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I disagree on the 'if'. It is not a big leap. I think it is strange to not see it. It is really clear that the players are not exerting maximum effort. WHY? There are lots of reasons but a biggy at footy clubs if playing for (or in spite of) the coach. You can see teams get flogged but be clearly trying. We don't and we aren't. We've had player after player talk about "buy-in". WHY? EVEN on the limited bits that we know, it is a very reasonable conclusion to come to. I'm not saying that Neeld is solely responsible - the decisions made at the club for years have all led to this outcome. Neeld has not made it any better. And I reckon that he has made it worse.

Disappointed there hasn't been any update on the changes/improvements made on his first day. ;-)

Just heard a rumour that he called in sick on his first day

Brian Cook is the blueprint for what CEO'S can achieve and how they can change a club from the top down, Freo's current executive of Harris & Rosich are another example of changing a clubs culture and making tough decisions, they were the two who grabbed the bull by the horns to blind side everybody and get Ross Lyon. Don't underestimate how much an effect a good CEO has on a club

The MFC need to be very careful about handling the coach situation. I am in favour of keeping Neeld until at least the end of this season, for the following reasons It will provide us with more time and data to assess the progress of the list and the coach It will demonstrate the MFC is not a rabble of flighty hens unable to keep to their own directions, plans and commitments. This would be important in attracting the next coach. It will allow time for a spill of the board that employed Neeld (should he go) such that they are not responsible for hiring his replacement It will allow us to identify what went wrong with the Neeld /Craig FD (if indeed it has gone "wrong") Should we sack Neeld prior to the end of the year, we would be telling any future coaching aspirant they have 15 months to turn what has been widely acknowledged as a weak list around. This would result in most first time Coaches avoiding us and leave us with failed but experienced Coaches that can't get a role elsewhere... We need to stay calm and support Neeld. The reality of our situation is that the team has lost one game (to Port) that we expected to win, we have lost several by margins greater than acceptable that we expected to lose and most recently lost to Brissie in Brisbane by 28 points... not a huge surprise. We need to learn to grind out 4 quarters of effort to stop the blow outs, and the Carlton game will be a good test of our improvement in this area.

If Stretch Junior follows this thread, which wouldn't be a big surprise, he'd be hurt by some of the comments about his father. His dad was a really good player for Melbourne, consistently good, and could give lessons to the current crop in running and kicking. So he ducked when he heard Dipper coming - surely a sign of superior intelligence - I'd rather see him duck and play on than wait and have no further input. A heavy collision for the lighter-framed players is potentially career ending. The AFL is waking up to this now, and the bumps Dipper was known for would see him in more trouble these days. Anyway, good luck to Junior, and whether he makes it or not, I hope the MFC does what they can for him. That would be a small way of thanking his dad for his efforts.

I thought you were just really trying to drive home your point. I thought you were just really trying to drive home your point. I thought you were just really trying to drive home your point. I thought you were just really trying to drive home your point. I thought you were just really trying to drive home your point. I thought you were just really trying to drive home your point.

