Simple question, how many wins do you think we will have this year (not counting finals), everytime I suggest to people at work that Carlton will finish top 5 they give me strange looks (stranger then normal).

I predict 14, I think I am being realisitc.

R4 , one of either R6 or R13 and R19

and even with that you don't think we can knock off a 'big' team like we did in 2010 beating the aints and the cats?

R4 , one of either R6 or R13 and R19

16 wins

then we really get going!

20 wins 4 losses 7 draws

Said much the same to Terry Wallace on Twitter today. 14 wins is realistic. That means 8 losses. I think 14 probably gets you 5th this year...I'd be hoping for a couple more, but injuries and form will dictate that.

But Wallace said the list did not have enough quality to win that many games.

He said the decision to give away early picks for Chris Judd, Robert Warnock and Brock McLean had shortened the Blues' premiership window dramatically.

Wallace yesterday called on the club to get behind Ratten, saying any sort of negative whispering campaign would quickly undermine his position.

"Where I see (the Blues) in the next 18 months is if they don't do extremely well, they will go backwards rather than forwards," he said.

"They have gone out and traded a first-round pick for Brock McLean and traded reasonable picks for Robert Warnock and they did the Judd deal, which they had to, but it cost them Josh Kennedy and a first-round pick.

Sad banter