I'm not sure what Leading Teams actually does beside have a "confrontational" round table, but does employing groups such as this actually deflect the need for Ratten to show leadership; to stamp his imprimatur, viz a viz, by dropping players, etc.

He seems to show little strength of leadership by referring to stats to disguise obvious deficiencies; failing to drop key players, motivating a team to actually start a game from the first quarter etc etc.

Certainly didn't happen overnight though. This was from round 4 in 2007 - http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/chapp ... 1113436723

Change the club name and theres not much difference.

Nah, the difference is that no player or coach at Carlton would come out swinging like that unfortunately.

Is there really THAT much difference between our current situation and Geelong's of 2006?

Both teams lost a close final after leading by plenty
Both teams came out next year and delivered well under expectations after looking the goods at the start of the year.
Both teams employed Leading Teams around their respective time periods.
Bomber Thompson looked gone for all money at the end of 06.

Certainly didn't happen overnight though. This was from round 4 in 2007 - http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/chapp ... 1113436723

Change the club name and theres not much difference.

"It is something we are going to have to change as a side. You just can't be happy playing and getting your money and having a good lifestyle or whatever it is.

"You have got to go out there and do everything you can to win. You have got blokes like Darren Milburn Ryan Houlihan, who has been here for 13 or 14 years, who hasn't won one (premiership) and you hear him say the culture is still the same.

If you are comparing a very talented team of footballers to ours, you are seriously delusional.

They had Thompson in 2006.

They had few round 1 draft picks.

They have the mental capacity then and now. No comparison.

That statment sounds like a Ratten clutching at straws statement.

Doesn't even make sense in the slightest.

Thompson in 2006 was as good as cooked, same as what Knights/Ratten are now. Over-reliance on Kent Kingsley, Cameron Ling was apparently well overweight and refused to get off the beer/parma diet, Ablett was a soft outside receiver, Mooney was in the same situation Waite was in that he couldn't go a few weeks without getting rubbed out for undisciplined acts. Steven King was captain by default, and didn't really want the job.

They had few round 1 draft picks, we did. So my point being, is that are we any further back than what Geelong were, given they essentially had a less talented list than what we did?

The age breakdown of their list is very similiar to ours. Milburn and Sanderson were their vets, Scotland and Houlihan ours. After that, it falls away drastically to blokes around the 80-100 game mark.

Bring on 2011, as long as it brings the hard facts with it.