Grand New Flag

Dunn doing good job on Judd....... so far

Grimes gone!

Looks like an AC

Grimes shoulder?

Oh no!

We really deserved a couple of early goals, suddenly it is looking very worrying.

Scoreboard pressure is everything. That goes we are gone!

I am very frightened about this weekend.

I believe Carlton have the best ruck and mid-field going around (just my opinion). They chop teams up once their mid-field start to dominate, they run hard and fast and have the ability to score at lightening pace with 3 dominate small forwards. We have no one that can match their midfield or mosquito squad forwards. At the same time our players seem lost, tend to think about the game plan, where they should be standing/running rather than just playing by their instincts. We are weak, confidence smashed, are players look disenchanted, they look broken. We are in a death roll and the coach has no answers on how to create mentally strength required to at least not be a complete embarrassment. This could well be MFCs darkest day.

The line bet at 60 points is an amazingly generous bet. We should all be putting money on Carlton on the line so as the pain of the pending bloodbath is slightly smoothed with some cash.

My gut tells me this will be the last time we see Neeld coach. Please let this be the silver lining to what is promising to be another very dark day.

Sorry for sounding so pessimistic, I am a natural bull, but this is where we are at.

No one is suggesting that all problems at the MFC are his fault. No one is arguing that he has the most difficult of tasks.

Simply I am arguing that Neeld does not have the skill set or experience to deal with the monumental size of the problem. I will go one step further and say Neeld is making things worse not better. He has become a major part of the problem than part of the solution.

I feel sorry for Neeld, but he must go and go quickly.

No one minds losing (too much) when the players have given it a red hot go, particularly when undermanned. However, surely Neeld is just one more inept effort away from being shown the door.

There is no light.

I have come to the conclusion we need a temporary coach from outside the club.

I think someone like Ratten should be offered temporary senior coach till season end. If Ratten can prove himself, win 5 - 7 games (with an easy draw) he can get the role full time. If not we have 16 rounds to convince the best possible experianced coach to risk their reputation and come to the rabble called Melbourne FC.

4 days until we see the end of Neeld.

Thank God!

"That was Moloney's first good game, they were 1 and 3, Rivers left because he wanted to try and play finals in his last year, Bennell is a rookie in home state, Petterd has been given a role, he is now being caught out in that role, the other two can't get a game... and most on here hated the latter 4 with a passion"

This is rubbish! Moloney's form has been excellent, Rivers would have stayed if not for the fact we are a basket case. Neeld was a factor. Pettard has been ok. Keeps his spot in a finals bound team, but had an average game last week, mind you on current form would be in Melbourne's best dozen. Morton has a long term injury, as has Bennell and have not been seen. I always though the right coach could make Morton. Just too many errors at critical moments.The one you have missed is Martin. You cant tell me that Martin is worse than Sellar or Pederson.

I'm glad that you've acknowledged that Howe and Jones have improved....aren't they part of a new culture?

Gee, so two players out of 42 have moved forward, the rest backwards or downwards. We have a young group of high draft picks, who should all be on their way up. If you think 2 out of 42 (I actually count 3) you are setting the bar so low its embarressing.

Some people can coach some people can't. Neeld cant.

For those who are asking who we should bring in to replace Neeld after round 5:

The answer: It does not matter as long as they are qualified with the right experience etc. as long as it is a person who can install confidence, self-belief and inspire the players to play for the gurnsey, for their club for the supporters and for their careers. Again I go back to the example of Roos. Roos was brought in as a temporary coach with limited coaching experiance. He inspired his team in such a manner that the team begged the board to keep him, the board had to renege on a contract to Wallace (I think)?. Several years later they repaid the board with a Premiership.

Roos changed the culture of the Swans but he also installed self belief, self confidence. The team quickly went from a soft, defenceless team (not that much worse than us) to a tough, hard defensive masters. Improved results were seen almost immediately. Roos took over before mid-season.

