NEIL Craig has acknowledged that the constant criticism and speculation surrounding former coach Mark Neeld’s future weighed heavily on everyone at the club.

Speaking at AAMI Park on Thursday, Craig said whenever a senior coach was under scrutiny it took its toll on those involved with the club.

“It can weigh people down from the players to people in admin to people on the front desk. What happens when the senior coach goes – and I’ve experienced it myself – and I certainly talk for Mark, it’s not so much necessarily that the problem’s gone, but it’s the fact that the attention leaves the football club,” he said.

“That in itself is a relief for people, so I have great empathy for Mark. If there has been any so called freedom that you’ve noticed and a change of statistics, in my opinion, it would only be from the coaching that Mark has started here and continued really strongly until he left.

“It might be that the whole pressure on the football club has gone and that often happens in those situations when the senior coach goes.”

Craig reflected on how his departure from Adelaide would’ve eased the focus. He finished up as coach of the Crows following their 103-point loss to St Kilda in round 17, 2011.  

“I’m sure that would’ve been exactly the same feeling [for Adelaide] that Neil Craig is no longer there and there’s some newness about the place and the players don’t have to read about Neil Craig – ‘is he going to coach or is he not going to coach?’” he said.

“It does lift the pressure.”

But Craig tempered his immediate impact in the top job at Melbourne, adding that it was only natural that he offered “some different terminology and style to the role”.

“If it’s not Mark Neeld, whoever sits in the chair will bring a different style,” he said.

“There’s a lot of players in that squad who were very close to Mark Neeld. He was building very close relationships.

“There’s still empathy there for Mark.”

Again, Craig was pressed if he wanted to coach the Demons in 2014, but he said that scenario would unfold later in the year.

“The first step for the Melbourne footy club is to get the appropriate people together and that in itself can be a process,” he said.

“Then [Melbourne needs] to decide what sort of coach they are looking for and that’s probably more a sense of urgency than me actually deciding whether I actually want to be involved at a senior coaching level.

“If it did unfold, my first question would be ‘what sort of coach are you after?’ If they’re after a 35-year-old, that ain’t going to fit.”

Craig said several things would have to fall into place for him to coach next year and beyond. 

“[Earlier in the year], I was pretty clear in my mind and I was very clear when I left Adelaide, when I finished at Adelaide that that was it for me, as a senior coach,” he said.

“It would have to be some fairly rigid conditions for me to be a senior coach again. I’m not saying that’s impossible, but it’s just the way I operate. I don’t necessary put them in the public arena at the moment.”

Craig was asked if his situation was similar to that of former Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos, whose name has also been linked to the Melbourne coaching position via the media.

Roos took over from Rodney Eade, another coach also linked to Melbourne by the media next year, but Craig said it’s different circumstances. People power played a part in Roos eventually landing the top job.

“I’d be disappointed if Melbourne was forced into appointing anyone, you certainly wouldn’t want that situation,” Craig said. 

“I remember the Paul Roos situation and it gained a lot of momentum didn’t it? Paul clearly wanted to do it as well and Paul would’ve been shown to be a great fit for the Sydney Football Club and the culture he was able to create and pass on.

“It’s a huge credit to Paul. I don’t necessarily think those same conditions exist here for that. I’m a 57-year-old … I think the conditions are slightly different.”

But the 57-year-old said he gained great pleasure from coaching.

“You get joy out of seeing smiling faces [after a win] and the way the song was sung with such gusto [after round 14 was great],” Craig said.  

“I watched some vision again of the final siren and the excitement and that joy and happiness it brings our supporter group – that’s been crying out for a long period of time.

“When you sit in the chair, it’s more about the joy and the excitement and the absolute happiness that it brings and the emotion that it brings for other people.”