dpositive

It is interesting and more so that Neeld was appointed as coach not as administrator. I hope it is as a comment to divert MM as to the real coaching and any real club rebuild. It should also be seen in the body language/confidence comments made on other threads that the coach should be expressing confidence not confidance.

Dont have an answer but its not a new phenomenom. I have advocated in the past that we should get someone from the umpiring fraternity in for some advice. Not to criticise them but rather to acknowledge their interpretation and ask how we can correct our deficiency. We seem to give away more in the back and yet miss out on many same with head high tackles. Maybe umpires think that our technique is bad or we are committing some other basic error in our play that they overlook our free. I am definitely not wanting to bash the umpire or question their decision but if we approach it from an effort to understand their perspective we may be able to improve our results.

I too can recall so many 5 year plans abandoned in the 3rd year Maybe we should be looking for a plan that matches our coaches contract. Neeld did indicate this early and so I have some confidence in him Yes it takes time to improve but it needs to be done within what appear the industry norms Plenty of others have indicated other team progress Hawks, cats and bears and each seemed to be 5 -6 year to premiership. Its just that like you I am hoping and have been hoping for decades for our plan to be completed. Will not give up just yet. GO DEES

I agree totally which is why I am waiting to see the Coaches performance I remember BAlme in the coaches box head in hands failing to make a move coz he didnt have the cattle. He had what he had and needed to have a game plan that exploited that rather than rely on a 5 year rebuild. I am hoping that Neeld can be proactive against opposition rather than reactive but if required has got more than 1 plan and communicate this to the players.

I agree almost entierley with you Munga Interesting that geelong got beaten I think the intensity of the game is difficult even forthe boldest and best With a team of "developing" players it may be best to rest in the minor league after getting a lesson in the majorsI think this is the value of the complete squad against overworking a few. A business mantra is that "if you want something done give it to a busy person" but this does lead to burnout. At my workplace in line with that philosophy we asked "What did we do with our best workers?" and the answer invariably was we gave them more, WE changed this around to demand better of our poorer workers to improve them to the level of our best often with our best mentoring a selected poorer performer. I am hopeful that our coaches are following this philosphy and providing the mentoring while we dont overload and lose some of the obvious talent that we do have . That said I am a believer in Watts as he has shown improvement and I am uncertain that Morton has. Perhaps we should ensure we dont waste Watts and improve Morton. Who knows maybe the criticism of Watts displayed on Dland may have helped as I believe as on this thread that there are some very relevant observations. I dont get to the game but do appreciate the different opinions given The more information we have the better the outcome.

I agree that it should be "Best22 for upcoming opposition" but should also be in line with the coaches plan( structure) and the state of the player at that time (again the coaches role to get the player to perform) there should be no negativity or punishment about playoing in the 2'S its not country footy where numbers are limited. This is a squad of 42 to be used by the coach to get the maximum output. Still to see evidence of that happening and dont see the response as atotal cleanout. We do have many skills within the squad and many types of player who can be used but maybe not every week>

Thanks Dr Who It seems we do agree as I indicated targetted spend that supports is one of the most important aspects to work performance and outcomes. The other more intangible aspects are usually not $ related at all and I would imagine that in entertainment and sport the audience response (support) can probably have an even greater impact. So I am hoping that we can get that desire to perform impressed into the talented kids that we have and we might get some success. Others have pointed out that the game is played between the ears and I dont envy the coaches in trying to work on that part of our players to get that success.

