No apart from a few exceptions the list is fine the only thing they are lacking is age and games

and yes more drilling - more practice

I said before all sides on the way up often look very ordinary - none - I mean none that have had success were well drilled from day dot

We should have won 2 maybe 3 more games so far this year but we haven't and I think it is a mental thing rather than a skills thing as to why we lost those games - No expects Essendon* or Brisbane for that matter to win- Everyone expects Carlton to win - as you stated they are favorites every week

But that metal thing comes with maturity and when they start to believe they can win they will win more than they lose

We needed every trump card on the paddock to press for top 4 - Injuries to Carrazo- Waite Walker and now Bower - Jamison was missing for a few- Scotland under prepared - We needed these blokes firing from round 1 - They weren't so you have dance with what you bring and in some games not all we have been dancing with two left feet

Ask Clarkson what injuries to your best players do to you and you have to replace them with Kids some of whom are not quite ready yet

We also have to stop bringing players into the club that are suspect to injuries - I have big concerns over what we traded for Warnock


Ratten hasn't been sensational by any stretch - but he hasn't been as bad as your suggesting

Go back and watch replays of 02 03 04 05 06 07 - we were bloody useless - plonking in three top kids and one gun isn't going to change that around in a hurry

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There was actually an interesting tactical/team ethic discussion going on towards the end of the first third to half of this thread. Surprising considering

Yeah but the questions get raised weekly and they snowball due to perfornces....

Thats how things go.....a natural progression...

What do our players do when they do have the ball and when they dont have the ball...

For example... when someone has the ball on the half back flank... what are the players behind him and ahead of him doing?

Is anyone making space for a gap ?

IS CJ running past (youd have to say hes been in the system..).. or Russell??... or is it left to the ex NSW rugby player Army to do?(Who will then take it up the field and deliver it to not one option but 2 or 3... who should also have options further on...

What are the players inside 50 about to do???

Who should be kicking out????

Theyre all things you address way before they happen....not at the spur of the moment...

Thats what you get paid to work out when youre coach....

Try watching taht sometimes at a game....

Thats where i become frustrated...

We have a bunch of players stagnant..flat footed...week in week out...

But somehow we agree talent wise theyre improving.....

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Perception again

I do think we have improved...defensively. We are also in the eight.

Just because we don't play the pretty total football you want all the time doesn't mean we aren't improving in other areas of our game as a team.

Not sure why you are going the list bit, I've always stated both the coach and the players need to improve. To me that is not unexpected as I don't expect them to have a huge surge as yet.

Yeah, but mate you only see it when it doesn't work

A black hole erupts in front of your eyes when something actually comes off and you don't see it. We must have really been awfully lucky time after time to actually when a few games .

Perhaps some of our older players are falling away because they are having trouble with the defensive aspects of our gameplan. Milne and Dal weren't dropped to the twos last year at St Kilda because they couldn't play pretty football and neither were Scotland and Stevo for us.

Yes we know we need to improve the coaching and the players... thats a given so nothing new there...

But what is it about what you have seen that suggests that Ratts is the right man???

We know we need to improve from where were at............... ......... .....

Im asking you........ what is it about what you have seen that makes you full of confidence Ratts has the group on the right path..

You know i dont believe it... just tell me so i can look for it and then i dont feel compelled to argue otherwise...

Ratts... what has he done in two years to make you believe were on the right track.. thats what this thread is about..

ive outlined what concerns me...

his coaching pedigree
his appointment
his game plan
and within that gameplan i have isolated areas we have been struggling in for 2 years under him...

Easy.... now go ahead!!!

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Belisarius but StKilda played a defensive gameplan...and Dal and Milne didnt do it...
You know what the Saints were attempting...

What gameplan are we playing?
Whats ours???
Cant you blokes spell it out to me????

Im dumb!!!

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Well you did say it

Belisarius , i knew you couldnt justify what youre arguing....against someone dumb....


You didnt say it...

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I don't think we will ever stop you arguing

We have improved defensively, but you can't see it, because you want us playing fluid attacking football.

That is unless anyone might have missed that you have traditionally quoted items from the Herald/Sun ahead of/or at release time.

Now i could be nasty and suggest that you have an access to the bins at the HWT site but clearly that might be unfair

We beat Collingwood, Bulldogs and Brisbane twice struggled against Adelaide and always have, pushed the Saints and have not played Geelong yet. So generally speaking we correlate well against those teams.

You blame age, the coach blames age and some people blame the coach.
I don't think it is unreasonable for us to be sitting in the WB, Coll, Adel, Bris catergory.
After this week we should replace Brisbane in that quartet anyway.
In 2 weeks I would be extremely dissapointed if we are not playing Collingwood for a spot in the top 4. It will be a Friday night game and this coach needs to ensure we don't have an embarrassment like we did against Essendon*.

You mean the same gameplan that the Saints supporters couldn't work out. They were asking questions as to why were Gehrig and Riewoldt being dragged into the defensive half etc etc. Lots of questions about his media performance, even mention of his you knows

I'll do you a deal you name who you think should be our coach and justify it and I'll tell you what I think we are trying to do

And that is why he is being questioned.

Belisarius focus....!!!

What is the gameplan???

StKilda finished 4th last year and everyone could see their gameplan.... maybe it wasnt pretty but you can see what they were doing...

What is the gameplan???

Surely a great strategic general like Belisarius was hundreds of years ago would be capable of explaining what were attempting to do...

Remember... if things continue like this... we will have the 'Nika Riots' on our hands...

BLUES! BLUES! BLUES! BLUES!

For those of you who dont know it... there used to be a favourite sport in Constantinople at the famous Hyppodrome...

Abit of Argy bargy and the sport ended up with a massive riot between the Blues and the Greens... it ended up in thousands being klilled through the city... and the Byzabntine Emperor called upon Belisarius to put the riots down... the Emperor was a Blues fan for the record...

"Nika" means " to win " in Greek...



But whats the gameplan???

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Why do you keep on deflecting when asked about who should be coach?

I have posted on aspects of what I think our gameplan is, yet you toddle off on little tangents when asked about another coach

Indeed, but which gameplan the one that won against those you consider second tier or the one where we lost against those you consider third tier?

Id tell you when i know who is available Belisarius.
Id tell you when you bring me the psychological test results.
Who can handle the pressure.

Am i on the process board????

I believe we should bring in the best available.
I do not believe that we should have a coach who has no coaching experience in the system to teach a young side.

If i was in charge i might even appoint my mate Barry......

But i would hope that that is not how we go about choosing a coach.... i would hope in this day and age we assess what is out there.. and bring in the best possible person as coach.
Clearly that is not Ratts!!!... great Carlton guy ... but hey!!!!

Now as in gameplan ive missed it...

Explain it me....or tell me what page its on...

i need to know...

No deflecting....

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