Tanks a lot, Chris - Article by Mark Stevens on the Blues

[Alpha1]

It's doing the rounds on the Tiger board ****ing idiots here is the article :-

Tanks a lot, Chris
03 October 2007 Herald Sun
Mark Stevens

SO MUCH for the Kreuzer Cup, Mark Stevens writes.

We didn't know it at the time, but Carlton was playing for the Judd Jug.

The Blues will get the deal done to land their man. And it is that controversial priority pick, the trophy secured with the Round 22 loss to Melbourne, that makes Chris Judd to Carlton a certainty.

With picks No. 1 and No. 3 in the bag, Carlton has the goodies to satisfy West Coast. Collingwood, with only pick No. 14, never stood a chance of manufacturing a smooth deal.

No one is accusing Carlton of throwing matches, but quite clearly the Blues picked teams that didn't give them the best chance of winning.

It is worth remembering Carlton lost its last 11 games. Yes, 11.

But not one Carlton fan around the country was grizzling about that yesterday.

It will be looked back on as a mystical 11 weeks. The most rewarding streak since that awesome winning run in '95 that finished in a premiership.

Those 11 losses ensured the club would win no more than five games and lasso the No. 1 pick.

As re-invigorated as they looked under new coach Brett Ratten in the last six weeks, the Blues didn't manage a win then, either.

It was perfect. Fight hard, give the supporters something, but ultimately lose.

The last time the Blues won a game was on June 9 -- and it just happened to be against Grand Finalist Port Adelaide.

From then on, they weren't good enough to jag a single win. As the losses rolled on, it became more and more obvious the Blues were looking to draft picks.

Fans aren't silly.

The closer the Blues got completing the mission, the more excited they became.

There was a feeling that it was time to lay down and cop the pain. Take the rewards and get back at the AFL for those tough draft penalties for breaching salary cap rules.

It is a case of mission accomplished -- and the issue of "tanking" is not going to go away.

Judd ultimately ending up at Carlton will only bring it into sharper focus.

Richmond looms as an improving team next year, but for a moment imagine if the Tigers are stuck on four wins, a month out from the end of next season.

Knowing what the Blues have been able to achieve by being stranded on less than 20 points two years in a row, Tigers fans will be as spirited as ever -- only this time they will be barracking against their own team.

Some of the comments on the Tigers board are hilarious

 

[Bluebear]

It's doing the rounds on the Tiger board ****ing idiots here is the article :-

Tanks a lot, Chris
03 October 2007 Herald Sun
Mark Stevens

SO MUCH for the Kreuzer Cup, Mark Stevens writes.

We didn't know it at the time, but Carlton was playing for the Judd Jug.

The Blues will get the deal done to land their man. And it is that controversial priority pick, the trophy secured with the Round 22 loss to Melbourne, that makes Chris Judd to Carlton a certainty.

With picks No. 1 and No. 3 in the bag, Carlton has the goodies to satisfy West Coast. Collingwood, with only pick No. 14, never stood a chance of manufacturing a smooth deal.

No one is accusing Carlton of throwing matches, but quite clearly the Blues picked teams that didn't give them the best chance of winning.
.................

.............It is a case of mission accomplished -- and the issue of "tanking" is not going to go away.

Judd ultimately ending up at Carlton will only bring it into sharper focus.

No......not accusing at all.......what an arse Clown.

Wouldn't be a disgruntled Pies/Dons/Dees supporter now would he?

Or is it a case of "What's an off-season without taking cheap shots at the Blues"...........quality Journalism.

 

[Alpha1]

No......not accusing at all.......what an arse Clown.

Wouldn't be a disgruntled Pies/Dons/Dees supporter now would he?

Or is it a case of "What's an off-season without taking cheap shots at the Blues"...........quality Journalism.

Who does the w***er follow anyway?

 

[Jedi01]

Point out the mistakes in his article. Oh hang on, they are all correct. Cant argue with the truth.

 

[thylacine60]

Hawks I think. Pies maybe.

 

[Bluebear]

Point out the mistakes in his article. Oh hang on, they are all correct. Cant argue with the truth.

Ask the Saints if we were tanking.

