i work for the same organization.

I know how hard Gerard works & how respected he is.

I believe you, but I'm not sure about him.

Are you saying he has integrity, ethics and empathy?

If so, why would he leak something that would have been divulged to him in COMPLETE confidence, yet he chose to leak this info?

All in the name of ratings and gathering uninspiring kudos on his behalf.

Just because he's quite eloquent, writes with a poetic cadence, is in love with a horse, doesn't mean he's not after headlines and muck raking.

Pull him aside and have a word with him if you get a chance.

I believe you, but I'm not sure about him.

Are you saying he has integrity, ethics and empathy?

If so, why would he leak something that would have been divulged to him in COMPLETE confidence, yet he chose to leak this info?

All in the name of ratings and gathering uninspiring kudos on our behalf.

Just because he's quite eloquent, writes with a poetic cadence, is in love with a horse, doesn't mean he's not after headlines and muck raking.

Pull him aside and have a word with him if you get a chance.

oh he is a competitive journalist i have no doubt.

All i am saying is that his sources would be top Shelf.

So i would believe it more than others...

Gerard Whately said this morning that he heard Neeld was given 4 weeks to prove himself. This ends after the Hawthorn game.

A change is likely before the Collingwood game.

Makes no sense, just like most of the sack Neeld lines.

Look at it this way: he was told to pull the joint down and start again.

His first real go at that was last Nov-Dec recruiting period.

He even gave Bate a year to prove himself not good enough.

The job is only half done. No one could have predicted the place would fall apart as it has but I think MN has realised he went in too hard at first.

Anyone notice how his language has changed? He now talks about Evans, M Jones, Kent as the blokes who will carry the club forward. He has flipped the switch to positive reinforcement.

I say he gets to the bye in two weeks and declares the season to start anew from from round 12 when we face the Aints followed by fellow strugglers the Dogs.

Remember, that's when Clark and Dawes play together for the first time and Sylvia and soon after Grimes comes in.

If using the bye as a freshener and taking on equally battling clubs results in what we have seen yesterday or even against the Tigers then it will be a major problem for him, but we have to see how we go against these clubs and see if the second half of the year starts to yield results.

But so far his preferred side has not even been out on the park.

In practical terms, who is going to come to us in this state anyway?

No coach with a reputation to protect would take us on. Face it, whether you like it or not we're stuck with him. Face it too, that he was given one hell of a job to do, bigger than probably anyone realised.

AFL 360 again mentioning the "timeline" Neeld was allegedly given to perform. Apparently Gerard Healy will talk about it further on On The Couch.

i work for the same organization.

I know how hard Gerard works & how respected he is.

Working for the same organisation actually discredits you further...

Sack Neeld and replace him with the most attacking, positive and experimental assistant at the club.

Play Blease and Toumpas in the backline. Try Frawley on the ball. Play Fitzy. Play Howe in the forward line.

Hire an attacking coach that will take the job on a two-year deal and don’t sell the farm to pay him. (We don’t have the money.)

Invest heavily in the recruiting department.

Lobby the AFL to change the system to give salary cap concessions to clubs on the bottom of the ladder and give us a better draw from a commercial standpoint.

All sounds so very very easy .... thanks for that.

Problem solved.

Just watching on the coach - it's all the same rubbish you read on here

The MFC need to act blah blah blah - nothing like the media talking something up and giving no real analysis just opinion.

The club needs to develop talent - At least they put up a chart of players who can make this club competitive, it was just a shame a few were injured and there were so many blanks in the 18 - so out of the 18 we have probably 8 - 10 playing - win for us

We have had this argument on other threads and I am completely in the drafting camp. We stuffed up our drafting like no other club. Mistake after mistake.

I agree to an extent - I was shocked we went for Cook when Darling was still there and thought we should have taken Talia when they went for Gysberts. However I dont think you can just say its one or the other it's gotta be both. Sure Cook may not have made it no matter where he went but look at guys like Tapscott, Blease or Strauss or even Trengove and Grimes I have no doubt if they went to a club with good development programs they would be far better than they are with us and would be cemented as senior players even despite their injuries.

Makes no sense, just like most of the sack Neeld lines.

Look at it this way: he was told to pull the joint down and start again.

His first real go at that was last Nov-Dec recruiting period.

He even gave Bate a year to prove himself not good enough.

The job is only half done. No one could have predicted the place would fall apart as it has but I think MN has realised he went in too hard at .

It's really sad when a club is down for so long and so bereft of success that failure becomes institutionalised, accepted and is excused in the most ridiculous manner as in posts like this.

Hell even Neeld's favourite aunt would not stretch the fantasy that far.

How do you fix this? Macgyver + Paper clip + Rubber band

I forgot.....String

It's really sad when a club is down for so long and so bereft of success that failure becomes institutionalised, accepted and is excused in the most ridiculous manner as in posts like this.

Hell even Neeld's favourite aunt would not stretch the fantasy that far.

It's common knowledge that we need to rebuild the club and the list, not an excuse. Could another coach be doing better? Maybe a tad, but there is not a chance that we'd be coming close to finals; we are too much of a basket case and there is a lot of work to be done.

Working for the same organisation actually discredits you further...

whatever.

Working for the same organisation actually discredits you further...

Poor post

It's common knowledge that we need to rebuild the club and the list, not an excuse. Could another coach be doing better? Maybe a tad, but there is not a chance that we'd be coming close to finals; we are too much of a basket case and there is a lot of work to be done.

Close to finals??? At this stage I just want to be able to beat a team other than GWS and come within 15 goals of a top 8 side.

