Mick Malthouse's manager expects the AFL's most capped coach to remain in charge of Carlton next weekend and will not approach the club to bring forward contract discussions.
While Blues president Mark LoGiudice has maintained Malthouse's future will not be decided until the second half of the season, another heavy defeat, this time to Geelong on Friday night, and the fallout from Malthouse's provocative comments at his Thursday press conference have fuelled speculation the bottom-placed Blues could fast-track a decision on their coach – and even make a call within days.
There has also been speculation that a split could be announced during the bye in a fortnight, with Malthouse then given the right to coach the year out. Once publicly released, this would then allow the Blues to conduct a thorough search for a new coach, possibly in the hope of finding their own version of a fresh-faced Alastair Clarkson. Swans assistant Stuart Dew is one name that has been linked to a potential vacancy.
Malthouse's manager Peter Sidwell said on Saturday he expected Malthouse to lead the Blues against the Sydney Swans at the SCG on Friday night, and wouldn't approach the club to discuss whether his client would be at the club next season.
"It remains the club's call," Sidwell told Fairfax Media.
The Blues, with one win from eight rounds, insisted on Saturday there would be no emergency board meetings this weekend.
While mindful of the damage the run of heavy defeats is having on the players, members, supporters and the club's "brand", the Blues are also mindful of Malthouse's place in history.
If they were to sack Malthouse now, the Blues, battling financial issues, also know they face a significant pay-out, for Malthouse is reportedly on about $1 million a season.
There appears little doubt Malthouse won't be at the club next season.
Former Gold Coast Suns coach Guy McKenna, a friend of Malthouse, said on the ABC his former West Coast Eagles premiership coach was a "dead-man walking", while former Carlton captain and club great Mark Maclure said on Fox Footy: "His time is over".
Maclure also took aim at LoGiudice, questioning whether he had shown the required leadership.
"The board needs to be part of this as well. They need to stand up and take responsibility for what happens," Maclure said.
"No one at this football club has taken any responsibility at the moment for what's going on. We need to see that. Once you've done that, the air becomes clear and away we go. "You're judged from 2pm to 5pm every Saturday afternoon. That's how your football club is judged. You can put as much money in the bank as you like [but] you play like rubbish, that's how you're judged and that's how your supporters judge you.
"This is a period where you can be judged for what you stand for. So what do they stand for? That's what I'm saying."
While the focus on Malthouse intensifies, and the mixed messages released by club figures creates more confusion, the coach himself said it was not in his nature to quit.
"I'm philosophical about it. The fact is ... I know I've said this story before, but it's not in my DNA [to quit]," Malthouse said.
"My old man on the 11th of August said to me ... 'Mike this is going to be a little bit hard to get over'. He had a fist-sized tumour in his lung. Two days later he was dead but he fought hard, fought very hard. Fought until the end. It's not in my DNA to give up."
However, Malthouse would not publicly state whether he wanted to keep the job next year.
He recently said wife Nanette had been in tears, such was the pressure on him and his family, and this was the only thing that could prompt him to step down early.
"That's between me and the board," he said.
"I've never crawled and knocked on doors for a contract, OK? They're either given to you or they're not. I'll be the first to say: 'I'm not ready' and I'll be the first to say: 'No, I haven't got the energy'.
"I would never embarrass myself, nor the football club and particularly my family and players. So that's between me and the organisation."
