Jaded No More

All class. And by class I refer to bogan class. Pathetic.

There is no doubt that the entire club being crap is causing players to doubt their future, but CEO is gone, president is gone, and now coach. Players have the most direct contact with the coach, I doubt McLardy really comes into anybody's calculation when deciding on renewing their contract. This club has to sell hope not only to us members, but also to players. You wouldn't want to work for a losing organisation, or for a boss you thought was incompetent. I don't think Neeld ever really had the majority of the players, and Jackson said that is so many words.

Please please please please get Roos. Eade my 2nd choice. Williams 3rd. (Obviously Clarkson is top choice, but won't happen) Do not want inexperience ever again. Don't go near any assistants. Don't even sniff around.

Anyone who didn't think that Neeld was fracturing the playing group and creating serious doubt in the minds of many, especially those with expiring contracts, should now admit that it wasn't just an "anti-Neeld" agenda paddling, but the truth.

Craig is by far the most experienced, he is also the higest paid and most qualified, and quite frankly has a lot to prove. I don't doubt that his position at the club is under review, and here is his chance to prove he is worth the paycheck and the title. He doesn't need to win big, and in fact, I expect he won't, but much of what he does now will impact his future at our club. Assistants are just that, Rawlings is not likely to become our senior coach, but he could be a good assistant, so why burn him? The assistants will plead their own case to the new coach.

The fact that he says even now that he wouldn't do anything differently, says to me he had no hope of turning his fortunes around. It's never nice seeing someone lose their job, but I have never been more confidence of the club making the right decision than I am now.

The previous coach, who was also no good and had no Clark or Dawes, won more games in his last half season than Neeld has in his entire 18 months. We aren't suddenly going to be world beaters, but it can't get any worse.

Stupid work computers blocking my ability to watch this unfold live. Someone post some quotes or something. We don't even have SEN reception on our 1956 radio.

I can't believe anyone can seriously complain about this decision. We are a complete joke on and off the field and have gone backwards at a frightening rate since Neeld started. This had to happen and it had happen before there was any further damage. We have two winnable games coming up. The timing is right. We could have sacked him at year's end and still been without a coach for a time period. This allows us to hunt for a new coach without added complications and without doing so behind the current coach's back. It will ensure we can hit the ground running from day one of off season, especially in terms of list management.

Sad for him personally, but needed to happen. Clean out continues.

Thank you Don for stepping up in what was a terrible time for our club. It's a shame things have spiraled out of control during your time, but I know your intentions were always good and you will continue to love this club. Onwards and upwards.

Very few things in life are more frustrating than wasted talent. He could have been anything.

Sign him up and breed him out.

I've gone from angry, to incredibly sad, to disillusioned and now I'm just numb, which is actually the worst feeling of all. I used to care so so much, but I try to distance myself from that somewhat. It's a defense mechanism in the face of great failure and heartbreak.

Funny how a player misses an entire pre-season with a very debilitating foot injury, and it takes him extra long to gain a bit of speed and fitness. It's almost shocking. We moan that our players are no good, but are so quick to cut down those with serious talent who may not be firing on all cylinders for a variety of reasons. Age and experience, plus fitness, being the main ones. Trenner is a baby FFS. Just because some idiot decided to make him captain, doesn't mean he can suddenly develop into a mature player over night.

We may have been shite under Bailey, but if this isn't the lowest you've ever felt as a Melbourne supporter, then you're in the minority. We are not even on par with shite, we are so bad it's embarrassing. Who here thought we'd go this far back under Neeld?

A player who does a good defensive job first and foremost, and has good skills, should be persisted with over try hard "tough man" who can't kick. Strauss needs to build confidence and experience. He should be on kick out duties and he should be given greater responsibility. Don't bemoan turnovers when you keep playing players who can't kick, and have a structure that is impossible to kick to.

He's responsible for putting Dunn on kick out duties, he is responsible for dropping Strauss who is a superb kick down back, and he is responsible for not having a decent kick out strategy. Apart from that, he is totally blameless and should be applauded for our brilliant results.

We have enough problems without this disrespectful nut job trying to destroy our club from the inside. As a voting member, this egotistical [censored] will never ever get my vote. He does not have our club's best interests at heart. He has only his own interests at heart. [censored] off Jeff!

A good coach plans for turnovers and ensures players know how and where to run when the ball is turned over.Every team turns it over, no team is constantly caught flat footed. Some idiot in front of me kept saying it's ok that we are not manning up because we turned it over. Are you friggin kidding me? We should never play so loose that we are caught 3-4-5 out on the counter attack. Neeld is frustrated yet does nothing to change our on field behavior from week to week. Instead he bemoans our lack of experience (Collingwood had more 1st year players than us), our lack of strength through the middle (where is Magner?), our turnovers (why is Dunn getting a gig at the kick outs), and the fact that our older players aren't putting in. Well Jones and Garland are our best every week, while the rest are your doing. You punished Jetta for his suspension, yet Sylvia waltzes back in. You signed Jamar for 3 years. You brought us Pederson and Gillies and Rodan. Not everything is on you, but to take no responsibility makes you weak. And if you are gutless then you can't complain that your players are gutless too.

If we play him too early I will go postal and murder everyone. Season is dead. Let him fully recover and do not risk our best player. FFS he is all I have left!

Oh and another thing. Last quarter, Collingwood get back just outside their attacking 50, and then proceed to pick not one, but two unmarked teammates inside their forward 50. Two uncontested marks inside 50, while we had nobody inside our attacking half. That means everyone stood inside our defensive 50, and failed to man up twice. How the hell can this be acceptable? Not to mention that numerous Collingwood players who strolled down from half back to half forward unaccounted over and over again.

This. We have what, 9 coaches? Between them all can they not come up with one single alternative to the bomb it long to Jamar (who rarely takes a mark anyway!)??? And for the love of all that is red and blue, why oh why is Dunn the designated kicker? He. Is. Shite!

Applauded that as much as I did any one of the four goals we kicked. Garland has been huge this year and had a great game on Cloke, but he seems so angry and frustrated and I don't blame him. I genuinely feel gutted for guys like him and Jones. They must feel so angry and cheated all the time.

The post match excuses from Neeld continue to blow me away. I'd get sacked four times over by now. Staggering. I'm not going to lay blame on Neeld solely because he is just part of a very very large problem. But he is not helping, and when you have had as many poor showings as we have, he has to go. Positives are Garland, Terlich, M and N Jones and Toumpas who I thought was really good for parts of the game. Sam Blease's inability to breath after running for 2 minutes is a massive negative. Will never make it if he doesn't improve his aerobic capacity.