I have said it before and will say it again It aint just the $$$ As a retired qualified Human Resources proffessional I can assure you that research at every organisational level and over any period of time show that $$ is not the greatest motivator or indicator of success. It is a significant factor if well targetted and provided it supports the employee (player ) needs. Interestingly autonomy is always well up in most reports (with Stability and Security). How this translates into a Footy coaches demand for structure and adherence to rules may explain some of the apparent performance variances at the moment. I see Neeld as an intelligent man surrounded by a group of similar intelligent people and I am sure Craig has a far deeper understanding of Footy club culture and individual performance factors than I do so I am waiting for the improvements. I only hope that the improvement does not require wholsale changes as history shows and the existing AFL oversight structures make this unlikely to happen. We do have plenty to look forward to as we have acheived some progress with our draft levels picks and I think reinforcing with Clarke etc has added to the mix that the coach/es are looking for. All teams in the AFL are in the same system and have to manage the system to achieve the results, Grand final success is obviously an intricate target or there would not be any variation in the winner. Dont get me started on the luck/ umpiring/ Chaos theories. Footy is fantastic. Melbourne provides fantastic stimulation, I am obsessively passionate and I hope for some success to top off my joy GO DEES

Stay together and develop together is absolutely correct Are these guys mates coz if they are they will be supporting each other and competing with each other for success I said on another thread that as supporters we have said that defeat is character building and this is true If these players work hard the rewards will come because there is certainly a lot of skill there.

I agree with most of your post but dont see the need to refer to another supporter in derogatory or demeaning tones.No need to call him not too bright I too would be happy to see any insight he has which incidently may show that hes brighter than you think>

I totally agree H-T If some of the comments from other threads are noted Eg players do not compete against each other, Howe stops goin the speccy only (or holds ont a few), Davey chases a few down, players move into space, if the coach moves proactively not reactively, etc etc IF ALL TRY we should at least be competitive GO DEES

BIt harsh B-H Id like to see him exerting the pressure that his pace although a little slower can still deliver. Id like to see someone giving him the ball when he is outside the contest Id like to see him delivering the ball to that leading or isolated player in space. It can still happen maybe not every week or every second in every game. But if he is used appropriately against the right opposition within the right structure it will. I hope that this week if he is in he is played against the right opponent in the right position (OK I admit I dont know what/where that is) but I still have confidence that the coach does.

While I agree that it ultimately comes down to the players I also know that the coaches role is the most significant. Placing players in the right spot, against the right opponent, using their identified skill set, giving them the confidence to follow the game plans. It does seem a matter of confidence at the moment and there may be some reasons for that beyond the footy field, but Crikey its about time the coaches started to acknowledge whats going on and doing something about it. Some of that doing something is public announcement or displays of the confidence. I havent seen any positive support from coaches for Watts, Jurrah, Sylvia, Morton, Howe etc stating how they are developing some skill or improving. I hope this is happening inside the club but lets see some body language and confidence from the top. I am a passionate supporter and have been for 50 years and have seen many low periods,there has always been something to take away, now I am in the country and rarely see the games I was disturbed when friends who still go every week stated that they saw nothing to take away. I do hope the coach/es can instil some improvement and acknowledge and celebrate that. Sure defeat must hurt and failure must be recognised but please publicly acknowlegde success. I cannot wait for another regime change, another period of tanking, another period of waiting for the messiah. I dont mind getting beaten if I can see that we have used our best to the maximum. It was disappointing that the captain said the players did not give their best effort after the first match, I guess they may have tackled poorly in the second match in an effort to put a greater effort in but please, please say that. We as supporters have always said that the defeats we endured were character building. We are built thats why we are still here. Id like to see the character of the coaches and the players and yes more pride displayed. I would like the players to be exhausted as they drag themselves off the field in defeat recognising that they have given every effort I would like the supporters to celebrate that effort as we always did even in defeat. Id prefer to see them too exhausted to celebrate a victory but able to accept the celebration of the supporters for thats all we can do. I wouldnt mind if a player was so exhausted he couldnt play the next week if he was replaced with someone who also showed the same effort. I dont know where Im going with this but I do feel better now GO DEES

Look forward to the next

It aint all $$$$ Research has always shown that it is not only money that motivates and results in action. While I agree that a structured football department may cost more $ than the club has previously outlayed it is not the only factor. Development is indeed a dark art, predicting a gamble. Getting it right is usually some sort of compromise and an amount of luck. While we all say you make your own luck there are often things outside your control that will effect an outcome it is how you manage those variables that will lead to success. Using the cards in your hand is as important as waiting for the next. With sound human relations management the club will progress and I say it again it aint all about the money!

