If we finish ninth with 11 wins and 11 losses???

[freely]

If we continue to trundle along in mediocrity, it wouldn't surprise me if Ratts just hung up the coaching boots and said, 'I've had enough. Time for someone else to have a go."

I think him leaving us is more likely than us asking him to pack his bags. Caveat - we really fall off badly.

I don't think you've picked the man or studied his career. He's super competitive and I hope he can be given time to mould a list and also develop this current batch of youth

It wouldn't surprise me if St Kilda FC stuffed up again and sacked a coach before he had a chance to construct our next premiership capable side

Here's one for you Scollop. When do you see us returning to the finals? This is Ratts 3rd year, more if you count his caretaker time, let's say we don't return to the finals for another year or two, isn't that heading into Richo territory? Was it about the 3 year mark supporters started turning on Richo? How long was he coach for, 5. I recon history of the club proves if Ratts doesn't make finals this year then the jungle drums will start beating loud in 2023.

A brutal game but just pointing out the most likely scenario based on historical events.

I recon Ratts has precisely the same problems Richo had, lack of quality players and I can't see supporters being patient for another 2 or 3 years.

If you need proof as to whether Ratts can coach, he did make finals in his first year at St Kilda. The club didn’t make a finals series for a decade before that.

I think he deserves to be judged on list availability. Whether we finish in 8th spot or not shouldn’t be the sole factor in determining a new contract. We had a pretty good finish to 2021 as well and that was because we had Ryder and Marshall and most of our better players back from injury. Ratts also made finals when he was senior coach at Carlton.

Unless the team falls off the rails and we become a rabble in 2022 and he loses the trust of the players, I’d offer him a 4 year deal prior to the end of the home and away games. Let’s focus on getting the best talent up to scratch and play them for 50-60 games

I think you are wrong about St Kilda supporters. We are a farken resilient bunch. We are used to tough times, especially those of us who experienced the 70’s and 80’s. In recent times, we had such a shocking bottoming out after the 1997 GF.

The club used the draft during the Watson and Blight years and slowly built a culture that was based on development and based on creating an environment for future success. It worked and we played off in consecutive GF’s in 2009 and 2010.

We dropped to the bottom of the ladder again in 2014 and before we actually made finals…we started gambling on too many ready made senior players. In 2018 they did it again and they panicked. Let’s not get sucked in to any more trades that sacrifice our future just to save face for the coach, or the COO or the CEO or the membership department and let’s not take short cuts

We can handle some pain if it means we get the foundations right and we create the blueprint to climb the pinnacle

Let’s aim to become a premiership contender rather than being satisfied with making finals

he did it on Richo's gameplan and hasn't done a thing since.

[CQ SAINT]

Hill should play wing. He is not a defenders bootlace

Line breakers are no good on the wing if the defence can't get the ball out. Hill more often than not gets the ball out.
Sinclair gets the ball out and doesn't leave the backline, but look what having more skill in the back half has done. Sinclair is a very good footballer, a contested ball beast, has a big engine, lovely foot skills and a powerful break.
Jimmy Hardhead has to man up because, well frankly, he is good at it and the same with Paton and Wilkie.
All good line breakers work as the 7th defenders but hey aren't all good defenders, Hill only really has to defend when our midfield and high half forwards turn the ball over.
If we learn to go more direct and move our real forward targets to the high half forward line, we will be a real finals threat. With some injury luck and proper development of ouryounger players with skill into players with skill and flexibility, that will be next year.

[WellardSaint]

I can't see us winning 11 games but I would be happy to be wrong. I think Ratts will get another extension unless we free fall & finish bottom 4 . I doubt that will happen but if that does eventuate he will be in trouble then IMO.

Remember Malthouse coaching Carlton, saying at start of a season, he couldn't see them losing a game?

Well...apart from the Steven Bradbury game in Perth, I cannot see us winning any more this year, unless our oppo has 14 newbies come in due to Covid.

My 2 cents

[Scollop]

If we continue to trundle along in mediocrity, it wouldn't surprise me if Ratts just hung up the coaching boots and said, 'I've had enough. Time for someone else to have a go."

I think him leaving us is more likely than us asking him to pack his bags. Caveat - we really fall off badly.

I don't think you've picked the man or studied his career. He's super competitive and I hope he can be given time to mould a list and also develop this current batch of youth

It wouldn't surprise me if St Kilda FC stuffed up again and sacked a coach before he had a chance to construct our next premiership capable side

Here's one for you Scollop. When do you see us returning to the finals? This is Ratts 3rd year, more if you count his caretaker time, let's say we don't return to the finals for another year or two, isn't that heading into Richo territory? Was it about the 3 year mark supporters started turning on Richo? How long was he coach for, 5. I recon history of the club proves if Ratts doesn't make finals this year then the jungle drums will start beating loud in 2023.

A brutal game but just pointing out the most likely scenario based on historical events.

I recon Ratts has precisely the same problems Richo had, lack of quality players and I can't see supporters being patient for another 2 or 3 years.

If you need proof as to whether Ratts can coach, he did make finals in his first year at St Kilda. The club didn’t make a finals series for a decade before that.

I think he deserves to be judged on list availability. Whether we finish in 8th spot or not shouldn’t be the sole factor in determining a new contract. We had a pretty good finish to 2021 as well and that was because we had Ryder and Marshall and most of our better players back from injury. Ratts also made finals when he was senior coach at Carlton.

Unless the team falls off the rails and we become a rabble in 2022 and he loses the trust of the players, I’d offer him a 4 year deal prior to the end of the home and away games. Let’s focus on getting the best talent up to scratch and play them for 50-60 games

I think you are wrong about St Kilda supporters. We are a farken resilient bunch. We are used to tough times, especially those of us who experienced the 70’s and 80’s. In recent times, we had such a shocking bottoming out after the 1997 GF.

The club used the draft during the Watson and Blight years and slowly built a culture that was based on development and based on creating an environment for future success. It worked and we played off in consecutive GF’s in 2009 and 2010.

We dropped to the bottom of the ladder again in 2014 and before we actually made finals…we started gambling on too many ready made senior players. In 2018 they did it again and they panicked. Let’s not get sucked in to any more trades that sacrifice our future just to save face for the coach, or the COO or the CEO or the membership department and let’s not take short cuts

We can handle some pain if it means we get the foundations right and we create the blueprint to climb the pinnacle

Let’s aim to become a premiership contender rather than being satisfied with making finals

he did it on Richo's gameplan and hasn't done a thing since.

Don’t worry ….Ratts acknowledges that he couldn’t have made finals without the Cho gameplan. I heard he even personally sent Cho an expensive bottle of plonk and a thank you card

It’s obvious that Richo was a mastermind and it was only a matter of time that he turned his 33% won loss ration into something that all clubs and all oppo coaches would fear. Richo had an upward path on his graph…no doubt about it

As the Cho influence slowly fades from the players minds I think maybe Ratts might be in trouble.

[SunnyErnie]

I can't see us winning 11 games but I would be happy to be wrong. I think Ratts will get another extension unless we free fall & finish bottom 4 . I doubt that will happen but if that does eventuate he will be in trouble then IMO.

Remember Malthouse coaching Carlton, saying at start of a season, he couldn't see them losing a game?

Well...apart from the Steven Bradbury game in Perth, I cannot see us winning any more this year, unless our oppo has 14 newbies come in due to Covid.

My 2 cents

Come on WS. We are better than that.