Opinion Mick Malthouse

[Stamos]

Anyone get the impression that Mick is taking a long-term view and not really bothered with these early games?

I think Ratts would have coached victories against the Tiges and the Filth.
Mick seems very measured about the lapses that have lost us all 3 games. He doesn't seem desperate. I think he's just getting a feel for the players and where they belong.
He may have even taken the view before the start of the season that the first 4-5 games didn't matter.

 

[stringerbell]

Pretty much. He has been in the game long enough to realise that there are... shock horror... more than three rounds a year!

 

[SBYM]

Sorry.

He cares. He's just been around long enough to know how to handle himself. Buckley getting the best of him would have been a very bitter pill to swallow.

 

[HARKER]

That's exactly what I'm seeing and why worries haven't enveloped me.
A couple of wins would have been terrific no doubt, but the development, confidence building and adherence to a plan is more important right now.

If we set the platform up properly from underneath being through the VFL, we'll be much better off for it and for a longer period of time.

 

[gbatman]

Carlton are two or three years away. We are a 5-9th team at the moment. Too many holes and too shallow in areas.

It's going to take some time to patch the holes. Finding really good small defenders. Deepening and strengthening our on ball brigade. Sorting out the tall forward issues.

Getting 50 games into guys like Casboult, Rowe, Mitchell, Menzel etc.

Managing Judd so he is still playing good footy as a 33 year old much in the same way Goodes, Boulton, O'Keefe at Sydney are able to do.

Perfecting a gameplan and style of play that wins games of football, prevents opponents from scoring against us and doesn't see us run out of steam like we do.

Carlton are a team going in the right direction but we are a few years away. Taking those steps from being a good team to a great team is doable but we just haven't got the players and experience in our tall forwards to take the next step yet.

 

[Bluejob]

We've turned from a 'window is open now' look to a 'lets focus on the next few years' look. Not sure what I prefer.

It's all well and good to look at the next few years. But, under Ratts we were looking at getting a GF 2012-2013, MM seems concerned with 2014. Not saying we could have done it under Ratts, just pointing out the difference in outlook.

Also, the opposite to what Ratts did, make a statement about being top 4, MM has made it easier for himself by saying it may take a whole season to get things the way he wants, an easy out IMO.

We gave Ratten the boot concerned he couldn't get us over the line during finals, under MM we lost to 2 teams without injury concerns that we beat twice last year.

I wonder if Ratts has a bit of a smile on his face....

 

[ESKIE]

I get that impression Stam.

Things can turn around very quickly

 

[Silvagnis]

Mick is playing the cards he has to see who and what he needs. It's going to take more than three rounds to get a hard edge that matches the talent we have at our disposal. You can't expect him to undo the bad habits that were all too evident under Ratten. We've just given up too many redtime goals since that Brisbane final.

Dropping a senior player rather than Lucas might be a better way to send a message. Lyon benefited by taking this course of action with Dal Santo and Milne.

We were always going to have battle through the first five weeks. Good draw is helpful. Freo under their new coach only beat two finalists in the 2012 home and away season.

 

[jj1978]

I think we're playing to a very well planned season... Yes he'd love to have snagged some wins by now but I think he's taken the approach by round 10 would like about 4-5 wins whilst building up fitness in the players so as they strike come the second half of the season (no fade outs) whilst getting the line up right. Come round 11 we'll hopefully have a fit Waite, Eddie, Laidler and Kreuzer back.. Players like Simspon, Carazzo, Murphy, Henderson will get close to their best and decisions between Casboult, Rowe, Hampson and Warnock will have been made. Then if we get enough confidence in players like Lucas, Touhy and blood some youngsters that can impact I think Mick will be happy.

Whilst teams like Essendon, Port, Richmond may be going hell for leather now, will they fade out in the tail end? They may continue going but I think we'll sneak into the 8 and scare the crud out of teams in finals as we'll be one of the in form teams leading in like freo was last season.