From the outset I was disgusted that we went with an untried coach, regardless of who it was. However, in some ways I feel for Neeld. A lot of the things he's tried to implement - a more defensive gameplan, changing on-field leadership, weeding out downhill skiiers, trading for Mitch Clark - I'm in favour of in theory. From the outside he seems to have fallen down due to a lack of people skills, leadership and coaching ability - relatively important criteria for a coach. I do feel for him in the sense that he was brought in to make these changes with everyone involved at the club including supporters knowing full well that we had a list full of ninnies who needed strong leadership from their coach (again, highlighting the failure in not luring an experienced coach). Since my mind is made up on Neeld, my attention turns to what happens to fix this. I'm convinced we need an established top-level coach, and unless the Hawks falter and Clarkson gets the axe, that leaves Roos (though I'd settle for a couple of next-tier coaches in Eade or Williams before going rookie again) as our man. I constantly hear excuses on here as to why Roos wouldn't coach Melbourne or why it wouldn't work, chiefly: We're a basket case and he wouldn't touch us with a ten foot pole We wouldn't have the money The one-man messiah complex has plagued the club in the past and won't solve our dilemma One that I'll add is that since Roos has been there and done it all before, would he have the desire to go through such an arduous climb again? What I will say to those is that ours is a situation in which our players have consistently performed on levels ranging from disgusting to dispirited to insubordinate since Daniher left. A "mass exodus" away from Neeld and the conclusion is that Neeld has lost the players and is not up to it. In the incredibly unlikely event of a mass exodus from Roos, the conclusion would be that the players are soft serves and Roos can build the team as he wishes. As to the question around why Roos would choose to coach Melbourne, it's 5% the challenge of taking an underdog to the top, and 95% money. Big fat money. If it needs to be in the absurd realm of $2M a year for 5 years then so be it. Hold a Pay Paul Roos' Wage So the Club Doesn't Fold fundraiser gala every year. Big wigs (and small toupees) will pay to see the club competitive - I'm sure that was part of the motivation for Debt Demolition, not to pump in money in order to see us continue to be a laughing stock on and off the field. Does anyone think he'd knock that back? The only reasons he'd knock it back would be if his wife still needs to work in Sydney, or if he's earning 67%+ of that already (very unlikely). It is absurd to think that he would not take that salary simply because the job was too hard. If that's the highest coaching salary in the league, so what? I'd say we are the club in greatest need of the best coaching. You get what you pay for. Nerd alert: It's like the man/woman/child playing Risk outmanned but continuing to implement the same conservative strategies that will see them last longer but give them no chance of victory. Or for the less nerd-like, I guess you could use actual war analogies. But you get the point. We aren't going to save this club with another anonymous, bland coaching hire. Spend the money and you will get it back. Macca earlier listed a few consequences of us continuing to stink under Neeld. Can you imagine the increase in club enthusiasm and PR with Roos at the helm? The prime time games and positive media exposure increasing as win games and finals? The increase in membership and so on and so on and so on. We may not have the most members, but without wanting to be self-congratulatory, we've shown ourselves to be resilient and up to the challenge of saving the club from financial peril. Give us Paul Roos and we'll do it again. You get what you pay for.

I'd love someone to turn it around in 15 months, but for the MFC to tell a prospective coach that they have a season and half to turn it around, when for many aspiring senior coaches they'll know they only get one chance, would deter several prospects from applying. On the quality of our list, I'd suggest that NOT having a player rated in the top 50 AFL players (Herald) for the last couple of years, having NO All Australian players for the past couple of years, having a midfield BEREFT of A-grade midfielders (Jones may be getting there), having a youth development program that has SQUANDERED high draft pick kids for the past 5 years... Indicated there are some quality issues with our list that will take more than 15 months to address.

We have a new champion of ridiculous claims - I dip my lid to you. We still couldnt score over 100 points in a bruise free shoot out against a team stacked with teenagers. Fremantle, Sydney & Port actually managed escape with 4 points despite their 'low scores' because their structures and competitive effort managed to keep the opposition to a lower score than themselves - something Neeld's sides have managed to do in 5 out 27 matches (x4 against the expansion sides). Maybe if our structures & competitive effort allowed us to keep a team to under 100 points in a game we might have a hope in hell but we've managed that 7 out of 27 times (on 3 of those occasions we lost). If our structures and competitiveness allowed us to score over 100 points we might have a hope in hell - expansion teams aside (x3) a Mark Neeld coached team has NEVER scored more than 100 points against any opposition ever. I wanted Mark Neeld to succeed, he had a really tough first year and there were mitigating factors but this year we have actually been worse. I take no pleasure in calling for his head - those that argue for him will say it's debatable whether anybody else could've done better given our list. At the end of the day could anybody have done any worse? I guess we'll find out with our next coach - I'd wager "no". So you'll forgive me if I indulge in a little bit of hyperbole about our lack of structures and competitiveness when the scoreboard suggests they're shite and my eyes tell me they're worse.

Day one and nothing has happened This guy should get the sack

AFL coaching is a very tough job, you have deliver against capable opposition on a fixed day - you can't delay the date and you can't really deliver less product. I'm reminded that throughout 2007-8 when I regularly visited a Collingwood board that posters universally hated their coach and referred to him and his game plan as "Mick Madhouse" - eventually the wheel turned. I was definitely willing to cut Neeld plenty of slack. But the problem for me is a disastrous start to the season coupled with "we didn't see that coming". While you can't really deliver less there are ways that you can mitigate the damage. In weeks 1 and 2 Neeld showed absolutely no grasp of what was happening or how to mitigate the damage. Since then we played against ordinary opposition - WC are really struggling and smashed us by 100points, Gold Coast showed where GWS are at and beat them by more than we did away from home and Brisbane played like a basket case until they played us. We need a solid lead time to secure a new coach - September is not the time to start looking. Also important list management decisions are taken in the next few months.

