Opinion Brendon Bolton

[rezzi]

I agree...but I wouldn't stop there I would review the role of the president, match committee, CEO, player welfare, player recruitment etc..all of them should be on way out unless there are circumstances that mean they should stay around....but really we all know this is just a merry go round of ineptitude - just hand the keys over to the AFL and see if they can do better.


What is worse from a personal viewpoint is that I don't even get butterflies or anxious about Carlton matches anymore. I expect a defeat, so don't even bother watching it. I only found out about 11pm last night by accident that Carlton lost when I flicked over to a news channel. I feel for the supporters who still have the guts and moral fortitude to still keep watching inept Carlton matches over and over again. They are stronger people than me. I respect that strength. You are the people keeping this club alive and are the heartbeat of the club. Actually that is my dad. He watches all their matches. Well done.


But to be frank, I have stopped watching other matches of AFL as well. In previous years, Carlton's dismal form didn't stop my interest in watching at least one match of another team per week, but this year I realised I don't really want to watch Richmond vs Hawthorn, Geelong vs Collingwood, Essendon vs Port etc...it just doesn't interest me. I look through the list of games each week and think which ones interest me...and invariably I am usually left with none. Actually the Richmond vs Hawthorn game half interested me, but not enough to actually watch it. Football just seems so boring these days, not sure if it is due to Carlton, the wider game style, other factors? or just general fatigue.

If they're gonna change all those other things they should change the name too!

I'm thinking...Barlton.

 

[therubbernub]

I expect a defeat, so don't even bother watching it. I only found out about 11pm last night by accident that Carlton lost when I flicked over to a news channel. I feel for the supporters who still have the guts and moral fortitude to still keep watching inept Carlton matches over and over again. They are stronger people than me. I respect that strength. You are the people keeping this club alive and are the heartbeat of the club. Actually that is my dad. He watches all their matches. Well done.

And yet you have the passion and time to post on here. Seems a bit inconsistent to me

 

[therubbernub]

Ratts results don't look so bad compared to recent seasons.

my post wasnt about results

 

[The Flying Doormat]

If people really want to discuss the coach in a serious and sensible way then one question has to be asked. Probably the most important one of all but which rarely comes into the conversation.
How would Bolton be traveling with for example Buckleys list or Simpsons or Cameron's? ..................Pretty darn good I will bet.
And conversely how would those three travel with our list?............................................. Sakc them all. No good.

We'll never know.

 

[LFTWNG11]

No it's not

delusional

 

[The Flying Doormat]

But only one who could actually do the job. Right, thy? You know what I’m talking about...

Coaches get way too much credit, and way too much blame. There have been, and will always be, coaches who can influence and determine outcomes. But for the most part, teams make coaches, not the other way around.

As for Bolton specifically, I really doubt his instructions are “as we transition from defence to attack, make sure you kick to the opposition”
Or “listen guys, great three and a half quarters. Now take the rest of the day off”
Blaming him for skill errors is like blaming Ronald McDonald for a bad quarter pounder.
Maybe the mental toughness is his responsibility, but does anyone really think he’s not addressing it?!

I’m as frustrated and angry as anyone. But we need to be careful not to be too knee jerk or fickle. Outside of Clarkson or maybe Roos, who would do a better job with our group? And what exactly has Bolton done wrong?
My view is, he’s a quality person, and a very good coach. It’s probably cliche, but the signs are there, and he’ll have it all “clicking” soon. I’d hate for someone else to come in and claim the glory for Bolton’s work.

Granted, we’ve let some winnable games slip, and we’ve looked uncompetitive twice this year. Yes the win loss ratio is testing everyone’s patience. But it’s coming. Anyone who knows anything about footy can see its coming. And Bolton is the man to guide us when it arrives.

He should, and I hope, will be, our next premiership coach.

It's a no win argument. If a new coach brings success, do you give credit to Bolts or say that it was a necessary change? Who gets credit for the Dog's flag, McCartney or Beveridge? If I were a Dog's fan I could care less that McCartney was booted whereas Beveridge will go down as a premiership coach.

 

[LFTWNG11]

think you've spent far too much time sexualising and demeaning women.........

 

[CFC18]

Yeah I think that's the point, more or less. We've played roughly as many good qtrs. as West Coast, but our bad qtrs. have been really bad, and that's what's cost us in the end. I don't think that's the coach, I think that's young players switching off for 10 minutes and being caught out.

In a third of our games this year our first quarters are 1.4 (10) vs 17.13 (115). One in three games our players are rocking up not switched on at all. This disparity is even greater than our three worst first quarters for the whole of last year.

Lacking competitiveness at first bounce is an attitude issue, not an experience issue.

If Bolton deserves latitude for circumstances outside of his control such age profile, then equally he deserves pointed criticism for the elements within his control such as a readiness at bounce down. The fact that this is tracking worse than last year is a worrying sign.

 

[Soapy V]

Rinse and repeat

Bolton has made a massive difference since arriving
He is doing what the club wants him to do
I can’t tell yet if he is the coach that will take us to the top
I won’t judge him until he has the proper balanced list and experience to do so

 

[4thchicken]

Irrespective of the list status, I think discussion about bolton's future is valid. The 17-60 = 22% W/L record dictates that it must be considered.

