Wells 11

When Bailey came to the dees we were broke. He had no football department money to speak of and nothing like the support staff and coaches of the better clubs. The "culture rebuild" is on with Neeld because we're out of debt and the price of skimping on football department matters has never been so obvious. Players like Bruce got caught up in the free fall we were in. I hope he returns in some way , would love to have him back around the place. Just not teaching the kids how to kick!

I dont post a lot but definitely turn to you guys after a loss... or more rarely a win ....or when theres a trading scenario around. Appreciate you guys . Just donated.

Does anyone know anything about the diagnosis and prognosis of HIS injury? Not the lisfranc injury in general but that injury as it is in Mitch Clarkes case. Looking to see if there's inside info anywhere. On side of possibilities its Trent Croad...and never play again. On the other its Matty Richardson and his best ever season on the wing. Pretty huge difference! Depending on severity and other factors I guess. Looking for someone who might know someone he's spoken to.

Just been reading about that injury. The really CRAP part of this is it may affect him in a permanent way. What is it with key big men in this club?! We either cant find them, or if by some miracle we do, they break. Every silver lining is forever replaced by dark clouds. Sorry....Im just having a downer about this.

Im with you on this dee man. I felt so much better watching the game yesterday and felt I could really see where we are going. I remember the last few times we've played carlton where we just got smashed in the physical elements of the game. Made me cringe. Not yesterday. Not until 3/4 time anyway. Yes Carlton were missing players. But we were also missing (from our supposed pre season best team) Jurrah, Davey, Slyvia, Green. In Feb I would have thought they were all big outs. Bar (hopefully) Jurrah the others are probably not returning now so we're rebuilding. We ran out of legs playing such an intense brand of footy...but that wont be the case for too much longer. Mc Kenzie was awesome on Judd, Nicholson, Watts, Blease, Frawley, Bail, Jones, Mc Donald...I KNOW we lost but honestly I think I saw the first sign of dawn after a long dark night.

Exactly. Thank you. Amazes me that so many of our supporters take aim at him. I had him in my best today and he was listed as such in the game write up. Think some posters need to distinguish between being [censored] off we lost and deriding Jack week after week. Yes, he makes errors....but he does some great stuff too. He's learning and IMO getting better in front of our eyes. He's one of the few things that make me feel better about the year so far. Was also SO much happier with the game plan this week...up until 3/4 time anyway.

sacking the leadership group for defending their coach blaming the leadership group for pretty much everything, then expecting them to perform like they were guilty catholics looking for atonement. leaving cam schwabb in charge choosing Neeld over Lyon

This. If the players are " passionless" we've got to look more deeply that just blaming the players. Its their careers and for some the ONLY decent career they will ever have.... If they lack "spirit" something is WRONG within the club

186 was a low point .........this is an extended low low period. Another actual 186 or worse could be around the corner.

Im sitting up on this stupid computer trying to feel better about things......but it isnt working. It just leaves such a hole in me to see us self destruct like this. So, I agree Mc Lardy has to step in....and find out what the hell is going on. This time though he better not dont blame the players if they give him answers he doesnt like. We need a big clearing.

The trouble is who cleans it out from the top?....The "top" is CS. I dont want to blame Neeld for 186 but he sure hasn't brought the group together afterwards has he.

Sooner or later the buck has to come back to Neeld and co. We're basically the same team that won 8 games last year. If he wasnt before tonight then pretty soon he's going to be coaching for his future....we just CANT be playing like this week in and week out without some serious questions. If he's going to be a great coach then he's going to somehow find a way through this and get them playing like a football team again. If he's going to keep treading the path he's treading he wont be there next year. Im no longer sure what result I want re neelds tenure.

No it hasnt....and until that is really addressed we're going nowhere. Its NOT addressing it to just say it was the players fault. Going down that line was a dangerous mistake. Neeld better find a way to repair soon or its going to be 0 - 22 at seasons end and quite possibly the end of his tenure.

