What do we do?

[Hurricane Murphy]

No matter what we say to each other and other suppourters to help us sleep better at night, we are screwed. We have next to nothing, and the one or two things we do have are useless to us (eg: Todd Russell and Grant Webb having a 80" plasma tv down in the mine without an extension cord). In saying that yes I am refering to Fevola.

We lack everything, and we have nothing that can get us out of where we are. Nothing in the world. Not a coach, not a player, not a commitee, not a president and especially not a fan base. We dont even have money. There is nothing ahead of us. I sit at games and try to see a future but I cant. I see the likes of Blackwell, Murphy, Fisher (I REFUSE to say Waite) running around the field which is great, but where is Kouta, Whitnall, Skinny? We get these young kids in and the old guys go. We cannot get any thing resembeling a balance in the next decade if we tried.

The players we put our faith in are nothing but pathetic. This is the most negative thing i've ever said about Carlton but its nothing but the truth. We are nothing short of ed.

Ladies and Gentlemen what on Earth can we do. I'm sick of hearing the same excuses of putting all this faith in our young kids when they haven't done anything to prove it (with exceptions SImpson and Bentick) but Walker is still getting outrun from other players, Waite is still dropping marks in contests, Eddie is still getting bumped off the ball like his a balloon.

Where are we? What do we do?

P.S I am aware this post may be illstructed and written and might contain spelling errors and punctual mistakes but I'm just writing off the top of my head, there is so much more I could say and I dont think I've really summed it up here

 

[AlecDuncan]

Where are we? What do we do?

First we look at who killed us today. Riewoldt, Ball, Hayes, Del Santo - all high draft picks for good reason. You can't fake talent like this, and you can't luck out finding it in the rookie draft or with late picks (not often enough anyway). The opposition are just to smart to let diamonds fall through their hands.

So what we do is be patient.

We get talent like this with the inevitable picks (I think the AFL was panicked into changing the priority pick, but now we're stuck with it). Our current midfield is just a supporting cast with no stars. Beltings like this are the consequence. There's no short-term get-out. We just have to take it and get up the following week - like Saint supporters themselves have done for thirty years. As one keeps telling me, "you don't know you've been born". Twenty-six wooden spoons, and they're still around to tell the tale. Try reading Matthew Hardy's "Saturday Afternoon Fever". Are we as tough as they are? We should be.

Also keep in mind how one side that looked so bad one week can stomp that week's champion the next. Essendon were dreadful last week, but pushed last year's grand finalist today. The competition is that even. One or two guns (or in our case maybe three or four) can completely change the complexion of a side and raise the level of everyone around them.

So the other thing we do, is keep hoping.

 

[stokesy]

What do we do?

Figure out who is going to be on our list next year and beyond.

And play our best side, that means French in.

I do agree, we are screwed.

 

[barnesy]

What we do is send a clear message too everyone.

You play the kids with a future. You don't keep playing Kouta and Lappin.

We want (when injury free), too see Murphy, Kennedy, Blackwell, Russell, Hartlett, Bower, Edwards, Walker, Betts etc all in at the one time.

You get a couple of million from the AFL as a handout, try too get a couple of mill from Pratt and Grollo, Smorgan dips in the extra million and we get out of debt.

Once we finish hearing and seeing bad news stories, then we may be back on track.

No point getting pumped like that, and not even seeing Bryan being tried or Longmuir at some point.

At season end we must delist nearly 10 players, recruit a key midfielder, then ruckman, and use the remaining picks on midfielders and backmen. Plus leave a spot open in the PSD. Promote two rookies.

We must have picks in the draft - delist

Prendergast
Sporn
Chambers
Bannister
Davies
Wiggins
Longmuir
Bryan ?


Kouta - retired

 

[jj1978]

What do we do?

The Answer is;

Sit, wait and support!

As Carlton supporters in the past we were too used to having success and seeing our team rise quickly after a fall.

We are all in shock now over the dismall state of our beloved team the last 5 years. I feel the hurt as much as I know the rest of you do!

I was at the game yesterday and do you know what makes me proud... that the fellow supporters did not leave in droves. By the end of game I could still turn my head left and right and see you guys there supporting. One thing about Carlton and our supporters we never say die (think 1999 prelim final.. etc etc).

