Forget all this other, crap today I want to talk about time. Time and patience. Two things we have avoided like the plague at carlton since, since the 80's drove the Navy Blues into a frenzy and we forgot a lot about ourselves.

today at the coach's luncheon the lads and I (those other cheap writers) sat with come illustrious supporters who stated in quick succession

Doesn't matter if we get the eartly picks we'll probably pick Vance again and Russell is a dud and why did we overlook Meyers.

It seems to be these statements just about sum up Carlton. They point to the weakness of this great club under the present system. That weakness is our inability to accept the passage of time.

In the old days a Bruce Doull could play his two or more seasons in the VFL getting his body and mind ready because we had other great players playing.

Now we would ask Bruce to walk into the club, don his jumper and take over CHB. And if he failed we'd bemoan his selection, call for his head and search for the next great white hope.

Sometimes there is a disturbing similarity between us and the English Cricket Team.


Russell is not a dud - he is a kid making his way - the same way Martin Pike made his way and, as Pikey said the other night, in today's enviroment he'd be gone - a four time premiership player, Fitzroy's last B&F, gone. why?

Time.

The kids are not granted time.

Look at the flak from some poor old (and I use the word deliberately) Simmo has copped - why? Not an instant success. Didn't step up to the plate in his first year and hit several home runs - therefore a dud.

Simmo's shining now and everyone is relaxed about him - he's fine yet if he had have been sacked at the end of last year not many would have worried. He'd had enough time.

But he hadn't of course. Just as Russell has not. Nor Walker for that matter. These kids are not men, not yet. They are kids - same as Carrots did nothing for so long because he was a kid - in the end he just needed time.

Many here want to behead Livo - why - he's had enough time. He's what? 23? Too old. Bradley started at Carlton at what age - 23? Sticks - 23? When they started! And yet here we are bemoaning failures left right and centre with blokes under the age of 23.


We must give these kids time. As many of them as we possibly can. If we make a choice we'll probably get as many wrong as right because they are kids and kids develop - no one, not the best coach, nor anyone, can see into the future and get it 100% right.


As a club we need to ease up. We need to accept the crap that comes with a young list and let them develop. 3 years before we make any judgements. 50 games before we expect anything. 75 before we can begin to get a sense of the player.

Difficult because we have so many kids but this is where we are at. It's not a time to turn the list over like a lucky dip barrel. It's a time for patience. For giving those chosen enough time to blossom.

Muphy has been the butt of many of my jokes but its not about Murphy - never has been. It's the worry that if we pick this kid up he will be expected to perform straight away.Tthe kid, like Hodge, might take 3 or more years. Will not mean he is a dud or whatever, just that he's a kid, doing what all kids must do - grow.

I was rapt for Simmo on Sunday - he played very well. Pleased to see AB to, the boy is growing. Carrots again, rapt. And Fish. What have these blokes got in common - there all under 24 (gee I hope I'm right there) kids turning into men, kids becoming footballers. In the end its not talent we lack, its time.

Lets give these kids time.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Well said Danny.

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Mjonc signing off at 8888

You know who is to blame for this?

Chris Judd.

Everyone with a first round pick or a priority pick is expected to pick up the next Chris Judd and if they don't, well the supporters label that player a dud and a wasted pick.

Highly unfair given that a player of Judd's ilk comes around once every decade.

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Writer for SuperCoach Paige www.scpaige.com.au
Twitter - @johnfeeney24

What about Hurn,there was nothing in your post about Hurn at all.

And tanking. Didnt you read the site rules, your only aloud to talk about tanking here.

Great post mate

Your one of the few people here who looks at the postitive as well as the negative.

Amen Danny

Hope you had a great time at the lunch

_________________
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" -Winston Churchill

L.M 35-06

Dannyboy,
I so enjoy reading your posts-and the good sense-Thank you!

I was seated next to Molsey and I couldn't drink so what do you think Mark

for the record, the seating arrangement was by the far the worst!!!!!

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Give me their names! Donkeys.

Excellent article dannyboy.

does that mean the bump's gone now Mrs Caz?

