Opinion Neeld, the right man?

[Animosity]

Its about that point of the year where you can make an educated analysis on our man in charge.Seen wins, seen losses. Personally, yes, he is doing a great jobdespite our ladder position. There are just a heap of positives I like about him

• ballsy, not afraid to try new things
• refuses to give up on making his game plan happen.
• even though we've had some tough losses, each week you can see where the coaches are rectifying our mistakes from the previous week and moving forward.
• restored faith that this coaching panel CAN develop young players, Watts has been great, so has Howe and Jones, improved immensely
• A good year only feels 12 months away instead of 12 years under bailey
• Extremley passionate about getting results
• Has, and still is great at handling the heat from the media.

thoughts?

 

[stretcharmstrong]

Its about that point of the year where you can make an educated analysis on our man in charge.Seen wins, seen losses. Personally, yes, he is doing a great jobdespite our ladder position. There are just a heap of positives I like about him

• ballsy, not afraid to try new things
• refuses to give up on making his game plan happen.
• even though we've had some tough losses, each week you can see where the coaches are rectifying our mistakes from the previous week and moving forward.
• restored faith that this coaching panel CAN develop young players, Watts has been great, so has Howe and Jones, improved immensely
• A good year only feels 12 months away instead of 12 years under bailey
• Extremley passionate about getting results
• Has, and still is great at handling the heat from the media.

thoughts?

Yeah mate, I agree with all of those.

Personally, I reckon I'm developing a man-crush on him

 

[lose]

Loving him more and more each week.. It's getting made way easier with the improvement that is happening each week.. We could really have a great run home, have a good draw..

 

[autocol]

I thought the number one thing our team needed was discipline. Eventually, it should come from the players as it does at the Swans, but until then I think Neeld has a fantastic temperament to keep a young group in line.

 

[CTHORANGE]

Absolutely, the game plan is still under construction but you can see the players are starting to know where to look and where to force the ball in contested situations, as that progresses the possession rates and inside 50's will continue to slowly rise

 

[demonfan9]

Still too early to tell.

I remember in Bailey's first couple of years, we saw signs that made us think we had a very good coach on our hands. But we all know what happened there.

One thing I will say about Neeld, is that he doesn't seem to be leaving any stones unturned. He'll have a real crack at it and not just sit back and wait for things to happen.

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

I love him. He represents everything we are. Proud, strong, courageous, passionate, intelligent, determined and relentless

 

[jhong]

simple answer is yes , he is the right man for the club now , and am happy to be patient while he builds HIS team . Our kids still need a couple of pre seasons to get "AFL bodies" and fitness to the level required ,but can already see the progress being made . Given what Neeld has had to deal with in his first season , i believe that the whole club will be stronger for it. Our time will come , and Neeld will be there when it does .

 

[Sylvia Saint]

I was worried after what happened at the SCG... but things are looking up. Best bit about him is that he tries new things, Garland and Rivers up forward never would have happened under Bailey (and Daniher), but its working well now.

Would like to see how we're going this time next year before annointing him the Messiah, but I'm quite content with where things are at..

 

[syl]

Still too early to tell.

I remember in Bailey's first couple of years, we saw signs that made us think we had a very good coach on our hands. But we all know what happened there.

One thing I will say about Neeld, is that he doesn't seem to be leaving any stones unturned. He'll have a real crack at it and not just sit back and wait for things to happen.

You may have, but I was never there, I always just thought we had a bunch of high draft picks.

 

[Demon 16]

Ill admit I was very concerned about the game plan after the first 7 or 8 rounds - but we are playing it alot better now and I can see the logic in the way he wants us to play.

I like him so far.

 

[Biffinator]

I suspect we're in for a pounding this week up in Brisbane but I am convinced this is a guy who is determination itself with foresight thrown in for good measure.

I love what he has done with JW, Rivers and Garland.

 

[Crimson Azure]

I love what he has done with JW, Rivers and Garland.

That is a standout for me. For the first time in years we are actually seeing players being 'developed.' We've had years of talk about potential & progress but Neeld has put the onus on players to meet set standards & goals & their resulting confidence & form has been the visible reward.

 

[Viney]

I know this isn't the case (I hope it wasn't the case) but with hindsight, my mind is telling me this is how it went down when Bailey walked into the club:

"G'day fellas, I'm Dean....so.....what do you guys normally do at training? Ah, forget that, let's just go have some fun with a tennis ball. Last one out there is cutting up the oranges!"

