Mick Malthouse is in the midst of one the worst starts to a season in his 31-year coaching career, but Carlton president Mark LoGiudice is adamant he won't be removed from the top job before season's end.
The Blues slumped to a 1-5 win-loss record on the back of Sunday's nine-point defeat by the previously winless Brisbane Lions.
Malthouse has coached teams to the same mark three times in his career - at Footscray in 1989 and at Collingwood in 2004 and 2005 - with each of those sides finishing in the bottom three on the premiership ladder.
LoGiudice spoke to reporters on Monday and stood firm on his decision to allow Malthouse to coach out the final season of his current three-year deal before making a call on his future.
"As I've said from the start - Mick will continue to coach the Carlton football club for the rest of the season," LoGiudice said.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Carlton are one of three sides mired at the bottom of the ladder with just one win after a performance against the Lions the president labelled "extremely disappointing" and "hard to watch".
Malthouse has previously stated that speculation over his future could prove to be a negative influence on the playing group, but LoGiudice is unmoved by that argument.
"I'd be disappointed if the players are concerned about their coach," he said.
"Mick is contracted to coach this football club until the end of the season and that will happen."
Blues' skipper Marc Murphy threw his support behind the embattled coach ahead of a recovery session at Princes Park.
"We're right behind Mick," Murphy said.
"Mick is extremely positive with the group about going forward.
"We're only six games in. I know we haven't started anywhere near as well as we would've liked but we're focused on working with Mick and I want to see Mick coach this footy club for many more years yet."
Murphy was scheduled to face the media on his own, but he was joined by vice-captain Bryce Gibbs halfway through the press conference in what he said was "100 per cent" a show of solidarity.
"There's been a lot of focus on Mick and his coaching, there's been a lot of focus on Marc and his leadership, but it's not about those two - it's about the whole club and the players sticking together," Gibbs said.
"It's the only way we're going to come out of this.
"Yes, we haven't started the way we would've liked ... but we can get out of this.
"We're going to show a united front and we're going to do our best to make sure we can be successful very soon."
The futures of both players have been speculated on since LoGiudice's public assertion that the club needed to rebuild the depth of its list.
The president, however, denied putting Murphy and Gibbs on the trade table in a bid to stockpile high draft picks, while not being able to guarantee their future.
"I can't guarantee anything other than to say that they have long-term contracts with this football club and they will continue to be leaders of this football club," he said.
"We're backing Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs and the leadership group to continue playing to the best of their ability and to lead this football club."