Fellow members: We have chosen the wrong man in Neeld. It is in my opinion Neeld is the greatest mistake this club has made since sacking Norm Smith. Are board must recognise their mistake and must be strong and decisive.

Sack Neeld after the club disgraces itself and the AFL again this Sunday.

so you want to play the part of Grant Thomas, sack 'Blight' before he barely starts, & then take over and coach, as Thomas did.. great we'll all play 'Thomas the Tank Engine with you, for the next 5 years...

& then we'll all be back again, on this same 40 Yr Old Movie set...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt4JXKUv5MQ

.

Out and out rubbish. Just dribble.

I believe that Neeld HAS changed this year.....Posters on here have been putting crap on him for publicly praising players after heavy losses....Do you really think that he does not talk to players during the week or think that he is a tough arse everyday at all times.....Give him a bit of intelligence.....It's going to take time......Another coach at this time would be suicide.......

Yes, I have noticed that Neeld now says some nice things publically. He has obviuosly been told that this is part of his problem and he is attempting to change............. but is too late. He has lost the group, we are destined to fall further into the abyss. We are destined to lose more tallented players, we are destined to remain the laughing stock of the competition.

Again I am not against the approach, I am not against changing the culture. Simply we have hired the wrong person, who does not have the skill set to do it.

Neeld must be fired. I am expecting another 15 goal hartless loss this week. I pray (and I am not religious) that the board use this upcoming loss to boot this dud squarly out of our club.

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?????

Mate, that is the simplistic approach that Neeld is using. It does not work.

They are mostly 18 -24 yo kids, there football club becomes their family, families need to give support. They are gen Y. Its just not as simple as kicking everyones arse 24/7. You can be tough, you can be hard, you can be strict but to get the most out of your players you need to know each ones personality and head space and how to get the most out of that peronality and head space. You need to know when to go hard, you need to know when to rebuild their confidence, you need to know how to build confidence and self belief at the same time as being tough and changing culture. This is the missing skill that Neeld does not have. This is creating all our problems.

As I said getting the most out of your team (no matter what it is) is not a one size fits all prospect.

Nup...

the single biggest danger of this club, is to Not Fix the Rotten Soft Culture this Club has endured for the best part of 40 Yrs.

making change like this is very uncomfortable, 7 meets with huge resistance from players & from some staff....and, this is why its such a tough job for a coach to do.

I know this stuff very well from around footy clubs, & I have had to change myself over my journey, & have learnt from experts.

I was one of these types when I was young, & I took on the new foreman at our work resisting & challenging his regimented ways.. He got rid of me a couple of times.. until I decided I didn't want to go back.

I understand well what has happened at Melbourne over the decades, & I understand former players discomfort with the changes, & I understand former & current players would not "Get It",,, understand the need to change it, nor Why.

But anyone can see, that decades of coaches, & decades of recruits & players, Not fulfilling their talents, is a hallmark of our Once great Club.

Don't Panic..... reacting out of fear & ignorance is the worst possible way to handle a situation where change is being undertaken.

Dee-Luded: I am not argueing that the culture needed to change, nor that it is a difficult period. My argument is that this has been done in such a way that players have simply not "bought in" despite what some claim. Neeld is a hard arse who is not respected, he has not earned respect. All he has done is destroyed confidence and self belief. A good hard arse coach like Multhouse demands respect but he has also earnt that respect, he also understands that personalities are not one fits all. Different personalities must be dealt with in different ways. As an owner of my own business you understand that you must change your approach (not message) to get the most out of differing personalities.

My observation is that Neeld does not change the way he delivers his message for player to player. This is poor management.

It is also obvious he hates all the well educated private school boys; Martin, Pettard, Watts, Bleese, Strauss. He loves the battlers. His treatment of Watts who is a mature, good man has been appalling. Expect to see Watts at Carlton next season, I know as a fact that he has already been approached and he would love TO PLAY FOR MALTHOUSE who has been his mentor. If this happens responsibility will again fall on Neelds shoulders.

Please we must get rid of Neeld as matter of urgency.

