1,658]

We need to move forward with the list we have, as it is all we have to work with. My thoughts after watching todays tragedy are:

1. man up, stay with your man and put pressure on him, it was pathetic to watch freo running around all day passing to their own players all by themselves all over the ground. There is no accountability. FFS no more of this we will keep a man spare in your defense and Freo keep one in ours, its a defeatist attitude and we ALWAYS loose from such an approach, so stop it.

2. p@ss off the press, man up... make them kick to a contest every time, no easy kicks anywhere. and try keeping at least some of our forwards in the forward line, so on the odd occasion we get the ball there is someone there to kick it too.

3. Attack the ball, dont stand there waiting for it to come to you.

4. Tackle, Tackle, tackle,

5. Shepherd, help out our fellow players, i dont know how many times I saw a Freo player holding off someone from chasing, not sure I saw too much of that from Melbourne players.

6. Think what you are doing with the ball, i.e. kicking it into your own team mates head and other party tricks does not help win a game.

7. Drop players who cannot or will not tackle, contest, run or who cannot deliver the ball consistently.

8. Keep neeld until after collingwood and hawthorn if no improvement by then, then time to release him and put in an interim so as to stop the further erosion of confidence, skill and commitment to a game plan that is not working.

[monoccular 16,290]

We haven't heard anything from the president or anyone from the board. We are bleeding and like to know what comes next.

The Board and the President are a disgrace: they owe every supporter an explanation and a plan for the immediate future. They have squibbed / are squibbing on their duties.

Sure they don't play on the day, but they (mis)manage the club and we need to know what they are planning.

Sack the Coach tonight.

Bring in the meanest toughest [censored] of a coach we can find as an interim before we get Roos for next year.

Get them up at 4am swimming in the bay in the morning, and dragging tyres up hills in the afternoon, until they learn the meaning,of gut busting effort over 4 quarters .

Sellar, Bail Jamar and a few others shouldn't get a game for the rest of the year.

Bring in the best VFL performers, as we must reward good form , so Fitzy, and Pedo should come in this week.

Yeah.....just tell us who please.

[Deano74 156]

One thing we all need is Hope as supporters. Something to believe that we are on the right track to return to a better side.

I had that during the pre-season. Sadly tonight there is no hope. I have lost it completely.

I now have only fear. Fear that our Free agents and better players will be lured away from the duldrems of losing.

Fear that a Future star like Jesse Hogan, will be poached by a bigger club. With the lure of Money, Fame and Finals.

the Players and the coach are the problem, but the buck stops with the coach. Where are we compared to round 1 or to last year. Sadly we have gone backwards. So even though i thought Neeld was the right choice when he was selected it hasnt worked.

For us to fix this, The Club Has to sell HOPE !!

For there to be hope in 2014 the club needs to get a seasoned Coach like Gary Ayres and he needs to recruit a high profile player whom could be a captain. (Like Judd mould) with someone like Ayres he has seen all the talent in the VFL so hopefully could find another Barlow or Pods.

We need to take a punt on someone like Dayle Garlett in the West whom at 19 has all the talent in the world but people are scared of his attitude. (its working for Tigers and Dustin Martin)We need to select the best talent whom is ready to go Such as Tom Boyd.

WE need a total turn over on assitant coaches.

They need the balls to poach a guy Like Jason Akermanis. Yes he is opinionated. But guess what hes a brownlow medalist, triple premishiership player. who tells it like it is. Hes coaching first year in the ovens and murray and is making a impact turning a wooden spooners to a top 5.

If this all happened I would gain some hope and I so want hope cause of right now the club is dying a slow death.