http://www.afl.com.au/Season2007/News/News...px?newsId=40629

"That's what we talk to the players about - how do we rediscover areas of our game that got us to be a very good team last year.

"We were a hard team last year and we weren't on Friday night."

"We played poorly and that's a fact.

"It's been a slap in the face for where we're at and what we want to try to achieve - we disappointed our fans and round two gives us an opportunity to try to right some wrongs from last week."

Daniher said McLean's outburst was a good sign.

"I think his comments are fantastic from a young bloke who is really frustrated that we weren't at our best on Friday night," he said.

"That's all I'm reading into Brock's comments - it's good that he's frustrated but the thing is we've got to actually go out and do something about it."

THe annoying thing about Brock's comments is that he had stuff-all effect on the game, got injured and now is talking up what we should have done - he is doing exactly what he said we shouldn't do.

Neale is right - it is up to the players to show some bloody willingness to do things well. I have been amazed that Danners is being criticised for last week. Do the people that read and type here really think that he instructed players to be gutless and incompetent? Do you think he said "Don't play like last year, run around in circles, panic and be inflexible with your approach..." Really...

He has been the same for some time - trying to encourage players to take charge of the game and understand HOW to do so. The problem is that those that could (Miller, Green, Bruce, Macca, TJ) had awful, weak or ineffective games. No, let's blame danners for poor efforts at the footy, failures in leadership etc.

THe annoying thing about Brock's comments is that he had stuff-all effect on the game, got injured and now is talking up what we should have done - he is doing exactly what he said we shouldn't do.

Neale is right - it is up to the players to show some bloody willingness to do things well. I have been amazed that Danners is being criticised for last week. Do the people that read and type here really think that he instructed players to be gutless and incompetent? Do you think he said "Don't play like last year, run around in circles, panic and be inflexible with your approach..." Really...

He has been the same for some time - trying to encourage players to take charge of the game and understand HOW to do so. The problem is that those that could (Miller, Green, Bruce, Macca, TJ) had awful, weak or ineffective games. No, let's blame danners for poor efforts at the footy, failures in leadership etc.

i think that was very well said... i dont like all this daniher bashin that has arisen from 1 loss

I can't believe it either.... ND has done nothing but good for our club and yet anytime we put in a lack lustre performance, he is the first one that everyone blames! The fans have no one to blame but the players, and the players have no one to blame but themselves!

I am sure we will make amends for our pitiful performance in Round 1, but I just hope to god it is sooner rather than later...

We all know that the Dees are a force to be reckoned with when we are up and running, but obviously it takes us a bit longer to gather up some pace....

A look at our game against the saints as opposed to our averages from '06 :

Kicks

167 (R1) v 207 (2006 Avg.)

Handballs

145 v 125

Marks

80 v 107

Hitouts

23 v 32

Tackles

44 v 57

Frees For

17 v 17 (Surprise, surprise! The maggots still hate us)

Frees Against

28 v 16 (2nd to the ball will always result in giving away free kicks)

Final Score

9 Goals 5 Behinds v 14 Goals 8 Behinds

Looking at the differences between our Round 1 performance and our Averages from last season, it is plain to see that we were WAY below our best... Actually if we played the way we were last year, then we would have WON by 2 points in what would have been a ripper of a free flowing game!

All is not lost MFC supporters.... We just need to rekindle what we know we are capable of!

The season is a Tour de France, and we can't dwell on losing the first hill climb....

Neale Daniher, 211 games coached 106- won , 104-lost 50.47 win/loss

a little more than just the one loss I put it to you !!

he's the coach...he's responsible...thats what he's paid to do... Coach, Inspire, Lead !!

and I just dont see a hell of a lot of it going on!!

While I'm not a fan of overblown hatred, I'm absoltely behind the general gist of the criticism aimed at ND in the past week or so. IMO I had the blame split right down the middle from very early on, 50% (specific) players 50% coach.

Tim, surely Neale has to be accountable for SOME of what went on on Friday last. His game-plan was thrust upon the players, and while they weren't exactly wonderful, it is perhaps his responsibility to impress upon them the urgency of a shift of tactic on the day. Perhaps he knew, like the rest of us, that at half-time we were already staring down the barrell. Many of the key indicators showed a fundamentally flawed system in play (kicks, handballs, marks, inside 50s blah, blah, blah). If this was the case howcome no change was brought about? He said on the day he was barking instructions that weren't being implemented. According to him he wantd them to switch up play, then kick. Whe they did this, the same result came to pass.

Like everyone keeps saying, the players and ND never MEANT to lose the game, but surely the responsibility lands squarely on their shoulders. He is the captain of this particular ship anyway.

And for the record I just hope we don't COMPLETELY repeat last season. In other words if we do what we did in round 2 last year and come out firing for the first half, then surrender again, I'm gonna be [censored]. In that sense, even if we play good footy to half time I'm not going to be confident until the result is all but decided.

Neale Daniher, 211 games coached 106- won , 104-lost 50.47 win/loss

a little more than just the one loss I put it to you !!

he's the coach...he's responsible...thats what he's paid to do... Coach, Inspire, Lead !!

and I just dont see a hell of a lot of it going on!!

He is paid to give the players the hammer.....

He is not the one responsible for hammering the nails in!!!!

whilst we happily nail away...others are screwing us over !! me thinks he has the wrong method

whilst we happily nail away...others are screwing us over !! me thinks he has the wrong method

Maybe we need a coach who has vested interests in companies such as DeWalt, Hitachi or Milwaukee!?!?!

Out with the hammers.... In with the 28v Cordless Hammer Drill....

whatever works...I'll take 6...:-)

I too am surprised at the amount of ppl sticking the boot into the coach after 1 game...

I remember last year the same people on this site were yelling the same things - fickle fair weather f***kers in my opinion!

