RalphiusMaximus

Funny, I come here to talk football and every thread gets derailed by the anti Neeld mob. Same problem viewed from different angles.

As opposed to sacking him and proving that we are: Credulous Fickle Impatient Gullible Easily led Lacking integrity Lacking focus Lacking unity Irresolute Neeld has done exactly what he promised us he would do. He has pruned the diseased limbs, now we need to give the tree time to grow. The knee-jerk alarmists who want to sack anotehr coach with the job half done need to chill out and wait to see what the finished product looks like. Seriously, after 50 years without a flag, is 1 more going to make that much of a difference to you? It's a gamble I am more than willing to take.

The 5 million loss is contingent upon the coaching staff being sacked. If we keep them on then two of your points are gone instantly. Supporter unrest can be helped by everyone on these boards chilling out and letting the man coach. Player dissatisfaction is a rumour perpetuated in the media (how do I know this? I don't but then there is just as much evidence for my side as for theirs). That leaves the only real problem that we can't win a game right now. I'd rather wait until the end of the season to see how that one pans out.

Heh. I didn't look at the whole HF line. That would be pretty unfortunate, wouldn't it?

Again, an awesome post with a great deal of common sense.

Don't expect Fitz to be there. Neeld said he'd be playing in the firsts. Really hope he does.

I disagree. Blease is a long way off being what he should be, but he does have magic. When was the last time we saw five goals from a mid/small forward? The kid can seriously play when he's on, but like so many over the years, needs to learn how to turn it on at will rather than just whenever it happens.

I'm confused. If we keep losing then Neeld is a crap coach who has to go, but if he makes changes after a terrible performance it's not him trying to get a better result, but rather a pathetic "attempt to save his arse"? I thought we wanted the team to win. Isn't that the whole point of the multitude of threads attacking the coach? What will you call it if we start winning games? I sneaky attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the media and board?

Contrary to popular opinion, we didn't. He knew at the start of the season that he wouldn't be offered a new contract. That never changed. He felt that his form warranted one anyway, and was told that this was not the case. Was it a bad move? Absolutely. Was he knifed in the back? Hell no.

An AFL head coach should not have to worry about teaching his players how to kick the ball. This is why they have that kicking test at draft camp. The players are already supposed to have the basic skills to play the game when they arrive at the club. Once again, refer to Chris Dawes' comment. The coach shouldn't have to be teaching the players how to put in. The fact that he is being forced to waste his and their time trying to rectify these issues is an absolutely damning indictment on the playing group.

Magner is a puzzle. I can accept Gawn being Gawn for the moment. He's struggled more each week he's played. Needs a break to freshen up and get his mojo back.

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I don't think the line-up on paper is all that much to do with where they will start the game.

This is simply a manner I adopt to avoid sounding overly egotistical.

It's also not true. I'm the smartest guy in the room, and don't you forget it.

Not by me.

It's a bit of a puzzle that one. Maybe he ran over the CEOs cat?

If you're worried about ridicule, imagine being the basket-case club that sacked two consecutive coaches halfway through their contracts on the grounds that they were doing exactly what they were told to and it looked bad. Personally, I think people need to worry less about appearances and more about substance. I don't give a crap if we look bad doing it, I want Neeld's mission to be completed.

I see Fitz named on an extended Bench. That's not quite a "He will play as a forward this week" is it? I'll take a bench of Nicholson, Fitzpatrick, Strauss and Kent (em) thanks.

You can't blame Neeld for the p*ss poor drafting that happened before he was at the club! How many times do I have to say it? He has had two drafts with us. In that time he has spent first round picks on Mitch Clark (Win), Jimmy Toumpas (yet to be decided) and Hulk Hogan (Win). Blaming him for reporters being reporters and looking to score cheap headlines is almost as bad. Melbourne are an easy target and have been for years. That won't change with a new coach. It will only give them more ammunition.

So you agree then that the gameplan can't be judged by the performance of the senior team due to their "terrible disposal, inability to hit targets, no one spreading and running to spaces," which was basically my point on the players needing to get it right. If you want to see it working properly, go and watch Casey play.

Is this thing still going. I would have thought the Mods would have shut it down by now. Isn't that the usual thing with duplicate threads?

PM24, I LOVE that post. It so clearly outlines the things this coaching group has been doing. I am 100% in agreement with everything you have said in there. Not the LOL, btw. The post before that.

We took Sellar to be a hole-filler. He is an acceptable fill-in for a tall defender or tall forward when we don't have one available through injury. He's a big athletic unit who can hold his own in a physical contest and even pinch-hit in the ruck. All in all I think we've gotten reasonable value out of him given we took him in the 50's. He's never going to be great, but he's a handy enough utility to cover a number of positions as the need arises.

I'll just focus on this bit for a moment. Now this may seem a bit of a tangent, but My boss is an idiot. Not just an idiot, but a prize-winning grade A moron. She was promoted into her current managerial role solely on the basis of seniority, having been in the same workplace for 30-odd years. I've worked with her for several years prior to her promotion, and I knew just how much of an idiot she was when she put her name up for the promotion. I assumed that the PTB would know as well as I did that she is a terrible choice for the job. Sadly, they didn't. Now, I know this woman is a moron. I know that she has absolutely no idea of what her underlings actually do as she hasn't left her cubby in years prior to her promotion and rarely leaves her office now. It is safe to say that I disagree with 99% of what she does, and she can not be reasoned with. That being said, I am a professional. I am very very good at what I do, and take pride in my work. As a professional, I accept that if this is the policy we have to work with, I have to make it work to the best of my ability regardless of what I think of it. I freely admit that I am counting the days until The Boss's contract expires in the hopes that she will be replaced, but while she is in charge I am going to do everything in my power to make things work, because I am a professional and that is my job. This is a simple enough situation. As you have stated above, I have no faith whatsoever in this person. I think it was a terrible decision to give her the job and I am counting the days until she is gone. But I still give it 100%. If I can do that, why can't these players who are paid six figure salaries for playing a game they love to play do the same? There's no great secret to improving a team's performance. It takes hard work, goalsetting and application. This is something you can do whether you like your coach or not, whether you believe in the gameplan or not. You can only control what you do, and if you put in 100% every time you walk on to the field then things will improve. I hear people saying they want to play finals. Simple solution, play better. If Jack Watts pulls his finger out, commits to being a player and gives 100% every time he's on the field, he not only provides the team with a much better player in one spot, but he gives an example to others. Maybe a couple of flagging teammates say "hell, if he can do that I can too!" I've been saying for years that our team looked like an unprofessional rabble when they trained. I was thrilled when Neeld came in and promised that no matter what, he would have a professional team who were doing the right things off field. What I see at the club now is the last remnants of that cancerous unprofessional attitude fighting to stay alive. Whether it is killed by the players in question pulling their heads out of their collective ass and getting on with things, or by them being moved on, I think that is is the right way to go. If we are to compete we need to be professional, and if the players had any idea what that meant we would not be losing so badly. I'll take the short-term pain happily for that to happen. Look at my comments in some of the new coach threads. Same theme. Get someone who will set new standards of professionalism. I couldn't care less about the gameplan. They change every few years anyway. Give me players who understand what they need to do to be the best and I'll be happy.