Maybe it’s just me but I’ve always thought to have a ‘head of coaching’ or a ‘head of strategy’ a dumb arse thing to start with. The Head coach should be head of everything for crying out loud.

Theyve got line coaches in junior footy now and it’s just so over the top the way the AFL has turned a once pleasurable Saturday morning with your kids into an animosity fuelled atmosphere with rabid parents barking instructions rather than letting a good, single coach teach the kids to have fun and play fair.

Blame the business that it’s turned into for the fallout it causes to individuals like Neeld and their families.

Rant over.

7 hours ago, DaveyDee said:

Wish Neeldy all the best with whatever he may do.  

Found him to be very polite, very committed and placed in a position with too much expectation for a first time coach - his face was so expressive I appreciated his honesty. 

Good footy person - Yet not the best I’ve ever seen at football politics/ football media. 

This is actually a very fair comment. No coach could have come into the MFC at that time and been successful.  Complete failure of an organisation at that time.  We are only just coming out of the woods.

I'm actually starting think that Collingwood created Neeld to be a trojan horse at other clubs, destroy the competition and all that.

At least Neeld had the balls to fail on his own terms.
if you've been appointed head coach at an AFL club, you don't prepare the team how some other bugger (Neil Craig) tells you too.
If ya gonna fork it up, fork it up your own way.
You'll have less regrets.

Edited May 14, 20187 yr by Fork 'em

55 minutes ago, Pates said:

I'm actually starting think that Collingwood created Neeld to be a trojan horse at other clubs, destroy the competition and all that.

Totally agree, just look at his coach and president at the time, both dictators and control freaks. I feel somewhat little sympathy for him if he carried over his ego at the Bombers, but I do feel sad for his family. He’ll get another go in footy, it isn’t the end, but maybe as opposition analyst or something. My way or the highway people don’t go far in life let alone football clubs. I wish him the best and hope he finds some work elsewhere, perhaps a move interstate and a fresh start at a non Victorian club.

3 minutes ago, SFebey said:

Totally agree, just look at his coach and president at the time, both dictators and control freaks. I feel somewhat little sympathy for him if he carried over his ego at the Bombers, but I do feel sad for his family. He’ll get another go in footy, it isn’t the end, but maybe as opposition analyst or something. My way or the highway people don’t go far in life let alone football clubs. I wish him the best and hope he finds some work elsewhere, perhaps a move interstate and a fresh start at a non Victorian club.

No he will never work in coaching again at AFL level, maybe on the business side of things, he does very well at low level footy.

2 hours ago, Pates said:

I'm actually starting think that Collingwood created Neeld to be a trojan horse at other clubs, destroy the competition and all that.

No they created Malthouse as the Trojan horse to destroy Carlton 

1 hour ago, SFebey said:

He’ll get another go in footy, it isn’t the end, but maybe as opposition analyst or something. 

No, that's not likely. Neeld is talking about moving into sports administration. He can read the writing on the wall.

I think part of his failure at Melbourne was the really fundamental failure to understand that not everyone can be taught or inspired in the same way. Different players (people) respond to different forms of support, challenge or encouragement. Neeld misread Watts completely for example. It was too much my way or the highway, too much hard man and Roosy saw through that.

I feel for the bloke because I think coaching us took years off his life. I still remember him tearing up in the rooms after our surprise win over Essendon. No one can say he meant us harm, even though that was result of it.

He just engineered his second six-month paid holiday in the space of five years. The man is a strategic mastermind.

42 minutes ago, Skuit said:

He just engineered his second six-month paid holiday in the space of five years. The man is a strategic mastermind.

Just goes to show how second rate he is. For the full 12 month deal + MBA you need to wreck a club for a generation, not just a season or two.

13 hours ago, beelzebub said:

I take no pleasure in Neelds pain.

Im comfortable with Essendons 

Oh please... it's hardly Neelds fault that Essendon are a mess, a laughing stock. They've so many fine contributors ????

A conga line of arzoles.

 

8 hours ago, BillyBeane said:

This is actually a very fair comment. No coach could have come into the MFC at that time and been successful.  Complete failure of an organisation at that time.  We are only just coming out of the woods.