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

One of the best posts I've read for quite some time.

Humpers can you pm that to Molsey

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Great post danny,

Glad you were sitting next to those blokes.

molsey was getting a bit hot under the collar listening to them, I thought he was going to jump the table and start strangling them. Lucky they were not talking about simmo.

We have to be patient with our kids and as a club and especially as supporters learn what it means to develop and support footballers in this day and age.

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|♥♥♥♥♥♥| http://www.blueseum.org |♥♥♥♥♥♥|

yes I wondered who'd do the write up on Mike from Mike and Dan taking a right whack at someone

Guess you could do the stats

I'd do a thing on famous whacks

and Mike would write it up as all their fault

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Great Post Danny and couldnt disagree with any aspect of what you wrote ... Same reason that Walker needs time he will be good but he will learn and gain experience and will be a great player for the club

cheers great post

Time? This post's too long - I don't have the time to read it...

Well actually, YES, it is all about time, patience and hope. Quality players will give us hope and with hope you'll find more of us will give the team time - and be more patient.

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Galaxies in the grain...

It's about 10 to 10,

Cheers,

EB


I hope that helps...

_________________
Oompa loompa doompety dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me

no its 10: 01

or it was

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Ummmm.........

is THAT the time........?


kindest regards tommi



hey Dee Boy...........

tired of lying in the sunshine.....staying home to watch the rain...
you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.....
and then one day you find...ten years have got behind you....
no one told you when to run....you missed the starting gun.........?





come fly with me Dee Boy........
lets fly with wings of hope and feathers from desire.....
come fly with me Dee Boy......
lets fly in the sky of freedom and the clouds of joy......
come fly with me Dee Boy......
lets fly from one place to the other then back again.....
come fly with me Dee Boy.......
what's that you say you dont have the time.......
oh i must have heard you wrong......
come fly with me Dee Boy.......
go on.......i'll follow you.........!

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

how dare you tommi...This is your fault!

An afternoon with Visions:

An afternoon
Sitting at a desk in a house
Not my own;
Different in many ways
From any house I have been in,
Its opulence reminding me
Of my own poor history.

Sitting at your desk,
The expansive window
Framing a garden and the sun
Shining gently upon
The thick paper I enjoyed so much
Winding into the typewriter -
No computers then, just keys and pen.

I sat at the desk, typewriter before me;
Page ready and empty -
My hands fiddling with the ribbon
Tangled like a yarn around the steadfast ‘Z/z’.

My mind pretended a search for words
As young poet I sat, long hair
And unrestrained heart and hands,
But truthfully my mind conjured visions
Of your straight spine: imagined the steel rod
Implanted within to keep it straight,
And your perfect breasts and nipples
I had seen whilst performing a Louis Nowra play
Titled ‘Visions’ in which you played my sister
Though secretly I was never your brother.

15 years later in my room
You shed a green flowing dress
And the red lace underneath
While I hurriedly unbuttoned my blue shirt
And pushed away my ragged jeans.

We lay together, another sunny afternoon -
But not fully together;
The journey never went so far as words and time
Seemed to make us stumble and splutter
Like a fire that almost catches
Yet for reasons unexplained does not.

Now another afternoon
I sit at this computer writing words
That somehow have the shape, these years later,
Of the underside of your ‘b’ breast,
The long, gentle curve of your ‘l’ neck,
Of your thin, soft ‘m’ lips
And long, long gently clasping ‘w’ fingers.

This ‘s’ is your bent leg, the knee a valley of ‘v’,
This ‘o’ a cheek soft as a baby
And a remembered smell sends me reeling
Into that almost moment so long ago.


I wonder these 27 years later
What has happened to you and that steel rod
And your sea green eyes
And utterly sad heart that would not let go
And come a’ journeying with me
On a sunny afternoon similar and almost different
From any other and I wish, as I have some times other,
That I might have had the courage to face your temper
And in its tempest shout like an undaunted sailor
The ‘I love you’ that dwelt in my heart
That moment, on that particular afternoon.

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!