binman

Nice article above, good job. This comment from Mahoney caught my attention: "He takes the game on, runs with the ball and also looks for good options through the middle of the ground." No wonder he didn't get a game with Neeld in charge. he didn't have the right skill set. Imagine a player looking for options in the corridor. What next? Players kicking to the top of the goal square not the pocket or the opposite flank?

Happy birthday Lifelong

If true, mindless, stupid stuff from Moloney. I'm sure Voss wouldn't be impressed. The boys who like Neeld are sure to be into him when we play the lions next

Where is GNF? Perhaps he is too busy celebrating to post

Its funny because after the maggies game he was going on about it being the young players showing up the older guys, particularity in terms of the older players turning it over (which was a a bit funny because i recall all players, including young guys butchering it. Terlich was poor as was Blease in this regard). Now i get he was frustrated and perhaps he was right but still i subscribe to the public praise private criticism approach. It seemed at times he could barely hide his contempt for some players

Well as i have said there is no point whatsoever arguing about whether it was a right or wrong decision. It gives me no joy but as i have said often enough history tells us today was inevitable. Coaches never survive such consistent smashings, never. A tough business and i wish MN all the luck in the world.

I have a gut feeling they'll go with Gary ayres.

It will be our best pre season ever. I can't wait

Thanks, but does not seem to be the case for me. Can i ask you to report for me?

Moderators, i strongly agree with the stance about inter personal abuse. It pathetic, boorish and tedious to the extreme. However there has also been a big increase in outrageous and disgusting comments such as the one above about spitting in CS face. Foul and should not be tolerated. I searched for the report button to no avail. I know biffen has form but based on his suspension surely HH deserves a a long ban.Too much. The next time anyone wants to joke about the 'feral' supporters of other clubs they might want to pause and re read some of pathetic posts on DL from a small but unfortunately vocal minority

I fully understand Neeld is hamstrung by the fact so many of the MFC have woeful skills, which makes it hard as he says to string chains of possessions together. But again it is too easily to fall into a blame the players, they're spuds argument. A coach has to work with what he has at his disposal in the here and now not what he might have in the future. if they can't kick properly his job is to help them get better. What i simply don't understand is we have had poor kicks for years at the dees. Given how crucial in modern footy good skills are my question is why has he not put a huge emphasis on skills training since being at the club, even if it means reducing the emphasis on fitness? From the start he has publicly emphasized how unfit we are and that our defensive skills are poor. Those areas have been his clear focus. But I'd suggest he has over emphasized those aspects (and perhaps also game plan) and not worried about building skills sufficiently.

I 100% agree and said the same at the game. Set up is not about talent (though perhaps a little about intellect), spuds can still stand in the right spots can't they? I lost count the amount of times the ball went to the our offensive side of of a center square ball up and there 2-3 pies players by themselves to raffle the ball. Like other sides they ran it out from the center so easily which is another problem related to how they are set up. I wonder if the low scores are just a plan by Neeld to limit the number of centre clearances we have against us. If so its the only plan that has had any success.

You think? I'm not convinced, but lets say you're right and he has changed his game plan to be more effective. Another epic fail. Look at the figures Titan posted above. We are getting worse not better at scoring to half time! Our last 3 weeks have been 8, 8 and 4 scoring shots (yes i know they're all good sides but c'mon that's woeful, particularly given the hawks don't play a lock down style and collingwood only really pressed in one quarter). Against Carlton and West Coast, two good sides we had 10 and 11 respectively. So you change your game plan and it doesn't work because the players skill are not up for it. But you as a coach know that better than any one. And its their fault? Anyway i don't see chipping it around as a change in game plan. Going down the corridor and trying to score as many points as possible is a change of gameplan

Good points, well made. I agree that we need to really focus on being able to link up and get the chains of possessions happening. But i would argue that this inability to get scoring shots to an acceptable level is a function of the game he is asking them to play or an inability for him to teach them how to play it. Suddenly we seem to be talking about this team as if they have no ability at all. I mean jeez were were better last year and getting into our forward half. Again the theme from Neeld seems to be blame the players for everything rather than take responsibility for changing what he controls. Again its is on the coached head. And if the approach is not resulting in more than 8 scoring shots in a half than put simply the coach has to change something. Because he can talk all he wants about the future, building blocks etc but the teams confidence is shattered, morale among the fans is a ll time low and there is nothing, nothing more dispiriting than not scoring in footy. Actually that's not true - not looking like scoring is worse. One of my concerns about Neeld is that he doesn't seem to get the psychological aspect of his role. Teams need spirit, fans need something to cheer about. if the current approach isn't working, change - at least in the short term. Change the approach, just as Neelds mentor has said he has just a couple of weeks ago when recognized the blues side he had inherited needed an more offensive focus to be successful.

