Such a critical week ahead.

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My Blue Heaven

We have a window for the 17th starting next year for about three years.

As I have said before, Ratten isnt in the league of the best coaches.
I stated before because he has improved as a coach he should get a one year extension.
After last night , I reckon we should be looking elsewhere.

This despite the fact that we arn't ready yet anyway. Fifth spot is about where we are at, but against structured teams like the Aints he gets found out. StKilda were always going to play like that last night and we had no answer. Where was the planning beforehand.

List management is another issue. Some our players looked spent last night. Geelong are the best things at $4.75 because they have rested players during the season. We need to do that next year.
Put the cue in the rack with Jamo. His knee isnt right. Memiscus injuries can re-tear easily. Get him right now or risk him missing a pre season. Ratten and the MC would be the biggest flower if they played Jamo next week. Ditto Waite. We wont get past the second week of the finals anyway.

The club needs to look at the big picture. We are a couple of players off being in the top bracket and some of our boys need a another pre season.
Even given that, I think we need to look at getting another senior coach. Ratts has done his job in developng the list. I personally dont think he is good enough to take us further.

I don't think anyone would be silly enough to change their opinion of him from a game where he's without Waite, Jamison, Kreuzer and Carrazzo.

Loose next week he is in trouble

Back half of this year has been a mirror image of last year

If Woosha can go 15 11 16 to 4 th why is it taking Ratten so long to break into the top 4

Our record against the top 6 this year is 1 win 6 losses with Murph Judd and Scotland in career best form

Loose and he is in big trouble

Lets hope for Ratts sake they win

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

Sorry but I can't help myself and I am not the grammar police but is is "lose" not "loose". (nothing personal)

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"our electorate seeks less to be informed and more to be validated." Sad times.

iphone posting with bad eyes

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

How did we rate our game tactically last night? Do we have the capacity to adjust when things go bad? Does Ratts have any influence sitting on the bench? Ross Lyon turned around a Grand Final last year and almost snatched it. Last night he adjusted to counter our game plan and we reached for the excuses. Our plan B is for Juddy to turn the game on his own. The last two weeks he has looked fallible.

Prepare for the excuses to start.

A loss next week is a failure and indicates that for three years our trajectory has been the same. Flying start and then poor second half of the year. Instead of being cherry ripe for the finals, we have been cherry wrong.

If we are a side going places we will crush the mediocre opponent we are up against, and I expect us to. Big week for the club. Expect to see Rodney Eade and various other prospective coaches amongst the Bombers cheer squad.

I have never been a big rapt for Ratts as a coach - but against the Dawks I thought he made quite a few positional changes that nearly helped us win the game - i think he has improved, but last night was just a painful game to watch, should have just stayed home

I fear us becoming a doggies mk2. Achieve the same result for 4 years in a row and not win a flag. Or will we be a St kilda, realize when it's too late that the coach hasnt got what it takes

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Alexander the Great was born in Greece!

Lyon did make some adjustments to shut down our space but he was also lucky we lost our tall forward target to the ruck/hospital.
He also had the advantage of his team actually playing for something while the blues had one eye on next week.

He is a smart coach but was out coached by Ratts early. Against top 4 teams he wouldnt have got away with what he did last night.
Top teams with more experience would have made him the Saints pay.

I like the tactics we used early and it really looked to be working against the sort of tactics we hate. Once we ran out of legs our tactics turned to crap. We were constantly out numbered.

Next week will tell the story but i choose to believe that our fitness and training loads are geared to us peaking next week and beyond.
I expect us to get over the ground well next week and for the following weeks. Similar to the Cats being shite against swans and then looking a million bucks on friday (albiet against a team also loading up on fitness).

Ratts will be in trouble if we lose next week no doubt. So will a number of players. We cant/wont keep sending the same blokes out if we keep getting the same results.

let's deal with facts....

Fact 1 : There are four premiership coaches currently coaching in 2011 - worsfold, malthouse, clarkson and M thompson (who simply pulls the pin up boy's strings)

Fact 2 : There were only two other coaches in 2011 who had previously coached their teams to a GF and multiple preliminary finals (Lyon and Eade)

Fact 3 : Carlton's record against those six coaches in 2011 is 2 Wins from 9 games

Fact 4 : Carlton's record against the other 10 coaches in 2011 is 12 wins from 13 games

I'll let others draw their own conclusions....

But for me, it is apparent that carlton struggle to overcome well drilled, well prepared and well coached sides....
(NB. further evidence can be found if you look at Carlton's recent record against the most recently retired premiership coach - P Roos)

I loved ratts as a player and there is no doubting his heart beats blue BUT I am coming to the conclusion that ratts has taken us as far as he can....We need someone else to elevate us genuine contender status.

Over to the board to make the right call.

Yeah, I know what you mean, it's like we are plugging away with little improvements each year and by the time we might have it 'right' the list will be too old and injury prone to do anything with it. I still say we need a spark or jolt of some kind.

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Just because I'm offended, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

They are pretty damning statistics for Ratts.

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They will know that they've been playing against the famous old dark blues

As many here have correctly stated - a loss next week will make it very difficult for the coach to sign on for another season,

But the supporters should not be too worried about this kind of an end to the 2011 season, instead they should be pleased that club decision makers have the will and strength to make a tough call.

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My Blue Heaven

Just as a matter of interest what were Whooshers stats the previous 2 years?

What were Malthouse's stats about 5 years back?

What where Clarkson's stats about 5 years back?

What were Thompson's stats about 6 years back?

Just wondering. Good old Stats always reveal what you want if you pick certain time frames.

Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

I'd suggest 10 other teams have coaches who lost to Ratten. Where does that leave them?

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

My brother is someone who i normally dont agree with, but he convinced me when he said that if a coach hasnt got a flag within 5 years, he is unlikely to ever get one if history is anything to go by. Of course there are exceptions including Thompson and Malthouse. familiarity breeds contempt. The message wears thin.

Our window starts next year. We arnt good enough yet.

I would be throwing a truckload of money towards Roos and Malthouse.

have to laugh at people criticising a coach on the back of a glorified practice match

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world

Which doesn't explain the rubbish you post in TalkingStuff

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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

So what you're saying is, we struggle against the best sides?
Thanks for that.
Unfortunately you're drawing a long bow to place it at the feet of the coaches. Great coaches don't win flags. You can dress it up as well drilled, well prepared and well coached but the reality is, it's about the quality of players at your disposal.
You can be the greatest coach in the world tactically but without good players, you're just another bag of shit. Too many people put too much emphasis on the coach.
To use your example, let's look at the Swans. We don't beat them now because Paul Roos isn't there. We beat them because we have better players and more of them. Simple as that. Roos could be their coach, it wouldn't make a cracker of a difference.

I've not been Rattens biggest fan but he has us on a steady upward curve. To suggest he can't take us any further is just guess work and nothing more..

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.