The great catchcry of Carlton circa 2005

'Denis has lost the players!'

Maybe he knows his nursery rhymes - 'leave them alone and they'll come home wagging their tgails behind them'.

Maybe Denis is just waiting to see who can find their way home.


I mean really, lost the players - what players? Can some one tell me?

Has he lost Walker? No. Livo? Not from what I see. Teague? Gee he seems to be running back into some form. Simmo? Played his best gamke yesterday. Byran - no way. Russell? Yeah right.

So who are we talking about?

Are we talking about Kouta? Has Denis lost Kouta? How or why? Or has Kouta lost the desire? Is his knee hurting? Or his body simply too sore? We do not know, but has Denis lost Kouta? I doubt it.

Campo? Has Denis lost Campo? No, I think Denis knows exactly where Campo is but perhaps the club has because they will not pay the big bucks and if that means we've lostr him then good.

Lappin? Well again the club may have. I have some whisdpers that he and a few other players might not be great mates but thats true at all clubs, Could it be though that the 3 year denial is pissing him off? If so then piss of Lappo, (not harshly, just truthfully) we cannot afford luxury - we are shit.

Whits? Has Denis lost Whits? No way. But Whits is not a player for Denis, Whits is a cream on the top, Denis prefers the bread and butter types. Ever seen Whits crunch someone? Ever? One of ourt biggest blokes - ever seen him lay a great tackle? Ever? Not Denis's cup of tea I should think. Plenty of talent and no appilcation.

Fev? Has Denis lost Fev - yep makes sense - after all Fev just signed for a further 3 years to be with the coach that's lost him. Like the logic there. Mind you with Fev, well, if anyone could think that way it would be him.

French? No not lost, French has got better each year - course he is injured so that makes it hard for him.

Spornie or Bannister or Wiggo or Davies? Maybe, But it is true that youth often seeks to lay the blame elsewhere than at their own feet when things get hard. Are these blokes really footballers. Seems to me Denis keeps asking them and they keep fumbling the answer.

So please when we sprout these little generalityies like 'Denis has lost the players' can we be more specific, can you name the players? Point out how he lost them, what proof you've got that they are lost and what should be done about it,

Generalities ar ewdangerous, like gossip they linger and linger and turn falsehoods into beliefs.

By all means question Denis's coaching. I am. But I assume he has reasons that we know nothing about so I'll wait and see what the end of this horrible year brings - what changes does he impliment.

But can we please refrain from sweeping isms that have little truth.

I do not think Denis has lost the players. I think he knows exactly where they are. It might just be though, that he and them, do not agree on where they are at.

_________________
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!

He'll lose a few of them come October. Until then, I see no sign of disrespect toward the coach.

_________________
This might sound extreme in the context of alleged sexual assault, drunken violence and a drug trafficking charge...

Denis has lost the players that are in a comfort zone and do not have the stomach or the heart to do it hard.
that doesnt stop them for asking for big money or collecting big money though.

You can have a SNAG coach for those blokes and i reckon they would get us to 10 wins.... but theyre not going to take you to a premiership again.. EVER!!!!
What we need is fully commited footballers.

Walker slogs his guts out!!!.... more Walkers please!!!....

........... only place to find them is the draft.

I know some players believe the club has let them down....

In my opinion these players have let the club down.... and they have let AW and Carrazzo... and Livo... and T Bird... etc down.

The push should be on to trade them or delist them.

_________________
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The truth is here !!!

Well almost, that is, except for the bit that states trade them. Who will want them ? I think it should just read just DELIST !!

_________________
I know a little secret. And i'm not sharing.

Sometimes I think you think a little too clearly to be posting on a footy forum Dannyboy. Not enough knee-jerkedness about your posting.

Has Denis looked in that gap in the couch that appears if you sit doen really heavily, but you can hardly get your hand in there even if you push really hard....I lose stuff there all the time.....



BTW....
Carrotts is VERY happy....knows what it's like to be on the brink... heard the word that before those two games last year he was "officially" gone. Now he won't let that position go even if it kills him....throw him into the midfield I say!

_________________
“Every single element of the Club has to be the best in the league, meticulously and methodically, and only by doing this will we be elite and challenge for number 17.”
Greg Lee

Synbad, a question for you, who the hell are the players that feel hard done by......other than the regulars previously shared i.e campo, whitnall, kouta?

Dannyboy asks for anyone to name the players that Denis has lost....

Is it Digby? Jordan? Spornie? Justin Davies?

When you think about the mentality of our blokes your mind keeps getting back to Linda "I dont get up for less than 15k a day"Evangelista.
I bet they dont play nearly as good as Linda would though...

Fair dinkum!!!!.. these blokes should be sent to the salt mines in Siberia.

_________________
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Too much of an age gap between the coach and players. Youngest list and we have the oldest coach. He is old enough to be most of the guy's grandfather. Can't get the best out of the players and his gameplan expired when Wayne, Kelly and a bathroom got together.
Dean Laidley was asked if had changed the existing gameplan at North when he took over and he said he had because they didn't have the spine anymore.

_________________
"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

Problem is the young kids are doing all the work and the o0lder players are bludging..

Unlike Lions who also have an old coach and older players pave the way for younger players.

Plus they all want to get into the gym and do weights and put their bodies in cos thats what Voss and Co do...

_________________
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

And could you remind me how many times they have made the finals since he's been in charge?

They have won less than 50% of their quarters this year and have a percentage of less than 100%.
They are going nowhere.
At least Carlton has drafted some kids against the odds instead of wasting early picks on never was beens.

_________________
Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

of course - its an age thing! Pagan hasn't lost them at all, its just that they want to sit on his knee.

I mean grand statement The Game but what have you to offer except...actually nothing but Laidley. And really what did you want Laidley to say? 'No I do exactly what Denis did 'cos he was a great coach and I am not.' Jesus give us some ideas not this puddle of bat's piss we call fact.

_________________
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!

Wiggins, Bowyer and Prenda can go to the gym all they like but that won't change the fact they are poor footballers.

_________________
"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

So how is that Pagan's fault?

I think Synbad hit the nail when he spoke of cultures and coaches. I think this is the point Maclure missed in his article - though I like what he has to say. I think Carlton had to sign up Denis to say to the playing group - 'we are going with this bloke'.

It may just be that it's not that Denis has lost the players - rather that some players have lost Denis and knowing that they play with little passion - fine let them, get through this year, its not tanking, its just letting things unravel and then we start to sew it back together at the end of the year.

_________________
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!

Yeah i agree, he's lost the players!























Now before you all start that was a joke, ok, joke, not very funny, but a joke nevertheless!

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

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

Denis knows exactly where the players are that are the future of the club.

There are about 12 of them at the club, the rest are in the TAC or at other AFL clubs

_________________
"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

Dannyboy wrote

Well I could write a bullsh!t poem about what a wonderful job he is doing and how everything is rosey at Princes Park.

_________________
"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

Please do.