Grand New Flag

Green was sacked as Captain, that is what I was talking about. He also did not want to retire, he was forced out. I ask who would you prefer Green or one of the aged has beens we recruited to take his place. As for the experienced coach, we have until years end to find one, I can think of many who would be worth talking to but don't want to get into an argument of the merits of each name. In the interim we should be putting in an interim coach who may just make the grade. Call it a 16- 20 round interview. The interim coach must be primarily someone who can unite and inspire the team and create confidence. That is the main objective at this point, because if this does not happen we will have a mass excites at seasons end. This is what happened to Roos, at Sydney. This is what he was brought into do, he was only an interim coach to inspire, unite and build confidence. The rest is history.

The only thing that will send this club belly up.... the only thing is more years of being completely uncompetitive. Being uncompetitive compromises and drastically weakens every avenue of revenue. Being successful allows a club to expand revenue. I don't want to be in debt, but as I said, a top line coach will pay for himself. We actually have no choice but to go after the best we can get and pay the price. Personally I would be talking to the AFL about some support landing the best coach and CEO available. It is not in the AFLs interest for any team to be as uncompetitive as we are. I have donated alot of money to the club over the last 5 years. I am devastated with what has happened since the great mans passing. Let me assure you moving forward those who donate to the club every year will be much more generous if we saw it going to a good coach who has united the playing group and supporters and developed some respect from the football world. Just one other thing, subject to a miracle, a dramatic improvement in form and the winning of many games imminently. Neeld is a dead man walking. The only question is when. I am strongly arguing as soon as a transition plan has been put into place. I expect and pray that behind the scenes this is plan is being developed.

It is clear the culture of the team is poor and the club is broken. Personally I put responsibility on Neeld for the appalling way he tried to stamp authority by dividing the players on grounds of experience. The complete turn over in the leadership group, sacking of Green and installing of rookies as captain was a massive slap in the face for all palyers that had been at the club for more than a few years. I feel that Neeld has become a cancer. It is going to take a long time to reunite the players. I want to see someone come in soon who can start the healing and bonding process, present a more suitable game plan. A interim coach who has the ability to inspire and most importantly create confidence in the players. The interim coach may prove to be the one (aka Roos at Sydney) and be instated permanent, but if not leaves the option open to chase after the best available. There is no point hanging onto a girlfriend when you know she is not the one. There is no point holding onto a coach when you know he is not the one. Neeld is the problem, and not part of the solution. The signs have been there since almost day 1.

What rubbish. So 3 of our young up and coming players took a step forward while the other 39 went sideways or backwards. Most went backwards. No disrespect mate, but the performance of the team is ultimately the responsibility of the head coach. The head coaches primary responsibility is to get the most out of his players. You can't argue this or the failure of Neeld to achieve this. If we do not fix this mess up quickly and install a respected, experianced coach quickly we will have a run on our players like you could never imagine come season end. As for your comment that we could not afford Malthouse or Roos, rubbish. It would have cost a whole lot less that the mess we have found ourselves in for selecting some untried gala who has tried to stamp authority on the club by tearing apart the playing group. Retired off our experienced players and club heros and then insulted them by recruiting not has good equally aged has beens from other clubs!!!! The extra sponsorship and interest in the club with a top line coach like Roos or Multhouse would almost pay the extra cost by itself. Further don't tell me we would have lost by 148 points if either of these two were coaching. At worst we would be competitive. The selection committee made a horrible mistake. This was part of the reason why Schwab was sacked, he was on the selection committee. We must clear Neeld out quickly and efficiently. I pray (and I am not religious) that the board in conjunction with the AFL are putting together a transition plan as we speak and this plan will be executed in the coming weeks. I trust the board is doing this. Simply if we want to keep Watts, Frawley etc at seasons end, we must dump Neeld and replace him with experience and quality early in the season.

