05-31-2021, 03:29 PM
(05-31-2021, 11:33 AM)PaulP link Wrote:I guess the point I was making is that the personal pronoun "we" as it relates to the club, and as it relates to this topic, encompasses hundreds and possibly thousands of changes in every department, over the last 15 or 20 years. Hundreds of players, a few different recruiters, numerous senior coaches, assistant coaches, heads of football, recruiters, list managers, board members, presidents etc. Notwithstanding all this, the failures of the previous recruiter / coach / player etc., become part of the identity of the successor, since when someone fails, the successor defines themselves (at least in part) in opposition to what has come before. They don't copy each other, and they are chosen as successors precisely because they offer a point of difference to their predecessor. There is a specific attempt made to disconnect from the past and fix those errors. And yet across these numerous changes and attempts to fix the errors of the past, the niceness persists...............
You make some thoughtful points. With Carlton I wonder whether it is a case this century of the tail wagging the dog.
Amongst all the changes to personnel you have listed and the different skills and attitudes they bring with them, there is one constant which must have affected their thinking and actions; namely, the failure of the Club for the past 20 years to provide a competitive list with the ability to play in the final 4 or 6.
Especially in the early years nobody wanted to come to Carlton, despite the best efforts of our recruiting personnel. That must have affected the morale of the players and staff alike and created a negative culture.
Imagine if we could turn on a magic switch and have a competitive list. The old swagger would return, petty differences would be forgotten, the staff would be motivated and, most importantly, we would be seen as winners and a desirable club for top players to come to.
Until that competitive list is realised I fear we are going to rummage around in the bottom 6 for quite some time.