http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...8-19742,00.html

"I got an opportunity last year, but I was really made to earn it," Johnson said.

REALLY?

A player who was made to earn his spot in the team?

My god, what a revolutionary new idea?

I have no sympathy whatsoever.

I can see it from Chris' point of view. He was told that the Match Committee wasn't sold on him, got offered for trade during trade week and then was offered a one year deal. Carllton then offered him a better deal and he took it.

Good luck to him at his new club.

Strauss would have taken his position anyway.

Dammed if you do and dammed if you don't.

At least he was honest and didn't give the run of the mill answers like most footballers.

Half his luck getting a second crack at it ...

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...8-19742,00.html

"I got an opportunity last year, but I was really made to earn it," Johnson said.

REALLY?

A player who was made to earn his spot in the team?

My god, what a revolutionary new idea?

I have no sympathy whatsoever.

The article is really quite revealing about the player, the coach and the club. I think all have to work a lot harder at getting things right in the future but it really confirms that Melbourne in 2009 wasn't the right place for CJ.

We should learn the lessons of this story well but, at the same time, let's move on.

He deserves to wear that jumper good riddance sooooook .

Bailey overreacted for sure but...

If you have decided not to play on with a club don't...

Let your agent tell the FOM before you do.

Go to training and act like a decision hasn't been made.

He should have turned up to training early in his civvies and told DB and CC himself.

Whilst Im sure there are two sides to most stories and it would never be beyond a media tome to , lets say, enhance a theme to sell a paper I am not sure this lad has actually grown up !!

...""I didn't think I was treated the best throughout my five years," he said."

wtf ?? what sort of snivelling prima donna is this guy ? In tandem with others' comments I think we're well rid of this bloke and concur that others ought to take notice; nothing is a given anymore !! GOOD !! How it ought to be.

What it does tell me that the culture is changing at the club and about time, DB might never get us to the promise land (I think he will ) but we will always remember him for this for taking the stand of if you don't want to be here nick off, play for the club and jumper not yourself.

The reason why he wasn't treated well over the 5 years was because he failed to prove himself at AFL level. I can count the amount of good games he played on one hand - one of them was in the NAB Cup and one of them was in a practice match against the 2007 wooden spooners.

Having said that I wish him all the best for a successful VFL career at the Bullants.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...8-19742,00.html

"I got an opportunity last year, but I was really made to earn it," Johnson said.

REALLY?

A player who was made to earn his spot in the team?

My god, what a revolutionary new idea?

I have no sympathy whatsoever.

This quote is a bit decieving. > "I got an opportunity last year, but I was really made to earn it,"

I know AJ senior from long ago & I have watched CJ for a while waiting for him to come on.

He has felt let down for a couple of years, hoping for more game time so as to find some form & show everyone what he can do.

He was disillusioned from the daniher era, & so, with the new footy dept, hoped for more of a go. He started showing a bit last year, but was impatient & increasingly frustrated before getting some games.

IMO too many years with an admin' not promoting youth has had a detrimental effect on many young players, as well as deteriorating some senior players who got games when they should have been dropped.

Finally now we have to play the kids.

Quite poignantly..all angst aside .. if Chris was nearly as good as he seems to think he is then the MFC footy brains trust would have had no hesistation in offering him 2 years. Its really that simple.

He's not, they didnt, such is life

Who gives a [censored] about CJ? We have recruited an upgraded version of him, Strauss.

What a little [censored].

I seriously hope none of our list remotely like him as a person.

This quote is a bit decieving. > "I got an opportunity last year, but I was really made to earn it,"

Not deceiving at all. In fact it tells us that he is much more comfortable on Planet Carlton where greed is good and the individual comes first.

Dean Bailey sacrificed a season and a few players this year to make the point that you play for the team and that everbody must earn their opportunity to wear the jumper and take advantage of the benefits (financial or otherwise) that come with this through hard work and effort.

Want an easy kick?

Go to Planet Carlton.

The comments here remind me of those after Judd decided to go to Carlton.

Anyhow, I think it's fair enough that CJ decided to change Clubs:

"I was playing the best footy of my career and I was getting emergency and emergency every week.