Well maybe the players need to harden up.......I'm sick of hearing the tail wag the dog......Don't like the coach????....Tough [censored] ...Play well to spite him if you have to.....Or play for him....Just play a hard brand of footy.....Christ, wouldn't want to hurt their little feelings ...Would we?????

My son was in the Guard of Honour a couple of weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He met David Rodan and got his signature on his jumper which he was thrilled about. I think this helps keep kids interested in the club and helps keep them as supporters. He was getting sick of losing but this brought his spirit back up. Anything that helps engage younger supporters should be encouraged in my opinion. It was well organised and kudos for the club for at least attempting to engage with it's supporters.

Wash your mouth out.

We need to work on that replacement immediately. And we cant do that while the sub standard incumbent is in place. And while i wish the replacement to be a good coach he would not have to do much to be better than what Neeld has delivered. You can observe sue. Weeks 1 and 2 was terrible after Neeld laid expectations that we would be competitive and said we were AFL standard in our pre season. We were terrible on the field and post the games the players are talking about lack of "buy in" . Its a pathetic situation that points to a number of issues but highlights one of the obvious the coach does not have the players and the players dont play for the coach. Neeld has severed relationships badly with players who have left (eg Moloney, Green) and has failed to get the best out of players at his disposal. Only N Jones and Howe have improved. Many have gone backwards. He needs to go immediately.

I agree with that, we don't have a great list but we have one which has the basics of a good one. We have a lot of holes, which Neeld tried to patch up with NQR players, but it's not without some talent and shouldn't be anywhere near as bad as it's been. Our Forward line should be ok next year when we have Mitch, Dawes, Watts and Hogan there, our Backline is not too bad with Frawley, Garland, Tommy Mc and Dunn; it's our midfield where we have a problem and everyone knows that. We have some younger kids coming through and if we can give Jones, Sylvia, Trenners and Evans some help we might be ok. Were not great, but there is something to work with and the list isn't 100 points worse than most of the top 8 sides. Richmond were in diabolical trouble a few years ago but a bit of trading and a bit of luck with the draft and they are they are looking solid.

Mark Thompson has gone to the Cuddles Connolly school of vanishing from media. He probably needs a cuddle at the moment too. I believe that Hird and the board will be jettisoned. Several players will be banned for 6-24 months. After that, what happens to the EFC? Their membership might stay constant but ASADA and AD will hamstring them for years. Shame that the players have had their health and careers put at risk by snake oil salesmen and abhorrently inept governance however if 'sport scientists' lose their new-age lustre and control over developing young men then some good may come of this. Sadly the AFL was so worried about dope and E that they were completely and utterly blindsided for many years by a number of clubs on a colossal scale.

Dial back the dramaticism? WFT? We've had years of pox, are burning out our players and risk losing another 5 years worth of development but you reckon "it is a big 'if'" and I should "dial down the dramaticism"? When someone as careful, thorough and considered as Fifty-five is saying that the coach has gotta go, it is a conclusion that you know has been reached with no dramatics at all. You also know that the risks have been weighed up.

Neeld will become a poster boy of what not to do when you are appointed as an AFL senior coach. Instead of trying to encourage the young Demons group from the beginning, he was all ‘stick’– criticising the players in the media, belittling the former leadership group and denigrating the way they used to play and train. Moreover, Neeld introduced an ultra-defensive and complicated game plan. Clearly this was always going to take time to learn, but it should have been brought in gradually rather than trying to completely reinvent the wheel after Bailey. (As an aside, I believe having such a dogmatic view as to how best play the game is absurd given the way in which modern AFL football changes so quickly. And our game plan has looked obsolete from the get go.) The loss of confidence we are seeing on the ground today still stems from the impact of Neeld’s initial days, particularly the first game loss against Brisbane. A few of us saw this problem early on but we were hosed down by the Demonland mob. I think it best to cut Neeld immediately. We need to give hope to our best young talent coming out of contract in the next two years and it would give one of our young assistants the chance to prove their worth. Ideally we would find the next Paul Roos or Terry Wallace. As for whom takes over as senior coach thereafter, we should cast a wider net this time and not just pick an assistant from one of the top clubs. Coaching a poor club like Melbourne requires greater levels of innovation than coaching one of the top clubs, as the MFC needs to be much smarter about our use of resources. Experience as a senior coach would be preferred, but we shouldn’t discount anyone, particularly a smart, hard working assistant with an ordinary playing record from a poor club. On the surface, my preferred option would be Mark Williams. Moreover, we shouldn’t overpay the coach. We would be better off spending more money boosting the recruiting department.