Are you serious? Could it be the fact that virtually all our players have gone backwards since his appointment? Could it be we went from a team who had won 8.5 games in the previous two seasons to a team that effectively won just one game last years (not counting new franchises) and could well go winless this season? Could it be the stampede of our better players desperate to leave the club at the end of last season. These included a life long Melbourne supporter in Moloney? Could it be the complete failure of Neeld to develop any of our early draft picks in the 18 months he has been the HEAD coach? Could it be the complete lack of a visible game plan, or the complete failure to instill the defensive pressure Neeld himself identified as a major weakness? Or could it be the failure to create a game plan the suits the young players on our list rather than trying to install an old Collingwood game plan that required big forwards and big bodies mid-fielders, a game plan that is superseded and all teams understand and know how to defeat. Perhaps its the complete lack of confidence and the loss of the natural flare of our players. Perhaps its the complete failure to being able to get the best out of his players (the primary responsibility of any coach), the complete failure to inspire get the players up to play for the gurnsey. Then again Neelds recruiting was great (not). Lets trade out young early draft picks for 30yo has beens who can't even cement a place in the worst team since the dying days of Fitzroy. Perhaps we should look at the form of some of the players we delisted like and, Pettard, Martin. They look a hell of a lot better than the duds we picked up. Maybe I feel its Neelds fault because we were just beaten by 148 points with just 35 tackles!!!!!!!!!! 50 less tackles than 186. Perhaps it was the poor treatment of our senior players in 2012, the sacking of Green as Captain, the sacking of Maloney and Rivers from the leadership group and installing players with less than 30 games experience as captains!!!!! (No disrespect intended to these boys). Not surprisingly all these players have run to the exit. Whatever the case, responsibility for these things falls to the head coach. NEELD MUST GO NEXT!!! He is a DUD. He should resign in shame. He is the worst mistake our club has made since sacking Norm Smith…….. and to think we could have held out and made a play for Malthouse or Roos.

Neeld is the problem. Jack will come good.

Who knows if Schwab was part of the problem or not. Time will tell. I have never understood how a CEO could have a big enough influence over the players to create problems like this. Surely the CEO runs the club and finances (everything off field) while the Head of the Football Department runs the players and everything on-field. If Schwab was getting too involved with the Football Department then he should go, but why he would be getting too involved is beyond me.

It is obvious to all that our mid-field has been the biggest issue. Simply we have the worst in the league with only GWS in the same category. This being the case why has MFC trading concentrated on KPP? In the last 2 years 5 KPP have been recruited. I would suggest that Clark, Dawes were worth recruiting and have plugged a hole but at least 2 or the other 3 should have been midfielders. If you struggle to win stoppages you will struggle. I believe this is our primary problem. Why do you think so many players have gone backwards under your time as senior coach?

Mitchell is a Melbourne supporter and member, just incase you were not aware.

If we had lost by 48 points you may have a point. To lose by 148 points, to be out scored 7 to 101 in the second half only happens with a complete failure of the entire football club. The players are on the front line, they did not go hard enough, they are to share the blame. Simply it is the lack of intensity, the failure of too many to put the head over the ball, the failure to run and spread. It was so poor it deserved to be booed. It was not good enough. I will boo inept performances again.

Booing and yelling frustrated abuse is ugly. However, so is the current effort shown by our team. As such it is justified. I booed and will boo again if I see inept, weak perfomances. If players don't give enough respect to the gurnsey. If players don't give their all.

After this performance it is clear to all that the club is broken and the problems stem far deeper than simply the coach. However, in saying this it is also painfully obvious to all that Neeld is not up to it. As I have said for over a year, he is a complete failure in his ability to get the most out of players. This is the PRIMARY task of a coach. He has raped our players of their natural instinct, and confidence. He has no ability to reinstall confidence once coming down on a player for not doing the right thing. Simply he is a massive liability. When players parents start coming out and confirming this as the issue. When you look at our list and see at least 90% of our list has gone backwards since he became coach and this is with a young up and coming list of mostly high draft picks. Then there is this insane recruiting which is another horror story in itself. What ever is the case, the greatest weight of blame must be put onto the head coach. I call on the board to immediately put together a plan for the imminent dismissal of the this pumpkin Neeld. It must happen ASAP, in the coming weeks once the board have put in place a transition plan. A message must also go to the players that incompetence will not be tolerated and that every one of them is playing for the future of the MFC and their personal future in the AFL. I was horrified when Melbourne went for another rookie coach in Neeld. This time around we must pick up an experienced coach. For the sake of the MFC please get rid of Neeld ASAP. If the board does not act responsibly, and quickly then they too are part of the problem.

