Dr. Gonzo

I dunno - I can understand what those who want Neeld gonna are saying; on the other hand I don't think you can get a guy in and give him a mandate to change the entire culture of the club/FD and then sack him 18 months later after a couple of uncompetitive losses. I think we'd be better served by honouring our contract with Neeld or at least waiting until the end of the year to determine whether we think he's the guy to go forward with or not. Look at the list he took over, how it had been developed, how he's changed it and invested in the future (Hogan) - he's made mistakes, sure, but you can't expect him to have fixed the club in a little over one season.

What stats? Training time-trial records? GPS data? Or was it just a basic "we scored more in the last quarter under Bailey therefore fitter"? Neeld is trying to implement a modern game style which requires far more running at higher speeds for longer periods. This means that the players may appear to tire quicker but that is only because they are being forced to run both ways, to run back to set up defensive structures, to run forward to create options and to spread when we have the ball. Under Bailey all we really did was sit across full-back/half-back and burst-run forward of the ball when we won possession across the backline. When we had the ball via a mark/free kick there was virtually no run to create options whatsoever and when we had the ball on the run everyone ran to the same spots in straight lines instead of spreading to create options and spread the defense. Now clearly we are not on top of this yet and not able to implement the game style completely yet which means there is still plenty of occasions where you'll see the entire team stagnant with only one player moving to create an option however overall if you were able to analyse the teams GPS data I think you'd find they were certainly running further during games and at greater speed for longer periods than they were previously under Bailey.

Can't believe no-one has raised the issue of the MFC not having a boot room yet!! No wonder this club can't win games, what an absolute disgrace!

Yeah but when you think this is the same mob that writes cheques to Andrew Bolt; yeah quite fathomable. They know who their audience are.

Just like Eddie used to hey? Hypocrite.

Wouldn't this be reason to give Neeld MORE time, not sack him now?

Perhaps after constantly hearing they're not good or fit enough they started to believe it?

Same here - I couldn't get into it even when we hit the front because really we should never have been in that position in the first place and it was only against GWS. But as the quarter went on and we began slamming home goals from everywhere (especially as they were kicked by Big Maxy, Evans, Howe & Flash) I got back into it. The players and coaches deserve to hear the cheers after all the rubbish they've been under, most of them for their whole careers.

Off-field is worse than on-field for them. They made 3 consecutive prelims not too long ago whereas off-field they're $10M in the hole.

Doesn't matter what you think when you hear his name just watch him play. He doesn't have to be like Joel Selwood in his frenetic intensity on the ball - I'm just talking about the basics that is expected of any AFL level footballer when it comes to urgency and intensity, attack on the ball and doing the team thing.

These three posts sum it all up, might as well end the thread now.

Could play an Andrew Embley type role IF he decides to pull his finger out and show some intensity and urgency. I think it's not a matter of being soft but a matter of trying to overthink the game. He needs to take a leaf out of John Kennedy's book and don't think just do and attack the game on instinct. Just hunt the ball and do the team thing and work for your teammates it's not rocket science.

It's not about bagging him its about discussing areas that our team can improve.

I'm from the Barassi school of thought where you go harder on the players with talent because its no great feat to be born with talent it's how hard you work to use it which is what matters. Watts has all the ability in the world but needs to realise talent without urgency and intensity for the full 120 minutes is pointless.

Outs: Jetta, Viney & Clark Ins: McKenzie, Blease & J MacDonald It's hard trying to pick players to come in. Would like to see Taggert, Tynan & Kent get a run at some stage but unsure how they've been travelling in the reserves. I'd also put Sylvia in the centre, Watts up forward next to Gawn/Jamar/Pedersen and Blease on a forward flank. I'd put J Mac on the back flank to replace Watts. Jamar doesn really fit as he is too one dimensional but with Clark out and Spencer/Fitzpatrick not offering much more as a second ruck at this stage I'd keep Jamar as the no. 1 ruck and Gawn as his back-up. I'd like them to set up as B: Garland Frawley Terlich HB: MacDonald McDonald Grimes C: Evans Sylvia M. Jones HF: Byrnes Howe Blease F: Davey Gawn Watts R: Jamar N. Jones Trengove I/C: Pedersen Bail McKenzie Sub: Tapscott

I wouldn't hold your breath on that. Interestingly Neeld indicated in one of the papers today that he felt we were going too wide in the first 3 quarters and reminded the players to bring it through the middle a bit more. We still had too many shots from the pockets in the last quarter but it's hard to say if this was due to the mids kicking it there or the forwards leading there. I said to my brother yesterday during the 3rd quarter that our structures and set-ups were non-existant compared to GWS who had started to run rings around us at that stage. I commented that it felt like we had no real "plan" other than play the percentages wide and bang it on the foot and hope someone gets it upfield. He commented that he felt we were trying to move the ball down the field in a "wave" just through sheer weight of numbers around the ball but more often than not it was not coming off as we had men out of position leading to handballing in circles or to someone in trouble and/or flatfooted. Either way to that point we agreed that most of our goals had come through "luck" or just bashing it forward rather than any real structure. It's one thing I've been trying to get my head around and is difficult when we get belted out of the middle and on the scoreboard but I'd like to see others comments on what our "game plan", structures and tactics/strategy is. The lazy media just keep spewing out the "Neeld follows Malthouse's around the boundary style" which is far too simplistic and more akin to an under 15 game plan.

He may be a successful businessman but as an AFL club President he is a dismal failure. Don't blame your failures on others Don, it's unbecoming.

Don't get me wrong I love the guy too and think he'll be a gun - he is playing better this year compared to last despite having limited to no preseason. His pace is a concern though I acknowledge this ccould be due to his lack of conditioning.

Agreed - he was outrun by Cox last week chasing a loose ball.

I think he can still make it but he needs to go back to Casey and and stay there until he demands a recall - not after 2-3 weeks but 6-10. Look at McLean when he went to Carlton. Was not gifted games and was sent to the VFL to the point where some thought his career was over. Then when he did get his next chance he took it with both hands as be knew be may not get another. There's no point dropping Watts for 1 or 2 weeks he needs to find form and confidence and learn you need to earn games (by putting your body on the line) and not just be gifted them. Goes for a few other players on our list as well only problem is not sure how many players we have to come in for them all. Watts would be one of my first on this list though.

That's where he began and that's where he should stay. Is good in the stands when we've clinched a win not on the ground before the game.

My issue is mainly with the leadership not necessarily the Board - however I think we need more good footy people on there and not just good business people. It needs to be a mix to be successful.

Go through this admins record since taking over, it's pretty dismal and McLardy admitted the other day they have failed to achieve the goals they set 4 years ago.

He needs to be played in the middle as he was in the last and have the pressure on him to perform don't let him hide up in the forward line.

Happy to say I was wrong about Howe - while everyone was salivating about him last year I though he was a one trick pony who could take a grab but not much more. I felt he had to begin hitting the scoreboard. Well this year I feel he has lifted another notch and is able to hurt teams with his disposal up the field and kicking goals as well.