With due respect to you Grand New Flag, of those players you've noted here (Martin, Pettard, Moloney, Rivers, Davey and Green), most of the old guard, I would have moved on via trade some years ago, hanging onto Riv, & the younger ones at that time...

As of last year, I wanted all traded/gone except maybe Petterd, who I thought could still play, but wasn't sure if we could get his attitude turned back around.

I wanted us to trade green & davey, some years ago. as I new back then we were 'bruise free'. (this is the culture we have to kill off)

Moloney was in another basket.

So I think the footy dept are on the right track with the ones who have gone, /Even if it is painful to us all to see players we have become attached to playing/being elsewhere.

Deep down in the pits of our stomachs we know they were NQR's...

I disagree, I would have kept all these players. They are our experianced players, we had already moved on far too many experianced players too quickly. This is part of the problem. Even that dud Neeld recognised this with the recruitment of senior players.

Moloney life long Dees supporter. Moloney is Moloney and not perfect, but as a big bodied clearance player, he is exactly what we need. Simply we are smashed in the centre square. He would be our second best mid-fielder. It is rubbish to suggest we are not significantly worse off without him

Pettard: lost his spirit under Neeld.Lost his confidence and ability. Now playing excellent football for Richmond.

Martin: had a famous blowup with Neeld mid season. He never played seniors again. He is a far better prospect than Pederson, Seller, or Gillies. Until injured was playing outstanding football for Brisbane.

Rivers: A terrible loss, no one can argue. If he thought we were on track he would have stayed. Was unhappy with his treatment when dumped from leadership group.

Green: Better than Roden. Why dump Green and then recruit a senior player like Roden?

Simply this is part of the reason why we have gone backwards. Out of all of traded recruits only Brynes deserves praise. The rest have given us nothing and far less than the list of Dees that Neeld delt out.

As deluded pointed out, and you have deflected, half of the group is not out of contract.

There was no mass exodus of players the FD wanted to keep and there won't be one this season.

Whether we move Neeld now or in August makes little difference to who will coach us next year.

And please keep our personal mental disintegration off of here by saying we will be extinct.

That is utter BS.

What, don't you think that 5 more years at the bottom of the table will cause us to go belly up?

If our better players decide they want out because we are a basket case and can't get along with the coach and we lose 3 -5 of them each season, like last year, we will remain at the bottom, we will become worse on the field, we will generate less money from gate receipts, and sponsorship and we will go belly up. The AFL will not save us. This is why we are now at the cross roads. The downside risks are enormous. Do not put your head in the sand on where we are at.

You may say changing the coach imminently will not make any difference, I fundamentally and absolutely disagree. Letting the rot set in any further will only see us fall deeper into the abyss.

If this is the case, I would hope the Football Director and the board are aware of the risks of the uncontracted players walking - to not know would be dire.

Its not just uncontracted players, its contracted players considering asking to be traded.

So, you say you had a lengthy discussion with the recently retired (MFC) player? was this player recently retired from the Demons, or played for another club, then retired?

.. and if true, do they want Misson gone? do they want NCraig gone? all the assistant coaches gone?

lets us know what you've heard. say it, you don't have to spill names...

Player contracts: 2013

Watts, Sylvia (UFA), Davey (RFA), Grimes, Taggert, Gawn, Tynan, Fitzpatrick, Nicholson, Evans, MacDonald, Sellar, Jetta, Davis, Couch ®, Magner ®, Rodan, Gillies

My understanding is the problem is with Neeld, but the desire to leave is not just because of the coach. The greater club must also take some responsibility.