We have a chance at least to see something past Carlton supporter generations have not seen. A Carlton team that will rebuild from scratch and rise from the doom to be a power once again. You can't stay on top for over a 100 years and not expect pain to eventually occur.

Lets all support the Blue boys (even the ones we dislike and hope are not at the club next year) and cheer them hard enough this year so at least they try to finish 15th!

Go Blues

 

[SA Blue]

It is good to see some perspective in all these answers.

Hurricane Murphy I understand the anger and just being pi$$ed off with losing all the time. Unfortunately like most people have anwsered we just have to wait and be patient.
Prior to 2002, there were some bad choices in regards to the list and with the draft penalties this just compounded the problem. With 2004 being relatively successful, we had only 2 real picks. Last draft was the first draft we have been able to access some real talent. Given that it takes a few years for players to realise their potential, we can't do a hell of a lot.
There is a lot of jumping and down and demanding of heads on the Carlton boards, but the fact is we are shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic (we will stay afloat though!!). Call for Pagan's sacking and board restructures are not the answer IMHO. Also all the complaining about X player being left out or Y player being on the bench too much really isn't going to make a hell of a lot of difference.

Be patient, support your team and always remember we WILL be back.

ps. I will be at the Crows game this Sat supporting my team.

 

[vinny]

BRINGING BACK BARNABY BEE FRENCH WHO HAS KICKED
35 GOALS IN 115 GAMES AND HASNT TAKEN A CONTESTED
MARK FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS IS NOT THE ANSWER, DELIST HIM
AND BRING IN CHRIS BRYAN

 

[bibi01]

hang on for the ride. it's going to a bumpy ride, its going to be scary and it's going to get ugly at times, you may want to jump off as you have had enough.......BUT hang on and stick it out as things WILL get better, we will start winning games on a regular basis, we will even hand out some payback along with some thrashings.

The wheel is going to turn.

This will all take time and a lot of hardwork. there are no quick fixes. The hard times we are going to go through now are going to make us stronger.

Players like murphy, kennedy, walker, fevola etc will never want to go back to the days we are currently going through. They along with the new blood that will come into the club will ensure we climb back up the ladder where we belong.

 

[mediumsizered]

It is good to see some perspective in all these answers.

Hurricane Murphy I understand the anger and just being pi$$ed off with losing all the time. Unfortunately like most people have anwsered we just have to wait and be patient.
Prior to 2002, there were some bad choices in regards to the list and with the draft penalties this just compounded the problem. With 2004 being relatively successful, we had only 2 real picks. Last draft was the first draft we have been able to access some real talent. Given that it takes a few years for players to realise their potential, we can't do a hell of a lot.
There is a lot of jumping and down and demanding of heads on the Carlton boards, but the fact is we are shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic (we will stay afloat though!!). Call for Pagan's sacking and board restructures are not the answer IMHO. Also all the complaining about X player being left out or Y player being on the bench too much really isn't going to make a hell of a lot of difference.

Be patient, support your team and always remember we WILL be back.

ps. I will be at the Crows game this Sat supporting my team.

This is exactly where our problem emanates from. After losing Sticks, Harry, Diesel, Deano, Brown to retirement we did not replace them adequately through the draft. In 1999 we traded our first 2 draft picks for O'Reilly and Mansfield, taking our first pick at 60 which we used to draft Richard Kelly, who never played a senior game for us. In 2000 we drafted Livingstone, Sporn and Wiggins with picks 4, 11 & 15, in the process overlooking Jordon McMahon, Shaun Burgoyne, Scott Thompson, Daniel Kerr, Kane Cornes, Richard Hadley. Then we took Blake Campbell ahead of Adam McPhee, Chris Hyde Mark Williams, Daniel Cross. Then in 2001 our first pick was Justin Davies (39 overall) and we traded pick 23 for Justin Murphy, when we could have utilised that pick for Steve Johnson or Sam Mitchell. Of course our draft penalties in 2002 & 2003 cost us Goddard, Wells, McLean, as well as anyone of Troy Selwood, Jared Rivers, Brent Staker, David Mundy. I think our fortunes would be much different if some of these players were running around in Carlton guernseys now.

