I know these issues have been discussed before but I am bored and 2007 season can't finish soon enough. All I want from 2007 is no more wins and C'wood and Essendon* to falter badly as the season ends.

In 2008 we will virtually certainly have a new coach, the most important coaching appointment we've made. So get it right. Don't pick big names for the sake of it, don't pick coaches on the basis of their footy ability. Exhaustive interview process, we need the very best available, regardless of profile.

Delisting and recruiting: Caz is indicating this is a very skinny draft. We should have 1 and 3. If Fev goes that gives us another top ten. If Fev goes we need to get real value. We may be trading into another 2000 draft and end up with 3 first rounders for no A graders. Anyway the shallow draft means a few players will be lucky and Aisake and JAcko can be elevated without drama. It also means we can take a risk on Cam Cloke, who is our best (only) ruckman

Fev: If he stays need to be as sure as possible he is going to be here as a team player long term. If he goes must get good value which is a risk in a weakish draft.

Playing list: The main thing I want to see in 08 is substantial improvement from our young players. The jury is still well and truly out on Wayne Hughes. Gibbs and Murph are quality but anyone could have picked them. You expect superstars at #1. We really need to be getting guys who exceed expectations a bit deeper in the draft. At present Kennedy; Bower; HArtlett; Russell; Edwards don't look certainties to make it. And A Raso can't get a regular game for the Ants. We need Josh K to be a very good player as you would expect of a #4 pick, we need Bower or Edwards or HArtlett to exceed expectations. And the other two to be serviceable to good. At the moment none of them seem certain to play 50 games let alone 200. Apart from Russell they all seem to have gone backwards, and Russell has improved but has a way to go. I picked Bower as our big improver this year based on his end of 06. He looks tentative, has no confidence in the air, what is going on?

Next year is very important in their development and in Wayne Hughes future. Development takes time, 4 years usually before you can be sure a guy is gone or going to make it, but we need to see players improving rather than going backwards.

Also I hope Hughes doesn't continue his aversion to anyone with a strong body and in and under skills. We need a Bate/ Nathan Jones/ Swallow type. We have enough 190cm skinny runners.

Hopefully next year we will finally start to look like a side. I'd like to see big steps by Hampson and Aisake and continued improvement by Setanta. Hopefully Grigg and Ando will play most of 08 in the ones.

We will almost certainly have a new captain. Who has the personality, onfield example and ability, leadership skills and maturity to do the job? No-one.

Murph and Gibbs need a few more years. Fev may be one of our only 25 + 100 game+ player on the list in 08 (if he is on the list) and he is not a captain. Stevo is coming back from serious injury. Big problem.

Stevo looks a shoo-in subject to fitness. I hate the rotational model and the multiple captain model but it might be the only way to go if Stevo doesn't come up..

I can't wait till the final siren in the last game with the Blues just falling short, DP resigning (with secret golden handshake from the other DP). A low profile coach who happens to be the best in the business, finally several superstars in the draft, and a few down the list picks that turn into Daniel Kerr or Simon Black rather than another Sporn or Chatfield. And mostly in 08 I'd love to see the sort of improvement in our young players that C'wood seem to have effortlessly achieved. And I'd love to see the emergence of some hard edged relentless leaders to lead us from the wilderness. There's only so much satisfaction that a supporter can get from getting #1 draft picks. Next year I want to see a cohesive, young determined side that wins a bit a never loses by a lot. This time next year I don't want draft picks to be the think uppermost in my mind.

I hope that next year we're not reading a "hopes for next year" thread in early July.

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Very good post Gerry...you didnt miss anything.
I'll be interested to see a new coach's opinions on the list and the recruiting and what shape his off field team would take.
Wayne Hughes has taken some gambles with project players so its hard to rate his perfomance at this stage as most kids need a couple of years in the system before you can evaluate them and the project types even longer.
I guess you also have to factor in the development from our coaching staff which has left a lot to be desired.....Hughes might argue a better coaching setup with better communication might have got some quicker results.

Wonder how patient a potential coach like Voss would be and would he want his own recruiters given he says he has a off field team ready to go and perhaps look at an old tried and true workmate in Kinnear Beatson to do his recruiting.....

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Agree with you both gerry and CB.

My hope for 08 is that the lack of confidence which really irks me at Carlton totally disappears.

Seeing our guys so hesitant pains my heart. They should be standing tall in the Navy Blue jumper.

I want to see 1%ers coming into being. No one must ever shirk a contest.
I want each player to back each other. I want constant running and rotation thru the midfield.

I want a ruckman that will hold his own or at the very least play like a man possessed.

I want to see an established Back 6 rather than the BS tinkering that has been going on.

I want a Plan B, C and D when Plan A does not work.

I want Murphy to put on 10lbs of muscle.

I want GIBBS to be tagged while playing in the midfield.

I want Fev to make amends and show some passion for winning the ball rather than the fact that he has been deprived of the ball.

