Sticks. Gleeson. Dog Brown.

This is where it starts and ends.

Madness - let's weigh it all up at year end. Honestly, the Drover's Dog could have got them 10 wins last year. Not saying he can't coach, but what about some sort of due process??

Slow Learners.

So this one factor, whether the opposition can break down our system of play, is going to determine Ratts future as coach?

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What a joke. He may be a good coach but the jury is still well and truly out. he is enormously inexperienced, his previous coaching experience was coaching 2nd div suburban after walking out on a contract with Melbourne to pursue a non existent job in Qld.

He was handed the job by two old mates in Sticks and Gleeson, was given 3 #1 draft picks and Chris Judd, and vastly improved resources, and took us to the heady heights of 11th. Wallace has a noose around his neck after the Tiges went from 16th to 10th.

What if things go pear shaped this year, what if a better coach becomes available. Why not do as I would expect him to do with players - well till he proves himself! then sign him up.

Ratts may well develop into a good coach, but no-one else is after him. Let him earn an extension.

And Ratts - lose the no hoper manager (why would anyone use Ricky Nixon to represent them).

Presumably if we make the 8 this year Sticks will have a 10 year contract extension for Ratts.

So the great Greg Swann had no say?.....

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I am unsure about his coaching nous, but at the very least you can look to his coaching panel (Riley, particularly, Montgomery and Lappin) which is quite good.

Also, I think he is going to have a very profound effect on the playing group, if he hasn't already. He bleeds for Carlton, he is passionate, he is loyal, he is a hard worker and was tough as nails. Can you think of a better set of attributes for a coach to have in leading our resurgence? He is going to transfer a lot of his Carlton love to the playing group, as well as his extensive work methods and a "never give up" mentality. Plus, he is a really endearing guy so the players are going to like him and listen to what he has to say.

Give him time I say!

Go Ratts.

I'll continue to support whatever decisions the club makes. If Ratts is good enough for the powers that be, he should be good enough for all of us.

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I dont have a problem with the contract extension, brings some stability to the club. If it doesnt work out we can always get Dick to pay out his contract.

surprised given the people you speak to Josh that you'd say this. He can coach...Judd says he can coach - his assistants say he can coach...the board think he can coach.

Coach Ratten can coach!

Just Gerry going on about the imaginary "jobs for the boys" stuff.

You would have to back Pratt and Swann. No club wants there man coaching the last year of a contract. Not just in AFL but just about any professional sport.

Good move.

Obviously the club has seen enough in the way Ratts goes about things to make this decision. What it also does is give Ratts the confidence to develop the list/strategy in his own way, rather than making short term decisions aimed at keeping his job.

Footy is all about results I know, and experience is hugely important, but look what it got us with Dennis? We got a coach who played kids out of position or didn't play them at all and clearly had no long term direction for the club.

I think what Ratts has done in his time shows he is the man for the job and that his sole objective is returning the club he loves to the top of the tree.

..am down with the contract extentsion, no escape clause is a little silly (mebbe they assume they'd just pay him out?),, but by the same token it could be a measure of faith in ratts to get the job done.. ..ppl questioning what he's achieved should look to many of the comeback wins, winning 10 with the injuries, and the new gameplan is a decent effort, and it's a decided improvement on where the team came from.. ..i got no probs with it..

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I would laugh if that was just tossed out to see if Caro could sit on it.... THAT would be funny....

I like the idea of putting some faith in him after asking him to have faith in the process - yes it is probably too early based on performance, but it is overdue based on the overall impact of his reign so far....

Wallace has a noose around his neck, but no one else is after Ratten...

Good work getting the contract out of the way now.

An unsigned Coach will only be a source of speculation for quality journalists like Wilson and Russell.

An unnecessary distraction.

How many coaches agree to an escape clause?

Wilson is a gutter football politics journalist to compare Ratten's re-signing to Pagan's after the Wizard Cup win.

So lets just keep sacking coaches then. .... Why keep Ratts, why extend his contract, why did we ever appoint him ??

For all those who don't agree with this decision, could you please provide the name of the guy we would of ( could of ) signed if Ratts was not the senior coach ? After all the best is not available,and as the best would be employed, who exactly is the best ???

And for that matter what did the "best" do with his current team??

Good coaches are also somewhat lucky coaches.. Right place right time right players .... And to think back a few years it was Hawthorn people talking this way about Clarkson.

I guess some people here forget that first one must walk before they run. And considering we had been going backwards, my opinion is that Ratts deserves the opportunity to see out another two years ( be it in writing only at this stage ). We walked last season , now building up to a jog and all going well, by 2010/11 we'll be definately up and running..

Oh well .... Your turn now ....

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What would've been the harm in waiting till the mid-season break to make a decision on whether Ratts was taking us in the right direction?

They've gone unnecessarily early on this, IMO.

In all honesty there would have been no harm in doing that at all... But if we honestly believe that as a club we have turned the corner, then doing it earlier is also a non issue.... To doubt this decision is too doubt where we are at. Surely we all are on the same page as to where we are as a club ? Aren't we ??

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'all due diligence'

Initially, I was in the "let's wait and see before signing him up" camp; however, if the vibes about Ratten (no, not the Libba ones! ) are positive from all sections of the footy club, then it can only be a huge plus. Further, Carlton of 2008 is a vastly different proposition to the CFC of 2004/05 when we signed up Den Den....

Go Ratts. Very happy to have him re-sign. I thought he did a great job this year and he will be a very good coach.

To those that don't like the decision, well maybe you just don't know your footy as well as you think you do and that's all I'll say on that!!