 

[Will.B.Worth.Da.Waite]

Point out the mistakes in his article. Oh hang on, they are all correct. Cant argue with the truth.

like you can talk. you tanked for freaking thomas and pendlebury. piss off. don't come back until you have an argument worth making

 

[Devoid]

Who does the w***er follow anyway?

The Bulldogs.

Why doesn't he mention what happened in the weeks following the Port game. Losing 4 of the next 5 by more than 10 goals including two 100 point losses. Seeing as our coach was sacked after those games I hardly think he could suggest we were tanking then.

 

[WorthTheWaite]

Not many teams in the AFL have a leg to stand on when accusing others of "tanking" - Collingwood and Richmond especially

The only reason people think we're tanking is the media - honestly, you can't engineer 10 point losses like the one against St Kilda - ever considered the possibility that our injury-depleted, youthful, inexperienced side, under a new coach and game plan, was incapable of winning?

Nah, nah. Don't be stupid. That would require thinking on a higher plane. Let's steer clear of that.

 

[blues4flag]

The last time the Blues won a game was on June 9 -- and it just happened to be against Grand Finalist Port Adelaide.

What is he insinuating here? Surely he can't be implying that just b/c we beat the Power, we were good enough to win games down the track?

 

[Dramoth]

Point out the mistakes in his article. Oh hang on, they are all correct. Cant argue with the truth.

haha...

funny man...

why dont you go and hand yourself into the cops for the old lady you mugged to get onto the internet to write such meaningful and insightful comments.

****ing muppet

 

[legendtofski]

Absolutely expected from a sub-standard Herald-Sun HACK...

The Bloody Herald-Sun should look long and hard look at their footy section as it has consistently gone WORSE than Carlton has for the past 3 year, each year their reportage getting stupider and stupider, and their year-end reports having fewer words to the point they are check-list a down-syndrome could understand. If Carlton are playing the TANK, the Hun are definitely improving the WANK when it comes to footy reportage and analysis!!!!!

Next thing you know they'll be getting ANDREW BLOODY BOLT to give his interpretation of the game from a South African perspective.

This guy deserves a a hard kick in the arse via a studded footy boot!

 

[Alpha1]

Well obviously we are going to get the idiots from the other boards in here saying we tanked blah blah blah ..... like they never did that, Pies, Hawks, Dogs, Saints the list goes on

 

[sikmoe]

Point out the mistakes in his article. Oh hang on, they are all correct. Cant argue with the truth.

Agreed

 

[Wet Toast Rule]

Its a ******ed competition if teams get REWARDED for finishing last or having less than 5 wins.


They should bring in a system similar to the English Premier League / 1st Division etc where teams get relegated to seconds if they finish in the bottom.

Simple.

I would rather watch the Coburg Tigers or Claremont than Carlton trying to lose another game.

 

[hustla]

put simply it isn't our fault, it's the afl's. like with every system, it has its flaws and we took advantage of them. we aren't the only team to do this. st. kilda, wb, hawthorn, collingwood, essendon have all been there so get off your moral high ground. it's like the tax system; everyone tries to get away with the best result.

 

[Silvagnis]

Its a ******ed competition if teams get REWARDED for finishing last or having less than 5 wins.


They should bring in a system similar to the English Premier League / 1st Division etc where teams get relegated to seconds if they finish in the bottom.

Simple.

I would rather watch the Coburg Tigers or Claremont than Carlton trying to lose another game.

This from a club that keeps losing to a club like Freo in the derby and won their flags due to draft concessions.

Judd and Kennedy both don't want to play for your club next year.

And the reason is nothing to do with that club being based in Perth.

KULCHA.

 

[Funkalicous]

Mark Stevens took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[barone]

i finggg loveee it! BRING BACK JACKKKK NOWWWWW! PIGSSS ARSEEEEE

 

[Bomba Sheldon]

What I fing amsuing is that in the last few years incluidng to the mid point way of the year we criticised for the being crap and thats we why couldnt win games.

Second half of the year all of a suuden we should be knocking every side off and all of a sudden we arent crap, go figure? Gee 5 years is a long to tank.

