Players lack leg spped
kicking is terrible
players fall over too muck
players not being played in their right positions
lack of passion
think they are better than what they are
do not run hard enough when the opposition have the ball

For next week
INS Jacobs Gartlett Bower Kerr
OUTS Warnock
McLean(if unfit)
Robinson
Houlihan

We need to take some risks - play Thornton FF.

I didnt say it was an answer I said risks must be taken as that forward line is not functioning - it's no good.

You speak of the new young coach - who is hidden from us at the moment - but be assured that he will appear soon.

However most people will not see this young man as exceptional or special in any way at all.

His appointment will actually be a rather underwhelming event to the footballing fraterinty.

As I have previously stated - Carlton will lose a string of games - culminating in a very bad loss to St Kilda - before improving in the second half of the year.

But of course - these early losses will cost us a spot in the final eight. 2010 is to be a very mediocre year - where the St Kilda loss will be the low water mark.

If we were to ensure that this particular worldline was not to become a reality for Carlton - then is was extremely important that we beat Essendon* tonight.

So if you are upset with Ratten now - then you will be apopleptic after the coming month or so of football misery.

As dissappointing as this time is - of our losses in this period wont be particularly bad - except for the St Kilda one which will be a 70 point blowout..

Given these circumstances, obviously, the calls to sack Ratten will reach a fever pitch in coming weeks.

But our longer term prognosis is a very good one - and this unpleasant period that I have warned people about for a number of months now is unfortunately also a very necessary period of football suffering.

This is an important time where we will distinguish the wanted from the unwanted, the valuable from the relatively valueless.

In the ancient agricultural practice of winnowing, people exposed harvested wheat to the wind so that the chaff blew away - leaving the valuable grain behind.

The talent that we need for the future is with a few exceptions already here - and this is a painful but necessary time of moulding and shaping - to form a Carlton team that will do glorious things in coming seasons..

Waite is a swing man not a permanent viable target - Setanta is no good. Forget about him; he's a fourth string forward at best - be honest with yourself.
He is nothing more than a pinch hitter.

We need a target - Hendo needs time but atm he is average against strong opposition and to his demise he takes out the best backman not Setanta. I like the kid - but in three years I'll like him even more....but for the moment changes need to be made to make that crappy forward line function.

That would be a mistake. We need to settle our structure. We need to give our forward line time to work and learn to play with each other.

One of the things that annoys me about football these days is no one has any patience. Most people here can't see beyond the here and now.