Review How will Mark Neeld be Remembered?

[Sylvia Saint]

One of the biggest disasters in the history of the club.

Got appointed on the back of being "Flavour of the Month" and a glowing endorsement from Malthouse.

Have never seen a team "Play" the way we did against the Gold Coast in Round 7.
The dejected attitude and mindset of the players afterward "I don't care if we lose next week. I just hope there's effort" (Garland).
The celebration of a 34-point loss against an inaccurate Richmond like it was a win (amongst some fans).

I know an MFC player as a family friend and let's just say his opinion of Neeld and the respect Neeld gave/received was very very low.

Action Jackson couldn't get rid of him quick enough even if it meant losing 600k!

 

[wowlace]

It's a difficult job to do well in, but let's not pretend it takes some sort of bravery/balls to be a coach.

Even if you were shit and get sacked in 2 years, you get paid between 1.5-3 mil gross. All this with zero risk of permanent physical harm. Pretty good deal and 99% of people would fight for such a job.

It takes balls to coach us dude. We are career killers.

 

[BRWB]

One of the biggest disasters in the history of the club.

Got appointed on the back of being "Flavour of the Month" and a glowing endorsement from Malthouse.

Mail I had when Neeldy was appointed was that Mick only recommended Neeldy so Bucks would lose a good assistant - its always about Mick...


Great if Saints, Melb or us could get a flag in the next few years, but don't see it happening with the comp being rigged for GWS and GC. Gee it would be nice to combine your fwd line and our mids...maybe we could merge for just one year in about four years time

 

[Supermercado]

The only thing that saves him from looking like an even bigger disaster is 186. At least he can point to that and go "look, it's not all my fault". If Bailey had just slid out at the end of 2011 on a bunch of rubbish results and then we'd suffered the same we had the last two years he'd be in the Hall of Fame for his efforts.

Sad to say I still believed until R1 this year. Sucked in.

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

The only thing that saves him from looking like an even bigger disaster is 186. At least he can point to that and go "look, it's not all my fault". If Bailey had just slid out at the end of 2011 on a bunch of rubbish results and then we'd suffered the same we had the last two years he'd be in the Hall of Fame for his efforts.

Sad to say I still believed until R1 this year. Sucked in.

I believed until round 2.

 

[Viney]

I believed until round 2.

Must say I internally was shattered after round 1 and thought we were screwed round 1 2012 when bris spanked us after they'd been so poor

Outwardly I was hopeful but knew

Round 1 2013 I knew it was over

 

[raven echo]

Lost all hope in him after the Essendon game.

 

[lanky_wes]

Reckon he will (in time) be remembered as a good assistant but couldn't do the senior role. Don't think our off field problems helped his cause though.

 

[RedLegs#5]

As others have said, did some honorable things...but will not be remembered highly as our senior coach. At all. Pretty obvious conclusion.

 

[RedLegs#5]

Gillard = Bailey, Abbott = Neeld.

It neelded saying.

Lol. Pretty accurate in retrospect .

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

Gillard = Bailey, Abbott = Neeld.

It neelded saying.

As much as I dislike Neeld for what he's done, this is a bit harsh

As a massive Gillard fan, no comment.

 

[speedybundy]

From an outsiders perspective, it appeared Neeld did a lot of the hard work (and possibly went too hard) in turning the club around. Probably burnt a few too many bridges in the process, but honestly think you'll be a better football club as a result of his short tenure.

 

[Demon 16]

From an outsiders perspective, it appeared Neeld did a lot of the hard work (and possibly went too hard) in turning the club around. Probably burnt a few too many bridges in the process, but honestly think you'll be a better football club as a result of his short tenure.

The only reason well be a better club as a result of his tenure, is that he was so bad, he took the president, the CEO, the coaching staff and half the board down with him.

 

[Tulip]

I believed until the week of Round 1, when I turned to a bloke at work and said 'you know, I've been thinking, where is the improvement actually going to come from?'

