WHEN Mark Neeld received the phone call at 7:55am on Monday morning from club CEO Peter Jackson he knew it was the end.
Jackson had summoned the coach from AAMI Park to his office at the MCG.
So Neeld began his day with a walk in gloomy weather across the bridge connecting the two parts of Melbourne to meet a foreboding appointment.
The final decision to sack Neeld had been made by Melbourne's board on Friday afternoon just hours after Jackson had returned from his meeting with the AFL Commission.
In that meeting Jackson had laid out his plan to restructure the club, with a particular emphasis on the football department.
The CEO needed to know what scope he had to implement the plan.
A phone call between Jackson and AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou later that night sealed the timing of Neeld's fate.
The Demons' CEO was told the AFL would make an eventual decision on the extent of their package in three or four weeks but were prepared to underwrite any decisions that were required in the meantime.
The only decision left related to how and when Neeld would be told.
Interim president Peter Spargo would not be drawn on the coach question when interviewed on radio.
Jackson toyed with the idea of visiting Neeld at home on Sunday night to tell him he was sacked.
However, he could foresee the media circus that would create if, as was inevitable, the news broke.
So he waited until Monday morning to inform Neeld.
Neeld returned to the football department and called for a meeting of the coaches in the match committee room.
It was a sad occasion as all liked Neeld the person.
The whole club, players, coaches and staff, were then summoned to a meeting at 9:15am in the AAMI Park Theatrette to be told the news.
It came as a surprise but not a shock to those in attendance.
Jackson took about 10 minutes to detail the process and why the decision was being made now.
He would later tell the media it was a decision made in the club's best interests.
And that the performance on-field was "unacceptable".
It had become clear to everyone that Neeld's message was being lost on the players.
Jackson handled a difficult situation with a directness that Neeld would have appreciated.
He said Neeld deserved the dignity of being told before others found out.
The former coach handled his final press conference with aplomb.
He took on a job that became harder than he ever imagined and now he was being relieved of the task.
"The emotion is disappointment," Neeld said. "I'll be on a bit of an emotional roller-coaster."
With that Neil Craig took training and met with the players later.
Inevitably some players will feel as though a weight has been lifted from their shoulders. And energy will return.
By the look of Neeld in his final post-match press conference when he spoke with unexpected zeal, the decision will free him to pursue the rest of his life in a job without the unrelenting scrutiny ... and return, maybe, to the character that had such success up the road at Collingwood.
