Tricky

They're assumptions, but you're overlooking the one given:

1. The team is really really crap.

(for the moment ....)

Actually the assumptions belong to the bashers and apologists, not me.

You however are stating absolute fact - we suck. (for the moment ....)

I had a quck look GNF

Maybe you should inform the club the decision has been made

In all seriousness, what differnece does it make if Neeld coaches out the year?? An intrim coach is going to do no better or worse the Neeld.

Not that hard to understand really, depending on your viewpoint.

With a couple of assumptions:

1. Neeld is a really, really crap coach
2. The replacement coach is better than really, really crap

I can see how the "Neeld bashers" would see benefit in sooner rather than later.

The "Neeld apologists" on the other hand would probably not concede the given assumptions.

Going to agree with Leigh Matthews here when he said 'has lost 5 yards of pace since being drafted'

How do you lose pace at 22? Has to be injured, he got caught so many times yesterday, felt for him a bit.

Hopefully he comes good.

Trengove suffered a stress fracture in his foot on the eve of the club's pre-season training camp in Darwin in December.

Someone should tell Leigh.

dont always pay attention to the stats.. go watch first quarter today he laid at keast 3 tackles.. the stats only register when a play is taken to the ground..

Source?

In any case, it's the effectiveness of the tackle that is important. I'll re-watch the first quarter if you promise I'm not going to see 3 token one-handers...

Reminds me of the conversation we had here about Brock. Where is he these days?

Was thinking that myself...shudder.

5th is on the podium, yeah?

Think you're in the wrong forum.

Keep the quality posts coming.

Doesn't want body contact. I groan every time the ball goes in his region because you know he's gonna squib it. He can't win contests. He doesn't want to go near them. He's a lost cause. He's only still on an afl list because of where he was drafted. That's the reality.

This also worries me - and ZERO tackles today.

I'm still holding out hope for JW but someone needs to get some mongrel into him big time.

Good to hear his tackle count is up. You tackle when you have the ball right?

No, that's normally when you would get a disposal - he was equal 5th highest in those BTW...

But you're right, a hard tackling game just isn't glamorous enough.

Aren't there about 20 threads dedicated to this kind of thing already?

Roos - Won't coach.

Thompson - I'd say he is pretty happy where he is.

Worsfold - See above.

Williams - A possibility.

Clarkson - Won't go anywhere unless he is sacked.

The reality is we have an extremely low chance of luring a premiership coach to our club as we are a basket case and there is next to nothing available in reality.

Not necessarily my ideal choice in this hypothetical but I would say a change for JW is not beyond the realms of possibility:

• Out of contract at end of 2013
• Negotiations "mutually" delayed until end of season
• 1/4 start to a season with top 4 expectations
• Longest continuous serving of any current coach

Just sayin..

Maybe its time for us to keep a coach.

Stick with Neeldy and lets back the game plan and start to get a settled team that can play over 100 games together.

If we get someone else and change the message and game plan again, i think its the worst thing we can do.

The players seem to back him in, so do i.

Funny how polarised opinion is on this point.

On one hand he has "fractured the playing group" and "the players don't warm to him".

On the other, "The players seem to back him in".

more talk.. what else is he going to say?

I'll see Dawes playing well and Melbourne winning games before I commence any backslapping

Agree.

Looking forward to seeing him out there soon.

The training standards and off-field coaching structures are light years ahead of what we've had.

Neeld is a nutty Professor that the players don't warm to, but he has brought a multitude of disciplines off the field that measure up well against other clubs.

You responded to the question "what are the disciplines put in place" with "a multitude of disciplines off the field that measure up well against other clubs".

I'd love to understand exactly what these are...

Is the "nutty professor that the players don't warm to" merely perception derived from lack of development of certain players and the overall "tone" of what we see on-field, or do we have insiders on record saying as much?

I don't get to training so I'll take your word that the standards are light years ahead of what we had.

Incidentally I'm not disputing any of this - I am very much on the fence regarding Neeld at this stage.

