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HERE GOES NOTHING..............
This should have been our slogan this year instead of "I am Carlton".
Tonight was a total and utter embarrassment and thankfully puts an end to the 2013 season which promised a lot and delivered nothing other than a cold hard reality check. If I hear injuries/rotations used as an excuse I will vomit!!!. This game was over in the first qtr and had dogs kicked straight we should have lost by 10 goals plus.
Here are the simple facts - We have a team of mediocre and poor players who are not good enough to take us to the next level, our top players are all having a bad season and in reality we have no real "A-graders". As has been the case for the last 5 years too much is left to too few but unfortunately players like Judd and Murphy have lost their powers.
Our skills are poor especially kicking, our tackling is laughable, our decision making under pressure is awful and our tactics are flawed.
Most disturbingly our mental fragility is so ingrained in the team that I fear/believe we will never go forward until the majority of current players are gone.
FACT we are at least a 6 years away from finals success and that assumes we don't continue our history of terrible recruiting.
My anger is not just directed at tonight's loss but rather the culmination of a shithouse season which has seen me lose more hair and nearly all faith in our team.
I am happy to give the players a spray because they deserve it but so does Mick Malthouse for another week of terrible team selection and poor coaching.
Our midfield has been killed for 6 weeks in a row yet we make 4 changes (2 forced and 2 omissions), 3 midfielders go out yet we dont bring in a single midfielder WTF????? Graham has been killing them in the VFL yet he cant crack a spot in the weakest midfield in the comp??? Bell should also have been in the team as a ball winner. We are getting smashed at clearnaces/stoppages all over the ground yet we bring in players who are incapable of changing the situation.
I realise for some reason Maltouse hates Laidler and has stamped his card but how bad can he be to have only been given 1 game all year??? I mean its not like he is trying to break into the Swans stable backline, this is a dysfunctional leaky back line. If Laidler was in the team it would free Simpson (or Walker) to go into the midfield where he has played his career best footy. Whilst I am talking about the backline a simple message for Scotland and Touhy, if you want to sneak forward you have to be prepared for the ball to come back with interest, it's all well and good to kick a flashy goal Touhy but Dickson killed you when the ball was in their forward line, just like last week Walters 4 goals negated your 3 goals - Your a defender!!!
Everyone has mentioned that the 3 amigos does not work, even Malthouse conceded as much yet he selects them again and it fails again.....Take the hint Mick they are hopeless and as a forward line we will never succeed whilst they run around together. If we want to look at players who deserve to be in the side none of garlett, Betts or Yarran should be playing they are down on form and their workrate is awful. Having 3 of essentially the same player is ahuge disadvantage b/c when they flop they cannot be rotated elsewhere on the ground.
Whilst I am talking about flops.......Sam Rowe......OMG!!!! Seriously he is not up to AFL standard and is a liability to the side, I would love to hear the justification for his selection, Casboult and Mitchell may be bad but they are surely better than Rowe.
Each week after a loss you tell us about changes that will be made yet you persist with the same crap players, if your harshest punishment is making Yarran the sub then you have clearly bluffed everyone with your so called tough attitude.
Tactics - I have mentioned it before but the game plan of play wide and maintain possession may haver worked at Collingwood but it doesn't work at Carlton as we dont have the footskills neccessary to pull it off. By all means keep trying it but dont be surprised when it fails repeatedly.
Mick you have told us there will be list changes but I want to see more than that and I want to see something happen NOW. How you can come out and say anyone is untouchable from the current list is a joke. The only reason they would be untouchable is because nobody else wanted them!
Its easy for me to bag such an insipid side but "I want answers" I hear you say......
Well here goes. Short term and Long term.
Short term:
Team changes - Out: Yarran,Betts, Warnock, Rowe, Armfield, Garlett,
In: Graham, Bell, Laidler, Kreuzer, Mitchell, Lucas,
Tactics - More direct style of footy with an emphasis of using the corridor especially when entering forward 50. Waite to play further up the ground true CHF and have Hendo closer to goal. The addition of Laidler across HBF allows simpson into midfield. Walker to go rotate going forward and move Waite or Hendo to HBF if playing against talls such as Dons or Tigers. Gibbs into the midfield and Cacchia to go into defence. Players like Touhy and Scotland to focus on defence rather than sneaking up the ground and then being hurt on the rebound.
Play the kids - menzel, graham, temay, mitchell etc.., there is nothing to lose and its now all about selling hope for 2014 to weary memebers.
Find Some Pride - This team is devoid of flair, dash, and most sadly heart. They look like a dis-spirited sad team that does not want to play for each other, the coach or the club. After a win the club song is sung with no gusto and after a loss the players look as if it was all inevitable. Where is the passion, where is the pride??
Long term:
This is what is really important because 2013 is done and dusted.
1. Trade and Delist: - We must rebuild (I hate that word) unfortunately that is what is required and we need players across all lines - skilled midfielders, a KPP (forward preferably) and an effective inside midfielder.
You want names????? I'll give you names:
Delist - Rowe (who u just gave another contract), Collins, Okeefe, Joseph, Duigan, McArthy, Mitchell (if he is not up to it), Scotland to retire.
Trade- 2 of Yarran, Betts, Garlett, definitely trade Warnock (who the hell gave him a 3 year deal??), Hampson, Robinson, and 2 of: Armfield, Curnow, Carrazzo, Bell or Cacchia as they are all too similar.
I am sorry to say we must trade a player with currency to get something so that means it may be time to say goodbye to Gibbs, Jamo or even Walker or a similar player. My choice would be Gibbs (even though I like him)
Essentially every player except for Murphy and Hendo is open for trade talk. Simpson is almost off the table b/c he is the only one who shows some heart every week.
Here is a trade worth considering - Yarran, warnock and pick 8 for GWS pick 1 which we use on Boyd.
2. Forget Arizon and altitude training it a flowering waste of time in fact we are proof it is a rort. Spend the money on kicking, tackling and fitness coaches and the remainder spend on psychologists to try and engineer this team a backbone and a hard edge.
Start preseason in the first week of September because this season has proved we are no fit enough!!
3. Change the game plan (already discussed) and promise us we will never ever have to endure the 3 small forward line setup.
4. Pray!
I could go on but I need to go and eat dinner even though I lost my appetite watching the game.
GO BLUES
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