MARK Neeld says Melbourne’s embarrassing 41-point loss to Brisbane Lions was not a shock.

A brutally honest Neeld did not back away from questions posed when he fronted the media following his debut as Melbourne’s senior coach.

Asked if he was surprised by his team’s display, Neeld said emphatically: “No.”

“I’m a realist. I have come in here and asked them to play a game style that is very, very different to where these guys have come from,” he said.

“And it’s hard. It’s really hard. It will take some time. But it’s worth pursuing - that’s how you get up to where everyone wants to get to.

“We have a core group of younger players - or at least inexperienced players - two of them are sitting beside me (Jack Grimes and Jack Trengove) and they’ll be OK.

“But I’m a realist. I know exactly where we’re at and where the group’s at.”

Neeld kept perspective when delivering his thoughts on the match.

“No one likes to lose round one. Reality is it’s worth four like every other round, but there is a big build-up for it,” he said.

“The message included that in my opinion, I think we had four players who would’ve rated a benchmark game.

“And it doesn’t matter what game style you had or where you play or who your opponent is - if you’ve got 18 players who you don’t rate as at least average, you’re not going to win.”

Neeld said the most disappointing aspect of the day was not being able to sustain the effort for a long period.

Although the Demons were in front by 11 points at quarter-time and trailed by four at half-time, Neeld was adamant there was no shift in the second half.

“We got absolutely pulverised from the start of the game until the end of the game at the clearances,” he said.

“We were at times non-competitive through the middle, and I worry about that.”

“I’ll worry about the inside 50s later. They come later.”

Neeld said he hadn’t stamped the cards of any players because “that’d be foolish”.

“It will take some players longer to adapt, and that’s natural. That’s human nature,” he said.

But how about in terms of how the coach will react to the loss?

It will be felt in the lead-up to Melbourne’s round two clash against West Coast Eagles at Paterson’s Stadium next Saturday.

“I’m not going to respond well. Not well. But that’s life,” he said.

“It’s this industry. It’s accountable. They’re accountable (the players), I’m accountable, so I should be and so are these blokes (co-captains Grimes and Trengove).

“Will the same 22 travel to Perth? Not on your life.

“I am not going to go down a similar road and continue to put blind faith in players - no way, absolutely no way. And that’s fair enough. That’s not a threat. It’s not anything other than being honest, and that’s what the players were told.