I have never put this on a forum as I really don't know of its relevance. But it irks me nonetheless. I have baracked for the demons my entire life born in 64. Previously I have met two players from Melbourne that have created an impression. The great Robbie Flower and the interesting (if nothing else Jacko). I found myself doing security at skilled stadium up until last year. Prior to the game I was posted at the entrance where the opposition players came in, during the game in the opposition players race and game end I would mind the dressing room door and then exit when they loaded the team bus. Of the three years I did this it saddens me to say that the most arrogant team in their demeanour by far was Melbourne. Admittedly the powerhouse sides didn't often go to Geelong so it may be a little unfair. Apart from Steve Johnson, I never had a single incident where a Geelong player didn't give you a nod, a g'day mate when they went past and this was when they were at their top. Apart from the helpers around the demon clubroom who were awesome, the players quite different. Said g'day to Brad Green once as he went past, not even a grunt. It just really makes me wonder about the culture of this club sometimes.

Firstly, Kudos for supporting the Dees for 49 years...

I feel it only fair to say that on the few occasions that I have met Brad Green he was a great bloke - several of these were not "club related" events so he needn't have been on his best behaviour.

I just wanted to acknowledge the efforts of these 3 players in the leadership they showed today in righting the ship..

when things were untidy they showed their guts.

& they brought some mates in with them.

Good post.

Well done boys.

And given Redleg has quoted the interview with AD, where has the club not been entirely truthful?

They were asked: 'Was Stephen Dank approached or did Stephen Dank approach Melbourne or was there discussion around employment at the Melbourne Football Club?"

The club answered truthfully, regardless of what was hidden. Dank applied for a position, but was knocked back. That was the answer given by the club. Nobody technically lied. It's not a good look, and Vlad's welcome to his position, but the question of contact with the club in any capacity was not asked.

I'd like to see the 'rule' that AD is threatening that the club broke. If it's the old 'bringing the game into disrepute', I'd ask to see the Bombers get fined first.

It's a technicality.

Giving a specific answer to a specific question without going on to disclose the full nature of any association with Dank was misleading and intentionally deceitful. So yes, I would say it was untruthful (not to mention stupid).

This must be Dr. Who...

Agree.

Way too cute Redleg. This isn't a court. AD has also said that he would have expected Melbourne to detail any and all contact or connection MFC had with Dank. Not unreasonable. Not a time for the club to be playing funny buggers and silly semantics i would have thought and the fact they chose that route is an indictment.

I watched that interview and i suspect from his resposne to the question as to whether the offical they had the discussion with was still at the club that it was CS

Exactly.

"If there was an association, regardless of whether there has been an employment agreement, I think that would have been relevant to our briefings.''

"This issue of ethics and trust in our code ... is something that you can't play ping-pong with,''

"If anybody hasn't got the message that they must be absolutely truthful ... then there will be consequences.''

-Vlad

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/teams/afl-demands-melbourne-to-tell-truth-on-new-stephen-dank-claims/story-e6frf9mf-1226623810469

Why would the club doctor call the players by their surnames??

Because they were SMS messages (brief by name & nature) and "Jack" is not unique name on our list?

No mate, you are really kidding yourself if you believe this. There was no competitive advantage to be gained here it was more people covering their backs and hoping everything would go away. How stupid.

Agree.

Downplaying the involvement of our club, whether it be players or doctors, directly or indirectly, was dishonest and foolish. Very poor judgement.

Where does he stand on beards?

And does he have a sleeve?

God I hope Richmond win!

This.

Will be the only way to shut them up.

I'll be flicking the red button if they are getting a towelling, could be a fun listen.

More on it here http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/bartlett-sees-red-over-ed-20130418-2i1kb.html

Oh, and special comments from none other than Joffa the head bogan.

Not very.

Not that it will appease anyone, but there is an article on the MFC site disputing the recovery session claims made by Dermott on SEN the other night

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-04-17/recovery-claims-untrue-trengove

MFC official claimed that no Storm players were present @ the time, Trengove said he was @ the session and it was a serious session.

Make of it what you will, but I get the feeling that Dermotts information provided by the Storm boys would have been more a reference to out of session recovery, and doing whatever it takes... rather than just doing the required stuff... and possibly a reference to the fact that our boys were not hurting enough after the loss.

But I can't see this making any difference to peoples views... they either think it's a joke to even think on it... or the clubs a joke.

http://youtu.be/J6_1Pw1xm9U

How dare he make our pin-up boy earn his spot! Dean Bailey would have never done that!

Agree, unless he plays this week and therefore didn't earn it, got it back anyway. That would be a WTF Neeld moment for me.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HeraldSunAflMelbourne/~3/hol_MwbmgS4/story-e6frf9mf-1226621044560

Yup. Not winning games cos the boys had a spa after training..

It's worse than that. They were laughing too....Dermie said