Stay of execution for Melbourne's Mark Neeld Melbourne's assistant coach Neil Craig, left, and coach Mark Neeld leave AAMI Park to attend the board meeting at the MCG yesterday. Picture: Nicole Garmston Source: Supplied MARK Neeld's troubled reign at Melbourne continues but there is no confidence the besieged coach will see out the year following a marathon meeting of the Demons board at the MCG yesterday. Melbourne president Don McLardy released a statement critical of the football department following the meeting, which Neeld addressed for 90 minutes before retiring to the club's training base to await his fate. "Our on-field performances have not met expectations this year and everyone in the football department continues to face ongoing assessment in their roles as do those employed in other areas of the club," McLardy said. The club will make no further comment at this time in relation to the senior coach position. Nor was Neeld in a mood to comment. The Melbourne coach left AAMI Park shortly before 5pm as confirmation that he had received a stay from a board still divided on his future following Sunday's thrashing by Hawthorn. There is no guarantee Neeld will coach Melbourne in next Monday's Queen's Birthday match against Collingwood. The fixture has traditionally proven financially beneficial to Melbourne given the pulling power of Collingwood but the Demons' hold on the date is at risk. That Neeld managed to survive the board meeting went hand in glove with confirmation that interim chief executive Peter Jackson will remain in the role for an additional 12 months. The former Essendon boss has been given the authority to restructure the club, with a particular focus on the football department. Aside from Neeld, the other members of the football department to address the meeting were Neil Craig, Josh Mahoney and Todd Viney, whose son Jack is a first-year star. All have been told their positions are under review. Jackson recently told The Australian Neeld had not yet been given a realistic opportunity to show that he can coach, considering Melbourne has lurched from one crisis to another since his appointment for the 2011 season. Chief executive Cameron Schwab has been sacked. Melbourne was fined $500,000 for manipulating team preparation in order to secure draft picks. It is under investigation by both ASADA and the AFL for a link with sports scientist Stephen Dank. Stars have headed elsewhere, been injured or lost form. But what is most alarming for the board is that Melbourne is less competitive now than when Neeld was appointed. Under Neeld, the club has won just five of 32 games, with three of those victories over lowly Greater Western Sydney. It trailed GWS, which is yet to win a game in 2013, at three-quarter time before posting its only victory this year. Its average losing margin this year is 76 points compared to 50 points in 2012. Neeld's position has been scrutinised all season. A shocking 148-point loss to Essendon raised serious questions, forcing McLardy to give an assurance that Neeld remained the man to change Melbourne's culture. After losing for the ninth time this season in10 rounds when beaten by Hawthorn by 95 points on Sunday, Neeld remained optimistic of retaining his position. "We've got a really clear pathway that we're following and we haven't hidden that from anybody," he said. We believe we're assembling a really good list that will take us forward.