Melbourne president Don McLardy has thrown his full support behind coach Mark Neeld and called on the players at the under-siege club to lift.
As the Demons reel from Saturday night's 101-point capitulation to Sydney, McLardy made it clear that in his opinion, the coach is not the reason for their on-field plight.
Melbourne is winless after eight games under Neeld, who is in his debut season as a senior coach.
McLardy wrote an open letter to Melbourne supporters on Monday and then gave a television interview where he backed the new coach.
"We interviewed extensively for the role, Mark clearly had a lot of attributes that we were seeking and he's done nothing so far to show us that he's not the man," McLardy told Fox Sports.
"We're very confident in the structure he's put in place, the people around him, his game plan - he's very convinced about his game plan.
"We just need our players to buy into that and start performing."
Much of the criticism of Melbourne's bad start to the season continues to centre on its senior players.
"I'd expect our senior players to really respond to the criticism ... of them," McLardy said.
One of those experienced players, midfielder Colin Sylvia, was seen sharing a joke with Sydney opponent Josh Kennedy at the final siren.
"I'm sure Mark Neeld is sitting there and I'm sure Colin Sylvia is sitting there a bit worried about that as well," McLardy said.
"I expect some reaction."
While McLardy said the Demons are unhappy about talk that some players might try to leave the club at the end of this season when the AFL goes to limited free agency, he added Melbourne would be ready for the new-look player market.
"The whole world is changing at the end of this year, we know that," he said.
"We see that as a negative - yep, we've got a few guys and the market is being tested, we understand that.
"But it's also a positive for us, we're in a position where we will go out and we have a structure in place to assess every possible person who may be interested in coming to our footy club."
Sydney's Irish star Tadhg Kennelly said after beating Melbourne that his compatriot and former Demons president Jim Stynes would be turning in his grave.
But McLardy, a great friend of Stynes', said he was disappointed at that comment.
"What Jim would be saying is `no, we know what we're doing, we have a plan, let's be brave enough now to stick to it and see it through'," McLardy said.
He was also adamant that off the field, the club was not in crisis.
In his letter, McLardy called on Melbourne fans to be patient.
"Even though things seem extremely tough, we need the continued support from everyone who has a passion for Melbourne," he said.
AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, melbourne-3000, vic, australia First posted May 22, 2012 10:44:09