I tell you what if we somehow beat Carlton this week i will kiss Neelds feet and demand we sign him up for 5 years

Good thread. The first quarter against the lions was entertaining to watch - as the commentators noted. We hardly played any entertaining footy last year and if you count the last against GWS we strung 2 quarters in a row together where we moved the ball quickly, played on and were efficient up forward. Surely a positive. We played with good energy in that fist quarter (and for much of the game to be honest) which for me is a positive as it indicates that perhaps a flame is flickering and that the last q against GWS wasn't just a panic induced aberration. Yes they could have beaten us by more but they didn't so its silly to bang on as if it was a 10 goal loss. Easy to forget we missed some pretty gettable shots (eg Bail) and messed up some forward entries (eg Sylvia and Pederson). What's that saying about mothers and uncles? I thought that given how easily they moved the ball from our defence through the middle for much of the last half I thought they did pretty well to still be in it half way through the last. They also didn't throw in the towel and played to the siren. Two more positives Once inside 50 we were very efficient which has to be a positive. Gawn, Howe at full forward and the goal from the boundary by Watts were all other positives form me. We are likely to finish at least 14th on the ladder So we will have a top 3 pick at seasons end and may even get a priority pick (what beautiful irony that would be). Twisted positive, yes but we should be able to snag another good young mid in to help the Toump, Jones and Viney and who knows might be able to trade one in.

4.5 hours and counting down. Save us Peter...for the love of god please please please save us.

First thread i have started so see how it goes, One thing i have been really impressed with in the last two rounds in particular is we are kicking good scores, for a team that is getting belted out of the middle basically every game, and the last two clark has kicked one goal and dawes has not played, to score 94 and 144 points in these games shows we have good options up forward and we can score that much without winning the ball out of the middle, against poor sides sure but we also scored 83 against west coast. To me this says we are on the way to being a good team, if we recruit a couple of mids, start getting first hands on the ball, get the confidence up, the pressure comes off the defence which i think is quite solid, and we should in theory be quite a good team. winning clearances with clark, dawes and hogan up forward next season and we might well be able to do something similar to what port power are doing this year. if Mark Neeld is coach or not i think we may find we are nowhere near as far off as our on field performances are suggesting. Thoughts?

What's worse: keeping Neeld until the end of his contract or paying him out and getting a coach that can motivate the players to actually have a dip? I know which one I'd choose.

No. Any suitor would have an unspoken understanding that Neeld couldn't coach these guys. Moloney, Rivers, Bennell, Petterd, Gysberts, even Morton, all snapped up by other teams, wonder why? Moloney is currently the number 1 mid for Brisbane under hard man Michael Voss. Brad Green was quickly snapped up as an assistant for hard man Mick Malthouse. Do you think names like Voss and Malthouse understand footy culture? More than a few premierships between them...