Thanks Timmy, this is another major point. Good coaches don't simply copy a previous successful game plan. By the time you copy it, teams know how to defeat it.... its old and useless. A good coach comes in and develops a game plan that exagerates the streagths and minimises the weakness of your list. I still don't know what Neeld was doing trying to implement the old Collingwood game plan from their 2010 premiership, a game plan that required many stong big marking forwards, and big bodied midfielders when Melbourne had a team of highly talented but light under developed kids? What the????? This was a major grip of mine last season with Neeld. We need a new game plan that matches our strengths and weaknesses.

I agree with this, but ultimately it is the coaches responsibility to create an environment and a culture that in turn will deliver the mindset, the desire and self-belief required to regularly win games of AFL football.

Its time we faced facts..... on current performance Neeld is not up to it. He can't get the players to play for him, virtually all have gone backwards under his leadership, he cant install a game plan he cant install self belief. The board needs to start working on a replacement plan for the good of the MFC. I would give him to the mid-season break. If there is not a dramatic change in application, endevour, confidence which results in not just compeditive performances but al least 4 wins he must go. As it stands Neeld is the biggest mistake the MFC has made since sacking Norm Smith. I am sick and tired of going to the football and watching inept rubbish. The players must take a long look at themselves and their careers, but the buck stops with Neeld.

So why did MN not change the game plan to man on man at half time. It was clear to all that without a change in game plan we were headed for a loss. He had an opportunity to fix this at half time but did next to nothing. Further Watts should have been moved into the midfiled or onto the wing or even to CHF as he was struggling with a hard defensive tag.

I am not suggesting that he should be sacked this week. It is not yet possible and acking him this week would do more harm than good. What I said was ASAP. It should have been last year, but as it was not perhaps at the mid year break, perhaps earlier..... but early enough so we have a head start on other teams who will also be lookig for a new coach at seasons end. Seriously Neeld must be made to be more responsible for our performances. The buck must stop with him. He must go.

Last year I was savaged by posters on this site for pointing out the bleeding obvious. I will state it again. Neeld is missing a major skill required to have success as a senior coach. This is the skill to be able to get the most out of your players. Neeld has no ability to create the confidence and self belief required to be an AFL coach. The number of players who play as a shadow of the players they were prior to last season in staggering. Virtually all players have gone backwards despite them being mostly low draft picks, young and up coming. I watch as our x players who were moved on suddenly find there lost ability at new clubs and point to this as further evidence. At the same time our recruits from other clubs suddenly struggle to get a kick, struggle to play. I said it last year and I will say it again now. Neeld is not our man. He may be tough and smart, he may have a good footy brain but he is missing the skill of installing self belief and confidence while still being tough. He must be sacked ASAP. The perfomances since he became coach have been beyond appauling. Come season end we will see another wave of our better players asking to be traded or leaving through free agency if we don't get someone in who can install the most important thing in football........ self belief. Further we will be unable to trade for any quality recruit as the MFC will continue to seen as poison for any players career. We must get rid of Neeld before more damage is done.

I too cant understand why Neeld did not change tactics to man on man at half time. It was obvious to all that the game plan in the first half was going to lead to a loss. I was suprised with the lack of tactical moves made particularly at half time. Neeld is a spud! He should have been shown the door last season. He is the greatest mistake since sacking Norm Smith.

