Carlton Supporters Club

......................................
People who think that the Pussy Cats and Tiggers and Dawks turned around their fortunes with a buzzword, or persisting with what was failing -- because success would be inevitable -- are kidding themselves. The things that went on behind the scenes at those 3 clubs were really quite honest and brutal. Didn't need to change an enormous amount in terms of personnel (on and off the field), just a ruthless, systematic and honest analysis of the failure attitudes and how to destroy them and then do what was necessary to institute change. And it started with Presidents/Boards and their thorough honesty and boldness and vision to force change. Our opponents this Saturday did it a few years back, around the same time as us, and look at their culture now!

Your point, as I understand it, is that our players pick and choose, or give up easily, and they have done so for 20 years. If this is true, then they are either born that way or made that way. If they are born that way, and we continue to select those types, then we have a problem. If they are made to become like that, because of things inside the 4 walls at Ikon Park, then we have a huge, massive problem, and we are not fit to be called a professional sporting club.

Well, this post highlights words that make me nervous, words like : honest, brutal, ruthless. systematic, boldness. Giving a dictionary definition is easy enough, but how do they work in the real world ? How do you know the club isn't being honest, brutal, ruthless. systematic, or bold ? Maybe they're trying all that, and we just simply aren't good enough ? Maybe what we need is simply to be good at our job, which means being professional and competent ?

The Swans held on to Alex Johnson for an eternity - is this a lack of ruthlessness ? Robert Walls (aka Secret Agent 42) won the GF in '87, finished 3rd in '88 and was given the ar$e. Is that brutal, is it ruthless, is it bold ? Beveridge won the flag in 2016, then missed finals in2017, 18 and 19. Was it a lack of ruthlessness that meant he stayed on ? What would Carlton have done ? What about sacking Bolton ? Was it honest on the Board's part to deflect deeper problems and attention away from them ? At what point do they say sacking coaches hasn't worked and we need to look elsewhere ? Maybe boldness and strength come from not capitulating to the media and same old same old, and doing something really different ?

I could go on, but I think I've given a sufficient idea of where I'm coming from.

Your second part is closer to the point I am making.

We don't look like a professional organisation that knows what's it doing and has changed strategy too much and the on field reflects that.

Teague is under pressure.  Barring a remarkable turn of fortune with our infirmary and results he is likely to be given the Sars by round 10.  I see only one match that should be a victory at the moment vs essendon and some brave defeats.

History tells me the coach is already cooked.  If I can see it, I wonder what's currently happening in club land??

Even with our terrible recent history, I can't see the club sacking Teague before the end of the year. They would, at a minimum, be waiting until the 2nd half of the year when we get some better players back.

Certainly agree with the bit in bold.

Mcgovern isnt and doesnt look fit.

Believe me, Pauly, I also do not like buzzwords - trite, shallow and lazy where meaningful, substantial and strong change is required. But then I deal with people and life at a deeper level than motivation seminars as the cure all - and that's where I find Robbins dangerous, thinking that 'positive thinking' will magically cure certain mental health issues. An expensive week or w/e of ra ra for everyday folks is fine, as long as you don't expect lasting benefits - maybe 1% will get a lasting benefit but the rest were just entertained by a charismatic, well-meaning performer for an exorbitant price.

That's why when I work with folks and if a 'buzzword' is used, we then flesh it out, give it substance and what it means to the client, not me, and how it will impact their lives for the better and what it will take to implement such a change, and very importantly, how to manage the problems inevitably caused by and associated with the change.

And if I could segway this into our club... buzzwords... We've belched buzzwords and cliches for two decades now. As I've said previously, we talk the talk, but fail to walk the talk. And that's about powerful leadership... our void. When you have a leadership void, well, you get what we've got.

No, we do not need to level the place and start again. But we do need to be honest with ourselves that strong, ruthless leadership is required to enforce the 'buzzwords', to give them substance to create a Fluffy Ducks kind of culture that can be passed from generation to generation.

People who think that the Pussy Cats and Tiggers and Dawks turned around their fortunes with a buzzword, or persisting with what was failing -- because success would be inevitable -- are kidding themselves. The things that went on behind the scenes at those 3 clubs were really quite honest and brutal. Didn't need to change an enormous amount in terms of personnel (on and off the field), just a ruthless, systematic and honest analysis of the failure attitudes and how to destroy them and then do what was necessary to institute change. And it started with Presidents/Boards and their thorough honesty and boldness and vision to force change. Our opponents this Saturday did it a few years back, around the same time as us, and look at their culture now!

I think you'll find the answers to your questions in watching us play. Inconsistent and nice. Failing to develop like other clubs. Inability to sustain hardness... or anything, actually (except niceness). Folding under opposition sustained pressure. Jogging from contest to contest, little urgency. Tall forwards colliding or getting in each other's way. Team mate being mauled and nobody comes to fly the flag. Skipper trying to take on the world - undisciplined.
.................................................................

How many of these are a result of the Port game, and how many were discussed before ? It seems to me as though few of these were mentioned in the first 4 rounds ?

Also, how many are genuine characterisations over a sample space of several games, as opposed to familiar tropes that pass around the fan base, then somehow become "true", then get reinforced by lazy media, many of whom probably do the bulk of their research on sites like this ?

I saw many of those things mentioned in the first 4 games... and for large chunks of last season... and the season before... and the season before...

Here's your mate with some comments re all this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raEGQgG6840

Take our score in the Port game and reverse the G/B. 14.9 instead of 9.14. Naturally the naysayers will say the scoreline flattered us etc., but I say that's only because we can't kick straight. It's not like they had twice the tackles, twice the I50's, twice the marks inside 50, half the turnovers etc. They were fast, clean and kicked straight, and we were the opposite.