PaulRB

Scott slams 'short-termism' on Demons Agree with his view that the wheel will turn and we'll be ok...

Couple of scenarios: Neeld not the immediate FD issue, with others changes to be made while Neeld has remainder of season to prove his value. OR Neeld given tonight to decide how to exit, i.e final game vs Pies, leave tomorrow, stay in caretaker role while replacement found, etc... Neeld offered contract extension, he's deciding on 3 yr or 4 yr extension

From MFC site "To Members and Supporters, In today’s Board meeting Peter Jackson presented his early recommendations for our Club following his first month in the role of CEO. Peter Jackson has been asked by the Board to examine every aspect of the Club and today he outlined a number of changes he believes are required to take our Club forward. In coming weeks and months we will seek to change the structure of the Football Department as well as a number of other aspects of our business. Today, as with all Board Meetings, there was a presentation from the Football Department from Mark Neeld, Neil Craig, Todd Viney and Josh Mahoney. Our on-field performances have not met expectations this year and everyone in the Football Department continues to face ongoing assessment in their roles as do those employed in other areas of the Club. The Club will make no further comment at this time, in relation to the senior coach position. We are extremely pleased to announce today that following the Board’s request to Peter Jackson to extend his tenure as CEO beyond the initial 6 month contract, he has agreed to stay in the role of CEO until at least the end of 2014. I will continue to provide you with regular updates. Don McLardy"

Interesting that we'll give a new player with no prior experience at AFL several years to acclimatise to the intensity, demands and performance level required in the AFL. But upon recruiting a new senior coach with no senior coaching experience we expect him to faultlessly and rapidly regenerate the playing list and improve the performance in less than 18 months. If you hire a person who hasn't done that job at that level before you need to include an allowance (time and support) for the fact that they will make mistakes, learn and the performance of the team won't follow a predictable straight line graph ("incremental improvement"). On the upside, you might hire someone who, when they hit their strides and have had time to craft and drill the team that they have selected, might win you a flag. I still believe Mark Neeld could be this person. I have less faith in the MFC to stick with ANY decision and plan they've made when events go against us and the media circus cranks up against us... and that's what makes us a weak club.

I'd prefer we got Sydney style support, an extra Million on the salary cap... or GWS / GC style support unfettered access to any other clubs players... or the favourable financial deals clubs out West get... or the multiple night game, blockbusters that the"Big Four" Melbourne clubs get... Etc... And they complain about us being tossed a couple of early picks after 6 years in the doldrums.

Say it with pride! Being a MFC supporter for the past 40 years is akin to several lifetimes lessons in humility, patience and loyalty. Few other clubs supporters are so blessed. ;-)

You are so wrong. Mark Neeld has been busting his hump since arriving at our clapped out club, pushing [censored] uphill, dealing with a corrosive culture, a poorly resourced and unfit team... He may not last the year, but show the guy some respect for his drive and commitment to what he set out to do for your footy club! Sheesh!

But if we had a really really good coach, like Roosy, then the garbage on our list would be miraculously transformed and the sky would turn blue and September would beckon us like a lust filled Scandinavian princess. Ahhh the good old days, I miss them dearly.

A mate of mine who used to support Fitzroy, then Sydney (when he lived there for 10 years) is returning to Melbourne after a stint in London, and declared he was going to follow the Mighty Demons, because he "loves the Underdog" and can see how special it will be when we rise. grasping at straws silver lining etc... but maybe an idea for our Marketing team.

Agree, however that list does not fill me with huge amounts of optimism... the improvement required to catch and surpass most of those teams above us is scary big.

Our list is OK quality across the entire squad, but with insufficient quality depth in the midfield to impact at AFL level.

I'd also suggest that we'd be looking to trade in a young turk returning to Victoria (Caddy type) and a FA (Daisy/ Goddard type) to help shift the above balance further in our favour.

There is no certainty that an alternative path (coach) will change the situation. It didn't change things last time we did it.

You are a tool Tonatopia. No coach in the history of footy could be expected conjure a win from our young list against a matured and hardened Premiership contender.

I agree the figures can fluctuate massively within a season and between seasons. But that variation just adds weight to not making hasty decisions about coaches in response to these fluctuations.

Not content with the current situation. My point is, the Pies and Saints are prepared to stick with their new coaches (not panic) despite falls in ladder position and preformance greater than what we are experiencing at Melbourne. So perhaps we should follow their lead, grow up and trust our coach to achieve the results if we give him his term to prove himself. Voss has achieved the same result as Neeld over 4.5 years such are the Lions understanding that great teams take time...

The decline of the performance (relative to their previous year) of the Saints since Watters took over has been far greater than what Neeld has overseen at Melbourne. Watters Inherited seasoned finalist team with several champions, they now sit two positions above us with two wins. Neeld inherited a perennial cellar dweller with zero champions. And you think Watters has performed better than Neeld?

We were garbage before Neeld took over. The point is he's done no worse than many... when you bother to look at the broader picture. Watters has overseen TWICE the decline at Saint Kilda than Neeld at Melb, but not a squeak?

A clear metric on Coach performance would be how far up (or down) the ladder he's taken his team since arriving... Which has Neeld as 5th worst performed coach after Watters, Buckley, McCartney, Voss (equal result by 4.5 years to achieve it). Not saying -4 is an acceptable result, simply that it's not exceptional, not the worst, and our "Skys are Falling" hysteria is the only thing that makes it any different than the decline Buckley's enduring at the Pie's, Watters at the Saints, etc...

Love the way that all the other new coaches whose teams are also doing worse now than when these new coaches started, are ignored by the anti-Neeld brains trust on this forum. Shall we go through the list? Off the top of my head : Buckley, Watters, McCartney, Voss... Golly! maybe they should get Paul Roos?

Is it coincidence the week we play Fremantle a rumour circulates that Fremantle in interested in Melbourne's Jack Watts? The most plausible reasons include: Melb thought Jack could do with a reminder that unless he lifts his game (and extends his contract) he might find himself at a new club next year of Melbourne's choice, and one potentially 3440.8 km away from his family and friends. Freo marketing thought it might get more Freo fans turning out for an otherwise lack luster Sunday late arvo game... Jack let slip that he'd always fancied moving to Perth's version of Geelong.

Be interesting to see how Jack Watts goes, if the rumour about Freo's interest in him is true, he'd be hoping to play a blinder if he's keen to go West..!

Hey Old Dee, my two brothers follow Essendon and over the journey (numerous Don Flags, 2000, etc...) I have had to suck it up and suck it up and ... So the prospect of ASADA shutting them down for drug cheating, fills me with an irrepressible urge to smile and look forward to my next family do. Sorry ;-))

Agree, my biggest worry about JW is that he's still waiting for others to lift and lead the team into better times. Those players you mentioned seem to be taking public responsibility for turning it around. At the same time JW publicly laments our lack of selwood, hodge type players... makes me think he's painting himself to be a fringe player... Which we'd all hoped he'd be more than.