The Melbourne Football Club may be in its darkest days of the club’s history. Coach Mark Neeld has been crucified by the media of late for the work he has done at the club and the results they are producing.
Yet Neeld is not to blame for this rabble Melbourne have themselves knee deep in.
Neeld took over the reigns in 2012, with the club coming off a below average season 2011, finish 13th with eight wins. Not bad considering what they have endured over the past 24 months.
Neeld walked into a list full of young, raw players, mixed in with older workhorses who had been over taken by the pace of the game. He set out with developing the young players and trying to squeeze out the last of the veterans.
The Demons came out and lost the first nine games of the 2012, including some demolition jobs by top four sides.
Yet take a look back to Geelong 2011; Chris Scott comes into the club in its prime, filling the the shoes of the great Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson. The Cats breezed through the season, winning 19 games out of the possible 22, going on to win their third premiership in four years.
The Demons have now lost 10 games this year at an average of 77 points per game. Why has it come to the stage that every coach that walks into the job, walks in and walks out in a short time with very few wins under their belt? The recruitment of players has been horrendous in the past decade and a half.
If all these coaches are so very bad, think about the end result if Neeld was in Chris Scott’s position in 2011. Geelong wouldn’t have finished last and have only beaten GWS. Neeld has the passion and desire to better the Demons, but he has walked into a minefield.
Neeld should stay at Melbourne. Keep him there for five years. Have a good off-season with good recruits and trades to give him a better group to work with.
Let him develop his team and his structures. I don’t believe in the ‘all of a sudden’ sacking of coaches.
Melbourne need change, but not in the coaching department. They need a better recruiting system and a clearer future vision.
Their mindset needs to change, so do something different and stop sacking coaches.
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