Tools!

 

[carna]

No......not accusing at all.......what an arse Clown.

Wouldn't be a disgruntled Pies/Dons/Dees supporter now would he?

Or is it a case of "What's an off-season without taking cheap shots at the Blues"...........quality Journalism.

Give the guy a break, he was absolutely spot on. We didn't tank on the field, but we executed a strategy that ensured we met our objectives.

The point is, we're in this to win premierships, not points. Provided the players are giving 110% on the field, everything else is legitimate. You have to develop flexibility, so you play them in different positions.

You need to play an exciting brand of footy, 'cos that keeps the nuff nuff supporters happy, but that is risky and you can be run ragged in a couple of quarters.

If this season is shot, we need to make sure we get the best possible preparation for next year.

We need to play kids, and see who can play at the top level because the AFL makes us rotate players every year, and we have to manage the cap.

Every year, clubs pull up stumps to start building for next year. Here are some examples of how that is done:

• Send players off for surgery so they will be right for pre-season
• Play an "exciting" brand of footy with a bunch of kids - great way to ensure they are overrun in the 4th term.
• Experiment with matchups and play key players out of position
• Interchange rotations are a beauty - you can pull a player from the field if they are too damaging
• Try out fringe players osensibly "to see if they can play" (then probably delist them anyway)
• Give players a game to raise their profile before trade season

So, it all depends on your perspective.

 

[GPW1]

What is he insinuating here? Surely he can't be implying that just b/c we beat the Power, we were good enough to win games down the track?

yeah, ridiculous comment. anyone who saw that game would agree that port were garbage and wouldve been knocked off by the altona under 9's.

 

[as0l0]

Richmond looms as an improving team? since when?

 

[Bluebear]

Give the guy a break, he was absolutely spot on. We didn't tank on the field, but we executed a strategy that ensured we met our objectives.

The point is, we're in this to win premierships, not points. Provided the players are giving 110% on the field, everything else is legitimate. You have to develop flexibility, so you play them in different positions.

You need to play an exciting brand of footy, 'cos that keeps the nuff nuff supporters happy, but that is risky and you can be run ragged in a couple of quarters.

If this season is shot, we need to make sure we get the best possible preparation for next year.

We need to play kids, and see who can play at the top level because the AFL makes us rotate players every year, and we have to manage the cap.

Every year, clubs pull up stumps to start building for next year. Here are some examples of how that is done:

• Send players off for surgery so they will be right for pre-season [none went pre-maturely - Fev could have gone round 16, didn't]
• Play an "exciting" brand of footy with a bunch of kids - great way to ensure they are overrun in the 4th term. [Is that what happened vs Saints and Port? Looked like us Fighting back to me.]
• Experiment with matchups and play key players out of position [Still waiting for ANY examples in this category]
• Interchange rotations are a beauty - you can pull a player from the field if they are too damaging [Joel Bowden vs Saints ]
• Try out fringe players osensibly "to see if they can play" (then probably delist them anyway) [Such as?]
• Give players a game to raise their profile before trade season

So, it all depends on your perspective.

Is this what happned vs Hawks, Freo, Sydney and Lions?

Look, I have no doubt in the last few rounds we played a few kids, and the ONLY player to be ommitted to try a kid, as opposed to dropped through bad form or injury was Bentick.
One player...........wow, mountain of evidence.

Still haven't had a response the the Fev issue.

If we were so keen to tank......and we had an MRI sacn that showed a tear that would put Fev out for 3-4 weeks........why would he play the next 3-4 weeks..........

Of course the pro-tankers would say "well if he's injured he won't perform as well and your still tanking..........and if you rest him "clearly tanking by restin gtheir best player.

Impossible arguement to win.

Fact is we have not been able to win more than 4 games for several years........yet just because a PP is on the table people think that we lost deliberately..........if only we were so good.

 

[westbrom]

surely we cannot be outraged by this article.... 99% of supporters were cheering very hard for losses in the last few weeks and now we feel indignant that someone is calling us tankers?? C'mon people don't you think we are getting upset by nothing...

Yes Carlton tanked this year and last year. We are not the first and we will not be the last.