Waite will not be in this week most likely first game back will be geelong game

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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

Aaahhh a week's a long time in footy isn't it. I hate to sound like a third rate motivational speaker but let's look at this as an opportunity. We look bereft of ideas, strategies and motivation. That's when great coaches earn their dough. It is an opportunity for Ratts and co to shine.

He has had great support facilities and draft picks for the last 5 years. We have a hit a little speed hump. A great chance to prove to everyone that he can turn things around when the tide changes. That he is sharp enough, inspiring enough, cunning enough to get ahead of the game. Don't copy, invemnt something new and better and let the others catch us. Over to you Ratts, your future starts this week and you get the chance to write it!

Agree; if we wanted some softer opposition to trial some gameplan tweaks the next two weeks are pretty ideal - would have to better than trying to implement changes than against Hawks or similar.

Btw, how many byes does the VFL team have? Seems like alot? Stupid having a feeder competition full of byes imo...

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The feeder comp starves us for opportunities!

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Don't always agree with you Gerry but you are spot on with this. Get the clearance issue sorted and accept teams are going to come at us physically and adapt to it and we are back on track.

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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

Best thing for the club is a loss. Sometimes you just have to go back before you go forward. Blues finished for 2012. Injuries, coach, attitudes, inability to handle expectations, piss poor list management and hairstyles are all to blame. Yes I'm painting a depressing picture but I'm happy to revisit these comments later in the year.

We'll finish 6th - 8th, maybe win a final.....maybe even win a second final if its not interstate. Bottom line is, 2012 is not going to be the breakout year we thought it was going to be.

And if we were lucky enough to win a second final, I would say we just broke even for the year.

Sides on the way up have big improvement years - Adel 2012, WC 2011. Judd turns 30 next year or the year after

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

Collingwood were flag favs early, had a terrible start and everybody wrote them off.
Now they have settled, got a couple of experienced players back and are back on track.
No reason we can't do the same. The situation is not unfixable.

Over to the coaching staff

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i AM CARLTON

If we do beat Melbourne it doesn't mean anything. Playing against Melbourne these days is like playing against GWS. I don't want any of our players and Ratten to be off the hook simply because we beat a low team like Melbourne.

In fact I think we will play well this week, but it really doesn't mean we have turn things around, it doesn't mean we have addressed the problems we have had in the last few weeks. Don't think we will have any problems beating shit teams.

I'm absolutely sh..ing myself about this game.

Melbourne have been the subject of round the clock denigration this week.........

When Ratts was on 3AW last night, Healy ended the interview with words to the effect "at least there you have the bye this week" without any apparent demur from Brett...........

We seemingly will still be without Waite with doubts on Henderson and Kruezer (we may be seriously tested for height)......

Is Melbourne's form over the last 2 weeks much worse than ours? (they lost last week to a good side away by 100 points whilst we lost to good side at home by 70).....

I'm off to the worry room.

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"You can't polish a James Hird"

You're not serious, are you?
The best thing for the club is to have the coaches devise a strategy to negate the flood on our midfielders.
We're 5 and 3 with a healthy percentage. A couple of softer games coming and we could easily be 7 and 3.
We'll be top 4 and have the opportunity to launch ourselves into the second half of the season.

The opportunity is there for our coaching group to take us forward. They just need to come to the party and show some flexibility and innovation.
i'm not giving up on that yet.
2012 is still very much up for grabs.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

We must increase our intensity and intent.

Eye of the Tiger.

Got to tackle hard...really hard...and stamp our benchmark for the remainder of the season.
That's a starting point for the coaching staff.

I'd like to see alot of shepherding like the Crows were blatantly good at last week.
We must start looking out for our team mates.
Good structure enables that to happen.

I think that's the 'back to basics' stuff we're loking for.

After that, and I'm sure the MC are working on it, is to work our way through the flooding of the midfield.
With Murphy missing, I'm sure we have to do something different, just based on the personnel at our disposal.

Come on Blues, lets ALL turn this around.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

we will be 7 wins and 7 losses! thats rubbish!!!

Just over 6 months ago we SMASHED the bombers in the finals and JUST lost to West Coast away (and without Gibbs & Kreuzer).
A little over a month ago we killed Collingwood (who has made the last 2 grand finals and won one of em).
The last 2 years we've been competitive against Geelong, quite possibly the best team of the modern era.

I refuse to believe this team isn't capable of winning the premiership. Problem is, something is wrong with this team at the moment and I don't think anybody know's what that problem is OR how to fix it.

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

Prefer form slumps to happen now than later.. still think we are a very good team not sure about top four..but should be knocking on the door when a few things are sorted out..

Watched St Kilda & Adelaide game again last night and I was amazed to see the ball just wasnt bouncing in our favour as frequently as u would like and the opposition almost always had a favourable bounce. Not making excuses just incredible!

a lot of heat on Melbourne this week - Lets hope they are satisfied with an honourable loss

Can't see us flogging them

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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

..shemons have been crapola yes, but one thing they've been doing is working hard to ambush the ball and working alot on their contested ball winning ability.. ..if we're not careful, we could just as easily provide them with their first breakthru win..

..stinky mitch clark looms as a worry, if upfield we provide no pressure to their ball carriers..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

We have handled the big forwards well this year.

It's the smalls and mids who usually cut us up.

Can see Davey rejuvenating his career....

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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

Why would any Carlton supporter actually want us to lose this game?

A team that is low in confidence and form isn't going to gain any benefit from getting beaten by the shittiest team since Fitzroy was in its death throes.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa