Not to the extent of the impact players we are missing. You might be able to cover one or two. MFC have 8 out of our critical 10 players missing. In this sort of competition, its cruel. Do that to any other team and watch them fall.

What has been poor has been the limp efforts of senior "star" players in this situation?

Our next captain after Neitz definitely has not been playing for the past two weeks.

I think i saw him sitting in the coaches box at todays game.

I'm confused, are we not allowed to cite injuries as an excuse?

Alot of people would agree that McLean, Neitz and Rivers are our three most important players. There's only so much ND can do with the cattle we've got and with the pathetic effort guys like Bruce and White put into knowing they will retain their spots.

100% correct. Show some respect FFS. Some people on this site are bigger downhill skiers than those they bag.

yeah, give him the rest of the year then he has to leave, and hopefully he will just quit, if he any pride or sense he will walk

i should have taken the extra shift i was offered at work >.<

i dont agree with the whole get rid of daniher now mentality.

it wouldn't be good for the team.

its not his fault they cant kick, cant tackle, cant bloody mark and we've got a debilitating injury list.

stop making daniher a scapegoat - its injuries & players that are the problem.

The simply fact is that Daniher has been at the club ten years.

Our senior players would have been ~20 when ND came to the club.

ND has had ample time to remove players he feels don't have the skills or attitude to be worth keeping.

Our next captain after Neitz definitely has not been playing for the past two weeks.

Some of your finest work there, RR.

i should have taken the extra shift i was offered at work >.<

i dont agree with the whole get rid of daniher now mentality.

it wouldn't be good for the team.

its not his fault they cant kick, cant tackle, cant bloody mark and we've got a debilitating injury list.

stop making daniher a scapegoat - its injuries & players that are the problem.

who picked the team who drafted the players?fact is nd has not hd a team "up" for an entire season in 10 years!he does not know how to get the team to take the next step!he has been brilliant for the club but its time to bring in someone who knows how to win the premiership!a coach needs 5 years to win the cup if it does not happen in that time its time to move on!!

It just feels maybe the players don`t respect him as a coach, especially the leadership group.. He has served the club and hopefully he can turn it around, but a new coach is on the cards..

I think it's pretty much a given Daniher will be replaced next season, but don't everybody crud on him now. He's given 10 years of his life to this club and developed alot of talent. We all have lofty expectations and perhaps the time is right, even overdue, for change. But we could've done alot worse than Neale Daniher. For all his flaws there was genuine belief that this year we'd be a contender. If they'd stepped up a notch from last years form it'd be great, but alas that's not to be. I'm sure there's nobody more dissapointed than ND. I'm sure it's not his intention to lose. Finding a 'Mathews or Sheedy' will be a huge challenge. They don't grow on trees. I hope Daniher gets some kind of recognition and appreciation for his efforts when he leaves.

ND will coach us until the end of the year.

I don't blame the coach for losing yesterday, losing I can take, not very well but can accept when we are beaten by a better team on the day. What I can't accept is that our players skill levels are well below AFL standard and his game plan that he has tried to implement cost us against St Kilda and he was out coached by Clarkson. We read that so many times out coached a 10 year coach in the first two weeks gets out coached by a first and third year coach.

Look on the bright side we can still lose another 6games and make the final 8, the downside is our next 5 look very tough.

I say keep ND till the end of the year, if we keep losing at least we will have an early draft pick. We we are to get rid of him at years end we better get into the market quick because the Kanga's will be looking and if Freo don't improve so wil they.

I dont see any difference between the Geelong result and the first two. How can you not blame the coach for the last loss and not the first two?

The same problems existed in each.

I think the Final 8 is extremely difficult from here given the quantum of injuries in the team and the extent of the lack of form of key fit players.

I cant think of anything more defeatist than saying that ND stays for the rest of the year to secure an early draft pick. Its got no shred of substance to it. And if the MFC Board adopted that position, they should all go to.

So why would you keep him for the rest of the year when we put at risk the selection process critical to our future?

The professional and sensible process would be for the MFC and ND to reach agreement to finish prior to year end (where it is mathematically certain that we cannot make the 8) and the Club undertakes a thorough and proper recruitment process with full trnasparency.

This cannot happen while the incumbent is still around. The media will have a field day and the PR damage to the MFC board would be immense and destablitising.