Some people don’t understand football is only a game - they live their life vicariously thru football. 

As a club we are not alone most clubs suffer the same disease, we just have a name for it - MFCSS. 

Sadly, we have many, many community members suffering from MFCSS and they can’t see it - I once cared today I’ve moved on and wish them well. I will always barrack for the Demons but the people in football are more important than winning or losing, your players - your club staff and administration are everything- I treat all irrespective of which club they work for with respect. 

Wish Needly also moves on a gets on with his life - he gave his best and that’s all you can ever ask. 

 

It certainly won't help their cause with Mike Fitzpatrick coming out and saying the drugs in 2012 were:   "almost certainly performance enhancing"  in an interview with Mike Sheahan. 

Not wishing to derail this thread by posting that here- (The Bomber's Saga thread is now in the General Forum for further discussion on the Fitzpatrick comments)  just wanting to highlight the deep, deep abyss they are in...and getting worse.

They have increased their membership by about 50% since the 2012-2015 nadir.  Will be interesting to see how many hang on after this year, especially as they can't readily sack Worsfold.  They have the cash but his payout would be included in their football spend cap which restricts their wriggle-room. 

There could be be 'riots' among those sanctimonious supporters at the hangar!  They are already restless!

Edited May 15, 20187 yr by Lucifer's Hero

7 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

It certainly won't help their cause with Mike Fitzpatrick coming out and saying the drugs in 2012 were:   "almost certainly performance enhancing"  in an interview with Mike Sheahan. 

Not wishing to derail this thread by posting that here- (The Bomber's Saga thread is now in the General Forum for further discussion on the Fitzpatrick comments)  just wanting to highlight the deep, deep abyss they are in...and getting worse.

They have increased their membership by about 50% since the 2012-2015 nadir.  Will be interesting to see how many hang on after this year, especially as they can't readily sack Worsfold.  They have the cash but his payout would be included in their football spend cap which restricts their wriggle-room. 

There could be be 'riots' among those sanctimonious supporters at the hangar!  They are already restless!

Nice work, Fitz.

Mark Neeld and Essendon were a match made in heaven. Today is a very sad day.

Thankfully we have finally moved on from Neeld's legacy, but as the primary architect of our woes, I'm glad he is far, far away from the club and hopefully never to return.

Anyone else having PTSD flashbacks when seeing vision of Neeld?

Wouldn't they all love to go back to the days of PJ and Knights, then reset from there.

Ego's at big clubs (any club really, ours is also a case in point) cause trouble if not kept in check...

47 minutes ago, DaveyDee said:

Some people don’t understand football is only a game - they live their life vicariously thru football. 

 

Correct. Some people = AFL

such is football

All the best to Mark, all the worst to Essendon.

12 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Anyone else having PTSD flashbacks when seeing vision of Neeld?

News reports said that a number of retired MFC players and several current players at Collingwood and Port Adelaide have been found hiding under their beds.

After being coaxed out with Xbox consoles, they emerged dazed and shaking and said they heard the word "Neeld" on the news and can't remember what happened next.

3 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

News reports said that a number of retired MFC players and several current players at Collingwood and Port Adelaide have been found hiding under their beds.

After being coaxed out with Xbox consoles, they emerged dazed and shaking and said they heard the word "Neeld" on the news and can't remember what happened next.

When my kids were born I used to use Neeld's speech before the Essendon game flogging to lull them to sleep. Worked every time.

49 minutes ago, Demonland said:

When my kids were born I used to use Neeld's speech before the Essendon game flogging to lull them to sleep. Worked every time.

When it's your turn to go......You go....

56 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Anyone else having PTSD flashbacks when seeing vision of Neeld?

No - can’t say I do. Just feel every week AFL football has 9 winning teams - 9 losing teams. It was only like 8 games ago Bombers where playing finals football. 

Maybe Neeldy is an “easy” target and best thing for him and his family is to move on - don’t look back and embrace a new future, stuff what many anonymous posters are saying on social media sites.