 

[audas]

This is exactly where our problem emanates from. After losing Sticks, Harry, Diesel, Deano, Brown to retirement we did not replace them adequately through the draft. In 1999 we traded our first 2 draft picks for O'Reilly and Mansfield, taking our first pick at 60 which we used to draft Richard Kelly, who never played a senior game for us. In 2000 we drafted Livingstone, Sporn and Wiggins with picks 4, 11 & 15, in the process overlooking Jordon McMahon, Shaun Burgoyne, Scott Thompson, Daniel Kerr, Kane Cornes, Richard Hadley. Then we took Blake Campbell ahead of Adam McPhee, Chris Hyde Mark Williams, Daniel Cross. Then in 2001 our first pick was Justin Davies (39 overall) and we traded pick 23 for Justin Murphy, when we could have utilised that pick for Steve Johnson or Sam Mitchell. Of course our draft penalties in 2002 & 2003 cost us Goddard, Wells, McLean, as well as anyone of Troy Selwood, Jared Rivers, Brent Staker, David Mundy. I think our fortunes would be much different if some of these players were running around in Carlton guernseys now.

God we have no idea about drafting.

 

[flidge]

This is exactly where our problem emanates from. After losing Sticks, Harry, Diesel, Deano, Brown to retirement we did not replace them adequately through the draft. In 1999 we traded our first 2 draft picks for O'Reilly and Mansfield, taking our first pick at 60 which we used to draft Richard Kelly, who never played a senior game for us. In 2000 we drafted Livingstone, Sporn and Wiggins with picks 4, 11 & 15, in the process overlooking Jordon McMahon, Shaun Burgoyne, Scott Thompson, Daniel Kerr, Kane Cornes, Richard Hadley. Then we took Blake Campbell ahead of Adam McPhee, Chris Hyde Mark Williams, Daniel Cross. Then in 2001 our first pick was Justin Davies (39 overall) and we traded pick 23 for Justin Murphy, when we could have utilised that pick for Steve Johnson or Sam Mitchell. Of course our draft penalties in 2002 & 2003 cost us Goddard, Wells, McLean, as well as anyone of Troy Selwood, Jared Rivers, Brent Staker, David Mundy. I think our fortunes would be much different if some of these players were running around in Carlton guernseys now.

I mean that's all really true but it's in the past. We can't change the fact that we can't draft to save ourselves. I mean this whole blame game reeks of the John Elliot era. Ok, I'm really too young to remember any of it (i'm 20) but the way he presented himself on Triple M about...2(3?) weeks back, essentially saying that if he were still around, none of this would have happened, is just crap. Clubs can't be successful forever. It's just that our fall has been rather ungraceful. No, really, really ungraceful.

Let's focus on the future.

Our forward line is potent. Fevola, Waite, Fisher and Betts when fit are deadly. Chuck in Whitnall if he's not in the backline and it's gold!

Unfortunately, that's it. Right now, the midfield is ok in spurts and tall backman and ruckman are really non-existent. I mean the site of two of our defenders trying to spoil Riewoldt with Whitnall also there and FAILING, is exactly what our backline is like at the moment. Don't forget, even their small forwards and midfielders destroyed us. Baker and Milne aren't exactly known for marking, but they ran rings around the backline.

So, to the future. Murphy, Waite, Fisher, Walker, Betts, Bentick, Simpson, Wiggins, Bryan, oh'Ailpins and other draft picks. All of them will grow to be honest players. Murphy, Waite and Fisher will hopefully grow to be more. Let's face it, we'll end up with top draft picks this year. Let's recruit big for a start and then build the midfield.

Lol...that's my two cents!

 

[saint13]

I mean that's all really true but it's in the past. We can't change the fact that we can't draft to save ourselves. I mean this whole blame game reeks of the John Elliot era. Ok, I'm really too young to remember any of it (i'm 20) but the way he presented himself on Triple M about...2(3?) weeks back, essentially saying that if he were still around, none of this would have happened, is just crap. Clubs can't be successful forever. It's just that our fall has been rather ungraceful. No, really, really ungraceful.

Let's focus on the future.

Our forward line is potent. Fevola, Waite, Fisher and Betts when fit are deadly. Chuck in Whitnall if he's not in the backline and it's gold!

