Nah sid, supporters would just like to get out of the bottom 4 for a change.

imo, that's how the club has sold this season to the fans and why we have record memberships. We swapped our first round pick because the club itself believes we should be sitting further up the ladder come seasons end. To end up near the bottom with a handful of wins and no early pick to satisfy our sorrows would be devastating for this club.

I'm not ready to stick the boots into Bolts yet as I like to give a coach 3 years to show us some light at the end of the tunnel, as I've done with every coach we've had... but these are exceptional circumstances and we need to cut Bolts and co a bit more slack. I believe we're on the right track but we can still make observations about what we like or dislike about our direction.

What we shouldn't accept anymore is the 'players tried hard, got their ribbons, went out for happy meals' type of mentality. Thankfully I'm not hearing that from the club but some of the post game reviews on here are a bit like that. No more excuses...

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“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ― Richard Feynman

I wonder if Daniel Harford wants to coach in the AFL.
He has done wonders with the girls and has a good footy brain.

Don’t prospective coaches have to finish coaching school first nowadays? It’ll be Rattan, I reckon.

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"In better news for Blues fans, Jarrad Waite was not named on the club's injury list."

Our problem isn’t so much coaching
It’s our recruiting and list management that’s the problem

And in the end if we finish on the bottom who is most
Likely to get the chop
Bolton or the mate of the President who is a Carlton legend
Example
Plowman too slow shit kick provides no run
Wouldn’t get a game in a good team

We better start winning games because SOs and his team by their own
Actions have not much on offer in the 2019 draft

You have to wonder if the players really believe the message they're getting. 2 of 37 is a pretty damning stat.

Out of the bottom four would be a great result for us this year. However, I will play the devils advocate here, who are the 4 teams we're going to be above?

There is nothing wrong with constructive criticism either, but there seems to be a lot more ill directed slagging of the coaching decisions and game plan with some peoples expectations far exceeding our abilities. I am sure Buckley had bucket loads of this criticism and it has taken him about 6 years to make Collingwood a top 4 team and he started with some pretty good talent. Yet some seem to expect Bolts to be a messiah in a few years starting with a really talentless team that has had to have a full rebuild, you can see my issue here.

I 100% agree on over decorating modest playing also. It just needs to be kept factual and in context to each players development time frame, role and experience. i.e. Murphy a now 250 game veteran, number 1 draft pick and former captain of the club. Needs to stand up more when needed and lead the way for these young kids, setting the example that we want to be defined as. Rather than focusing only on less experienced and less talented players for a few clangers that should be expected.

Personally, my no more excuses year is next year. This year players need to be made accountable and dropped to the twos or moved on for poor form as the team builds its cohesion and the talent develops. Let's hope we win a few on the way, definitely more than two.

Tell me on a talent for talent basis what our list does not have that the Dogs of 16 did? The club and the coaching staff have anchored our expectations to the bottom reaches of the ladder and this has filtered to the playing group to the extent they are conditioned to being competitive but not having the inner self belief to know how to win. This is a coaching and leadership failure, notwithstanding how ‘assertive’ our coach appears in an after game presser.

You've seen how our coaches talk to the players behind closed doors?

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

Does it matter what they say behind closed doors? I see enough every week on the field.

I think 4 drafts is the key. We traded picks and/or players for players with poor skills who turn it over.

Or the players are not capable of playing the game style Bolts is asking.

Personally, I think it's a little of both.

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end of message

As the saying goes, even the sun shines on a Dogs butt some day.

But to answer you directly, experience, a Jason Johannisen and no massive list rebuild prior. Now let me ask you how have they been since then?

And a far as the club and coaching staff anchoring our expectations to the bottom, you win. That is the most out of touch comment I've read so far in this thread. Clearly the whole premise of a rebuild and its undertakings means nothing to you.

I’d imagine this would be quite an important factor.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

Has anybody got the inclination to go through every club's TOP 6 mids (excluding ruckmen) and count the number of preseasons in their bodies and legs?

And right now, don't include ECurnow as he is not being played as a mid

We have Cripps, an (almost washed up) Murphy and then kids

Our midfield is bashed up week in week out, pushed off the ball easily. There is 50% of our problems.

I'd be giving Gibbons more midfield time personally

It's a shame we couldnt pick up Lyons a year or two ago

And I'm guessing that Doc may have played as a mid this year

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If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

Lions win again... weren't they behind us a few years back?

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“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ― Richard Feynman

Don’t worry Hornet, there is an excuse hiding away somewhere

At the start of the 2018 season, I'm not sure there is a single person on this board who would have rated brisbane ahead of us. we had the (perceived) better talent pool of kids and we were on the up, while they seemed stagnant and forever to be anchored to the bottom.

imo, the only difference between us and the lions is coaching. similar lists, of similar experience. hell, they're even rolling out mitch freaking robinson and still winning.

Gold Coast wins. No more excuses.

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end of message

I said it then and I’ll say it now, It’s hard to change a culture.
We well and truly buried our successful thinking 20 years ago and after 2 full list changes are still struggling to get the win at all mentality back.

The results this weekend and more broadly this season have been telling and make for fairly grim reading for Bolton. The next two weeks are enormous for his coaching career.