So I got a bit bored and decided to do my own little assessment of our list post round 4. Here it is (2-26), the rest will be up before the Carlton game. Hope you find it interesting. · (2) Nathan Jones: Clearly our best midfielder. Has strength, good disposal and generally good decision making skills. Leads from the front (has a fantastic work ethic) and is probably our most consistent player. I look forward to the day Jonesy is the third best mid because that will mean we are a good side. · (4) Jack Watts: I really feel for Watts. I have always had faith in him and encouraged people to give him time as he is often unfairly maligned. There is a very good player in there – he has excellent skills, reads the play very well, is super composed and very athletic but lacks toughness and appetite for the contest. I think Jack could make a name for himself up forward as a third tall while rotating up the wing as a link man, but I guess time will tell. · (5) Jimmy Toumpas: Toumpas will be a great player for the Dees and the idiots on here who are calling for his head after a couple of games are off their heads. He is very skilled and will find a spot on a wing/flank I feel. · (6) Chris Dawes: Can’t say too much as am yet to see him in the red and blue. I have heard his off field leadership has been very good and he is clearly a very clever and level headed guy. I was pretty pumped when we picked him up and am equally pumped to see how he goes when he plays (possibly this week?). · (7) Jack Viney: He will be a star and a captain of the club one day. Love his tough game and aggro – it has been sorely lacking for a long time. Great to watch in the clinches as he goes at the ball like a little bulldog. · (8) James Frawley: This year is a dangerous one for the club regarding Frawley and contract status. Out of contract and doesn’t look to be enjoying his footy at the moment, and I don’t really blame him as losing for so long must take its toll. He is our best defender and on his day can curb any key forward with strength, agility and an ability to read the play. He hasn’t played his best footy so far this year but the amount of ball raining down on the back six and the fact that they clearly don’t give each other a chop out doesn’t help at all. It will kill me if Frawley goes elsewhere at the end of the season but I could understand if he did. Please hang around Chippa! · (9) Jack Trengove: The co-captain has struggled lately due to mostly unknown factors, however the defensive side of his game has been good. I personally believe he should have been made a vice captain with Grimes the stand alone captain and that the captaincy is burdening him. There is a very good player in Jack, which we saw partly in his first year or two and he’ll be back. A long term player and leader for the club. · (10) Shannon Byrnes: I think Byrnes has been a solid pick up for the club in terms of leadership (especially coming from such a successful club) and adding a small forward which was a much needed component to the side. He looked to be finding his feat the first two games but against GWS and Brisbane he was very good and adds a bit of run to the midfield/half forward line. Not sure of his contract status but at 29 he should have a year or two left after this. · (11) Mitch Clark: A star and the only one we can boast. Strong marking, super athletic and aggressive, Clark can definitely teach the rest of the guys a thing or two. Shattered to hear about the surgery on his foot but hopefully he isn’t rushed back. Has had a great impact so far on and off the field. · (12) Colin Sylvia: Love and hate him. He has frustrated the shite out of me for so long as Col could be absolutely anything. He has all the attributes to be a top line midfielder but has always been lazy, disinterested or injured. However the end of last season and this season so far has been his most consistent patch so it may not be too late for Colin. Here’s hoping he can be a solid contributor or more for the rest of his career. · (13) Jordie McKenzie: I have been a fan of Jordie in the past but he has become too one dimensional in my eyes. Tackles as good as anyone in the side but needs to win more of the ball, find some more run and improve his skills to hang around for much longer. Will be superseded pretty soon if he doesn’t add another string or two to his bow. · (14) Lynden Dunn: I don’t see him becoming more than a bit part player, ever. Has a big kick, height which never seems to be used, moderate pace and is aggressive but doesn’t ever seem good enough to make his mark on a match or really dominate. Will be delisted/traded when spots are required I believe, though Neeld might like his hardness and hold on to him. · (15) David Rodan: Bit of a mystery this one. I hope his contract was only a year because he has added little to nothing so far. Maybe he’ll pick up later in the season but I can’t see it happening as he is 29 and his body has been through hell. · (17) Sam Blease: Flash in the pan player. The end of last year he played well and I think he had an interrupted preseason but needs to build on his fitness and not fade in and out of games as he currently does. If this continues, I can’t see a long future for him. If he works hard, he could be a very handy run and carry player or small forward. · (19) James Strauss: Not a good year last year in the firsts and hasn’t appeared this year though his VFL form has been promising. He was looking to be making a spot for himself when he broke his leg in 2011 and I think he can be a handy player in the future with his foot skills but needs to find more of the ball. Looking forward to seeing how he goes this season when he appears. · (20) Colin Garland: Second best backman. Can play small or tall and can be very handy or very frustrating imo. First couple of games were average, last two were quite good. I feel that Garland has had issues with Neeld that may have been resolved in the last few weeks. He is an important cog in the backline going forward. · (21) Cam Pedersen: I always thought he was a good VFL player and so far from what I’ve seen I haven’t been wrong. A highlight was when he threw Tom Scully on the ground and there hasn’t been much else. Only on the list until we find someone better or need to free up a spot I feel. · (23) Josh Tynan: I liked what I saw early last year and think he can be a good contributor if he can find some form in the VFL and break into the firsts. Has a bit of time but could play a wing/flanking role effectively. · (25) Tom McDonald: I think he has the potential to be a very good key defender and was very impressive last year. Has been unfairly put down since the start of the season, having a bit of a form slump but this links to an interrupted preseason and not enough match fitness. He is very important to the backline heading into the future and I hope will be at the MFC for a long time yet. · (26) Daniel Nicholson: Not good enough, yet or maybe never. Has pace but his kicking leaves a lot to be desired. Attacks the contest but isn’t nearly smart enough about it. At another team he would really struggle to get a game. If we improve, I don’t think he’ll be on the list in a few years. But that is a big if. More to come...