The dees had a red hot go in the first quarter. Gary Lyon said it is the best quarter of football we have played under Neeld. We were fresh, tackling with purpose and had Dawes up and about. We were playing a side just in the 8 who are a long way off their best. Our second quarter was not as intense but the effort was pretty good. I said to mate my mate at half time something along the lines of - you can't knock the effort. So we played almost at our best, the effort was there.Yes we had some big outs (Grimes, Clark and Frawley) but realistically not that many so not miles away from having our best side on the park (and of course they have their share of big outs). We were 13 points at half time, with a woeful number of inside 50s, most of which were shallow in Neeld speak. Yes there were some very poor skills but 13 points in a half? When we were competitive and it was a perfect day for football? Surely that has to be sheeted home to the coach and the game plan he is trying to implement. Yes of course you could say that the players are not implementing it properly etc etc but come on 13 points? 13 points (in a half where we actually played ok - what would have happened if were terrible?) is not acceptable, forget the effort. Keep Neeld? What the? Anyway forget the deabete its all moot. As i have said ad naseum such thrashing"s and inability to score cannot be sustained. My tip is that McClardy will quit and Neeld will be sacked at the same time 'í selected him and am duty bound to also fall on my sword blah blah" Monday of next week. Gonski.

I feel punch drunk from footy at the moment. On Monday it will be 8 days since our last game. Enough time for the worm of hope to wend its way into my brain. Maybe we will fight and scrap and fight some more. Maybe we will win. Please bring on Tuesday for the more comforting salve of reality to be applied.

The best post i have ever read from you RR. Spot on. One thing i would add is that Bailey could only dream about the resources and facilities (and perhaps board support) that the current coach enjoys and that history will be a lot kinder to him than Neeld.

I don't believe in superstars, Organic food and foreign cars. I don't believe the price of gold; The certainty of growing old. That right is right and left is wrong, That north and south can't get along. That east is east and west is west. And being first is always best. But i believe in Pete

I have to say Baghdad Bob has been very disciplined - the temptation to to loudly chant nah nah nah nah nah must be strong. Haven't heard much either from his foil RobbieF about the high standards of the current board or accusing Fanbob of wild imaginings and agendas.

It is called the Pollyanna syndrome, similar to the Stockholm syndrome however instead of kidnappers it involves attending too many training sessions/volunteer nights/fundraisers etc and to much incidental contact with players, staff, coaches etc at a football club. Sufferers feel overly connected to the club, so much so they can they mistakenly believe they are employed by the club and/or part of the inner sanctum. Sufferers can no longer think critically or indeed form their own thoughts and can become aggressive if anyone connected to the club is in any way questioned. The classic symptom is blind optimism and refusal to accept anything is wrong. It is very difficult to treat and there is no known cure. Some Fitzroy fans were acutely affected and can occasionally be seen in boutique North Fitzroy pubs with an old footy record in hand muttering about Micky Conlan and Gary Pert. There are suggestions Mark Neeld may be a high profile sufferer (apart from every presser the keep calm and a carry on sign in his office is perhaps an indicator). I sympathize as every pre-season i start to feel blindly optimistic and start to worry i might develop Pollyanna syndrome. Fortunately once the season starts the reality of how bad we are snaps me out of it. But still i worry. I even caught myself thinking at lunch today that perhaps Neeld will pull of a modern miracle and turn the death ship around and sail us to premiership island. Perhaps i need help.

I think you have rose colored veil over your eyes. The big issue for me is that at the AGM his message to members was that we should be cautiously optimistic and that our improvement would surprise people. I assume he believed what he was saying and after the port game he was clearly shocked - and even more so after the essendon game - at how poor we were. He then changed his message to a rebuild of a rebuild etc etc but has never been able to sound anything other than not sure of what is actually happenning.

I think he will be sacked.

Good post. My take? I agree he will go after the maggies game - for several reasons. First i reckon the club would have been loathe to feed the media vutures who were unseemly in their desire to see some blood. Waiting allows them to control then when, how etc and ensures they can do things on their own terms. Media management 101 and i suspect that is Jackson's influence. Secondly this approach also allows a much more dignified exit for Neeld than would have been the case if they announced it today. For starters they can make sure Nelld knows the axe is coming so he can prepare himself and get his support systems in place. Thirdly it means that in the likely event a care taker is appointed it means they won't start with a higt profile hammering against a top side. The next game we play fter the bye is the Saints at the G and whilst we will still likely lose it is a much easier game. Finally the bye comes at a good time and perhaps means they have a little bit of time to go through a half decent process if they don't want to go with a caretaker. Though i guess they will be constrained in how publicly they can target or talk to someone like Eade or Williams (who will be watched closely by the media and the twiterati). I would assume they will have already started that planning process asnd perhaps even had some private chats.

Yep, you're right 2 games. But the point remains, why was he dropped?

Results always matter pm. Always. And not just wins but how a team perform when they lose. Which is why the heat has not been on the bullies.