A few points
1. Assistant coaches - They seem to get the blame around here however I would suggest that in 3 1/2 years, bolton would have had every opportunity to implement his coaching team/structure (including the role of perennial scapegoat Barker). Therefore the competence and performance (or lack thereof) of assistant coaches reflects on Bolton. If Barker truly was rubbish, then his retention on the coaching team is on Bolton's head. Ditto any other assistant coach.
2. Development of team/game style - what is it? 3 1/2 years in, it is still pretty much unknown - that to me is unacceptable. Consideration must be given as to whether we have been developing an appropriate game style. The best coaches will adapt the game plan/style to suit the list/team at hand and then evolve core elements from there to one that can compete for a flag. Is that happening?
3. Player development - Yes some players have improved but to what extent? other players have stagnated. The question to be considered is whether this has occurred to an acceptable standard (as opposed to just relying natural physical development). From my perspective, the only players that I think have developed well (i.e. above par from what I would have expected) are McKay, Fisher, Kerr, DeKoning, Cunningham, Jones. Is that enough? Could argue players like SPS/JSOS however this is less clear given draft ranking and how he has been used in the team to date i.e. is it what is best for their development. Could we develop mid age players like plowman further?
4. Player management - By all accounts, players get on well however here I'm referring more to roles within the team, protecting immature bodies and managing fatigue etc. If youngsters are tired, or Cripps isn't getting enough protection, why aren't mature bodies thrown in more often? (curnow, Kennedy, Murphy, Thomas, even plowman). Despite some very promising signs, why is JSOS given so little time in the middle? (much bigger body, would give fisher a rest).
5. Getting the best out of the list - Is bolton consistently getting the best out of the players available? Pagan was horrible with that, Ratten was quite good. Where does bolton sit? I think we are getting the best we can out of kreuzer, Thomas, jones, Cripps, weltering, Newman, McKay, fisher, plowman and Kerr - I don't think that is anywhere near enough. Murphy may be excusable (game may have passed him by) but ideally you would want more players playing near potential.

By no means am I saying sack the coach however we need some sort of KPI to measure performance by rather than just taking the attitude that we need time and should just 'trust the process'. Yes injuries have had an impact on performance and should be weighed up when considering Bolton's performance (unlike what happened to Ratten) however it is unacceptable that 3 1/2 years into the 'process' supporters have absolutely no idea what KPIs Bolton is measured against to determine whether he is the right coach or not.

Bolton may be the right coach to take us to a flag- however if for example he isn't, surely we want to find this out now rather than 3-5 years down the track? At the very least we should have an independent review of where we are at to identify potential gaps in the process (cats had one when they got close to sacking Thompson, hawks with Clarkson, tigers with Hardwick - can't recall if we have had one recently)

 

[Coops93]

If Bolton deserves latitude for circumstances outside of his control such age profile, then equally he deserves pointed criticism for the elements within his control such as a readiness at bounce down. The fact that this is tracking worse than last year is a worrying sign.

I struggle to see how it's the coaches role to "switch on" players, sorry. If a player is turning up to a game waiting for someone else to wake them up then they don't deserve to be playing.

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

Did I mention that imo Bolts is doing a grand job with a very inexperienced list. I will add though that if Kennedy is match fit he must play in the guts to help Crippa out.

 

[SE_Blue]

I think he'll coach the year out at the least. If performances like yesterday and the North Melbourne game become the norm for the rest of the year I think he'll be replaced at the end of the season. If the trend is more performances like the Western Bulldogs game or some of the 'honourable losses' in the earlier rounds, I think he will coach on into 2020. Carlton being Carlton though, I can't see him surviving if there's not dramatic improvement next year.

I don't know how much 'blame' as such can be put onto the assistants. I don't have the first clue about how all that works. Is it Bolton's game-plan and the assistants implement it? If so, is the problem with the game-plan or the people in charge of making sure it's properly implemented?

 

[TheCoach16]

If people really want to discuss the coach in a serious and sensible way then one question has to be asked. Probably the most important one of all but which rarely comes into the conversation.
How would Bolton be traveling with for example Buckleys list or Simpsons or Cameron's? ..................Pretty darn good I will bet.
And conversely how would those three travel with our list?............................................. Sakc them all. No good.

This is precisely the point! Teams make coaches!...

I’m the worst coach ever. I once made my boys run laps with a straw in their mouth, to replicate high altitude training. I have a standard pre game speech about bacon and eggs. I played a guy in a grand final who was so injured, he was never going to play, not a single minute.

5 flags!!! Why? Because I’ve always been lucky enough to coach dominant sides.

Teams make coaches!

 

[chunkylover53]

Yeah, look the Kennedy one baffled me yesterday.

I actually don't rate him that highly and a few 20+ disposal games in the VFL doesn't excite me much. But against that monstrous GWS midfield I have no idea why he wouldn't just play him. Fitness can't be an excuse because he travelled with the team and Macredie played after like 1 VFL game.

Almost like Bolts is punishing him.