Apart from Clark and the as yet unseen Dawes, we don't have a forward of any description who can or could kick 35 - 55 goals a year. Howe could easily fit the bill but he's often been used as far afield as the half back line. A total waste of his marking and possible goal kicking talents. By playing Jeremy deep forward or used as a decoy he's quite capable of picking up 8 - 10 kicks a game and averaging 2 or 3 goals a game. That's about 50 goals a year and that's a good return. Seems a no-brainer to me. It's time Watts was left in the forward line as well. He's spent enough time as a loose man in the backline and it isn't working anyway. With Clark out it gives Jack the chance to establish himself as a forward. These sort of decisions need to be persevered with as well. Players need to be played in their rightful positions and given enough time to make a go of it. We desperately need another ball winner out of the middle and we've got one - Magner. Not a great player but he knows how to win a contested possession. Another no-brainer. Agree with the rest of your post.

The other one absolutely damning bit of information is what we come up with when we critique all our established players or players who haven't come on. As a general rule, many of our players are playing well below their potential. There are too many for it all to be a coincidence. Any coach needs to get the best out his players. Apart from a few players that is not happening. In a lot of ways the reverse has happened and many of our players have gone backwards or just haven't come on. To say otherwise is ignoring the truth. Critiquing our established players and/or our players who haven't come on is largely an academic exercise but I'll at least list them. Frawley Garland Sylvia Trengove Howe Tapscott Watts McKenzie Strauss Blease Nicholson Davey Jamar Jetta Bail Davis Spencer Fitzpatrick All the above have the capacity to play better footy or much better footy than their actual output (including last years form) In some cases, it's a lack of opportunity at senior level, but it's not like they're dominating at Casey.

If only I had a dollar for every "whisper" that's been heard on this forum! ;-)

The problem for me is that compelling arguments can (and have been) made for giving Neeld his marching orders right now, or waiting until late in the season. I'm just stuffed if I know, mostly because I'm not close enough to the action to make a call which I'm completely comfortable with. I know things need to change, but as many of the learned posters above have indicated, timing is critical. I have splinters in my bum from sitting on the fence, but right now I don't know which way to jump. There may be an abyss on either side, and the viability of my much loved Demons is at stake.

Where is the proof of a mass exodus of players, and which players? If Neeld really has lost the team to the point that the players are going to leave you'd think there would be a bit more evidence. I get scared when I read all these posts about players leaving, but then I searched for anything that resembled facts, nothing, it's like the WMD in Iraq they didn't exist. We are playing exactly like I expected, a bunch of kids, this will change. I realize I'm a minority opinion, thanks for not being nasty about it.

Neeld will take care of Neeld - eg:: If he keeps getting flogged he will go There is no need to panic - the odds of him being coach at the end of 2013 are pretty slim - I don't understand why posters feel the need to rush this We are going to be a poor side in 2013 no matter who is coach. Anyone who thinks Neeld doesn't deserve a chance to finish the 2013 season is either stupid or has an agenda. If anyone says the players will benefit - you are delusional - exactly how is the playing group going to improve without Neeld there? THe players play on game day not the coach, All the same issues with Neeld there are still going to be there without Neeld

