MELBOURNEfc is undertaking a comprehensive review of its football operations and strategies for the next 5 years. The review, headed by CEO Steve Harris, will initially encompass a competitive analysis of football department resources, player list management, player development, and coaching structure.

Club Chairman Paul Gardner said the Board had agreed on the review process at its May meeting, and was already underway. It would take input from coaching and support staff, organisational, leadership and elite performance experts, former coaches and former players from Melbourne and other clubs. "We expect this review to be completed by July 31. The results will then go to a Board sub-committee, comprising myself and three Directors, who with the CEO will finalise a three-year development framework. It will be against this framework that the Club will resolve its coaching arrangements and budgets for 2008 and beyond. This is the logical and professional way of handling such matters, and we have fully briefed Neale Daniher and key football department staff on the process. Neither Neale nor the Club will be making any further comment on the review, or the coaching position, until the process is concluded."

Neale Daniher said, "I understand the Club's approach and the need for it to be clear about where it is heading, or wants to be heading. Once that first phase is done we've agreed to then sit down and talk about how the Club sees me and vice versa. In the meantime while the Board goes about its job I'll keep doing mine.”