Knights isn't under pressure to win neither is Craig Worsfold Harvey Bailey Voss
results don't matter they can develop throw caution to the wind
Ratts Wallace Williams Roos Eade Malthouse Thompson Lyon are all under pressure to win all of these coaches are constantly watching their backs and under severe scrutiny from fans
Ratts unlike the others hasn't been afforded the grace of two to three years to develop he has one year then an expectation that we play finals because we have Judd Fev and the three No 1s
with out Judd the expectations on the team would be much lower
I hope Ratts goes back to development and not chase wins
development took a back seat when we dropped robbo Garlett and Russel and brought in Carrazo houla and co
do win want to win games now or develop players for the future
unfortunately for Ratts he is stuck in between
we should call this the Wallace Syndrome

Oh dear....

Some of the tripe that has appeared on the forum since the loss is just

Its his own fault. He was the one who came out at the start of the season and said nothing short of finals would be acceptable. He set the bar high. If he fails to reach this goal he must take the hit and leave. Its as simple as that. You cannot ask your players to be accountable and not be accountable yourself as a coach.

Exactly
Tinkering with the gameplan. Tinkering with expectations. Sinkering with the confidence of supporters. 2010 or bust for Ratts

You know how much I love you Juddy, but every club and every member expects to play Finals every year.

I don't in anyway feel like I have been dudded or the expectation has been too high.

Finals are realistic.

The onus is on the players and coaches to deliver that.

So when you hear me, darling can't you hear me S.O.S?
The love you gave me, nothing else can save me S.O.S
When your gone, how can i even try to go on?
When your gone, OOH i try how can i carry on!

Hey DUC you know how much I need an excuse to go home and at the start of the season I had my August/Sept trip all planned...if Ratts is going to stand in my way then he must be removed.... I cant take it anymore... but seriously I love Ratts...was a great footballer but the club lost me in the way he was appointed...you know when I get a feeling about something its usually on the money....something is amiss big time with Ratts and the way he is going about it.

Still confusing the issues. Ratts appointment and his performance.

As it stands right now you'll happy come seasons end because we're in the 8 and that was the goal he set

Happy to revisit my 'tripe' round 22 this year. In the meantime, let's enjoy the journey to emerald city

Not really the issue is whether we have at the helm someone to get this team a flag...I dont feel we do not based on what we've seen to date. Playing a final this year and falling away next year or doing a Collingwood is not what this caper is about.

Were still in the 8, we have games against Richmond, North, Melbourne to come. Sydney we SHOULD beat, we have the wood on the Pies, Port and Freo away are winnable as you dont know which side will turn up. Geelong and Adelaide at home are the really tough games, and who knows if we are playing for our lives in front of a packed dome we might get over the Crows too.

The season is far from over

Still confusing the issues. Ratts appointment and his performance.

As it stands right now you'll happy come seasons end because we're in the 8 and that was the goal he set

OK, time for a reality check. Carlton is in the eight, and despite having had its percentage slashed by the 69-point loss, still with a 14 per cent break on the nearest of its two rivals also on six wins, Hawthorn and Port Adelaide.

The Blues have arguably the best draw of any team over the remaining nine rounds, their two remaining road trips against the hardly intimidating Fremantle and Port Adelaide. Only three of the nine games are against current top-eight teams, and they play every side in the bottom four. Stuff that run up and then you can start your witch hunt. But not before.

Sure, there are areas that need to be addressed. Stevens increasingly looks like a bloke more suited to sweeping off a half-back flank than a gut-running midfielder. Fevola cracks the "sads" far too often. And the likes of Setanta O'hAilpin, Dennis Armfield, Steven Browne and Jordan Bannister, while willing enough, lack necessary polish.

The loss of Paul Bower for the next few games with a knee injury will hurt, too. But another key defender, Bret Thornton, will be back. Andrew Walker is perhaps only a couple of weeks away from a senior return. Ruckman Robert Warnock as well, an inclusion that will enable Matthew Kreuzer to offer another forward option more often.

All food for thought for those restless natives desperately hunting for Carlton heads to lop. In their previous outing, the Blues pushed the top team on the ladder to the final seconds. They haven't suddenly become a basket case again with one bad half of football.

A Rohan Connolly article which gives some perspective.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews ... 29438.html

Carlton has lost seven games. It lost to Essendon* by nearly 12 goals, and Adelaide by 44 points. None of the other five losses have been by anything more than 17 points.

So Carlton looks like it could miss out on the top four. Is that any great shock? Only those same over-the-top fans looking for mass slayings over the weekend wouldn't at the start of this season have accepted instead a spot in the lower half of the eight, which is still on the agenda.

Isn't it amazing that an Essendon* supporter can see the situation with perspective but many Carlton supporters can't?
What's worse is we have supporters complaining because the coach set us a goal of making the 8! Give me a coach who sets minimum standards for his team over a coach without the courage to do so anytime.
Fancy that. A carlton coach with the audacity to have finals aspirations. Let's sack him!

As for the Bombers, lets look at the reality. For all Matthew Knights talk about "young groups" and inexperience, there were 7 teams running around on the weekend with younger teams. Including Carlton who are a season younger than his team.
Add the Bombers easier draw to date and I'm more than comfortable that we'll finish higher than the red and black dreamers.