YES to this. The big issue is that I dont believe Neeld has the players. Maloney won 18 brownlow votes last year and won our B&F. Played dangerously ill against the cats in 186 and gets the blame for what was seems like a football department issue. The leaders backed the coach, spoke out in his defence and were whacked for it. No wonder he's not responding to Neeld. If Neeld is the kind of coach we thought he was when he arrived...if he wants to be an AFL coach...he has to be flexible enough his thoughts about the playing style but more importantly he has to be humble enough to get back the players and heal the rift that exists after 186. I dont know he's going to do it but if he doesnt he's going to go down as the worst coach in AFL history

Have to keep Bennell in for a few weeks imo. He's still a potential player in my book and a player with pace which we lack. Selecting him one week dropping him the next is counterproductive. Its not like ANYONE bar Clarke and jones is playing that well at the mo . Whether by game plan, confidence or talent, Bennell is far from on his own. Give him a few weeks.

Nice try and I enjoyed the positivity....but no. I want to agree with you but I just cant.

It's going to get worse still before it gets better. Theres every chance we'll lose to GWS and or GC this season. So I guess we better buckle up and not hit the panic button. Neeld and Craig and whoever else is having game plan input just cant be as bad as they look right now. Sometimes I trust them saying " we have a direction" and sometimes, after watching the way we play... I dont. But I have to admit that having appointed Neeld there isnt any choice but to trust the direction he wants it to go...at least for the next 2 years. Im with you Nascent....Im a dee for life. No matter what . Success starved and sick of being the butt of every ones jokes. Sick of all the media hacks attack on the supporters, the club and the players. But none the less a dee for life and I think I better hold back my post match vitriol for at least this season. Let Neeld go his own way...its why we got him.

I WANT to believe in Neeld and be patient. But what they're serving up is just SO bad. I mean consistently at the worst level Ive ever seen in 41 years as dee follower. Its not a game plan its a carefully thought out SUICIDE STRATEGY on game day. All that compliance he wanted is turning them into morons. I dont think its the players as at least last year they looked ok most of the time. So if this is Neelds idea, even of stage 1, of a game plan then its awful, needs changing and worst of all is counter productive to the players self belief. Neeld has lost the players if you ask me.......how could ANYONE believe in this rubbish plan. He parades the players in post match like fools and makes them look like that in the matches. We've got Neeld for a long time, so I just hope he's smart enough to find a way to change tacks and get the players back. We'll see........

Then you're part of the problem. If you dont have a membership and want us to FOLD then why bother posting!

What makes this hard to take is that we've just BEEN in a rebuild and essentially we're worse now than 4 years ago. All those picks and not ONE gun player. But ...what else to do but look for a silver lining. Im with you. Its either that, give up football or change clubs....all of which are impossible! Im a dee for life so unless they fold Im looking for silver linings. Perhaps with more class everyone looks better? My hope is that Neeld doesnt end up being the worst coach in league history and that I look back and laugh at how short sighted I was in a year or two.

I enjoyed the article but it refers to jones being "in" the leadership group which, correct me if Im wrong, I thought he was demoted from? Which is a decision thats looking more and more absurd. That aside he's really emerged this year as a genuine leader at the dees and its great to see. Bring him back next year into the LG as VC.

Maloney probably [censored] off re leadershp group ....and another rebuild. If he and / or Jamar goes, do we get any kind of compo?....or do they just walk?

I'm a first time poster ......but wanted to wade in with 2 questions Personally, as much as I hate losing week in week out, I can live with it if I have a definite sense of a positive direction. Having adjusted myself to life post 186, and accepted the necessity of rebuild Mk 2, I have 2 big concerns. 1. The game plan. Aside form a Clark or Howe screamer, we just seem to be playing such uninspired, slow, predictable football! Im afraid we've over reacted to the criticisms of Baileys style and in doing so have made "outside" football some kind of dirty word. I dont think you can win a flag without a functioning inside AND outside game. Neeld looks like Baileys opposite and mirror image and Im concerned we'll get into equal and opposite bad habits. Anyone got anything positive to say about it? 2. Player unity. Whatever happened before and after 186 it seems a whole group of demon players got pulled into something political then hung out to dry. Their big sin after all was to back their coach against some others in the club. A position they should never have been put in. 186 was at least partly the result of a deeply distracted player group. Neeld has a tough, hard style...which is ok, but the TOTAL change of the leadership group seemed related to that day and a further divisive action. Its not clear to me , looking at them play, if the team is united. Does any one know what the feeling amongst the players actually is?