"I thought if you're not going to play me now in the position the club's at - being bottom of the ladder - I was thinking my chances aren't too great if I can't show what I've got.

i cant wait to boo him

and i hope the other 15 000 melbourne supporters at the carlton/melb game next year join me.

however, i doubt he will make the team

Very Poor Form from Johnson.

Carlton are welcome to him.

Does he honestly think that he won't have to earn his opportunity at Carlton?

Maybe he feels he'll get given a fairer go, or will play when his VFL form warrants it.

From the little I've paid attention to of him he's seemed to have dominated at VFL for a few weeks on end then only get half a game in the 1s before being dumped back to the VFL again so imo I can't blame him if that's his reasoning behind leaving

Bailey overreacted for sure but...

Bailey's reaction says as much for Bailey as CJ's does for CJ.

CJ just isn't that good. If he was we'd be complaining in the same way we did when we lost players with greater chops... Nobody cares because we all know the best he'll do is pick up soft possessions on a flank, frontrunning with help from Judd, Murphy et al...

Those who know the game know how much of a soft breeze CJ is in the AFL ... He'll be forgotten very quickly as a player.

In fact THIS whole mess is what he'll be remembered for.

oneword

CJ = WA*%ER,

i want him to play against melbourne this year so i can give it to him

The article is really quite revealing about the player, the coach and the club. I think all have to work a lot harder at getting things right in the future but it really confirms that Melbourne in 2009 wasn't the right place for CJ.

We should learn the lessons of this story well but, at the same time, let's move on.

I am glad DB took the stand he did. It might not have been the most dignified performance but I hope it was a calculated attempt to build group solidarity.

As for CJ, yeah like plenty of others Danners did not do so well with him and did not develop players well, but I'll be very surprised if we miss him much. In fact, I am counting on one of his turnovers to win the game for us next time we take on Carlton.

Yeah pitmaster, I agree on the DB thing. I'm a big fan of bluntness and broad strokes when it comes to leading ever-shifting groups of 20-50 people, something I have to deal with all the time in my line of work.

He could have gone behind closed doors, made an impassioned plea, put in triplicate the fact he was unhappy with Chris and sent them to his agent, his Mum and his new club... but in the end it's all very tame. In my opinion coming out and making an example of Chris, which you could call a risk, has an inherent effect on the playing list.

If nothing else they see that he is committed to the club, the team and its loyalty ahead of a face-saving debate with a disgruntled player over whether or not he "earned his place" in the side.

If the team don't see he means business now, I wonder what it would take.

"The way Dean ended it, he made it easier for me. I wanted to go over (during training) and say thank you but he didn't let me do that."

And fair enough, your either with us or against us. I really hope that this incident has brought the group together.

"He embarrassed me in front of a few of my really good mates and sort of belittled me. That made it easier to walk away from it all."

- Keep walking, If you had so many "Mates" at the club there is no way you would have walked on us like that. I say good riddins, and would be supprised if he plays more then 10 games for carlt$n.

"I thought if you're not going to play me now in the position the club's at - being bottom of the ladder - I was thinking my chances aren't too great if I can't show what I've got."

- I think CJ you hit the nail on the head with this one, except for one thing you did show the club what you could (or Couldn't) do!

Sour grapes for sure. I suspect there is much more to this story.

I might even drop into a bullies game just to give CJ some support that he deserves and remind him what a great player he was for us as I doubt we will get the chance to do so in the snrs!

Very sad ending to a failed father/son selection.

A couple of points...

1. Bailey did the right thing in making CJ (or any other borderline player) work bloody hard to win a regular spot.

2. I think CJ had already made his decision to leave at the start of the year because of lack of opportunities under Daniher.

3. CJ is kidding himself if he thinks he'll get guaranteed game time at the blues.

4. Melbourne's starting 22 hasn't been weakened by CJ's depature.

5. I'd much prefer to talk about Watts, Strauss, Blease, Jurrah, Jetta, Maric, Grimes, Petterd...etc

Poor choice of words has made Cjohnson look like a sook.

but bottom line for me is J's 4th pt.

4. Melbourne's starting 22 hasn't been weakened by CJ's depature.