 

[Jeremias]

No doubt about it, whatsoever.

Mich would clearly be disappointed that we haven't won a game yet this season. Of course he would have preferred that we have at least one win to this point.

However, he's been involved in footy for a hell of a long time, and he understands that it's not the end of the world. Plenty of teams start the season with a bang only to wilt as the season progresses, and conversely, plenty of teams take a while to get going but pose a huge threat once they do.

At this point in time he'd be more concerned with getting the team to play the way he wants them to. From what I can see we're on the way to doing so but we're being let down in certain key areas that are, ultimately, costing us dearly. He'd be disappointed in that, but overwhelmingly I think he'd be encouraged by what he's seeing from the group.

We always knew we were in danger of starting the season slowly, due to both the 'teething issues' that come as a result of a new coach, as well as the tough draw. Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong, West Coast and Adelaide in the first 5 weeks is a draw from hell and it's not a complete surprise that we're 0-3, with a very real chance of going 0-5. We knew that may be the case the moment the draw came out last October.

 

[TheRedPill]

Anyone get the impression that Mick is taking a long-term view and not really bothered with these early games?

I think Ratts would have coached victories against the Tiges and the Filth.
Mick seems very measured about the lapses that have lost us all 3 games. He doesn't seem desperate. I think he's just getting a feel for the players and where they belong.
He may have even taken the view before the start of the season that the first 4-5 games didn't matter.

Yep, we're fine. Couldn't be in better hands.

 

[white lie]

Any supporter that thought we would instantly win every game and a premiership by changing our coach is certainly seeing the world thru rose coloured glasses. As said, it is a long term plan and every player will be given the opportunity to show the coaching staff what they can bring to the game.

It would be nice to win these games that have seemed within reach but from my point of view we've already shown a lot of promise and the wins will come a lot easier once we piece together our best team.

 

[C4[2]Yo`DooR]

Mick Malthouse = Ross Lyon Rounds 1-10 of 2012.

 

[Azul]

I think he can start by getting rid of that hipster facial hair. Sorry Michael but that moustache and fuzz under your bottom lip ain't fooling anyone. You said you'd shave if your form dropped off.

I propose sending him back to the VFL to develop a gameplan and appointing Luke Webster as interim head coach.

 

[Silvagnis]

Mick Malthouse = Ross Lyon Rounds 1-10 of 2012.

Bombers were 11 from 14 before they crashed back to earth once their supplements ran out...

You wouldn't say that Port are a great side if they have 12 points on the board because they've knock off Melbourne, GWS and Adelaide.

Essendon have only knocked off Adelaide, Melbourne and Freo.

 

[blue healer]

I think MM is in the process of assessing the overall quality of our list and that is likely to take most of the year and I expect a significant clean out at years end.

After our narrow loss (with a depleted team) to W/C in 2011 I think we were all seduced into thinking that we had the cattle to challenge last year.

Didn't we have young guns like Watson, Mitchell, McCarthy, White, Lucas etc and mature age first year (in 2011) players like Laidler, Duigan and Curnow, Waite, Russell and Bower to return and expect natural improvement in others like Collins, Davies and Joseph?

We had also had players like Robbo, Yarran and Touey take huge leaps forward in 2011.

Yes we had injuries and we still kidded ourselves that this alone was why we dropped down the ladder last year. But other teams had injuries and were still more competitive than us (in fact I think GC had more of their best 22 out when they beat us). I think we were blind to the fact that no player on our list improved last year, in fact many went backwards.

Whether this was a coaching problem or not has been debated ad nauseum on this board. I don't intend to reignite that debate but personally felt we needed a coach who had no emotional attachment to players or the club. Someone who would select without fear or favour and make tough decisions at years end.

We did nothing in the trade or free agency period (whether cap related or lack of tradeable commodity) other than half hearted crack at Cloke. And even then most on this board didn't want a bar of him cause, after all, didn't we have a potentially better player in Casboult after a handfull of games?