WOW! You must have a lot of frequent flyer points if you haven't missed a game!!!!!!

Just get rid of him ASAP

Any alternative has got to be better.

I came to this conclusion at half time today when my 12 Year old son looked @ me & said

" I should of stayed home & done my homework instead of watching this crap"

Enough is Enough :angry:

That would have hurt

This cannot happen while the incumbent is still around. The media will have a field day and the PR damage to the MFC board would be immense and destablitising.

I disagree. The opposite is true.

Daniher has a contract till end of year. it should be honoured . Its the right thing to do.

What SHOULD happen though is that by Round 15, if things don't look good, he and the Board agree not to seek renewal or extension. (The Tony Shaw model)

This gives the best of prospective new coaches several months to get their ducks lined up, and prevent the farce that was hawthorn when they appointed Clarkson. It enables the new coach to also seek out the best availbale in Assistants and support staff they require, and be ready to hit the ground after the October players break.

There is some serious HR experience on the Board. If this approach doesn't go I'll be surprised and dissapointed.

Also,It signals to Danihers prospective employers that he is available in Sept/October .

Any other approach reeks of suburban football standards.

agree. The board by that stage should be planning who will be the next coach 'in-house'. Interesting this season, we're really going to find out which kids can stand up, get in there and get the ball and handle the pressure.

I disagree. The opposite is true.

Daniher has a contract till end of year. it should be honoured . Its the right thing to do.

What SHOULD happen though is that by Round 15, if things don't look good, he and the Board agree not to seek renewal or extension. (The Tony Shaw model)

This gives the best of prospective new coaches several months to get their ducks lined up, and prevent the farce that was hawthorn when they appointed Clarkson. It enables the new coach to also seek out the best availbale in Assistants and support staff they require, and be ready to hit the ground after the October players break.

There is some serious HR experience on the Board. If this approach doesn't go I'll be surprised and dissapointed.

Also,It signals to Danihers prospective employers that he is available in Sept/October .

Any other approach reeks of suburban football standards.

No one is saying not honouring the contract. It needs to be done professionally and with transparency.

There are a couple of parts to this.

1. The Board and ND need to come to an agreement about the future.

2. The Board should still honour the contract but leave it up to ND if he seeks to coach out the season. The tony Shaws stay..The Peter Schwabs go. It depends but I would think if NDs not committed to the end then why stay.

3. There needs to be a professional presentation of this arrangement to the mdia and the public. Absolutely vital if you want to ensure everry prospective coach will look favourably at MFC.

4. There needs to be a thorough search process undertaken

No one is saying not honouring the contract. It needs to be done professionally and with transparency.

There are a couple of parts to this.

1. The Board and ND need to come to an agreement about the future.

2. The Board should still honour the contract but leave it up to ND if he seeks to coach out the season. The tony Shaws stay..The Peter Schwabs go. It depends but I would think if NDs not committed to the end then why stay.

3. There needs to be a professional presentation of this arrangement to the mdia and the public. Absolutely vital if you want to ensure everry prospective coach will look favourably at MFC.

4. There needs to be a thorough search process undertaken

Sorry - I think we do agree.

Esp. on the major issue -the timing.

MUST be well before Round 22, and fully public

I think you'll find some people at board level have already started looking to the future.

Say what you like about us at the moment, but at least our administration knows what the the hell they're doing.

I agree with you RR, we need to start the process as early as we possibly can, especially given the amount of list manipulation a new coach will have to do, and the fact that this trade period may be very important given Judd is out of contract.

Our next captain after Neitz definitely has not been playing for the past two weeks.

Bizzell?

We do indeed have a very strange situation at Deeland at present. You would need to be the most optomistic person on earth to think Danners wil lbe at the helm next year. And this is part of the conundrum as I have no problems with him per se...just as the coach. he is genuinely respected and liked around the club and indeed would quite happily shout the bloke a beer, however, his effectiveness has come to a crashing finality. Thats just a reality. Results speak for themselves.

RR makes salient points. This must be handled with professionalism. The current MFC admin seem quite capable of this.

Should we get to the point where mid season we are but the holder of but a token amount of wins with no chance what so ever ( and this unfortunately looks very likely ) of making the 8 let alone being effective with it then the process of change must begin.