I want Setanta to introduce Matthew Lloyd to Aisake and see the fear in the eyes at the brother combination.

I want Ackland's contract terminated and I want Cam Cloke to thrive.

I want Wiggins to be rewarded for busting his gut even when the talent Gods took a break when bestowing footy skills on him.

I don't want to hear, see or read the word TANK ever again.

I want innovative ideas from the match committee.

I want Dick to live forever.

I want the best coach in Australia coaching Carlton, not the best available.

I want a Premiership.

I want the Blues in 08 to dare to dream!

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“It is a state of mind, a system of belief, a way of seeing the world, a deep faith that, because you are Carlton, you belong to something great.” - Mike Fitzpatrick articulating what Out of the Blue means.

I want to see us win at least 10 games like we did in 2004.
I want to see a new coach appointed, that will construct a team that can take us through the next decade in the 8, and maybe a Premiership or two.
I want to see Lance and Fev combining up forward, clearly Lance cannot play in the backline to play on elite forwards. He is a forward, and I would love to see him kicking goals.
I want to see less selfishness up forward by Fev. That is the worst thing you can do in the forward line. If you're out of your range or distance, KICK TO A PLAYER IN A BETTER POSITION.
I want to see more ruckmen coming in. We haven't had a decent ruckmen in quite a while. Cam Cloke was a good recruit, but like now, he can't always be around, we need a back up and Ackland clearly isn't the man.
Sam Jacobs looks like a good youthful ruckmen, we should elevate him and play him. And yeah, If Lloyd craps himself at Setanta, imagine what he'll do when Aisake starts playing at senior level

I want us to beat Essendon* and Collingwood, and maybe dish out a 60+ point belting out to either of them.

I WANT THE HANDS IN THE BACK RULE DESTROYED.

I want the umpires to be more accurate with their decision making. They don't realise it but it can decide the fate of a game.

Go Blues

That is 1 of the best posts that I have ever read DUC, that was really awesome, I feel better already!

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1. Walker,
2. Menzel,
3. Murphy,
4. Gibbs,
5. Judd.

I sincerely hope by next year we have seen the last of Pagan...the rest will take care of itself.

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" Koutoufides has taken the last quarter by the scruff of the neck..." Commentary Drew Morphett Last Qtr '99 Prelim. Pure Gold.

Thanks for the memories Kouta. You are and always will be a True Blue Carlton Legend. #43.

I agree with almost everything in this thread.

I want the blues to smash Essendon*, Collingwood, Richmond and St. Kilda
I want a plan B as well as plan A
I want a new coach for 2008
I want all the useless players (Ackland ect.) gone.
I want a backline for Carlton
I want a ruck for Carlton.
I want our players to do everything to get the ball.
I want our players to go for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th ect atempts
I want all of our players to be as passionate and enthusiastic as O'hAilpin .

i hope next year we see:

A new coach
Fev playing in another jumper
Our 3 top 10 draft picks dominating, winning our first NAB rising star
Gibbs midfield
Not sucking anywhere near as much

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Back like a raging case of pubic lice

I'm not looking forward to the season ending. The season seems too short as it is.

oh how very true

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

Hopes? Sheesh, my hopes have been so dumbed down they amount to

- not being flogged by 15 goals on more than two occasions

- managing to stay out of the papers for a late night drinking fest

- developing a player (any player please!)

- not having four sides rack up their 'highest ever score' against us

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Everything before the word "but" is horseshit - J Snow

IMO we are going to see an improvement in '08, its the natural progression you get when developing.

the thing is how big or little will that improvement be.

Tank!























Ill get my coat................

People smacking their kids??

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"Who discovered we could get milk from cows, and what did he think he was doing at the time?" Billy Connolly

I want Pagan gawwwn and an gun coach in his spot
The young guns to step up a gear or two
Better fitness base, stronger bodies and improved skills amongst the players
New and bigger sponsors signed up
No off field dramas
No major long term injuries to players
More then the aprox 35.500 members signed this year
Princes Park being used for something other then training
No debating whether we made the right draft choices
For the Club to be in the hunt for the finals


Not too much to ask I think ahaha

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James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

Bluebeards 2008 Wishlist:

M. Voss senior Coach
B. Ratten, G. Crossisca, M.Braddley and C. Lambert assistant coaches.
G. Thomas - Development Coach & Carlton Reserves Coach.
10- 12 wins
Teague, Ackland, Bannister , and others delisted.
Whitnall traded for 2nd round draft pick to Fremantle.
N. Stevens appointed captain.
M.Murphy in the top ten Brownlow votes.
Kouta retires at the end of the season.

I would be happy with that.

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They coud'nt.....could they?

Hey TTD you would make a great newspaper editor

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“It is a state of mind, a system of belief, a way of seeing the world, a deep faith that, because you are Carlton, you belong to something great.” - Mike Fitzpatrick articulating what Out of the Blue means.

QTF

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They coud'nt.....could they?