[7] On 17 September 2011, it was announced that Neeld had agreed to become the senior coach of the Melbourne Football Club beginning in season 2012 on a three-year contract.
[8] This promise was fulfilled partially when Melbourne upset 2011 runners-up Collingwood in a NAB Cup match in early 2012.
However, when the 2012 home-and-away season became underway in March, the Demons under Neeld were defeated by the Brisbane Lions by 41 points in Round 1.
Despite the off-season acquisitions of several players, such as Shannon Byrnes, Tom Gillies, Chris Dawes, David Rodan and Jack Viney, things did not improve for the Demons under Neeld in the first half of the 2013 season, with just one win in their first 11 games and an average losing margin of 77 points.
As a result of this poor start to the 2013 season, during the Demons' mid-season bye on 17 June 2013, Neeld was sacked as Melbourne Football Club senior coach.
[10][11][12][13] His sacking came within weeks of the departures of senior Demons' staff members Cameron Schwab and Don McLardy.