I completely disagree Ingeniokinetic and believe your comments are short sighted. It is true that we needed a tough coach after Bailey that would change the culture at the club. I have no issues with this. Unfortunately we chose the wrong tough coach. Neeld may well be tough and he may well have changed the culture, however, he has done it in such a way that he [censored] off the older players to the extent they could not get out of the place fast enough. A huge red flag to me was the way he treated the previous leadership group. Essentially firing all of them, in essence telling them they are all poor leaders with bad habits and then installing ROOKIES as captains was never the way to do it. This was done extremely poorly, it could have been done in a way that produced the change he wanted without personally insulting a large number of our senior and better players. His management of Watts, Frawley, and Davey has been close to appalling, no doubt this is their last year at the club. It is well documented the Martin, Moloney, Green and Pettard all had in club fall outs with Neeeld last year. Worst of all, in his pursuit of toughness and a defensive game plan he has destroyed the confidence of the playing group. As I have said I can only count 3 players who have developed since Neeld has come in........ just 3. Most players don't want to play for the club, and would prefer to play for someone else. This is reflected in their performances. Simply Neeld has over scrambled the culture egg and as such the players are playing with no self confidence, and no self belief. This is the coaches responsibility. Last week, to my surprise we played offensive bruise free football but worse than Bailey, it was a desperate attempt by Neeld to save his career and a complete turn around on the game plan that he says he has been developing. What scares me is the mass exit-is of players that is coming seasons end. The only way to save some of the furniture is to change directions early. Bring in a coach that can build self belief, can inspire the players, can get the players up to play for there club and play for the gurnsey. This must happen ASAP. Staying on the current course is nothing short of suicidal and in time could well spell extinction for our club. We are not taking our medicine as you suggested Neeld is giving us POISON!

That's the MAJOR reason I'd be appointing an interim coach if this continues. Getting someone like James Frawley signed to a longer deal must be a priority. One player doesn't make a team, but equally some lament Moloney's loss in the context of our midfield. Frawley would leave a gapping hole in our defence. We need someone who can galvanise this team and quickly. I don't expect us to start winning every game, but I do expect a coach that can motivate most, if not every player on the ground to deliver an AFL standard work rate. Unfortunately, there's no doubt "this" will continue. If we get within 10 goals of Carlton this week, I will eat my proverbial hat.

You actually think that those who don't support Neeld think that his removal will be a "quick fix" ? Where have you read that ? We know there's no "quick fix". I believe that he should stay until there's a Roos type appointment. The damage has probably been done. If things got much worse a change might have to be made.

Neeld had everything going for him when he arrived at this club. He got what he demanded with the football department and then he had to deal with some very sad news with Jimmy passing. Here is my rub regarding Neeld and the current administration. At the start of 2013 Neeld had near a full fit list who apparently trained the house down over summer. This list under Neeld had 12 months grace after Jimmys passing to get itself in shape. Neeld stated that the tanking dramas had little effect on his summer program. IMO if Neeld the so-called teacher could not harness this group after the passing of one of the club greats, Then [censored] me! Instead, the players are performing worse than 2012 and the football department is a total shambles. This list is weak in mind and ability to perform on the big stage. Neeld is showing no ability on match day to improve performance and supporters are on the brink of giving up. It's serious stuff, it's urgent stuff.

There might be a nice desk on eBay tomorrow morning.

I'm more interested in his job description. You would think in the normal course, it would be no different to any other AFL CEO but if its true that he's been installed at the behest of the AFL, to who does he ultimately have to answer?

I think that if Neeld has lost the players, then keeping him is counter-productive.We gain nothing and potentially lose players that we need to keep.

I hope he just keeps his eye on things for a while before saying too much publicly. We need someone to make lasting, informed decisions. But I do hope he brings some official MFC trousers that match with our Blazers. It's about time!

I want him to be scathingly honest.

Light. Tunnel. The End. *If you read this post again in 2016 and Hogan has turned into a dud/ has had 4 knee recos/ [censored] off back home/ has been found taking crack, please don't hold this against me.

