Pressure building:Carlton coach Brendon Bolton.Credit:AAP
"We knew we were in for the long haul,"Sheldon said.
"The club has to continue to build a base of young players and teach them what is required to become a consistent team."
Sheldon,who played in three premierships with Carlton before coaching St Kilda into the finals for the first time for 18 years in 1991,said the club was midway into a marathon and changing the coach now would push them further away from their goal.
"We have to leave it to the people that are in those roles and support them to achieve what they are aiming to achieve in the quickest time,"Sheldon said.
Bolton has received strong support from the club in the role including being sent on an authentic leadership course at Harvard last December,which Bolton admitted had given him a slightly different outlook heading into 2019.
The club appointed former Hawthorn conditioning expert Andrew Russell this season and Brad Lloyd has been football manager for less than 12 months,while experienced Carlton legend Robert Walls is working in a mentoring role.
While Bolton's hard-working approach is considered both his greatest strength and weakness,the club is understood to have seen no red flags in the way he operates and his efforts to evolve were evident in the off-season.