Pitchy

Rock bottom was Round 3 2013. We have been 'swimming with the fishes' since then. This week the AFL has untied the rope from our ankle and is dragging us out of the water. This is the most excited I have felt about an upcoming game since Liam Jurrah started lighting it up in 2010. Paul Roos or Rodney Eade, both are coaches that encourage and are positive and will see flair return to our team. From this moment we begin the rise, how quickly it happens will be fun to watch.

Agree with the sentiment that unity is what we should be striving for. But time is needed. I have no doubt Schwab, Neeld and McClardy were all acting in what they thought were the best interests of the club. But poor behaviour has it ramifications. Especially when those in power are abusive or derelict in their practice. Schwab's conniving, Neeld's blunt-force trauma and McClardy's ostrich-like inaction have been at the root of all this mess. Lynden Dunn's mum calling the radio? Club stalwarts taking pot shots? Players walking out? This is a direct result of these people who were in charge of our club and we will forgive and forget in time but not straight away.

Been waiting for one of the ex-players to let rip. Surprised Beamer chose such an inappropriate time! I can't believe Brad Green has kept his mouth shut this whole time. The guy's reputation was crucified by Neeld (and behind the scenes by Schwab). Brad Green was a very good Melbourne man. So was Brent Moloney. So were all the jilted players. It was the CEO and COACH all along turning the place upside down and sapping the player morale. Isn't it obvious to all now?

Short sighted post alert! Would Brock Maclean be another example of yours??? Oh wait, he went and earned a spot and now look at him. Jordie Gysberts is a young tall mid who will develop into a real player. Been consistently in the best in the twos and will force his way into the stronger Nth midfield over the next year. I wish Neeld knew how it felt to lose watch us lose so many games in order to get those high draft picks. Develop them? Ahhh... it's too late they got traded... Neeld has failed us again on that count.

Moloney? Rivers? Schwarz? Platitudes from Stretcher over in SA dont count for much. To be commended for keeping things positive for his beloved club and for his kids future though.

From his first press conference I was deeply concerned about Neeld. "I" this and "I that". "I come from Collingwood" this "I know finals" that. AMATEUR HOUR alarm bells went off. Then when he went about rubbishing the players and the club with "not fit" this and "sub-AFL" that. Then he sacked the leaders... And that was just the beginning! Remember the "Not on your life" press conference after his first game (failure)? He was out of his depth. Then Rnd 1 this year he says "I thought our pre-season GPS data was elite. I have no idea what happened?" He hasn't displayed the man management skills. Through sheer desperation he has tried everything and now seems to have picked up in that regard. eg. dinner with Davey family (ha- after the start they got off to!). But it's too late now. Bailey had us going forward, maybe not fast enough but still forward, Neeld slammed us in reverse.

Ok gun is a little strong. But he showed plenty and there is no sound reason to believe that Pederson has more upside than a tall, silky, young midfield inside ball winner. Gysberts was a player to hold on to is all I am saying.

You are kidding me right? Gysberts was and will be a gun. Spent most of last year recovering from a back injury? Pushing for North selection now. Will be a fine player and just the sort we need coming through our midfield now. Pederson is a Neeld-level (read: low) stop gap. He traded high draft talent for an average stop gap. Having said that, I thought Cam did well on Monday and could be useful down back for a while.

There you said it! Bailey built a list that could win games. Why can't another coach win games with that list? A better coach moves forward like Mick Malthouse at Carlton. The losses under Bailey you point out are nothing compared to what we are now. We, like Carlton did last year, hired someone to take us to the next level. Surely you aren't saying that we hoped Neeld to take us to this position?

We were supposed to push on from 8 wins - 9 losses (what Bailey got sacked at) to the finals. There was never any talk of going backwards to become one of the least competitive teams in the history of the AFL/VFL. That's been Neeld's effect thus far. Neeld took over a team that was ready to challenge for 7th-10th place. A team that was well ahead of Richmond and just behind the Kangas. His mandate was to bring the accountability perceived to be lacking in Bailey's gameplan. You cant say "Neeld's only 2 years in". Neeld took over a list that was capable of thrashing Sydney two years ago. Bailey build the list that could do it, on a shoestring, while tanking orders were coming down from above. Neeld took over and should have rammed us forward. But he made blunder after blunder and will leave us a rabble.

Gaz Jnr is like nothing we have ever seen. He is complete. Consistently the most outstanding player on the ground and a wonderful bag of tricks as well. Liam Jurrah is up there, maybe beyond, Gaz Snr as the most freakishly talented player I have ever seen. Goal over his head from 30 meters out was unforgettable, graceful screamers, lying on his back surrounded by players kicks a goal... hopefully we get to see more of him. David Schwarz was on his way to being Carey-like. Who knows how far he could have gone, but all the signs were there.

