Brendan Fevola Questions Michael Voss’s Future at Carlton
Brendan Fevola, a former Carlton champion, has expressed uncertainty about how long Michael Voss can remain as the club’s coach, even if he continues to ignore the growing criticism surrounding his position. Voss recently stated that he is not paying attention to the speculation about his future and emphasized that everyone at the club is “aligned” for the season.
Carlton fans are increasingly frustrated with the team’s performance, having only managed one win from four games to start the season. This has led to mounting pressure on Voss to turn things around. Despite the criticism, Voss remains focused on his role, stating that he does not pay attention to the noise around his position.
“I don’t pay any attention to it,” he said. “At some point, you’ve just got to get on with the task at hand. That’s what we’re doing. I’m not distracted off anything other than just getting the best out of the team and supporting them as best we possibly can to make the progress we need.”
So far this season, Carlton has only been ahead in one of eight quarters before half-time and has struggled to maintain leads in their past two matches. Fevola believes that if Adelaide manages to defeat Carlton this week, it could signal the end of Voss’s tenure.
“You don’t want to sack the coach because it is not all about the coach, it is about the players,” Fevola told Nine’s Footy Classified. “But the way we’ve gone down in the last year and a half, I think it might be time for change. If the Blues can get up, it will keep Voss safe a little bit longer. If not, it might be curtains.”
Fevola acknowledged that sacking Voss after this round would not be ideal, especially since a new coach would then face the challenge of leading the team against Collingwood in their first game in charge.
“You don’t want a new coach running into that,” he concluded.
Despite the criticism, Voss understands that poor results will always invite scrutiny. He said, “We’re not winning, so obviously you expect some level of scrutiny. You appreciate that’s what’s going to happen every single week when you come off a game you should win, and you don’t end up finishing the job.”
Voss also emphasized the importance of focusing on what is real and what is not. “The key part is doing it when it’s getting tougher and how do we still execute when we need to through those critical times.”
He added, “Everything is telling me, if you look at behind-the-goal vision, the little things, being there for each other has been a real positive for us. You’ve also got to do it for the entirety of the game and that’s what we’ve been challenged on. Some of that stuff has come up, some of those have been important conversations to have.”
Still, Voss does not feel disconnected from the team, the club, or the supporters. “No, I don’t,” he replied when asked if there was a divide. “Where we’re aligned on is we’re not happy with where we’re at.”
Carlton will take on Adelaide in the opening match of Gather Round on Thursday. The outcome of this game could have significant implications for Voss’s future at the club.
