Mark Neeld at his first press conference
"I simply want to coach the team that's the hardest to play against in the AFL … That means all over the ground we're going to be the hardest to play against. There will be a number of components that come with that."

Neeld at his first training session
"New principal, new teachers, and a couple of new players … it's like the first day at school."

Neeld after the Demons started 0-3 in 2012 and were beaten by Richmond by 59 points
"Jeremy Howe and Jack Trengove and Jack Grimes - they're the guys that we need to develop that have the ability to stand up when that (a big defeat) starts happening ... Most coaches start with a three-year contract, therefore a three-year plan, and you need to see development."

Peter Ryan: Demons end Neeld's 21 months in hell

Neeld at the Dees' season launch earlier this year
"We understand that it's been nearly 50 years since we saluted on Grand Final day. We are really bullish and excited about our current player group. It's been assembled really well. Right now we don't have the results to prove anything but I just get the feeling that there may be something special sooner than what some people think … Get behind our group of players, get behind our footy club, because sooner rather than later, these boys are going to lead us somewhere."

AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER HIS SACKING

Did you know this was coming?
Neeld: "When the CEO called me at five to eight this morning I had a fair indication when I took the call."

 How are you feeling?
"I think at the moment the emotion is disappointment. No doubt over the next few days, weeks, months, however long it takes, I'll be on an emotional roller coaster … It's certainly been a roller coaster ride the last 18 months, it's been a life experience. I have an improved skill set, a different skill set, a hardened skill set - whatever you want to describe it as having been here for 18 months."


Would you have done anything differently?
"No I wouldn't. We started out with some clear directions and goals, I didn't see it finishing like this. A lot of decisions had to be made and some of them were very hard and it was felt they needed to be made. I still have great confidence in the group of players sitting up the back. I know that the world says 'Mark that hasn't happened on the ground' … they're a young group and the players that have come in have certainly added to the group and led really well."

How great has the pressure has been?
AFL footy is tough…it's a tough industry and we know everyone has a role to play. it's a terrific game at its essence, we love getting out there and being involved in the game. Sometimes you tend to lose that a bit with … the soap opera. It's a tough gig, I still think I'm a fairly resilient type of person, it's a pressure cooker AFL footy."

Have you been able to coach effectively in the last six weeks?
"Yes. All footy clubs are at different stages and Peter's just outlined that they're rebuilding the whole club so what that means is there's certainly different ways to measure success other than the scoreboard,"

Demons must pursue one man: Clarkson

Do you take responsibility?
"The whole club is taking responsibility, there's going to be changes across the club and I'm one. I'll take responsibility for my component."

Are you still the right man to take this club through?
"It doesn't matter any more."

Have you spoken to the players?
"I've already spoken to the whole player group and the staff so I had a chat with them. I spoke to a few of them individually. They've got probably the hardest job in all of this; in five days time, they're off to the MCG to play against St Kilda. I do appreciate this boys, I don't know who's idea it was [for the players to attend the press conference] but the reality is they should be outside training but they made a decision to be in here so we've got to make sure their preparation is not impeded and they get out there ready to crack into St Kilda."

Has this lessened your appetite for footy at all
"It hasn't, footy's a great game. It's enjoyable for the most part. Certain things I'm not going to miss and certain things I will. I enjoy AFL footy as an industry  I might have a little bit of a breather if you don't mind. I might catch up with the family and see what they've been up to the past 18 months. I've still got  a few mates around, maybe they'll offer me a job, we'll see what happens ... We got a group of players and coaches together and in the end we had a crack and it hasn't worked out. That's life."

What went wrong?
"I'm not so sure. I don't know … 18 months into a three-year contract, I would loved to have seen it out but it wasn't the case."

DEMONS CEO PETER JACKSON

"This is not about a single person called a senior coach. Whether Mark continued on as senior coach or we replaced him with someone else, that in itself is not the answer to this football club. It's a total rebuild, it starts at the board and goes through to personnel and included Mark as senior coach.
 
"When the wheels fell off at the beginning of the year so did the revenues ... At a football club where you've got very high fixed cost structures, being player wages and salary, when you lose revenue at the top it goes straight to the bottom line. We're not structured financially like a Collingwood or Essendon where we can withhold that sort of pressure.
 
"We are a smaller footy club where we get put under very severe financial strain very quickly so we had to go to the AFL to seek support.
 
"The compelling thing from their point and view and the rest of the industry is that we are a huge impediment to the industry at the moment in terms of opposition clubs playing us as their home game, our stakeholders, the MCC, broadcasters, everything you look at. We are an impediment and need to fix it up as a whole.
 
"It doesn't come down to one person."

AFL COACHES ASSOCIATION CEO DANNY FRAWLEY

"Peter Jackson has done an outstanding job, he's there to make the tough call. Mark will be looked after by Melbourne and will be paid out in full. The AFLCA will look after his welfare and his future interests and no doubt, he will be a well-sought after assistant coach in the future given the skills he has now acquired."