In The Age, an article published today highlights the last thirty years since the club’s last Premiership and interviews the respective coaches during that period. While it is a bit illuminating, it does not really state the obvious nor the mindset of those at the helm of the club back then. I have stated continuously that the club had a knee-jerk reaction every time a coach failed. Those who were supposed to see the value of long-term development and consistency put their blinkers on and only wanted short-term results. If a coach did not get the team to perform in a way that the Board saw fit and in a short timeline, then they were booted out. This manner of arrogancy and instability does not and never will ensure a team any success as resemblance of success.
After reading the article, I have a huge, nay, massive issue with how Mick Malthouse has been portrayed as a hard-done-by person. He is not. What has been failed to mention was that the very next day after he had achieved his record of being the coach with the most games coached, he threw down a gauntlet and challenged the club to either re-hire him or sack him. This was not done at the end of the season but right in the middle. I heard him saying this on the radio and was on the way to work and nearly ran off the road. I was appalled and livid. The article in The Age does not mention this aspect at all, and it won’t, but let’s not be blinded by his sheer selfishness and arrogance and neither should we be blinded by how the Board back then were more interested in wanting a Premiership immediately, at any cost.
I have always stated, and always will, that those clubs who are in it for the long haul will garnish the success everyone wants. That is those clubs who understand, from the Board to the Coaches, to the players and the supporters, that in order to hold that Premiership Cup up, you need a long-term, stable and consistent environment to succeed. Yet it seems there are those supporters who, even now, just can’t see past this.
On social media, supporters who say they are passionate supporters will make derogatory comments about a coach, player, or players after a loss, with the mindset that they alone know and understand what will make a club successful. There is no issue with being critical, but being nasty serves no purpose at all, and this nastiness has come from some supporters for whom I have no respect or time. I have even seen “supporters” post that Vossy should be sacked after last year’s performance! Sure, it did not end well, but to be perfectly honest, we did not earn our spot in the top eight, and the loss and failure from last year will only make the players more determined to not go down that path again.
If we want to be successful, then we have to stop the continual knee-jerk reaction every time the club goes into a game slump. The season is not a sprint but a marathon, and it is those clubs that may start off at the bottom but, over the weeks and months, do something that those that are on the top do not do – they learn and grow from mistakes. A prime example is the Brisbane Lions in 2024.
We have a few players out with injuries, and the lamenting and cries from supporters that we are now doomed is really farcical. If a team relies on a few to become successful, then we are going to fail. It is the depth of a team that will determine success, not its few stars. It is the consistency and stability of a club, from the Board to the Coaches to the club itself, that will make the team want to be successful and take that long journey there.
I understand the long haul for success, and now, we have the tools for that. The article in The Age highlights what has gone on in the past but has not come close to seeing what is now being done to erase that past and come back with success. I see it, and I know there are supporters who see it, too. We have to erase the continual need for knee-jerk reactions and concentrate on ensuring stability and consistency. Only then will Carlton become successful.
SPORTZ 