Carlton football boss Brad Lloyd ‘unsure’ what future holds for he and Michael Voss at the Blues

The Blues have arrived back in Melbourne amid a wave of fan backlash after Thursday’s disastrous loss – and football boss Brad Lloyd is ‘unsure’ what the future holds. Recap the live Q&A.

Under-siege Carlton football boss Brad Lloyd has conceded he is “unsure” whether he and coach Michael Voss will be at the club next year, as he labelled graffiti calling for his sacking as “toxic behaviour”.

A majority of the Blues squad flew back in to Melbourne on Friday morning, after Thursday’s disastrous defeat against Port Adelaide, landing amid fallout that included graffiti on the walls at Ikon Park calling for the club board, Lloyd and list boss Nick Austin to be sacked.

A deflated Voss was approached by media when collecting his bag and declined to speak, and instead said he would next speak publicly at his next weekly press conference, leading into a Friday night game against Collingwood.

There were few smiles among the Blues playing cohort but star ruck Tom De Koning managed to jokingly ask a photographer to come back when Carlton has won a game.

RECAP THE LIVE Q&A WITH CHIEF FOOTBALL WRITER JAY CLARK BELOW

With Carlton now virtually out of the finals race with a 6-9 season record, change is expected to come under incoming CEO Graham Wright and Lloyd admitted his and Voss’ job security was up in the air when asked if they would be there in 2026.

“I’m unsure of that,” he said.

“We will just stick at it and keep going to work. It’s for others to judge. We have been going at it for a little while now and we have had some good times and some down times like we are now.”

Lloyd said he was only told about the graffiti attack when he landed back in Melbourne and was still processing how it impacted him personally.

“I will have to think through that,” he said.

“There’s behaviours that can work towards getting better outcomes for the club and there are probably toxic behaviours as well that don’t help anyone. That’s not behaviour I’d support.”

Carlton coach Michael Voss arrives back in Melbourne. Picture: NewsWire/Ian Currie

The club board has come under fire from the Carlton fan base, but Lloyd defended the stability of the club leaders.

“I think the board has been good,” he said.

“(Former president) Luke Sayers and his board, good people, very stable and Rob Preistley coming in (as current president), I think he is going to be a sensational president.

“Graham Wright coming in, Brian Cook is one of the best CEOs of all time and I think the board has been very settled, very stable. I couldn’t speak more highly of them. That (graffiti) certainly wouldn’t be my views, they have been very stable and good for the club.”

Voss looked anguished at the airport and Lloyd said the coach was “going OK”.

“He is hurting with our form, but he is holding up pretty well,” the footy boss said.

“Strong man, strong leader. Wonderful person. Couldn’t speak more highly of him as a person, as a leader. Very fortunate to be around him the way he goes about his work, we obviously haven’t got the results we would have liked but he is a good man.”

Fans savage ‘soft’ Blues after ‘absolute disgrace’

The wash up has literally begun for Carlton, with fans venting their frustration in many different ways after Thursday night’s pitiful collapse to Port Adelaide.

The Blues woke up on Friday to graffiti at Ikon Park demanding to “sack the board”, among others, and cleaners were on site to wash off that feedback at 7.15am.

Fans have quickly taken to more modern means of communication as well.

Our readers have shared their thoughts in the comments section, and callers flooded radio talkback lines from as early as half-time on Thursday night.

Here are some of the best – and sternest – responses from hurting Carlton fans, as the club hits crisis mode.

Comments were taken directly from what readers have posted.

‘Sack the board’ graffiti was sprayed around Ikon Park overnight. Picture: NewsWire/Ian Currie

There was support for Michael Voss, but not the board. Picture: NewsWire/Ian Currie

Reader comments from Scott Gullan’s Deep Dive analysis

Paul – Who in their right mind would want to coach a team like Carlton, the players say they love him, it appears it’s not love they need it’s tough love and I think they couldn’t cop a coach not loving his players and telling them the facts, and facts are there for all to see

IR – Get rid of the players who keep getting the coaches sacked. By that I mean the players who have not performed when needed over the past years. Most of these are the supposed leaders who are putting their inept performances ahead of the club and coach. Lazy self entitled overpaid players. How many coaches have some of these got sacked. Everyone blaming the coach but this group of overpaid, overrated players need moving on and another rebuild commenced with a replacement recruitment group as the current group have recruited wrongly and poorly.

Paul – One could take the easy way out and blame the coaches. The skill set and recruitment of players much less desirable, Williams, Motlop and McGovern are players that turn up and underperform week after week after week and are never dropped. Sam Docherty has met father time and shouldn’t be playing. The basis of Boss’s neoliberalistic no blame culture doesn’t work when footy is built on accountability. Time to move on the these players and the recruitment team.

Kate – Again, when asked simple questions by the media, Voss throws out a word salad for an answer. No wonder his players are confused.

