JohnM wrote:
The club states via its president that it's aim is to win 2 premierships in (now) the next 3 years.
The coach is, by your admission, still learning on the job, after 5 years.
And you're still happy to sponsor his development.
I'd hazard a guess that every single, current AFL coach is developing, learning and fine tuning. Making mistakes getting some things right, some things wrong.
The important thing is Ratten is improving. Like has already been said, he has a greater winning percentage than alotta successful flag winning coaches had at the same point in their career.
JohnM wrote:
Oh. And what progression, exactly? Our coaching staff made an absolute hash of the middle of the season, very likely costing us a finals berth (you think injuries caused us to lose our shit to the point of getting flogged by port Adelaide?)
By your timeframe, Ratten will be as good as, say Clarkson, by about his 9th season.
Ah yes. The middle of the season. Missing Henderson, Laidler, Murphy, Waite, Carrazzo, Robinson, Warnock, Hampson, Kreuzer (for 1 game), and Judd. There's more too.
You tell me John. What AFL teams that can miss 6 or 7 of their best 10 for 4+ weeks, and still win games, make the 8?
Even yesterday, anyway you cut it, we were missing our 3 best defenders. Geelong without Scarlett fell to 9th place for back-to-back weeks and lost 3 from 4, and everyone said they were shot. Imagine if Geelong also lost Harry Taylor and Lonegran or Enright as well as Scarlett. And lost them for the season too. Screwed and out of the 8, is where I reckon they'd be based on the test sample of just missing Scarlett, but I'm happy to hear why you think they're different and Ratten is shot.
JohnM wrote:
Aside from a single anomaly in Bomber Thompson, tell me how many coaches were mediocre for 5 years and then suddenly became excellent at the job?
How many? And who?
You need to supply lots of examples, because that's the exact thing you're thinking will happen wi Ratten.
Lets look at the best coaches of the AFL of the last 3 decades. winning flags is the measurable yardstick we'll use.
Leigh Matthews
Bomber
Parkin
Malthouse
Sheedy
Choc Williams
What were their records after 5 years? How many of them took over a team which'd won 2 of the previous 3 spoons?
Ratten fairs well. He's no Matthew Knights, or Primus or Laidley.
Don't take it personally, because it's not meant to be personal, but I think the biggest shortcoming of you and Synners is patience. As a club we've come from the depths of hell, and to think in 5 years with an improving coach you guys would be throwing your toys out of the pram because we haven't won a flag ... it's indicative of your impatience. It's indicative of the club we are trying to remove ourselves from. The club where we bought all of our talent. A club that sacked the coach after 2 years of perceived failure.
CFC's biggest flaw has been its impatience. No surprises we haven't -- until SR -- embraced the concept of the AFL since the draft. A system where you
have to be patient because you can no longer spend what you want and buy a flag.
Where I sit, we're on the way up. Injuries have derailed this season. Just like they did to the Hawks in 09 and the cats in 06. It's football. It happens. I can live with it, and I can live with Ratten serving out his current contract. Win or lose. It costs the club less, we can eat into our debt and ultimately be stronger for it.
JohnM wrote:
Low standards if you're happy with Ratten's performance over 5 years. Very low standards.
My standards are low? I reckon your are unrealistically high. As a club from the front office down, we've failed to develop our kids -- ie have the required patience it takes to nurture them -- we've failed to recruit (under WH) to a gameplan and on field structure to play to.
Every time we've lost a game we've demoted the kids, played with their confidence, destabilised the coach and his assistants. It's no freaking wonder we're a headcase of club who finds winning elusive.
Where is the guarantee that Malthouse is going to lead us to a flag? Where is there guarantee, where MM would even be able to do what Ratten has done this season? How can you be so sure?
... I think there's a case to be mounted where (possibly) 13 wins with the list we have had due to injury and chicken wings is every bit as good as finishing top 4 with a full list.
Good work Braithy.