I know JK seems pretty well informed but I took his posts as not really being about leaks from high places but more about just looking at decisons and joining the dots. I agree with Caz, anyone who is in admin or on the committee at the club needs to keep opinions for meetings and not for gossip. I know no-one with inside knowledge but am a little worried about the club's decision making merely based on proof of their decisions. We desperately wanted Voss. Voss has been a disaster at the Lions. We appeared not to interview widely. I don't no that for a fact but there was certainly know indication of a serious process as per Richmond and Melb over the last few years. We chose a coach with minimal AFL experience who happened to be a close mate of Kerna's. I know that wasn't the sole reason, but I don't believe a similarly inexperienced coach with no Carlton connection would have had a shot. He appointed the only coach he had worked with from another club and then a mixture of 95 premiership mates and recently retired players mainly Carlton. Nothing wrong with that but clearly our strategy was that we rated recent playing experience over any coaching experience. Okay. Then three years later 4 of our inexperienced coaches have gone and been replaced with the opposite. Guys who have long coaching experience but have been out of the game a long time as players. Is there a strategy here? Are we making it up as we go along? Do we have a shared vision? Add to that several players (5) requesting trades. Maybe it is all the players faults. But player management is a key skill. Some players are ordinary blokes, others are dumb, others just need a change, but is it a concern if 10% of your playing list want to leave?

Really, without any leaks, just joining the dots, surely it is not unreasonable for supporters to wonder whether we have clearly thought out strategies for decisions, whether we have the very best people at all levels.

I took JKs points as been more of a joining the dots process but now, from the subsequent discussion about sneaky leakers, I think perhaps there is disquiet at high levels which doesn't auger well for the immediate future.

I don't think Ratts is the man, but he is coach and therefore needs total control over all coaching decisions until such time as we decide to change the coach.

When Ratten was appointed coach the club was at it's lowest ebb in history we were staring down at spoon number 3 - Membership was diving and supporters were bringing out the baseball bats again .

The appointment of Ratten - Bradley- Lappin - Teague -and having Williams assist wasn't about Sticks looking after his mates or Fraser Brown standing in the back ground dictating terms as most of you suggest .It was about bringing back Carlton to Carlton - A club that had a coaching panel with no real Carlton back ground was lying on the bottom of the ladder like a rotting carcus to be picked at from all and sundry

and guess what it worked - membership skyrocketed the teams on field success improved rapidly and within the space of 50 games they had us playing finals again the debt was being paid off and the fortunes had turned around .

It would be fair to say that the last two years coaching group and administration had acheived well beyond most expectations but they could only take us so far - It appears now they are bringing in coaching talent to take us that step further .

I just wish some on here would just shut the @#$%&! up and think of where we were 2 and a bit years back and actually congradulate those in charge for acheiving what they have done instead of trying to look at all sorts of innuendo to undermine the current board


Carlton supporters seem to be always looking for that instant cure the miracle that someone is going to waltz in wave a magic wand and all will be better again

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

POTY. couldnt agree more if i wanted too!!

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Got to love the stare Down by Setanta on Llyod

hit. nail. head.

With the Pies recently winning the flag you can multiply this statement by 100.

Richard Pratt was responsible for our turnaround. He offered vision and the funding required to return hope to the supporters. Those mentioned in your post and the supporting cast that came along for the ride.
How quickly we forget.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

This is a more accurate version of recent events. Cleary remember driving home at about 10pm on a Thursday night when it was announced on the radio that he would be President, nearly smashed my car.

Agree with SydneyBlue and Pratt ceratinly was the facilitator but not the sole reason for the turn around.

It was only a short five years ago the club was for all intents and purposes dead and buried, the fact that we have come so far so quickly is remarkable. We have a ways to go yet but we are getting there.I have faith in the club, the board and the match committee, not eveything they do will work or will I agree with it, but in general I am very happy.

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A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" -Winston Churchill

L.M 35-06

Who was responsible for getting the man with the open cheque book to the club


How soon we forget


http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/ki ... 1112971251

Kernahan said this had been a "watershed week" at his club. The only thing more significant than the return of Pratt was the fact that news of the move did not leak out of the new board until Pratt himself spilled the beans to a Nine Network reporter. Kernahan approached Pratt several days ago, after the club elections eight days ago left Smorgon without a board position and the board without an alternative president."I just thought it was worthwhile saying 'G'day, what are you doing, this is where we are at, it is time for change, do you want to be a part of it?"' Kernahan explained. "I nearly fell over when he said 'yeah, I reckon I can'."

Pratt said the thing that swayed him was that Kernahan had asked. The circumstances were also ideal, with Pratt's inclusion on the board requiring no sitting member to lose his place.


Now we can listen to all the gossip and innuendo posted on web sites or we can take the words of the man himself

_________________
If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

Also do not forget it was not that long ago that many were keen for us to move to the Gold Coast in oreder to 'save' the club.

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A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" -Winston Churchill

L.M 35-06

This is going to turn into a 40 page shit fight but Pratt is the sole reason for the club turning around. We were the laughing stock of the AFL until he came on board.

The members vote was the key to getting Pratt to the club. By not voting Smorgan to the board this ensured the Presidency would be vacant which mean't Pratt could be approached.

and they were still laughing at us 6 months after he was on board after copping yet another 100point flogging at the hands of Brisbane and hurtling to spoon number 3

_________________
If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

Indeed. The rebirth came on the back of a man who was able to instill some confidence and process off field, and a raft of young kids who started to make an impact on the field, yielding some results.

The question in my mind is are we doing everything we can to set us up for a sustained period of excellence AND win Premierships AND become an off-field powerhouse (membership, financial, culture etc). Look at the previous Premiers and see how they got that so right - Brisbane, Sydney, Geelong and Collingwood. Hawthorn made difficult, major decisions on and off the field, much initially driven by a board member (Dunstall). It included a change of president, change of coach (with thorough selection process) and major financial initiatives that boosted coffers and membership.

I think what Josh is pointing out very strongly is what a lot of us have been saying on here for a while, that the systems we need to become a powerhouse are not where they need to be (eg the process that gave Ratten the job, twice extending Ratten's contract when it wasn't necessary, the process that would have given Voss the job had he wanted it, appointing a coaching panel with mostly no experience, giving favour to ex-Carlton people (look at Geelong's appointment of Scott, being a favourite son was irrelevant) etc). At the end of the day, it is the Board which is resposible for those decisions. Even if Swann makes a decision himself, the Board still needs to ratify such appointments. Had the Board not prematurely extended Ratten's contract, he almost certainly wouldn't be coach going into 2011. That says something.

Josh's passion comes from his frustration at what he sees as the shortcomings at the Club that have yet to be addressed. Ditto Synbad. I have always found Josh to be a very rational, reasoned poster. His passion and frustration is much more evident of late, and seems to have aroused the ire of some on here. I think I understand where that frustration is coming from, for I too share it. It is the knowledge that we have a golden opportunity over the next 5-8 years to win a Premiership, hopefully more than one. But we need to do everything right to make that happen, on field and off. If we don't get the right decision makers in place, to drive this Club the way it needs to be driven, we will turn around in 10 years time and be shattered that we had some of the best talent in the competition but couldn't win a flag. My father, who has been watching Carlton play for 70 years, does not believe we have the right people in place, starting with the President.

It is absolutely imperative NOW that we have the right people making the right decisions and implementing the right processes. There is an urgency now that wasn't there 5 years ago because now is the time we need to be capitalising and winning Premierships. I do not believe that Kernahan is the right person to be President, and I have stated that numnerous times on this forum since I joined in its previous incarnation. I have no idea about the rest of the indivuduals on the Board, other than it seems there are too many on it. But the Board as a whole has endorsed a number of decisions that I think were not in the best interest of the Club. Recent appointments of assistant coaches are IMHO much better decisions, so hopefully the Board is learning. But we no longer have 5 years to learn and get it right, we must get it right now.

As for the coach, this has been debated at length. I haven't seen anything in 3 years that tells me he has what it takes to get us to be a serious contended. I hope that changes. But right now, I have more confidence in what Melbourne is doing on and off field to win a Premiership and set themselves up, than what we are.

This is my view. It mirrors Josh's view, and Synbad's view, and the views of many others on here. My frustration is growing rapidly, because I don't want us to muck up a golden opportunity. It seems to me that Josh has the same frustration.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

But how on earth did the members even know that Pratt was available when he hadn't even been asked it was a bit like last Federal poll - everyone wanted none of the above .

The opportunity arose for Pratt to take over it was created by the members at all

_________________
If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

Let me clarify it by saying that they were laughing at us both for our off field performance and on field. Pratt being elected elimanated the off field sledging pretty well straight away. No Pratt, no Visy, Swan or Judd.

I wonder what process Richardson and Brown went through to get their jobs?

Fair point Woof. But I'm not sure at this stage that any club puts potential assistants through much of an interview process. I was discussing this with someone the other day, I don't think it will be long before that changes, and assistants are also put through a more thorough selection process.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

Well if that is the case then the Baker appointment is as good or bad as the Richardson, Brown appointments.

Considering that the assistant coaches have direct input into our players' development I'd hope a rigorous interview process has been the policy all along.