To Peter Jackson I say sometimes the obvious answer is the right one. We suck worse than any time in the history of the club. We didn't 18 months ago. The coach has to go. At board level also we need to clear house after such a spectacular failure. Those who have read many of my posts will know I blame most of this on Cameron Schwab's meddling. The Prez/board threw all their weight behind the wrong guy when following Schwab down the tanking vortex. Schwab's vision won the day. He buried the Leading Teams report, instilled tanking, cut a coach that had us 8-9. Hiring Neeld, a disastrously naive and slow-learning coach, was a horrible accident. Player disenchantment and walkouts followed and we find ourselves just above VFL standard onfield. Peter Jackson talking about the FD restructure is a swipe at meddling Schwab who had 4 people reporting to him after he was supposed to be staying out of things. People might say that this is all in the past but, even with Schwab cut a few weeks ago, his regime is the current structure PJ has walked into. Restructuring requires a close look and I can understand why he is taking his time. But the way forward is inevitable and that is to find new people to help this club out of this mess. New president (Freeman), new board members (Shwarzta etc), new coaches (Eade&Jnr Mac), new footy director (?), new players (draft kids and throw money at 1 or 2 FA guns not 5 old hacks). It's a big clear out but needs to happen and we could be up and about again in no time.

Placard and chant anyone? BRING BAC JNR MAC! BRING BAC JNR MAC! BRING BAC JNR MAC! The Junior Mac axing was where this all began. Culture killer. Bringing him back would be a brilliant start to healing this club. What a great clubman and player he was.

Bailey was not all out attack. Under Bailey our defence was one of the best in the league in the first half of 2010. Frawley AA that year too. The problem was our midfield then and it is now. The fact that we were beating any team in 2010 and 2011 with that midfield was a testament to good forward and backline coaching and good young talent. Our big losses always stemming from the sheer tide of ball coming in through the average midfield. No gameplan can stop that.

Fremantle 2011 we beat by 96 points. Fremantle 2013 we lose by 91 points. Core lists are the same.... both teams changed their coaches.... hmmmm....

Surprised Dawes is in that list???? Dawes couldn't get a game a Collingwood, I dont know what makes him a 'core' player at another club. The guy is borderline at best. Only Magpie lovers like Neeld (& G. Lyon!) would pay that much for a spud. Neeld got an inexperience coach in Leigh Brown in as well, I assume just because of the Magpie link.

7th in the brownlow in 2011. You have to be pretty creative a thinker to say that that is an average player.

Onya StueySpencer number12! Couldn't agree more.

I love Gerard! Authoritative and caring voice in the media. I dont mind if he is trying to sell the new star talents. Remember he isn't just commentating for the adult audience. When I was a kid listening to the footy the great characters felt larger than life. A good commentator lets the naive joy flow as well as the considered criticism.

Poor Beamer. Best & Fairest and 7th in the Brownlow in 2011 & Vice-Captain. Then this loser coach comes in and tells him he is nothing and finished, drops him or green vest. Before you know it we lose a lifelong Demon who still has plenty of quality football left in him. Oh and he is a midfielder... and we need midfielders. Then the loser coach has the gall to imply "we offered him money but he went elsewhere for more money". That is straight up lying to the public. We have a weak and desperate coach who is costing us our best talent.

Yeah, pretty clear to me where the two roads diverged. Dees sacked the coach who got us to 8.5 Tigers kept theirs. Our replacement has sent us completley backwards in all ways. It's inevitable that Neeld will get sacked soon. Hopefully it's sooner rather than later. I for one want to see what Jack Watts becomes. I don't want to see him being asking to be traded at seasons end. And for all those that this 'effort' will heal things, just look at Beamer Moloney now. His willingness to put in effort was there before Neeld it was there during and is there now. It's the coach that is making our players appear worse than what they are. All of them have more in them than what they have shown in the last 18 months, we just need a coach who can bring it out.

The value of GPS data analysis is completely overrated by our coaches. It definitely is informative about some things as you outline above but it should never be mentioned in a post match press conference or in pre season or anywhere. It is practically useless as a macro tool of game analysis. MFC coaches should never be allowed to mention GPS in public again. Here are some areas to talk about in it's stead... initiative, inspiration, class, skill, grace, flow, spirit. GOALS!! There is a key piece of data. Who can kick goals? What Neeld misses while his nose is buried in unimportant data, is that some players have the ability to MAKE GOALS HAPPEN! Take "Green vest" Davey for example. The guy is 2nd leading goal kicker and he has played about 20% of game time this year. You want more goals for Melbourne? Put Aaron Davey in the forward fifty from the first bounce and leave him there. Shut up about GPS and dropping players on that basis, and start looking at deftness and grace. In soccer, no team scores without a touch that has a sense of the magical. This is becoming the same in AFL. Some players have rare traits and they need to be supported and developed.

OK Schwabby Claus is funny. I am a fan of the 'go way too far and it begins to be funny'. Doesn't change the fact that Schwab did turn our club around... literally.

His legacy needs to be seen for what it was. McClardy gave him a heroic send of in a sea of Red and Blue. He has broken this club and in order to fix it we have to isolate what actually happened and then protect ourselves from it happening again.

If only the board had stuck with the players after 186. The business heads on the board went with one of their own. The snake CEO lived on, the players were poisoned and killed off. We are 18 months down river from that decision. I honestly believe that if they had stuck firm with the players and sacked Cameron Schwab then and there that in 2013 the MFC would be a talented and exciting team coached by Mick Malthouse. We were the ones Mick said had the list he wanted to coach. We have Neeld's list now. We are a disgrace and Schwab and Neeld are to blame.