It may be time for Carlton to admit Michael Voss is not the man for the job

Blues coach was a magnificent footballer but after an abysmal season-and-a-half the reality is he hasn’t made it work at the club

Here’s Carlton chief executive, Brian Cook, last night: “Michael Voss will be with us until at least the end of next year.” Here’s the president, Luke Sayers: “The boys love Vossy … Vossy is a phenomenal human.” Here’s sportswriter Peter Ryan: “The Age spoke to six people inside and outside the club who are familiar with the environment surrounding the Blues’ current predicament, and none thought that moving on the coach was an option even worth considering.” Here’s pundit David King: “It’s not anywhere near the crisis some are making it out to be – most issues simply require acknowledgment, alteration and then time to correct. Stability wins in this circumstance every time.”

Here’s the reality. Last night, Voss’s Carlton had eleven players who were top 20 selections in their draft. That included two No 1 picks, a No 3, a pair of Coleman medallists and a Brownlow medallist. They kicked six goals. They lost their eighth game in nine weeks. Their key forwards can’t kick straight. Their midfielders can’t hit the broad side of a barn. They let Essendon, hardly an offensive juggernaut, slam on six goals in 15 minutes. They laid 37 tackles – their lowest tally in eight years. They can’t move the ball. They can’t score. They’re no good.