I am heavily conflicted with this post

On one hand I don't like hearing my club being in this situation with the playing group being unhappy - and i don't reckon you need to use your imagination to see who you maybe alluding to (12 & 8)

On the other hand I'd say this attitude is that of a weak playing group and a weak club. Players should never dictate how they play the game. Only 8 had achieved anything being an AA, the rest haven't achieved anything - none are consistent AFL players, none deserve any recognitiion

So do we choose the hard road - and install a new culture of hard work and professionalism - or do we cave in to demands for short term gains and more then likely stay weak? As i said I am heavily conflicted - this club is f'ked either way it goes - I give up

A couple of things Unleash Hell. Firstly, the situation is far worse than just (12 & 8). I would name all the players I have been told, but its second hand, may have some errors, would destroy confidence with my source and destroy my friendship since I promised I would not (unliuke last year). I agree with you that you never want the players to dictate terms. They are not, they are not making demands, they are simply preparing to leave. I have another friend who is a player manager who looks after a number of Melbourne players who said that this is so well known, not only are Melbourne players enquiring about options, other clubs have already starting making inquiries. This is a very serious situation.

I have said this before and I will say it again. It is the coaches primary responsibility to get the most out of his players. This coach has divided the playing group, and destroyed their confidence and self belief. Our performances since his arrival have been beyond appaulling and we are going backwards. The buck must stop with the coach. He must be fired quickly.

Name the player of GAGF

I can't name the player as he is still involved with the club (thus should know), however, as I said he is recently retired and was a well liked senior player. What I am saying is not speculation. Last June I posted that Martin, Pettard, Moloney, Rivers, Davey and Green had all had major fallings out with Neeld. I said the only one of this group that would be here in 2013 was Davey as he was the only one in contract and too old to trade. I was savaged on this forum............. 5 months later it was reality. Let me say, the situation this season is far worse than last season. What I say may be second hand, but it is true. My past record must be taken into account, evidence in the performance of the players, evidence from other sources backs up what I am saying. Something is very wrong, many more players are preparing to leave.

This is Neeld's responsibility, he is a dud. He has done untold damage. If this situation is not sorted shortly he will bring down our club. We will become extinct. That is how serious things are.

I am on my knees, I am begging, the board must fire Nelld now or take ultimate responsibility for the death of the 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.

Mate, do disrespect but things are past this point. The situation is far worse than you suggest. Make no mistake, staying on the current path is suicide. It is blind suicide faith.

The playing group is broken, they want out of this rabble of a club. If we wait until seasons end there WILL BE A MASS EXITUS. Half our list is out of contract. I have spoken in detail with a recently retired player about this. The situation is dire.

The reason for changing coached now is to give us some chance of holding onto these players come seasons end. If a caoch can be brought in who can inspire and get the players playing for there club, their gurnsey, that can create self belief we will not only see better performances, and less blowouts we will also see more wins and most importantly we have some chance of holding onto our players seasons end. This is the fundamental reason why Neeld must be sacked immediately.

Can I remind you that we have one just one game under Neeld (not including new franchises), but what is more concerning is that we are getting worse not better.

Mark my words.... we will again get smashed this week, it will be another heatless thrashing.

The question must be asked. What have we to lose changing coaches right now? Can we be worse? The answer is almost certainly no. We can bring in a caretaker, you never know the caretaker could end up being like Roos was when he took over Sydney. Regardless we will have 15 rounds to find the best experienced coach possible.

For the sake of our club, Neeld must go. He should resign in shame, but that is not reality.

Anyone remember Carlton, Pagan etc, the players, like DH Fevola, ran the show and buried a established coach, and several others. Yes we have gone backwards while we reset who our senior players are, they were good, had some skill but perhaps they were better soldiers than leaders, that said the shafting of Junior was a huge mistake, of the players that were changed. Moloney and Green I loved as players of the club but we weren't breaking down the doors of the top 8. Yes we have two young captains but the basis has been set that we will be fitter, we are talking footballers here, one skill set at a time, talking of the coach and whether he has lost the playing group is just stupid when we wanted a culture change and our now getting it. Take your effing medicine and stop believing in the snake oil quick fix BS that changing Neeld would be.

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!

Can those that want immediate removal of Neeld please tell me why we would be so set back by not giving him another, say, three months?

Please read my previous posts. I have spelt these reasons out again and again.