I am in two minds about this. On the one hand, having a caretaker coach for more than 3/4 of a season is damaging. On the other hand, with each passing week this club suffers more. Confidence gets lower amongst players and supporters, game plan is shot to sh*t, players are unhappy. We need change, and we need it quickly. If I thought there was any chance in hell that Neeld could get the players to win a good handful of games this season, if I thought he was any good at galvanizing a team, I'd be happy to leave him be until the end of the season knowing that W-L ratios are not so important when we are clearly a developing team. But I'm scared, I'm scared of just how much worse things can get on the field, and therefore off the field. The way we let Bailey go was a disgrace, especially given that up to that point we had won more games in the one season than under Neeld combined. So now we've gone the other way and are trying not to be too reactive, which makes sense. Whether this hurts us more in the long term though, is a real possibility. I'll leave you with just a few key elements which have suffered badly under Neeld already: membership, player development and player confidence (and possibly morale, but we can't know that for sure). These things take time to recover, and the time to start the recovery should be sooner rather than later. Having said all that, it's an impossible position for the club to be in because the cons add up as much as the pros do for either scenario.

Well said Ben. Moloney is another Neeld stuff up. I have never seen a more soulless and spiritless group of footballers. There is no doubt that the players don't play for the coach and few players have improved under Neeld. Many have gone backwards. A number of required players have been dispatched poorly from the Club. Neeld needs to be cut immediately. And the process to move forward with a competent experienced coach recruited through a disciplined and sensible recruitment plan enacted likewise. And no Garry Lyon involved thanks.

We should be improving, not getting worse though. Scoring/Disposals Comparison 2012 Ranked last in disposals Ave losing margin 50 Percentage 67.49 2013 Ranked last in disposals Aver losing margin 87.25 Percentage 57.16% Neeld's "hardest team to play against" 2013 Ranked last in contested possessions Ranked second last in clearances Ranked last in team vs opponent contested possessions Ranked 14th in tackles per game

Neeld says when he first came to the club......."It's going to take time to build this footy club" D/Landers......."No it won't ...We have these great recruits" Neeld says in 2013(2nd year)....."We have started building this footy club and are changing the culture and it takes time" D/Landers........."No it won't....We have more recruits and Viney......" After 5 games D/Landers........."Sack the coach....Sack the coach.....Lets get Roos....Mathews....Clarkson..."Two who will never coach again.....I even saw someone want Malcolm Blight to come back....FMD It must be a Gen y or Gen something or rather....Instant success or nothing....We want to play finals NOW Lets not build a club and a footy side (which will take time) lets just sack everyone now...and start again and again and again and again .........You get the message.......

Neeld is doing the dirty work that should in hindsight have been don around 2005. of course we didn't realise,,,, & when (Rnd 13) 2007 came around, we could all see from the outside that things were crook around tallarook... just how bad the list had rotted, were not realised at the time... We really should have had a major fire sale there & then, trading some 'very outside big names'. And started the rebuilding with true leaders,,, Jnr, Neita, Jones & a couple of other hard workers. This would have been a better foundation for the Youth policy we went on,,, with really hardworking & humble leaders, they would have shown the real way for the kids. The draft would have been a better picking field, with the right boys leading the club. (we kept the wrong ones to lead) ...the AFL game changed to a defensive one,,, just as we changed coach, & we picked a free running offensive styled Coach... bad timing... & we recruited for that style... Now the AFL has reduced the Interchange by (1), & the game has moved back slightly, to be both very defensive, but with rebound... # We cannot afford to get another Coach who is Outright Attack! We must rebuild this clubs culture as is happening Now,,,,,,,, & the fitness base as is happening Now,,,,,, & wait to see what transpires thru the remainder of the season... We will be able to see how the players start to perform their defensive duties & the general spirit around the place. ...the changes are starting to happen & I can see more players getting chances soon. & this will change the face of our structure, & no doubt the gamestyle. Sit on your hands & watch, wait & see...

Agree, but the problem is none of us knows the true position.

I HATE when supporters say "well who cares about the players, they need a good kick up the arse". That's exactly like if your boss said "I don't give a crap if you're unhappy at work and you hate me, that's what you get for working for a terribly under performing company" When you work for someone you don't like, let alone don't respect, especially when your job demands so much of you physically and mentally, it's going to show. Just look at how Essendon play for Hird and tell me that 'buy in' is not half the battle. Essendon's list is no better than a lot of other clubs', but they have that intangible difference of having a coach they would die for. I reckon half our players would struggle to stay awake during Neeld's addresses, let alone go out and bleed for him. We are so fractured internally, that it has killed all natural talent.