It's really sad when a club is down for so long and so bereft of success that failure becomes institutionalised, accepted and is excused in the most ridiculous manner as in posts like this.

Hell even Neeld's favourite aunt would not stretch the fantasy that far.

Customary slag off with no argument or attempted logic.

Pity you appropriated the name of a ripper player.

Poor post

poor post

I'm beginning to wonder if some people either don't give any weight to the circulating rumours about an exodus of talent at the end of the year, or they simply don't see it as a big issue. It's one or the other. Both stances are negligent. We can NOT afford to lose them. Diabolical on-field performance is one thing, and we've been so bad for so long that I can understand people almost being used to the weekly beltings. But if the names being thrown around end up leaving, that is a crippling situation we'd be facing as a club.

The club has never been lower in my time, and painting it up any which way does not alter the fact that responsibility for our situation significantly falls on Neeld's shoulders. His position is absolutely and without question untenable. How anyone can defend Neeld's staying on for another YEAR at this point, I find absolutely staggering, verging on delusional. It is so blatantly obvious that the situation is calling for immediate change, I'm just at a loss as to how anyone can think otherwise now.

I'm beginning to wonder if some people either don't give any weight to the circulating rumours about an exodus of talent at the end of the year, or they simply don't see it as a big issue. It's one or the other. Both stances are negligent. We can NOT afford to lose them. Diabolical on-field performance is one thing, and we've been so bad for so long that I can understand people almost being used to the weekly beltings. But if the names being thrown around end up leaving, that is a crippling situation we'd be facing as a club.

The club has never been lower in my time, and painting it up any which way does not alter the fact that responsibility for our situation significantly falls on Neeld's shoulders. His position is absolutely and without question untenable. How anyone can defend Neeld's staying on for another YEAR at this point, I find absolutely staggering, verging on delusional. It is so blatantly obvious that the situation is calling for immediate change, I'm just at a loss as to how anyone can think otherwise now.

With respect to the delusional people you are staggered with - they don't exist...

So feel better.

Why aren't they playing Blease and Strauss? They need to get games into these guys or if they think they're not good enough delist them at the end of the year. No use sitting on the fence and have them clog up the list (FWIW I think Blease will make a good player not sold yet on Strauss simply because I haven't seen enough of him).

something to do with the fact that Sam is struggling at Casey.

With respect to the delusional people you are staggered with - they don't exist...

So feel better.

In numerous threads I continue to see those who take umbrage with placing responsibility for this team on Neeld, and yes, some who STILL believe he should see out his contract. So yes, they do exist.

If ever a situation called for a united voice, now is the time. It's critical that change happens now. The brand is taking an absolute hammering and even as it stands it will take a long time to undo this damage.

Ok here is how we fix this.

step 1. Admit that without a midfield the rest of the year is a write off.

step 2. Admit that the best defenders and forwards in the world would struggle without a functioning midfield.

step 3. Who will replace mark Jamar?

step 4. Whether you like it or not mark neeld isn't going to be attracting players to the club now. We need a new coach (respected and experienced) who can start to build belief.

step 5. Exodus bollocks. Only one is a free agent.

step 6. Most importantly of all. Realize the game is won and lost in the midfield. We need one that is competitive by 2014 and not by drafting. We need a few guns and not free agents. We need to trade two or three players with currency to get these mids and it may hurt but once our midfield is competitive so will we be and there starts belief and confidence.

With respect to the delusional people you are staggered with - they don't exist...

Staggered by, surely.

Ok here is how we fix this.

step 1. Admit that without a midfield the rest of the year is a write off.

step 2. Admit that the best defenders and forwards in the world would struggle without a functioning midfield.

step 3. Who will replace mark Jamar?

step 4. Whether you like it or not mark neeld isn't going to be attracting players to the club now. We need a new coach (respected and experienced) who can start to build belief.

step 5. Exodus bollocks. Only one is a free agent.

step 6. Most importantly of all. Realize the game is won and lost in the midfield. We need one that is competitive by 2014 and not by drafting. We need a few guns and not free agents. We need to trade two or three players with currency to get these mids and it may hurt but once our midfield is competitive so will we be and there starts belief and confidence.

Fair call Norm.

When building a car you start with the engine...

1. Spend however much is required to secure Daisy Thomas.

2. Trade Jack Watts for Armfield (what a runner!) or Robinson (plays to get bruised) and steak knives. Spend steak knives on speculative VFL midfielder.

3. Trade Frawley for Prestia and fringe midfield talent from GCS. They have to slim their list by 6, so you could potentially ask for two or three at once.

4. Trade pick two in a package that nets a reliable 25yo midfielder and steak knives - either another decent midfielder or a downgraded pick for use on speculative VFL talent.

That should see the influx of 7-9 midfielders, aged 21 or above, ready to play footy. We won't miss Watts at all, and Frawley is going to be leaving for free next year regardless, so it makes sense to sell him while we're still holding the cards.

It's common knowledge that we need to rebuild the club and the list, not an excuse. Could another coach be doing better? Maybe a tad, but there is not a chance that we'd be coming close to finals; we are too much of a basket case and there is a lot of work to be done.

It "common knowledge" that this side is playing worse football than we did 2 years. There were problems in 2011 but at least some hope for the future. But this coach has shredded this list and destroyed any semblance of belief and competitive spirit. I can't think without being morbid how another coach could be worse.

It only highlights your lack of grasp of the issues that you have tried to imply finals. FMD.

Customary slag off with no argument or attempted logic.

Pity you appropriated the name of a ripper player.

You have already shown you don't get it. Why conform it?