This of course coming after my outburst after trade week last year.

Who's laughing now?

NB: None of us are laughing, but who was correct in hindsight at least?

 

[Klyntonius]

I believed until the week of Round 1, when I turned to a bloke at work and said 'you know, I've been thinking, where is the improvement actually going to come from?'

This of course coming after my outburst after trade week last year.

Who's laughing now?

NB: None of us are laughing, but who was correct in hindsight at least?

I chose to believe that improved fitness and strength as well as a pre-season learning Neeld's "game plan" would see significant improvement (plus a fit Clark and the inclusion of Dawes). I'm still choosing to believe that for 2014...

 

[Logger]

I believed until the week of Round 1, when I turned to a bloke at work and said 'you know, I've been thinking, where is the improvement actually going to come from?'

This of course coming after my outburst after trade week last year.

Who's laughing now?

NB: None of us are laughing, but who was correct in hindsight at least?

In hindsight, that trade week was a good indicator of his overall performance, rather than the outlier I thought it would turn out to be. If I remember correctly, neither of us were happy about it at the time, but only one was suggesting it spelled the end of the football club

I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt while he was coach, but some of the stories that have come out since then make it sound like he not so much burnt bridges with players but set about hanging beloved family pets from the bridge by their tongues and then slathering them in acid and nuking it all while whistling the Yakkety Sax.

Whatever skills he might have had in terms of strategy, gameday nous or list management were ultimately undermined by his R. Lee Ermey style of man management.

 

[Powerstufff]

The only +ve with Neeld, is unlike us after a couple of dreadful years, you didn't have to burn a club champion when you sacked him.

 

[sharp450]

Edited for correctness Wonna

Rudd = Bailey, Gillard = Neeld.

It neelded saying.

 

[Bojangles17]

Moral to the story would be to tread with caution on anyone that comes with a malthouse endorsement. History is quickly becoming littered with a pile of mm failed assistants
Laidley
Neeld
mccenna ##
Brad Scott ##
Scott watters##
Mm surrounds himself with sycophants not assistants,

 

[youngbear]

Edited for correctness Wonna

Rudd = Bailey, Gillard = Neeld.

It neelded saying.

Daniher = Howard

Probably, actually. Up and down throughout, but much better than what we've had since.

 

[jhong]

Daniher = Whitlam

Probably, actually. Up and down throughout, but much better than what we've had since.

Edited for accuracy

 

[Viney]

I believed until the week of Round 1, when I turned to a bloke at work and said 'you know, I've been thinking, where is the improvement actually going to come from?'

This of course coming after my outburst after trade week last year.

Who's laughing now?

NB: None of us are laughing, but who was correct in hindsight at least?

Honestly?

You're a good dee

But you're happier neeld failed so you could be right other than wanting neeld to succeed

Sorry, but it's true

 

[Tulip]

Honestly?

You're a good dee

But you're happier neeld failed so you could be right other than wanting neeld to succeed

Sorry, but it's true

I'm having a laugh.

Of course, self-deprication is pretty much a prerequisite for being a Dees fan these days, but the only reason I wanted to see Neeld sacked was because I didn't think he was good enough. The fact that I saw this before most people is only relevant to the way that I post on a message board.

Not going to cop that I'd rather a failed Melbourne than a successful one.

 

[Tulip]

He's been PM for a month. Calm yourself.

 

[sharp450]

All in good fun Wonna

Agreed mate, hard to think of a coach with a worse record, even a caretaker. Im not sure what Hutchinsons record was like when he took over from Balme. I know he won a game against Richmond, not sure how many games he coached that season.

Agreed, that's why I'm putting together an outline of the additional sub-forum idea to post on 'Hell' right now.

Going back to the topic, and on the results, it's extremely difficult to identify any AFL coach over the last 30 years who comes out worse in general assessment than Neeld. Hard even to find many caretaker coaches with a worse record

May we never find ourselves in such a position ever again.