I am not happy with last weeks performance but am not willing to even consider the death penalty yet.

Just my thoughts.

i think a lot of people have to learn there is a vast difference between a nice bloke...and an effective one.

Quite honestly i think Neale has done a lot of very good things at Melbourne.. ...but creating a successful team is not one of them.. I dont consider top 8 finishes a success. Thats like getting just above 50% in an exam...you havent failed... but youre hardly setting the world on fire and when the top prizes only go to the really successful and ambious students...well the analogy just continues...again Danniher comes in at the barest shade above 50%...light the fireworks and pop the champagne...we passed !!

compare to Roos @ nearly 63%, Sheeds at near 62 % Worsfold at 64% Craig at 66%

even Rocket is running at 55 %..

ND has some catching up to do.....

I ask one simple question of those who think criticism of Neales effectivenes is unwarranted....

what is your evidence that he IS ? I cant see it.

practice games spent handballing under coaches instructions

st kilda game spent handballing

who's responsible?

I'm not going to really go into the effectiveness because it would take too long, and other posts have delt with it. Now, I'm not averse to responsibility being located with more than just the players. However, I find it hard to say that the attitidue demonstrated is neale's fault.

I work as a psychologist. I can work with lots of people but there are some for whom I am not the right guy, and there is nothnig about it I can change. There are others for whom there is never the right professional. There are some who say the rigth things for ever and then never put into place what you tell them will work. Some people see you and then perversly ignore what you say (and pay you for the privilege). Some do wel whatever I say and sometimes the mix is perfect. It is always my job to get the message right. It is their job to implement. Engagment is a shared responsibility.

So, with footy, it is Danner's job to be on message, and it is the player's job to implement. We should question the plan/message, but it is hard to see it when we played the way we did - is it poor plan, poor players or a combo? How do you tell? I'd argue that the ony thing that is easy to measure is attitude. And you can see it in many ways and ours sucks consistently. THat is the player's responsibility solely (IMO).

the old saying of you play how you train comes to mind

we trained with this stupid handball crap and then we played it and got flogged, now that was ND telling them and getting them to run drills on carrying the ball and handballing lots which is great in training and looks all pretty and stuff, but then in a game you have 18 opponents trying to get the ball of you and then it looks bad, really bad

Bottom line what Brock is saying that Melb has a history of metallyweakness amongst the players correct and this is a 21yo saying this. Daniher has been the coach for 10yrs and his lists have changed but yet the mental toughness issue continues to rise its ugly head. The team was in a position to finish top four three years in a row but they blew it. Daniher needs to be held accountable.How many more years & list of players should he be given to win a premiership. Daniher wll set a record of the longest person to coach without winning a flag. Remember him saying we have to be more ruthless as a club???

Interesting. Pretty sound theory.

ah...Dees64 is on the scent !!!! :-)

Three years in a row of late-season fade-outs and he's trying something different by building a team that lasts out the season.

I concede that the players seem to be confused and we played abominally last Friday.

Its not crisis time yet.

Bottom line what Brock is saying that Melb has a history of metallyweakness amongst the players correct and this is a 21yo saying this. Daniher has been the coach for 10yrs and his lists have changed but yet the mental toughness issue continues to rise its ugly head. The team was in a position to finish top four three years in a row but they blew it. Daniher needs to be held accountable.How many more years & list of players should he be given to win a premiership. Daniher wll set a record of the longest person to coach without winning a flag. Remember him saying we have to be more ruthless as a club???

From One Dees_64 to the Dees64

You took the words right out of my mouth

Bottom line what Brock is saying that Melb has a history of metallyweakness amongst the players correct and this is a 21yo saying this. Daniher has been the coach for 10yrs and his lists have changed but yet the mental toughness issue continues to rise its ugly head. The team was in a position to finish top four three years in a row but they blew it. Daniher needs to be held accountable.How many more years & list of players should he be given to win a premiership. Daniher wll set a record of the longest person to coach without winning a flag. Remember him saying we have to be more ruthless as a club???

From One Dees_64 to the Dees64

You took the words right out of my mouth

Three years in a row of late-season fade-outs and he's trying something different by building a team that lasts out the season.

I concede that the players seem to be confused and we played abominally last Friday.

Its not crisis time yet.

couldnt agree more we need a team capable of playing all season.. but surely that includes tha start as well as the end ?

crisis time was ages ago !!

you cant give away games...they will haunt you

Neale Daniher, 211 games coached 106- won , 104-lost 50.47 win/loss

a little more than just the one loss I put it to you !!

he's the coach...he's responsible...thats what he's paid to do... Coach, Inspire, Lead !!

and I just dont see a hell of a lot of it going on!!

Couldnt say it better myself. I have said this many times. The dees have a sensational record at the g and there game plan was such that we will loose 22 games this year if something doesent chance. The coach is responsible for an ordinary game plan and was sucked in by other teams changing to a run and carry method. At the end of the day this is a pointless argument as nd is on the chopping block, not the players.

Neale Daniher, 211 games coached 106- won , 104-lost 50.47 win/loss

a little more than just the one loss I put it to you !!

he's the coach...he's responsible...thats what he's paid to do... Coach, Inspire, Lead !!

and I just dont see a hell of a lot of it going on!!

Neales troops against Mathews troops?

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/com...5E19742,00.html

i think that was very well said... i dont like all this daniher bashin that has arisen from 1 loss

i,m not into daniher bashing either, but it is frustrating that the players who dont deliver on a regular basis dont appear to be getting disciplined for it - these guys get paid bloody good money.

at the moment i,m thinking of yze [who i love as a player].

do any of us remember grgich?he went to geelong; that was a happy day, he used to drive me crazy but continued to be named seemingly week after week