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The simple answer for me to that question is no, despite that disgraceful performance on the weekend against the Gold Coast.
The Suns are a team that is on the improve, but one that Melbourne even in their current parlous state would have fancied themselves to win at home at the MCG.
However, they put in probably their worst display of the season so far and that’s saying something considering Essendon handed them a 148 point drubbing back in round 2.
The Demons simply didn’t come to play against the Suns. They didn’t adhere to team structures and basically were playing self preservation football.
Once again they had no idea of the game plan Neeld wants to implement and he obviously has to accept some blame for seemingly not being able after 29 matches to get his message across.
When the team is playing badly on the field, the fall guy is generally the coach, although the players must accept responsibility for not putting in the effort required at AFL level.
There are times when teams are simply not good enough and that’s been the case for the first two years of the Suns’ existence in this competition and for the Giants since they joined last season with the exception of their performance on Mothers Day, like the Demons.
The Giants were thrashed by Adelaide by 135 points and looked flat and tired from the start of the match.
They are a very young side containing mainly teenagers and after several excellent displays in previous weeks, they seemed to hit the wall last weekend and that will happen when you are a new combination.
The key is to make sure it doesn’t happen on a regular basis. For Melbourne an established team, it has been unfortunately, but by moving Mark Neeld on now, what will that achieve?
They play some of the best teams in the League over the next month including Hawthorn and Fremantle in Subiaco, so don’t expect the win loss column to get better, if that’s what Demon officials hope will happen if the Coach is sacked.
They just need the playing group to be competitive and take it up to the opposition and make sure that they push them all the way and perform to the best of their ability, which is well below most teams at the moment.
Surely they respect Mark Neeld enough to do that for their remaining 15 matches.
Melbourne’s interim CEO, Peter Jackson, has flagged changes, but didn’t put a time frame on it.
You get the impression listening to him on media street over the past 24 hours or so that it won’t happen straight away.
I don’t remain confident though about Neeld being coach in 2014 despite having a contract until the end of that season.
He was a fine assistant coach at Collingwood when they won the flag in 2010. He was well thought of by Mick Malthouse, but being a more than capable assistant doesn’t always mean you can cut it as a senior coach at AFL Level.
I have the same view of Western Bulldogs mentor, Brendan McCartney, who was raved about by the players at Geelong, when he was an Assistant at Kardinia Park, but the jury is still out as to whether he has the Dogs moving in the right direction.
There are times when they haven’t been competitive.
Mark Neeld hasn’t been helped by a poor playing list, of which most of it hasn’t been his doing, although replacing respected senior players like Brad Green and Brent Moloney with experienced yet unwanted players from other clubs like Shannon Byrnes and David Rodan hasn’t worked.
Also, after nabbing prized recruits Jimmy Toumpas and Jack Viney as a father and son selection with the first two picks of last year’s National Draft, Neeld wanted some mature age players and opted for the much travelled, Matt Jones and Dean Terlich.
They are two who can hold their heads up for their effort against the Suns, but whether they are the future stars that Neeld said they were at the post match press conference could certainly be debated.
After the Essendon debacle it was said that the Demons were at the lowest of lowest ebbs.
Fast forward five weeks and what ebb are they at now?
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