Charlie Curnow goes at it with Power defender Lachie Jones. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Image

Reader comments from Simeon Thomas-Wilson’s game analysis

John – You cant make a delicious cake with the wrong ingredients!! The problem with Carlton is the list. And one could argue this ageing list was not completely constructed under the Voss watch. This club needs a massive list change to match today’s game style.

Kevin – Curnow appears uninterested he needs a good run in the seconds to liven him up Just being there on supposed reputation doesn’t cut it anymore

Elio – Looks like the players have had a enough of Voss and aren’t playing for him, you can see it a mile away

Eric Van Nostran – Graeme Wright has some work to do and you can bet he will make some tough decisions. I’m a Hawks supporter but have always liked the Blues, but I think they need a new coach, they need to clean out the list. Some of their decisions in recent times are bewildering. The recruitment of Fantasia is one of them, letting Matt Kennedy go is another, he is flying at the dogs. Motlop is poor as a small forward, McGovern is an average player, McKay is hot and cold, Cripps get a lot of the ball but his disposal can be hit or miss plus he has to carry the team, week in week out. It’s back to the drawing board, but Wright’s arrival couldn’t have come at a better time.

Callers to SEN Breakfast on Friday morning

Josh – Can you name a midfield in recent history that has had a worse average kicking efficiency than Carlton? Not a single Carlton midfielder is above 50 per cent for kicking efficiency, it is an

Blacky – (The List) is his issue because they’ve built the list to play his game style with guys that can play contested footy and guys that aren’t quick but can run all day.

Vossy now, he is a bit of a (Chris) Fagan in that he will give guys, especially guys that have done it before, an opportunity to work their way through a form slump. He just had to bite the bullet. In the last 12 months he knows the guys that butcher the footy … you have to have integrity in your selection and there is no point someone like (Blake) Acres who keeps getting the footy and runs up and down all day and then as soon as he needs to use it, butchers it. What’s the point of that? Just move on from these guys.

Eddie – It’s a question of leadership guys. There is only one bloke on the field that shows a real passion and leadership and that’s (Patrick) Cripps. There needs to be leaders throughout the team. Also, I reckon Voss is doing his best, I don’t think he is that bad. I think a lot of players need to be given the sack. I don’t even think he’d get a VFL game, (Adam) Cerra.

Lisa – Let’s just band these kids in. let’s get 60 games under their belts. Honestly, it’s that depressing. I think we’ve all just given up on Vossy to be honest because he’s just the same old. I know he’s calm in the press conferences but all that babble that we just keep hearing, there doesn’t seem to be any passion.

Adrian – I just think our players are very soft. Half-back is the easiest position to play in the game … Adam Saad can’t get a kick on the half-back line. Where is his run and dash? Where is Vossy throwing Zac Williams back there to encourage him to run and create play?

Greg – Motlop, Owies, Evans, Fogarty, the Doc, they should have been dropped. Bring in the young boys. Bring in the Camporeale boys.

Bring in some new crew, bring in new staff and bring in young kids to play. Simple.

Nigel – A few weeks ago we beat Geelong so the list can play great footy, we just have to do what Collingwood did when they got rid of (Adam) Treloar and (Jaidyn) Stephenson. They made an outstanding decision to do that. We’ve just got to find the guys to get rid of.

Reader comments reacting to Michael Voss’ press conference

Anthony – Dock their pay. Watch them respond after that. There’s no sense of urgency They couldn’t care less the Carlton players

Jamie – Its unfortunate but the players clearly are not playing for him. Its simply the one area, “effort” that cannot be mistaken. All of the stats are wonderful, but without effort, you get nothing, ever. He’s lost them. Doesn’t mean it’s his fault, but it doesn’t matter, it’s easier to replace 1 coach than 45 players

Bill – Why blame Voss? The players aren’t performing simple as that. Cripps, Curnow, De Koning hardly giving a yelp despite being labelled as stars and on the big money. How the Saints think DK is worth 12 million is mind boggling.

Michael – I was a Voss fan but the last two weeks his press conferences have been poor and shows nothing to suggest this is going to turn around. They don’t have a good environment for elite football their efforts clearly show this. Why should the players ruin their week by being sore? It’s their job, they have no signs of being able to progress to a premiership, they all have contracts and the good players have good reputations no pressure at team selection. They are just clocking on and off like anyone would if stuck in a safe but deadend job. That is what makes a good coach.

Cory – TDK couldn’t sign at St Kilda quick enough. Run TDK, run !!!

Christine – Carlton are as had as when Bolton coached them! A team of stars not a star team? Their list is good on paper but they under deliver at every opportunity 😞

Chris – When Voss was a player he played with some real mongrel in him, and yet as a coach we have the most insipid team in the league, why?

Originally published as Carlton football boss Brad Lloyd ‘unsure’ what future holds for he and Michael Voss at the Blues