Jack Watts and Mike Sheahan

[CHAMP 347]

After 186 Schwab wanted to be proven right. He got someone that did that. Foolishly it cost him his job. He should be remembered as the mastermind of all this. Neeld made mistakes, but he was encouraged to make them. As Martin Ferguson said 'a coach is like a cook, he has to make something with the indigents available' (or words to that effect). If you tell people they aren't any good that's exactly what you'll get.

I'm firmly in the camp that Cameron Schwab is the worst thing to happen to our club since Simon Eishold forgot how to kick. He oversaw tanking (both the plan and the lack of defence) and Neeld's confidence shredding hard man charade. Lets see what the industry thinks of him. I bet he'll never work in it again. Neeld will be at a club next year.

Neeld was a terrific What and Why man but totally lacking on the Who and How.

[Carrot Top 947]

FWIW he saved the game with those marks in the backline. That was a Neeld plan.

I don't think Neeld was wrong, but I think he was wrong for the club.

Now JW. That'll be Bails, Viney. Neeld, Craig... and the next one I'll eat my words on you so far and eat some humble pie as a side dish (side: one game does not make a...)

BUT - it's all you now. No more tears buddy. Just you and the football.

I think you can. Can you prove it?

[Waltham33 475]

Can we all let it go now. The past is not changing

[Chook 15,023]

I think history will show that Mark Neeld was a bit of this:

People won't realise it (and they definitely won't like him), but I still maintain that he was good for the club. Neil Craig has said as much, though perhaps Neeld will leave a far better legacy as a departed coach than he ever would have had he stayed on.

[Hannibal 5,814]

I think history will show that Mark Neeld was a bit of this:

People won't realise it (and they definitely won't like him), but I still maintain that he was good for the club. Neil Craig has said as much, though perhaps Neeld will leave a far better legacy as a departed coach than he ever would have had he stayed on.

Neeld brought a degree of professionalism, structure and ruthless reality to the club.

I support those additions. On engaging players emotionally he was a crackpot.

[demon3165 2,832]

I think history will show that Mark Neeld was a bit of this:

People won't realise it (and they definitely won't like him), but I still maintain that he was good for the club. Neil Craig has said as much, though perhaps Neeld will leave a far better legacy as a departed coach than he ever would have had he stayed on.

Absolutely correct he help set this club up, to how it should run.

[Machsy 2,858]

I'm thankful Neeld came to the club and installed a professional framework that will aid our successes in the future, but in terms of actual coaching and managing personalities he was seriously lacking.

We move on to better things.

[The Yarra 83]

I'm thankful Neeld came to the club and installed a professional framework that will aid our successes in the future, but in terms of actual coaching and managing personalities he was seriously lacking.

We move on to better things.

Thats a great summation. Good post.

[praha 11,253]

I do find it funny that people here are saying Neeld was good in some ways...but yet still go on to blame Schwab for his hiring.

[DemonFrog 1,359]

I do find it funny that people here are saying Neeld was good in some ways...but yet still go on to blame Schwab for his hiring.

Just goes to show you should never drink before you type.

IMO Neelds was the worst coach ever.

A basic skill of coaching is to get the respect and buy in of the players. MN failed in this.

[Sir Why You Little 37,310]

After watching that Jack Watts interview & body language i get the impression half the list would have walked at the end of 2013 had Neeld stayed.

Thankfully the right people have.

[Nasher 33,617]

I do find it funny that people here are saying Neeld was good in some ways...but yet still go on to blame Schwab for his hiring.

Why is that funny? He was "good in some ways", but he was a net disaster.

If you award him 5 points for the things that were good, but subtract 1000 points for the things that went wrong, what's the total score?

[Demon trucker 1,800]

It is interesting that neeld was fired before the saints and doggies games, I think the thinking about that was if he was still there and we beat both teams, then it would have been hard to sack him after that.

[P-man 13,366]

Why is that funny? He was "good in some ways", but he was a net disaster.

If you award him 5 points for the things that were good, but subtract 1000 points for the things that went wrong, what's the total score?

-995 points.

I am a maths machine.

[McQueen 17,867]

It is interesting that neeld was fired before the saints and doggies games, I think the thinking about that was if he was still there and we beat both teams, then it would have been hard to sack him after that.

I believe there's a degree of plausibility to this notion however, I'm pretty confident we would not have won against the Dogs had Neeld remained.

[rufus 1,162]

It is interesting that neeld was fired before the saints and doggies games, I think the thinking about that was if he was still there and we beat both teams, then it would have been hard to sack him after that.

The thing about that is that there's no way we would have won either game under Neeld. The most telling comment I've heard since Neeld's departure was when Trengove said Craig has encouraged them to share the ball and make or opponents defend. That hasn't happened for a couple of years. Under Neeld we let our opponents have the ball for so much of the game we could never have kept a team other than GWS to a score we could beat. That's aside from the one dimensional boundary line/long kicking which gave us little to no chance of cashing in on any momentum we ever got in a match.

Ironically our predictability had made us the easiest team to play against that I have ever seen in the AFL. We are a signifantly better unit for the fact we now have a guy in charge who has some tricks up his sleeve to organise and motivate a group of people to try and WIN matches. We are now a little unpredictable which I like.

[praha 11,253]

Why is that funny? He was "good in some ways", but he was a net disaster.

If you award him 5 points for the things that were good, but subtract 1000 points for the things that went wrong, what's the total score?

So basically this forum is filled with apologists?

Gotcha.

[Nasher 33,617]

So basically this forum is filled with apologists?

Gotcha.

I'm so confused about how you got from what I said to this conclusion that I'm just going to walk away.

[DemonOX 8,837]

No one in their right mind would say Neeld was a good coach.

In his presser he was asked if he had his time over again would he do anything different.

His answer was NO

That says it all really, what a fart butt.

I am so looking forward to a season where we are NOT talking about draft picks or coaches by round 1 or 2.

[Undeeterred 3,127]

It is interesting that neeld was fired before the saints and doggies games, I think the thinking about that was if he was still there and we beat both teams, then it would have been hard to sack him after that.

Or they wanted Craig to have a crack at getting an early win and validate the decision to boot Neeld?

[Undeeterred 3,127]

That says it all really, what a fart butt.

I love your insults by the way.

Are you 12 by any chance?

[Kenny Powers 90]

Enjoying all the love for Neeld! Where was it earlier? Every thread inevitably turns into a Neeld thread.

[DemonOX 8,837]

I love your insults by the way.

Are you 12 by any chance?

I wish.

[LegsLeoncelli 162]

I love your insults by the way.

Are you 12 by any chance?

Hard to work out if it was actually meant as an insult since one of the main functions of a butt is to indeed, well um, fart.

[PJ_12345 1,098]

No one in their right mind would say Neeld was a good coach.

In his presser he was asked if he had his time over again would he do anything different.

His answer was NO

That says it all really, what a fart butt.

I am so looking forward to a season where we are NOT talking about draft picks or coaches by round 1 or 2.

What would you expect him to say?

List wise Neeld did the right thing. It needed to be culled. Short term pain for long term gain.

HOWEVER; his approach to seniors could have been better, he was too heavy handed and signed the right people but for too long. Creating disgrunted/leaving seniors, massive hole in our midfield, and players like Pedersen and Jamar being signed for 3 years.

When you combine that and the injuries (Dawes and Clark never playing together, Grimes/Trengove ect), you can understand why his coaching was so bad. Had to resort to zoning and coaching a team which cant provide 1st efforts let alone 2nd against fitter, more skilled and experienced teams.

We will never know what he could do with a good list - thats life and thats why we should move on.