Few of those things have anything to do with Ratten suddenly becoming a better coach.
Our tempo footy is better because we worked on it theoretically, practiced it at training and the players gained a better understanding by refining on it under "match conditions" over the space of a couple of years.
The same with kick ins and most other set plays that have improved.

It is a time and experience issue. Ratten would have been preaching a similar methodology 6 weeks ago when everyone was going feral about his coaching. It's just the players are gaining experience and an understanding of how various opposition react and how best to deal with it. It was always going to take a considerable time.
I'm not directing this at you BB but many posters are using the "Ratten has changed" mantra as some sort of flimsy defence for their demanding of his head on a platter. Expecting that a coach has that much control of the structures of a team over in the space of weeks is ridiculous.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

I think Ratten has changed quite a bit this season. Originally he went for Fisher/Waite/Hendo in the forward line. Now he has gone for pace which is working well.

When he dropped Waite and Thornton and not promoted Wiggins to the seniors it demonstrated he is more interested in getting games in the kids rather than having the best players on the field. His approach has clearly been focus on the future and not now. Parkin and Pagan did not take this approach.

Though it is still early days, the improvement in Armfield, Houlihan, Betts, Gartlett, Yarran, Walker (when playing), Russel, Santanta and the addition of Lucas meant we are not relying on Simpson, Murphy, Judd, Gibbs, Carazzo to carry the load.

Improvement within was always going to happen but how much the youngsters would improve was not known.

I am happy with Ratten's last few years - things now are starting to click and the supporters who could NOT see this are starting to see it now

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Delulio is a member of TISM

This whole "Ratts doesn't have a game plan" thing always amused me. Although I only get to training on the rare occassion you could see what Ratts was trying to do and it was certainly obvious during games. Considered people where well aware that it would take time due to the skill and experience levels of the players. We are now seeing the fruits of that effort.

For those who still do not get it.

Ratten has been talking about fast ball movement into the forward line using multiple options since he took over as coach, he has also talked about controlling the tempo of the game to stymie the oppositions run and to run down the clock. The big stumbling block was Fev's demanding of the ball, he was admittedly a natural target and with him leaving it has led to the what I call the growing phase of the plan. Each week the players are getting more and more comfortable with it and are developing the belief that is esstential to any teams success.

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A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" -Winston Churchill

L.M 35-06

I believe there has been a change in the coaches box after the Essendon* game. Craig Bradley now sits right next to Rats in games. I know a journo queried Rats about it and he deflected it by saying his hearing is not as good in one ear.

I don't know about everyone else but I see Ratts in the coaches box and then see a legend like Bradley sitting next to him and I am very happy with the coaches we have. Maybe most supporters would like this too. Could it be a marketing ploy to take the heat off Ratten?

I am glad Bradley is sitting in our box and not the oppositions. A friend of mine is an Essendon* supporter and she said she would love Bradley in her box any day.

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Delulio is a member of TISM

Rather personal............ don't you think?

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

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dane's trolling again

*Bump"*

This thread makes for some very interesting reading. It seems we were torn between a "happy to cop a loosing season for development" vs "finals or bust" as a pass mark for this year.

So TC'ers i ask the question, has the team met your expectations this year? And what is your pass mark for the rest of the season?

Improvement from last season has been an epic fail .. I would accept finals in 8th or 7th.

Anything less is unacceptable.

I said at the start of the year we'd finish 5th. I still believe that's achievable . For Ratts, to win a final is the pass mark. That would be nice.

For me, we are around the mark that I expected this year. We are not a top four team yet, and I never thought we were going to be this year. We're in the eight, and it looks to be almost settled. I feel we can push a bit further up, to 5th maybe, but that's as high as we can go this year to be quite honest. That's not a bad thing either. This line gets brought out time and time again, but we have a young group, and to finish 5th would be a remarkable effort. Calling for Ratten's head this early is ridiculous in my view. It's best to wait until the end of the season for when the year is reviewed. It's all about rational expectations. People think that because we have Judd, and a few number 1 picks that it will make us an instant premiership side overnight.

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Premierships: 1869, 1871, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1887, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1914, 1915, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1995.

"GIBBS."

And very doubtful that this would happen so if it doesnt does Ratts failing mean we can take the time to look for a coach in an unbiased manner using a professional process??? I Hope so...

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"Truth, for the tyrants, is the most terrible and cruel of all bindings; it is like an incandescent iron falling across their chests. And it is even more agonizing than hot iron, for that only burns the flesh, while truth burns its way into the soul"     — Lauro Aguirre

The only thing unprofessional about the process last time was the selection panel. It should have been impartial. It wasn't. Everything else was the same as always... Interviews, shortlisting, presentations, selection.

If we bottom out - as many so-called supporters on here want us to do - and miss the finals...then I'd suggest the club will have a review. Kernahan will step aside as President shortly after Christmas and Ruffy Germinder will take over. The review will ascertain what steps need to be taken and will probably recommend that Ratten remain coach for season 2011. A senior mentor to Ratten may be appointed at the expense of two of our current assistants. That's just my take.

Your wish for another coach might not yield you the results you want. There's no guaranteed fix. I'd like the boys to play like they did against Geelong and St.Kilda every week as well - but that's just not happening and no matter what an outsider THINKS the problem is - only those with an internal knowledge of what happens on the inside can give you any answers.

I can guarantee you this though - while Carlton supporters are still venting their anger in multiple threads on multiple websites thinking their written words count for anything - the coaching staff and players are focused on the Swans and have been since last Sunday night.

I still haven't calmed down from that insipid display but my anger is directed at the so called 22 who took the field in a Carlton jumper and not Ratts. Where's the flowering heart and soul of club gone?

pass mark would be 12 or 13 wins and a finals win considering:

a. we won 13 games last year and narrowly lost a final interstate
b. we turned halfway at 7-4

anything less than that is a substantial fail.

We're about where I thought we'd be. Difference is I thought we'd struggle early & improve.

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#DonTheStash

+1
and that is what is really upsetting.
Do not mind a loss but heartless footy gets me really down ... think the buck stops with Ratts .... he either gets them up week in week out or goes and does a course on basket weaving at Warnaball uni!

At a minimum that has to be the pass mark

Yes, we've gown downhill since the start of the year instead of the opposite which most of us expected. If we were 8-7 after losing say our first 4 then I would be feeling alright about things.
Someone referred to the wins over the top 2 as false dawns which I agree with - our expectations rose too highly with those. I probably would have preferred us to beat two middle-tier teams rather than two top teams.

I hope so - all we want to see is a club and a team that at least looks like it gives a toss out on the football field.