To wait until the end of the year whilst commendable for stoicly upholding the "honour" of the contract is foolhardy in its practice. Time as always is of the essence. There will begin a weeding out process along with a change of coach. The incumnats will need to have some opportunity of manouvring Melbourne into some position of gain come trade and drafts etc. This cant be an 11th hour 59 minute approach the minute a new general is appointed. He must e given some real chance of getting value at the end of the season.

Danners must appreciate that his tenure is coming to a close. The ND era has not delivered on the rhetoric. Its been pretty well 10 years of standing still.

I have no idea who will head the coaches next year but it must surely pay dividends for MFC to clear its deck as soon as posible and make plain its intention s to the football community at large, by doing so we may then position our self well in the orchestrations and "fun and games " of personnel recruiting.

Neale...youre a nice bloke and thanks very much for all the things you did off field for the club, but even you would admit that the results are not what you hoped for. Its time for some new blood. cheers

I think you'll find some people at board level have already started looking to the future.

So how do you know that?

The administration ( I presume you mean the CEO, yes??), has been busy trying to balance the ledger... but the PNL statements will only get harder to manage unless we manufacture some on-field success.

If you are alluding to Judd being a chance for us next year...think again. Unless he has a momentary lapse of reason, Judd would command way too much for our small purse to handle...unless we are prepared to give big time. ...and so what exactly would you be prepared to part with? And would WC be interested?? If you reply to this post, try & be realistic!

Should jump on Neale, he is at good odds.

Sportingbet's Market for first coach to leave this season...

$2.50 - Dean Laidley

$3.50 - No coach to leave/be sacked

$7.00 - Mark Thompson

$10.00 - Denis Pagan

$13.00 - Mich Malthouse, Alister Clarkson, Chris Connoly, Neale Daniher

$26.00 - Terry Wallace

$34 - Leigh Matthews

$41 - Kevin Sheedy

$51 - Mark Williams

$61 - Neil Craig

$101 - Ross Lyon

$151 - Rodney Eade, Paul Roos, John Worsfold

So how do you know that?

The administration ( I presume you mean the CEO, yes??), has been busy trying to balance the ledger... but the PNL statements will only get harder to manage unless we manufacture some on-field success.

If you are eluding to Judd being a chance for us next year...think again. Unless he has a momentary lapse of reason, Judd would command way too much for our small purse to handle...unless we are prepared to give big time. ...and so what exactly would you be prepared to part with? And would WC be interested?? If you reply to this post, try & be realistic!

There are some things that I'm not going to say in a public forum.

You can take my word for it or not, that's up to you.

I don't think I've ever come here and made allegations just for the sake of big-noting myself.

As for Judd, I'm not saying we'll get him, hell I'm not saying he'll leave West Coast, but if he does want out I'd hope that like a lot of other clubs, we at least entertain the thought of getting him and make a serious push to gain his services.

What would I be prepared to give? Anyone that is not wearing the #5 jumper (and I'd think twice about trading Rivers too). The rest are expendable, especially some of our more fancied senior players.

Not saying we should give up an arm and a leg to get him, but he'd be more productive and useful than 3 or 4 of our senior players combined (which probably shows you how interested West Coast will be in our second-rate midfielders).

There are some things that I'm not going to say in a public forum.

You can take my word for it or not, that's up to you.

PM me then...otherwise I will take your claim for what its worth

If he really wants to leave West Coast have no choice but to make a trade or lose him for nothing to then pre-season draft.

I think our first round pick will be enough, especially considering it one of the first. Lets just hope that Judd nominates us as the club he wants to go too!

If he really wants to leave West Coast have no choice but to make a trade or lose him for nothing to then pre-season draft.

I think our first round pick will be enough, especially considering it one of the first. Lets just hope that Judd nominates us as the club he wants to go too!

Those of us on this site who don't know Judd personally would be reasonable in our assessment of his character to speculate that he would assist (as oppose to hinder) trade negotiations to ensure all parties are satisfied. FWIW, I doubt he will leave WC. If he does, & with our 'touchables' as a bargaining chip, we are not a chance.

ND will coach out the remainder of the season for one reason and one reason only;

The MFC can't afford, or does not want too afford, having to pay two people for the one job. If ND is sacked, the remainder of his contract, unless he forfeits it which is doubtful, still has to be payed, as well as the bonuses or salary paid to the caretaker coach. The club is still in debt and can hardly afford to be paying the salary of someone who isn't doing anything.