Demons' Neeld never stood a chance Jim Stynes. Liam Jurrah. Tanking. Energy Watch. Jason Mifsud. The rebuild of a rebuild. Surely even Jock McHale, the godfather of VFL/AFL coaches, would have struggled with what confronted Mark Neeld in his ill-starred term as Melbourne coach. Neeld took over a basket case that managed to get worse. While he certainly did not help his own cause with some decisions, Neeld never really had a proper run at the job. Factors completely beyond Neeld's control contributed to his demise. It is a brutal cautionary tale for anyone with ambitions of becoming an AFL senior coach. When the Demons appointed Neeld in September 2011, he came with impressive credentials and a no-nonsense attitude. He clearly had a mandate from the board to harden up a team that was treading water at the foot of the premiership ladder. Neeld was to rebuild the rebuild that his predecessor Dean Bailey had started. But the tough love had to work from the start. And for all the support the players showed Neeld at Monday morning's fateful announcement, there were persistent rumours of a disconnect between coach and team. One of Neeld's earliest decisions also became one of his most controversial - the naming of Jack Grimes and Jack Trengove as co-captains. It was a bold move to put two youngsters in charge, much the same as when Wayne Carey became North Melbourne captain in 1994. But Carey was already a superstar in the making. While Grimes and Trengove may end up being great, they are still finding their way. And then, through March and April last year, the hits started coming. Jurrah, Melbourne's brilliant indigenous forward, was arrested in Alice Springs. He would later be cleared of assault, but only played one more game for the club, and is now in prison after being found guilty of a separate assault charge. Stynes, the club's revered president, died of cancer a few days before the 2012 season started. The club cut ties with major sponsor Energy Watch over a racism controversy. There were allegations, traced back to senior AFL official Jason Mifsud, that Neeld was treating indigenous players differently to their team-mates. Mifsud apologised for making the false suggestion. Later in the season, the AFL launched an investigation into tanking allegations against the Demons. After several distracting months, there was a massive fine and two suspensions. On-field, Melbourne lurched from crisis to crisis. Neeld savaged the team after his first game in charge, a winnable MCG match against Brisbane that the Demons lost by 41 points. A week later, West Coast mauled them by 108 points. It was the same this season - a round-one game surrounded by much optimism, where Melbourne crumbled to Port Adelaide. A week later, Essendon slaughtered Melbourne by 148 points and from that night, Neeld's days were numbered. He tried to overhaul the team at the end of last season, but the recruits have either been found wanting or have been injured. Precious little has gone right. And when things are this bad, regardless of why, the man in the hot seat is in everyone's sights. Whether he's actually any good at the coaching caper or not.