Unfortunately, that's it. Right now, the midfield is ok in spurts and tall backman and ruckman are really non-existent. I mean the site of two of our defenders trying to spoil Riewoldt with Whitnall also there and FAILING, is exactly what our backline is like at the moment. Don't forget, even their small forwards and midfielders destroyed us. Baker and Milne aren't exactly known for marking, but they ran rings around the backline.

So, to the future. Murphy, Waite, Fisher, Walker, Betts, Bentick, Simpson, Wiggins, Bryan, oh'Ailpins and other draft picks. All of them will grow to be honest players. Murphy, Waite and Fisher will hopefully grow to be more. Let's face it, we'll end up with top draft picks this year. Let's recruit big for a start and then build the midfield.

Lol...that's my two cents!

coudnt fit kennedy in that forward line mate?

 

[bibi01]

This is exactly where our problem emanates from. After losing Sticks, Harry, Diesel, Deano, Brown to retirement we did not replace them adequately through the draft. In 1999 we traded our first 2 draft picks for O'Reilly and Mansfield, taking our first pick at 60 which we used to draft Richard Kelly, who never played a senior game for us. In 2000 we drafted Livingstone, Sporn and Wiggins with picks 4, 11 & 15, in the process overlooking Jordon McMahon, Shaun Burgoyne, Scott Thompson, Daniel Kerr, Kane Cornes, Richard Hadley. Then we took Blake Campbell ahead of Adam McPhee, Chris Hyde Mark Williams, Daniel Cross. Then in 2001 our first pick was Justin Davies (39 overall) and we traded pick 23 for Justin Murphy, when we could have utilised that pick for Steve Johnson or Sam Mitchell. Of course our draft penalties in 2002 & 2003 cost us Goddard, Wells, McLean, as well as anyone of Troy Selwood, Jared Rivers, Brent Staker, David Mundy. I think our fortunes would be much different if some of these players were running around in Carlton guernseys now.

can we add that the pick traded to geelong for mansfield was used by geelong to pick up Paul Chapman.

 

[mediumsizered]

can we add that the pick traded to geelong for mansfield was used by geelong to pick up Paul Chapman.

Best not to, it just makes it hurt even more.

 

[bibi01]

Best not to, it just makes it hurt even more.

yeah it does hurt, but as you pointed out, the cause of our problems stems back a long way.

 

[Snoozer]

What do we do?

We wait.... and wait.... and wait.... and wait....

The wheel will eventually turn. It will just take a bit longer than normal.

 

[flidge]

coudnt fit kennedy in that forward line mate?

Sorry, forgot about him ...you know what I mean!

 

[BlueBelle]

the cause of our problems stems back a long way.[/quote]

This is true but the current coaching staff have had 4 years to draft some young talent, but, of course, like prior to 2002, have opted for the recycled players instead, hence the position we are in today! So yes we can sit here and blame the past but honestly, has Pagan and the rest of his staff done anything to step forward since?

 

[bibi01]

This is true but the current coaching staff have had 4 years to draft some young talent, but, of course, like prior to 2002, have opted for the recycled players instead, hence the position we are in today! So yes we can sit here and blame the past but honestly, has Pagan and the rest of his staff done anything to step forward since?.

how do you draft young talent when you are not able to participate in rounds 1 & 2 of the draft and are also not allowed to trade in to rounds 1 & 2 of the draft?

since pagan has arrived we have drafted young talent.
walker
russell
murphy
kennedy
blackwell
s o'halpin
bower
betts
hartlett
raso
edwards
jackson
batson
bentick
smith
flint
carazzo
a o'halpin
fisher
simpson

thats 20 young players, which equated to 1/2 of our list

now lets mention the players we missed out on. I will used mediumsizered post from another thread

"draft penalties in 2002 & 2003 cost us Goddard, Wells, McLean, as well as anyone of Troy Selwood, Jared Rivers, Brent Staker, David Mundy."

yeah we picked up a number of recycled players but that was out of necessity. players who get picked at no 70 or in the rookie draft- get left this late for a reason, cause they have some deficiencies.

fisher- pick 70 can't kick
simpson- pick 45 has no right foot
bentick- rookie draft cause he is very 1 paced.