NEW MELBOURNE coach Mark Neeld says it’s impossible for any person to judge how a football club operates, unless they are on the inside.
Neeld was posed the notion of how he viewed his new club now - as opposed to when he was Mick Malthouse’s right-hand man at Collingwood last year.
“You could read any newspaper article and listen to as many radio interviews as you like, but until you work there, it is, in my opinion, impossible to actually get a full understanding of how the place works,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“When I was coaching at Collingwood, we would look at Melbourne, as an assistant coach, in the lead-up to Queen’s Birthday. Once the game is played, you move on to the following week.
“So, in a season where Collingwood played 26 games last year, I really got to look at Melbourne for probably three and a half days. You do not have a thorough understanding [otherwise].”
Neeld said he really only started to get an understanding of Melbourne’s list when he was in the mix for the Melbourne gig.
“Going through the process of being interviewed for the job, then sure I started to study,” he said.
“The other really big eye-opener for me was, unless you are working within the inner sanctum of a football club, it is impossible to understand how the club operates - from an on-field perspective right through to the boardroom.
“I have found that to be a really interesting experience.”
Neeld was posed the notion of how he viewed his new club now - as opposed to when he was Mick Malthouse’s right-hand man at Collingwood last year.
“You could read any newspaper article and listen to as many radio interviews as you like, but until you work there, it is, in my opinion, impossible to actually get a full understanding of how the place works,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“When I was coaching at Collingwood, we would look at Melbourne, as an assistant coach, in the lead-up to Queen’s Birthday. Once the game is played, you move on to the following week.
“So, in a season where Collingwood played 26 games last year, I really got to look at Melbourne for probably three and a half days. You do not have a thorough understanding [otherwise].”
Neeld said he really only started to get an understanding of Melbourne’s list when he was in the mix for the Melbourne gig.
“Going through the process of being interviewed for the job, then sure I started to study,” he said.
“The other really big eye-opener for me was, unless you are working within the inner sanctum of a football club, it is impossible to understand how the club operates - from an on-field perspective right through to the boardroom.
“I have found that to be a really interesting experience.”