Ran out of likes So much to support especially when "backs are against the wall" " what doesnt kill you makes you stronger" etc Passion is obvious on the demonland site

Gotzy I think I can understand your pain and I am pleased to see your reaction to the comments. How good have most of them been, all supportive of the club and and understanding of what you have said. I also think "ashamed' or "embarased" may not be the right expression but if thats your feeling fine I can understand it.( I prefer "gutted") I also have lived through the 60's 70's and these times seem trivial almost by comparison. I and the club survived and there will be many positives that will emerge ( some of which have already been mentioned) Dont lose the passion for that I think is what is creating your thoughts We are all in this together and will continue GO DEES

Agree its all part of the learning curve

Thanks all for your contributions. Some serious stuff and some relief I still wait with trepidition for the reaction Please Please PLEASE some improvement in effort.

I hope it doesnt take too much time But there are still occaisons for a tagger and if we have someone with that skill we should use them Thats the coaches job I thought Get the best out of what you have- add to it- exploit opposition weakenesses but to rigidly apply a structure that doesnt work with tools that dont work doesnt seem sensible to me. Maybe the coach has learnt plenty from this match and has much to tell the players. I hope so and I hope this means instant improvement

All great posts on this thread cant add anything but hope that some coaches or advisers are making these same ppoints to players. Interesting the comment that Watts doesnt do the dumb thing and this was also what the commentators were saying I always thought that last previously Watts was alittle slow because he was trying to choose the best option and his instinstive option wasnt available. Maybe a little better awareness by others around him can exploit his play to achieve better results? But WOw 3 up for amark spoiling each other 3 tackling 1 NOt what youd call smart

Lots of interesting comments on this and other threads. I for one dont want to wait 5 years for another new group of players to get the Neeld plan I would like Neeld to work with the talents that he has place them against opponents that they suit and play game plans (note plural) to win games. Its called coaching and I am sure he has the skill and ability to do this(and the support team) I do agree that it will take some time for it all to come together and despite my desolation at the result and particularly the radio commentry I am pleased that demonlanders are still seeing some positives (even if it was only for the first half) While not looking forward with confidence against west coast I hope the squad has also seen a few of the other games to see that the intensity must begin and be maintained. I hope the coach can release players at appropriate times when they are fatigued or game plans require I hope to see improvement.

I thought we had begun this proces with our coaching blend. We now need the players to absorb some of their (coaches) experiences and forge their own identity. We cannot begin another rebuild (Which incidentally can never be finished) We must give our playesr the confidence in their abilities so that they can use them in structures and patterns that they are able to use. Perhaps we need the players to know they can play to exhaustion and be rested the next week if necessary but that they must give their all. OH Hell I dont know Its just so bloody disapointing that it looks like more agony!!!!

Rather than BLAME "The Players" or "The Coaches" lets just hope that ALL take some responsibility for the effort and assess how to improve. Abilities and efforts must be assessed with game plans and strategies. Placement of abilities and utilisation of resources is a very fluid thing. There can be no rigidity of a failing plan and I for one hope that it is not another new beginning. I hope that we recognise the skills and abilities we have and use them appropriatley against the opposition. The game was disappointing from most aspects. How the players, club, supporters handle it will tell us more than the result of one game.

Havent seen enough analysis to see how this accords but certainly agree with the sickening feeling which increased from the radio coverage that I was ablke to listen too. when McLure states he is sorry for Melbourne supporters at witnessing the display of the team it is indeed feeling like a long and miserable journey continues. Hopefully Neeld and co can gain something from the wreckage.