PJ_12345

Good on you Greg... got to show improvement against two of the best sides in the game - Healey sure knows how to hedge his bets. He is right though in that our midfield is crap. MN should drop 2 forwards down into the mid and leave 3 up there... do a Sydney and flood it. Get creative because clearly this midfield, players and zoning isn't working

Or under Dean Bailey?

In the first two games we had Clark and Dawes out... hardly a full list to choose from when your two key forwards are out. Agreed that no coach has their full list at all times. I'm not making excuses. I want to judge him fairly. I would like to see what he and the team can do when Trengrove, Clark, Viney, Silvia and Tommy Mac are back in a couple of rounds + our bye... particulary considering 4 of those are our best players. You're right - its how the coach gets the best out of his players, and looking at our list's skills, fitness and effort we are lucky we arent having consecutive 186s.

Keep Misson and Craig, they hold the most amount of experience at the club - something PJ was highlighting we lack. I'll judge Neeld and his short-term performance once Trengrove, Viney, Silvia, Clark, Tommy Mac and Toumpas are back. No one can do much with this current list.

Constructive.

Flood the midfield. Clearly we don't need a traditional forward set up so bring Watts or Howe into the midfield. Until we have Silvia, Viney, and Toumpas back we need to get creative. Sydney use a similar plan, only 3 players front and back - the rest in the midfield... look how well that worked against the Hawks.

What grinds my gears the most. Basic stuff such as smothering, shepherding, spreading, being the first first in and first out in a contest, and running - just the lack of running kills me the most. These guys are getting paid on average (across the AFL) $300,000 a year... I know a rugby team in NSW made their players work as a laborer for one day of the week - maybe that type of program should be brought in for a month, but you'd think the fact that their laziness is going to cost 2 coaches their job, probably theirs, and ruin their club would be incentive enough.

Poppy [censored]. Last time I checked MN wasn't running around on the ground, going out on the [censored] during the week and getting in a tussle with team mates and laughing in a hot tub. MN is a big part of the equation, but to blame him for 100% of the poor performance is rubbish. People can say they are putting in no effort because of MN but for me that's pathetic. They need to take responsibility of their own actions. I hate my boss like the next guy, but I put in 100% effort in what I do because that's what I get paid for... You'd think they would do the same and also because their club is struggling

Ditto, I go for the dees, Wigan Athletic FC (just got relegated) and the Melbourne Rebels...

Give it a rest mate. We know you don't like Neeld. There are countless relevant threads you can put your non-constructive, 'insightful' hyperboles in.

Patience is what he needs. He needs supporters to remember that long term performance is more important that short term results. No one said this would be quick. No one said this would be easy. A new coach wont be able to do anything more with our current list. All it will do will hurt us financially, negatively contribute to culture (high turnover), go through another rebuilding process to suit the new coach, and teach the players that its alright to be lazy, its alright to provide no effort when your club needs you to put it in the most because hey, its the coach's fault and we will just get you a new one and keep paying you for sub par performances.

How does a 13 year old girl think what she yelled out was clever, witty, and most importantly acceptable. We have all done stupid things when we were young... but this is just beyond stupid and she has learnt a very important lesson in front of the whole country. The sad thing is that this isn't the first time I have seen a young female Collingwood supporter being ejected from a stadium. The worst was when I saw an underage girl who was drinking get thrown in the back of a divy van quickly followed by mum and dad who were both as drunk as her. Some of the things coming out of her mouth still bewilders me... ironically she clearly learnt it from her parents who were yelling the same things when they were being arrested. I wonder if you get a family discount if you all get arrested together

I'll feed the notorious bird that constantly relieves itself on my car... god damn it I hate that bird

When you go to click the link button to paste the URL, instead highlight some text (or a shorter title like what you want) like The greatest journalist of all time and then procede to paste the URL list usual in the link prompt and it should look like this: The gretest journalist of all time

You're right, I'm getting confused with all the different posters - I've miss-quoted you.

Binman, Callum Ward Chris Judd Gary Ablett Mitch Clark Brendon Goddard but these 5 didnt leave because they werent in their clubs 22... that 5 out of 13 - hardly "almost all"

Semantics rjay - I meant dropped in the sense off the list for the game. IIf you're argument is about transperency and if he should be played with a cold/injury or whether he should be playing better footy than thats fine... but thats a far cry from your original statement: "Neeld who has methodically destroyed his confidence and toyed with him." Re his "natural growth". People criticise MN for not developing players, then when players develop its a natural growth - lol its laughable

You're right, what is unanimous is his ability to read the play and ball. Personally I dont think its a matter of condifence issues anymore. He took some great contested marks when last up forward, which I think contributed to half of our total contested marks. Its about effort. MN obviously has a view that the club is bigger than a single player, and that if players don't put any effort in because they dont like the positions they are forced to play in (see Moloney) then you're out. I'd like to see what Watts can do again up forward. That being said and done if he isnt putting forward the effort when he is down back, which he is being paid to do then see you later. I'd like to keep him.

Nail on the head re Ziggy v. ASADA. I just thought there would be a more concrete and damning line like with WADA and Amstrong - like "we have found evidence of a systematic, illegal drug program..". the media will do the rest. IBy severing ties with Essendon he leaves himself open to become a scapegoat. I feel for him too. I dont think he would have known alot... Looking at CEO's over the past few years I think more than ever its important to have a direct line of responsibility and corporate governance - lucky we have PJ to restructure our FD. As for possible CEO with us I wouldn't touch him with a 10 foot pole. Sounds like a good CEO, but this drug issue will be around for a while and think of the field day the media would have if he was with us - just makes us a bigger target. Hopefully we can find someone with the same credentials but less baggage!

Pre-emptive resignation. If the Ziggy Switkowski report, which was paid by Essendon and investigated by an Essendon supporter, said: "The CEO must be accountable for everything that happens within his organisations,"... Imagine what ASADA's report is going to look like

Its true. I went to a game at Casey after his AFL debut and CC was there. I asked him how Watts was going and he said it was confidence issues. CC stayed around and pointed out some things to me, like the biggest issue is that he used to go to ground too often in contests. How has Neeld not handled Watts well? Watt's played his best footy last year under Neeld. Had the 3rd highest average disposals in the team and his personal best average ect. Quite litterally he has improved every stat you look at. Other posters have addressed why he was dropped due to his injury.

Why? You have players who aren't contrubuting any effort, leadership or experience and want to leave the club, but you want to get rid of one of the only players who contributes this and wants to be here? His fitness isn't the best, but clearly showing improvement... which can't be said for some of our list.

Watt's confidence was destroyed when we played him too early, you can't attribute it all to MN, particularly when he was playing some of his best footy last year under MN. What I have seen from Watts this year isn't a lack of confidence, it's a lack of effort. He used to go to ground too easily, even at Casey, in his early years. Now he is too lazy to get into those situations. The only time he put in some effort was when he was breifly played up forward where his confidence in his kicking and marking was already there.

I like Davey. Whenever he comes on as a sub he provides some fire, passion and leadership. I know its a lot of talk, but I'd like to see him get his fitness back up to be able to play a full game/be a feature. Maybe this is what Watts needs. He has experience up forward, down back and on the wing so is more versatile as a sub than Davey. Might take some pressure off Watts and get him to enjoy his footy.