Neeld's would've been more like "WTF is this shit!"

Seriously though, I love what Neeld has done. It may not have looked pretty from the outside, but fact is he has stripped back everything to bare bones

People / Media etc. saying we've gone backwards.....are they really surprised? I mean it's as though they were starting over

Neeld didn't have the luxury of a mature list (a la Adelaide / Sanderson) that just needed some tweaking and motivation, he had to basically start from scratch

You can see what Neeld is trying to achieve.

I can't say for certain it'll work, but I'm more confident with him at the wheel

He certainly won't die wondering

 

[Donald_McRonald]

His lack of presence on the MS Paint thread is a testament to the positive function he brings to this great footy club.

 

[DrMubutu]

Professionalism. That is all.

 

[Animosity]

A lot of the reason for starting the thread was to see if there was any division between our fans. But the support is bloody fantastic, not one 'no', excellent to see we all have faith and we're getting behind him, and of course the rest of the panel, really good for the fan base if we're all on the same page.

 

[Meds]

The article about Watts the other day summed it up for me. He recognised that he wasn't working hard enough, and now that he is the results are there for everyone to see. Neeld (and Misson) have been pretty honest with the public since day one with their assessment of our club and the gap between where we were and what is needed to be elite. You can only imagine how direct they've been with the players.

The other thing I like is that we're seeing a selection policy based on merit, rather than "getting games into the kids". Players that have done the wrong thing have been dropped, and only guys that have been performing consistently at VFL level have been given a shot. Heard a quote from Buckley/Malthouse the other day, "It's not about who plays the role, it's how they play it". If you don't do what is required of you, go play in the VFL until you prove that you're ready. This is what will instill a strong culture in our club, not twiddling our thumbs waiting for high draft picks with potential to turn into the next Ablett/Franklin et al.

 

[ThePuppetMaster]

The other thing I like is that we're seeing a selection policy based on merit, rather than "getting games into the kids". Players that have done the wrong thing have been dropped, and only guys that have been performing consistently at VFL level have been given a shot. Heard a quote from Buckley/Malthouse the other day, "It's not about who plays the role, it's how they play it". If you don't do what is required of you, go play in the VFL until you prove that you're ready. This is what will instill a strong culture in our club, not twiddling our thumbs waiting for high draft picks with potential to turn into the next Ablett/Franklin et al.

I'd take it one step further and say he's actually been tougher on the kids, if the players he regards as having high potential have an off game and don't play their role - they're out of the team, regardless of prior performance.

It's happened to Morton, Watts, Tapscott and Blease this season.

It's good that he's pushing the players with talent.

 

[raven echo]

Absolutely yes. His hard edge is exactly what this club needs.

I think my avatar would illustrate exactly where I stand in regards to Neeldy.

 

[demonfan9]

You may have, but I was never there, I always just thought we had a bunch of high draft picks.

In general there was a lot of optimism and positivity about Bailey in his first two years. May not have been you specifically, but on this board there were many.

 

[Marlowe]

David King - if this is an attempt at an apology, no - you're not forgiven until you kneel under Neeld and proclaim your worthlessness, 'Wayne's World' style.

Neeld has been getting remarkable results with the talent he's been given. I cringe at the thought of where we'd be with Bailey at the helm. I believe in Neeld. He'll take us higher.

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

 

[Sprout]

I think he at least needs a full year before any proper assessment can be made, but I've definitely warmed to his approach and coaching style.

I was worried early on in the piece I will admit. 5-6 rounds in, the emotion got the better of me and I questioned if he was our man. I had particular issues with the leadership group overhaul and still do to a small extent, but I'm gaining more confidence in Neeldy with each week that passes to the point now where I can't think of anyone more suited to take us forward. I'm officially a convert.

 

[KickLongTackleHard]

Similar to Sprout I had early doubts as the losses stacked up, more along the lines of thinking that he'd changed too much too quickly and had bitten off more than he could chew. I remain cautious having been sucked in at times by Bailey but his 'no bullshit' approach is somewhat comforting. Seeing Watts coming good is a testament to Neeld already, and I love how he has thrown Grimes and Howe in the guts.

Much more work to do yet though, much more.