FIND out what’s being said about the club in the major daily newspapers on Sunday, September 18, 2011

Herald Sun

Demons land master motivator
By Jay Clark

IT shouldn't take long for the Demons to warm to the power and clarity of Mark Neeld's message. If his record in the past 10 years proves anything, it's that players - most often the younger ones - not only gravitate towards him, they blossom beneath him. That's largely because there are no bells and whistles on Melbourne's new coach. No need for hype or salesmanship. Neeld is a man who reads football and its trends as well as anyone. His passion for the game and work ethic saw him delay brain surgery until after the end of last season to help guide the Pies to a flag. But, as a former school teacher, what elevates him is his ability to communicate and, importantly, educate.The former Collingwood midfield architect strips back the message to its most digestible form. More than that, he delivers it in a way tailored to the person he's addressing. Collingwood protege Scott Pendlebury said Neeld's most defining coaching skill was his ability to empower players. "If you have a bad game, 'Neeldy' is not like, 'We were ordinary today' and get negative about things," Pendlebury said.

Mick tells Neeld to focus on Demons
By Michael Horan

COLLINGWOOD has severed ties with Mark Neeld, its assistant coach of the past four years. After learning Neeld had won a three-year deal as senior coach at Melbourne, Magpies coach Mick Malthouse declined an offer from his outgoing assistant to serve out his time through the club's finals campaign. "You can't do that," Malthouse told Neeld over a coffee early last week. "We can't have a Melbourne coach sitting on the bench, that would be ludicrous, it doesn't make sense," he said yesterday. "It's not a matter of he's going to walk away (at the end of the season) and he can still do this role, his mind is going to be a million miles away and in fairness to him - and the football club - you just can't. "Mark has been outstanding in his role and we totally appreciate that ... but Mark is very aware of what I said to him last Monday, that it would not be possible."

New coach Neeld says Demons to play tough
By Matt Windley

THERE will be no more "bruise-free" football at Melbourne, as new coach Mark Neeld insists he wants to make his side the hardest to play against in the AFL.  His three-year deal to lead the foundation club confirmed, the 40-year-old has left Collingwood, but with Magpie coach Mick Malthouse's blessing. Neeld said taking charge of a young list was "a challenge I embrace", and said he had a firm idea about how his side would play. "I simply want to coach the team that is the hardest to play against in the AFL," he said. "That means all over the ground we're going to be the hardest to play against. There will be a number of components that come with that." Demons chief executive Cameron Schwab said caretaker coach Todd Viney would "continue to have a key role" at the club. Schwab did not deny former Adelaide coach Neil Craig would be appointed as a senior assistant, but said "we'll make announcements when we're ready".

The Age

Neeld’s way: no nonsense
By Jon Pierik

AFL great Malcolm Blight says Mark Neeld's willingness to work his way up through the coaching ranks has him primed for success as coach of the Melbourne Football Club. Neeld, 40, yesterday revealed Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, whom he has assisted for the past four years, and Blight, whom he played under at Geelong between 1990-93, had helped shape his football philosophy. ''Those two gentlemen have shaped a lot of the way I think. But I am strong enough to have my own views and opinions and they will come out as well,'' Neeld said after his three-year contract was confirmed. Blight, also a dual premiership coach with the Adelaide Crows, last night told The Sunday Age he and Neeld would regularly chat when Blight was in Melbourne on commentary duties. He said Neeld's enthusiasm to coach Old Geelong, Ocean Grove and St Joseph's and later the Western Jets in the under-18 TAC Cup competition before joining the Magpies as an assistant had left him in good stead. ''I love his path. He has been prepared to work through all facets, all rungs of the ladder to get the role,'' Blight said.

Neeld talks tough on Demons’ plans
By Jon Pierik

MELBOURNE'S decision to break with modern protocol and not ask applicants to provide a PowerPoint presentation or seek feedback on the club's playing list has the Demons confident new coach Mark Neeld is the right man for the top job. Neeld, 40, was yesterday confirmed as coach for the next three years, replacing the axed Dean Bailey and caretaker Todd Viney. He has begun immediately and will not remain an assistant at Collingwood for the rest of its finals campaign, a role he had held for four years. This involved two years as backline coach and two in charge of the midfield. Neeld yesterday vowed to turn the Demons into a hardened unit, a criticism of the club in recent years. It's expected he will instil a disciplined defensive edge. ''I simply want to coach the team that is the hardest to play against in the AFL. That means all over the ground, we're going to be the hardest to play against. That's what our aim is, as simple as that,'' Neeld said with authority.

Malthouse says midfield Pies could run own race
By Sam Lienert

COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse expects a ''seamless'' adjustment to the loss of midfield coach Mark Neeld, saying the AFL club's midfielders could coach themselves if they had to. Malthouse was full of praise for the job his senior assistant, who cut ties with the Magpies after being announced yesterday as Melbourne's new head coach, had done in four years with Collingwood. But he said the loss of one member of the coaching group would not be a major stumbling block to the Magpies' push for back-to-back premierships. ''Mark has been outstanding in his role and we totally appreciate that, but it's not a one-man job,'' Malthouse told SEN radio. ''I could quite easily just hand it straight over to the midfield. I could hand it over to the midfield and they could run it themselves. Or I could step into it, or we could just do bits and pieces.''