 

[90N90S]

I don't think we should sack Bolton in the middle of the season, but then again I don't see a game plan either.

If we do sack him at the end of the year then we have to sack Barker, even if we don't sack Bolton we have to get rid of Barker.

Barker adds nothing to our coaching, has been at the club for years and nothing has changed or improved.

Questions need to be asked of SOS, all the rejects he has picked up from GWS haven't improved us. The Stocker trade is still an unknown, but if we win the wooden spoon this year then serious questions need to asked about SOS.

I can't see any hope for us, all I see is moral victory's, this has been going on for decades now.

I have been trying to remain positive for years now, but I think I am finally beaten.

This team is going nowhere, time to spend my energy on other things, like a fool I keep spending money on my membership, but this is the last year I spend my hard earned on Carlton.

 

[cookie monster]

What defines a Brendan Bolton team?

Describe a playing style that defines the Carlton side and how they play.

It's not an easy thing to do because it's not obvious.

This is what I struggle with.
We don't have a consistent style of play. For me, that's a pretty clear indicator we have an issue with coaching and strategy.

 

[cookie monster]

Yeah, look the Kennedy one baffled me yesterday.

I actually don't rate him that highly and a few 20+ disposal games in the VFL doesn't excite me much. But against that monstrous GWS midfield I have no idea why he wouldn't just play him. Fitness can't be an excuse because he travelled with the team and Macredie played after like 1 VFL game.

Almost like Bolts is punishing him.

And it wouldn't be the first player that he's appeared to punish. Kerridge and Graham were consistently torching the 2s, and would struggle to get a look into the team over the likes of Polson.

Terrible management if we prevented Matt Kennedy from not playing football at either level, and not having any intention of playing him in the 1s at all. It's almost like rubbing it in his face

 

[thylacine60]

I struggle to see how it's the coaches role to "switch on" players, sorry. If a player is turning up to a game waiting for someone else to wake them up then they don't deserve to be playing.

bit of column a bit of column b I reckon...........

 

[bmaurizio]

Ye

Did I mention that imo Bolts is doing a grand job with a very inexperienced list. I will add though that if Kennedy is match fit he must play in the guts to help Crippa out.

Agree and Lang and Fasolo, especially if we lose Murphy for an extended period , it’s painfully obvious the lack of experienced mature & hardened bodied footballers during our games.

 

[The Flying Doormat]

Yeah, look the Kennedy one baffled me yesterday.

I actually don't rate him that highly and a few 20+ disposal games in the VFL doesn't excite me much. But against that monstrous GWS midfield I have no idea why he wouldn't just play him. Fitness can't be an excuse because he travelled with the team and Macredie played after like 1 VFL game.

Almost like Bolts is punishing him.

Punishing Kennedy isn't doing Cripps any favours.

 

[Coops93]

bit of column a bit of column b I reckon...........

I actually had a think after I posted, and I've changed my opinion, though only slightly.

A coach might be able to make 5-10% difference, which could change the match. If a player walks in and is around 80% ready to go, a coach might be able to get him up to 90%.

But if a player walks in at 50% then it doesn't matter what the coach says or does, the players not there.

So I say most of the onus is on the player, but the coach can make a difference. Also worth noting I'd say some of the onus is on the captain as well, as he can deliver a message the get the boys up.

 

[Arr0w]

delusional

Go on explain it to me them, but while your at it, consider the sides that have started their rebuild before us and also consider sides such as the Swans, Demons and North that have gone backward this year compared to last.

Tell me what that has to do with poor player development

Then we can discuss how Tigers and Pies built a list, that came through after building continuity and cohesion

Fire away

 

[BobbyAxlerod]

Long time reader, first time poster.

The Bolton situation is an interesting one, granted we have been smashed by injuries this year and not have Docherty available for selection has not helped his cause. He took over the biggest basket case of a football club at the time and previous administration needs to take responsibility for bringing that maggot Malthouse in.

During his time the messaging has been we are re building, going to the draft and looking to launch next season - which has been consistent throughout. We as Carlton supporters have had to endure a very long time dwelling on the bottom half of the ladder and are now getting impatient as we believe our list should be capable of more. I believe Bolton does not have a game plan and agree with alot of what i have read here, that he is too slow to make changes and doesnt select the right players in the right positions.

My other opinion is that i do not believe that players like him, respect him and do not rate him at all, therefore their efforts are inconsistent. The once might CFC is now very fast becoming irrelevant in the AFL world, winning 15 odd games in 4 seasons. My thoughts are, if Bolton cannot coach us to win 6 games minimum this year, he will be shown the door, if he gets the 6 he has one last crack and we need to see the same improvement as Brisbane.

My final thought on this, is should Bolton be sacked - Barker needs to go as well, but who, takes over the list as i cannot see any obvious candidates that would want the role.

 

[DangerousD]

Do people realise by stating that, no other coach would be doing any better with our list. Is saying that you think Bolton is the best coach in the AFL.

I don’t see it as being true at all.

Stewart Due is currently getting a lot more out of his side, who were tipped to be an embarrassment this year. Not only in their wins but the games they have lost as well.