Last year I was savaged by posters on this site for pointing out the bleeding obvious. I will state it again. Neeld is missing a major skill required to have success as a senior coach. This is the skill to be able to get the most out of your players. Neeld has no ability to create the confidence and self belief required to be an AFL coach. The number of players who play as a shadow of the players they were prior to last season in staggering. Virtually all players have gone backwards despite them being mostly low draft picks, young and up coming. I watch as our x players who were moved on suddenly find there lost ability at new clubs and point to this as further evidence. At the same time our recruits from other clubs suddenly struggle to get a kick, struggle to play. I said it last year and I will say it again now. Neeld is not our man. He may be tough and smart, he may have a good footy brain but he is missing the skill of installing self belief and confidence while still being tough. He must be sacked ASAP. The perfomances since he became coach have been beyond appauling. Come season end we will see another wave of our better players asking to be traded or leaving through free agency if we don't get someone in who can install the most important thing in football........ self belief. Further we will be unable to trade for any quality recruit as the MFC will continue to seen as poison for any players career. We must get rid of Neeld before more damage is done. On a side issue on Watts: Watts was given a hard defensive tag by port and was smashed. Watts is our most skilled player and a player who has the ability and experiance to play all over the ground. I was disgusted that Neeld did not move Watts who was struggling to deal with the first hard tag of his career. He should have been moved onto the ball or up to the wing for a while, or even given a stint at CHF. Alternatively Watts could have been asked to tag a player with his tag also following him thus creating a spare MFC player. Anything but wasting his tallents at CHB with a hard tag while he is being smashed.

As some of you know I am close friends with a very high profile, senior player from another club. If you know who this player is please do not mention the name on this forum. Mid last year I was speaking to him about recreation drugs in the AFL and he said that the problem with recreation drugs in the AFL was less than it was 5 years ago, and less than in the general community. He said he could not understand why the AFL was putting so much effort into recreational drugs as in his opinion performance enhancing drugs were the real problem. He then went onto say that a new substance was widely used at Essendon and Collingwood. Further players from other clubs were also on this new substance. He said that this substance could not be tested for and he thought was not yet explicitly on the banned list. This substance gave benefit to strength, injury recovery, training and match recovery and endurance. In a recent conversation about Lance Armstrong he again complained about doping in the AFL. What this tells me that inside AFL circles this problem has been known about for some time. The AFL has been slow in reacting to this.

I have previously spoken about my serious concerns and absolute disapproval with Neeld. This trade period has exacerbated my concerns. Yes, our club will win more games in 2013 and will be significantly more competitive. However in my opinion we are further away than ever from making the top 4, let alone winning a flag which now looks beyond us this decade. We have sacrificed our talent and future for short term gain. We have recruited veterans as if our premiership window was open. It is not, history proves youth is the key and we have sold this out for players who are not as good as the players we have recently forced into retirement. These newly recruited veterans will be long retired by the time our traded players would come into peak. It makes no sense except short term job security for Neeld. For example surely it would have been better to keep Green, Gysberts and Martin than trade for Roden, and Brynes...... this is a insulting joke. We paid full price for all recruits bar Viney and although I see Melbourne playing more watchable, more aggressive, and tougher in 2013 I can’t see this group ever making the finals. In my view we have guaranteed the MFC will remain in the 2nd division for the next decade at least. This is a threat to our survival. Don't get me wrong I wish my view is proved wrong. I just can't see a build for a premiership with these players and tactics, all I can see is a sell out for mid table competitiveness.... ake Richmond under Wallace. God I hope I am wrong but I feel Neeld will prove to be the worst mistake since sacking Norm Smith.

I never said I would delist 10, I said at least 10 are closer to the door than him, in my opinion.

It is valid that he seems to have come good coming into his contract expiring. Nevertheless I dispute he gone backwards, half the team has gone backwards and he is not one of them. I am saying that at least 10 should be closer to the door than him, not including walk outs.

I don't know as a fact, I am told by a player manger that 15 want out. Dunn is one that is on the record as being "desperate" for a new contract. Neeld credited his performance in the last half of the season in the round 22 media conference and as such I would be shocked if he was to go. There are at least 10 players I would delist infront of him, not including those who ask for a trade or take feee agency. As such I feel he is safe. What ever you say about Dunn, whether you like him or hate him, no one can deny that he gives 100% at every contest and is a wonderful kick on both feet.