I think MM is still assessing this list. After a few more rounds and a few more Northern Blues games I think we will see a more stabilised preferred playing group and a game plan that combines the preferences he has and the strengths of our players.

I have little doubt that we will start to win games and still think we'll play finals but I also reckon we will be very active in this years free agency and trade period because if the current list can't cut the mustard he will find some who can.

In the short term it would be bloody nice to have a few games without injuries to key players. I'm getting to the stage where I think an injury free game is as good as a win.

 

[PP34]

Mick cares about now and the future. He's always been that sort of coach.

 

[The_Wookie]

I susbcribe to the theory that we were one kick out of a prelim under ratten before the injuries took their toll last year. Malthouse was brought in because Ratten was percieved as being unable to take us to the next step, but now people are saying that we have to start at the bottom of the stairs? rubbish.

 

[blue healer]

I susbcribe to the theory that we were one kick out of a prelim under ratten before the injuries took their toll last year. Malthouse was brought in because Ratten was percieved as being unable to take us to the next step, but now people are saying that we have to start at the bottom of the stairs? rubbish.

I suppose that's me you're having a crack at there and I too thought we close to the mark in 2011, which also wasn't a memorable year for injuries, but I wonder how much repair work is needed on those stairs. I'm not saying we have to necessarily start at the bottom but there are teams that are closer to the top who have still put repair work in place and the question is have we lost ground to those teams?

All those that we've had hopes for may prove to be what we need but at the end of this season we need to know and some hard decisions may have to be made.

hopefully it's an academic argument. If we click we may just need a tweak and Sydney is living proof that even premiers do this.

 

[The_Wookie]

I suppose that's me you're having a crack at there and I too thought we close to the mark in 2011, which also wasn't a memorable year for injuries, but I wonder how much repair work is needed on those stairs. I'm not saying we have to necessarily start at the bottom but there are teams that are closer to the top who have still put repair work in place and the question is have we lost ground to those teams?

All those that we've had hopes for may prove to be what we need but at the end of this season we need to know and some hard decisions may have to be made.

hopefully it's an academic argument. If we click we may just need a tweak and Sydney is living proof that even premiers do this.

wasnt having a crack at anyone mate, i said the same thing in the podcast on Wednesday, and ODN said the same thing two weeks before that (but didnt make the first podcast)

 

[blue healer]

wasnt having a crack at anyone mate, i said the same thing in the podcast on Wednesday, and ODN said the same thing two weeks before that (but didnt make the first podcast)

S'ok how do I find this podcast?

 

[PP34]

I susbcribe to the theory that we were one kick out of a prelim under ratten before the injuries took their toll last year. Malthouse was brought in because Ratten was percieved as being unable to take us to the next step, but now people are saying that we have to start at the bottom of the stairs? rubbish.

We still have major holes and Judd isn't getting any younger.

I don't believe that we need to start at the bottom, but I believe that it will take a season or two before Mick can get us to a premiership type level.

 

[The_Wookie]

S'ok how do I find this podcast?

www.worldofwookie.com/carlton/podcast/ you want episode 3

 

[Claypigeon]

Ultimately MM is displaying the characteristics of a coach that knows he has the support of the board and time to develop things. .. He was obviously hurting after the Collingwood loss, he was shattered in the after match interview (as shown by how flustered he was). .. So I doubt he is "not really bothered" by the losses. .. Still its way too early doors to be thinking other than the next week of Footy. .. We were always going to go backward initially. ..

 

[Claypigeon]

I susbcribe to the theory that we were one kick out of a prelim under ratten before the injuries took their toll last year. Malthouse was brought in because Ratten was percieved as being unable to take us to the next step, but now people are saying that we have to start at the bottom of the stairs? rubbish.

Agree whole heartedly with this. .. However as I touched on, 2012 wasn't just about the injuries but the pressure to keep producing results despite them. ..