People let their emotions override their objective assessment.
It comes with being crap for so long and expecting and dreaming of premierships to wash away the pain.

In the scheme of things - love or hate, rate or write-off - Ratts has passed this year.

Lets be happy with that, and thank the lord we are not Bichmond (fake-tan-terry), or North (sudden loss of altitude, and rejected by BUCKS).
We are doing ok, better than ok. Not perfect, but a measurable improvement from last year.

So true

Review everyone at the end of year should be standard each year.

I reckon the worst thing the club could ever do right now is get rid of Ratten next year.
The team tonight showed it is just starting to gel together and if you brought in a new coach, you are learning a new structure/plan etc.

Ross Lyon came to saints and it took the saints well over a year to learn his gameplan, now everyone is on the same page and they will only lose a game to injuries/resting this season.

Ratten is not going to be a great coach till he wins a premiership. But, if you dont give a coach time, you will never know.
With the coaches out there available now, l wouldnt want anyone else doing the job right now.

I THINK THIS POST CAN BE CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!
Ratts will be coach until end of 2010, if not 2011. No point talking about Ratten, he has taken us from a wooden spoon team to possibly 4th spot on the ladder. He showed tonight that he can coach a team to beat anyone in the league.

LETS ENJOY THE RIDE IN 2009 and stop being negative 24/7 for most of you posters.

Warnock to come in soon too

That is if you consider a couple of weeks a long time A great effort by our blokes, but the Hawks keep them to under 400 in round 17. No where near our possession differential as Sydney Blue points out though

Although I do applaud you actually giving the coaching staff a bit of credit in your posts this time Juddy

I wouldn't have mentioned it but I'm sure one of the negative nellies would have pointed it out

Nicely summed up Bluey44

Just listened to Gary Lyon and Brian Taylor lauding Ratten's game plan on MMM. They said he out coached Thompson with his matchups and it was plainly obvious to them that Carlton's game plan was obvious and the young players are beginning to play to it. Fev also supported this by saying that the group were getting nearer and nearer the stage of fully understanding and implementing Ratten's game plan developed with his deep knowledge and experience in Footy.

Wonder how all of that compares to Synbad's, Melvey's and 99's long experience of watching on the telly and going to games, plus of course their deep knowledge of the gameplan how deficient it is and how Rattens is not capable of carrying this group to success. Ill leave it to the readers to decide.

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Go BLues

who cares. we won.

True... although we have now won five out of our last six. Winning hasn't stopped the criticism before...sometimes justifiably...sometimes unreasonably.

Somehow I'm sure this thread will still have legs

Maybe we're playing with the old Carlton arrogance that we dont care about peasantry games against bottom teams (hence our uninspiring performances) and only really switch on for the big games against the best..
perhaps that is why finals might surprise a few of us..

imo, while there maybe a hint of sarcism in that post, it pretty much sums up our year IMO

against the better sides, not only do we get up, we equal them and with the exception of one game (saints) we actually better them.

against lower sides, we think its just going to happen

come finals time, there is no weak opposition, no side that isnt as good as you so to speak ... if we go in with the right attitude, anything could happen

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Got to love the stare Down by Setanta on Llyod

5 out of 6 and winning games when we're not playing well...

How are either of these bad signs...

That was a sensational effort both upstairs and on the ground last night.

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Congratulations CK95

Last night was terrific!

Ratt's performance was good, best since half time against Sydney. Players were played to their strengths (eg Armfield). Best of all, however, we played with intent. None of this sideways business, unless we absolutely had to. Evrything was run and carry, with Setanta really straightening us up.

I would LOVE it if we could bring that level of intent each week, but I'll take last night. perhaps we need the big target of on of the very top teams to bring that mindset into the group.

sadly i think you are right. i only read to see if anything is happening at the cfc and post rarely. it seems to many people get so rapt up in their opinions that they don't enjoy the game anymore. just my opinion though and at the moment i am very happy

Hopefully you saw a few things that restored the faith mate

We still have a fair way to go, but we are getting there

Indeed.

I wuld LOVE to see a similar mindset in the playing group next week, when the target isn't as big. Getting up to play Geelong and St Kilda is great - and shows us all what this group is capable of now, and perhaps what sort of level they may reach down the track - but let's see a similar four quarter effort at AAMI.

Agreed that consistency of intensity and defensive effort is a must , but it is also the sign of a young side that we are having a struggle with it.

Look at the Bombers as well. They have managed to get up for a few big games, but folded when the expectations heightened and they played teams they were expected to beat in the Tigers and the Eagles. Getting the mindset right of the players is the holy grail of football and something that every coach struggles with at times.

I know it's a while ago that we were the hunted but when you're up the top everyone's after you and it's the sign of a really good team that they withstand week after week of every other team throwing their best shot at you.

It's not only Carlton that rise for the big occasions against the top sides.

Who can be [REDACTED] getting 'up' for a game against the Dees?

They're only going to piss off to the snow afterwards anyway.

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

What is especially pleasing is that we have gone past the so-called benchmark of Essenscum that some like to use. Connolly's article in todays Age is instructive as we have got better as they have declined over the course of the season. They are not more advanced than us and we are very well placed for the future.

*snip*

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I support the Navy Blues whatever happens!

Ratts couldn't wipe the off his face sitting in the old Port Melb stand this arvo with Riley

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Cheats never prosper (except in the AFL)

*snip*