For the first time, I felt ambivalence RE my membership

[stevie]

Got nothing to do with the Saints struggling. The last 3 years the whole game overall has deteriorated due to rule interpretations, TV stations amateur coverage and the Bummers s***.

I followed the game with more interest during our dark years. At least it was still football

[Moods]

So many becoming disinterested with football coincidently the same time we start struggling on field...

This also reminds me of the talk back callers ringing up radio stations expressing how they just can't watch the game anymore, cos of the rule changes, cos it's not the same as the 80's, the 90's ect ect.

Haha. Completely agree. Was thinking exactly the same thing.

I love footy. Always have and I reckon I always will. No administrator or event will change the way I think about it. The saints will definitely be harder to watch this year and for the next few, but that's what makes it worthwhile once we come good again. Let's not find excuses to not get to the games, let's find excuses to GET to the games...

[Spinner]

Got nothing to do with the Saints struggling. The last 3 years the whole game overall has deteriorated due to rule interpretations, TV stations amateur coverage and the Bummers s***.

I followed the game with more interest during our dark years. At least it was still football

Thanks for this. Exactly what I was referring to.

[skeptic]

I can see where you're at skeptic. I reckon a lot of us feel the same.
For an eternity we were ridiculed. Then we starting gaining respect. I thought we had turned the corner with some long awaited professionalism.
We nearly gained some cred that would stand in the history books but it wasn't to be.
The course of events with "Don the Stash" is rubbing salt into the wound.
The narcissistic arrogance in the way they have deflected the AFL,public,media and authorities is sickening.
If it were us or the Dogs we would have have been bent over royally and we'd be saying sorry Sir !

Then add to that the realisation that we are a light years away from challenging again and it's easy to understand your ambivelance.

Having said all that.. We've signed up again and honestly feel like we're on track.
It's gonna be another long haul though. Hang in there. That's what Sainters are made of.

This sums it up for me.

In addition to is, i have to say that that i really like the appointment of AR and am really impressed with the direction he is going down and his thoughts on our list as well as players


On a side note its truly amazing what JB and a few others are trying to turn this thread into. Just about everyone including myself has reiterated that they have stuck true. But hey continue arguing the point no one made

[Goose is king]

I think as soon as the footy starts the passion will come back for you all.
Its too hot at the moment for passion.

[PADDLEPOP1001]

I just hope we all get our passion back. ,let's get Ethiad Rocking the way Moorabbin used to rock in the last quarter coming home with the wind 4 goals down with 20 mins to go as Cuz hits plugger on the miss and hits!

[Enrico_Misso]

I just hope we all get our passion back. ,let's get Ethiad Rocking the way Moorabbin used to rock in the last quarter coming home with the wind 4 goals down with 20 mins to go as Cuz hits plugger on the miss and hits!

That Moorabbin atmosphere was priceless.

I still think we could have negotiated to keep small games there.
Yes it would have involved spending some money on the facilities.
But it would have made money.

Geelong make huge profits from home games against interstate sides at KP whilst we lose bucket loads playing them at Jihad.
We could have been doing that at Moorabbin.
Making money on small games and consolidating a home ground advantage.

[Dave McNamara]

I just hope we all get our passion back. ,let's get Ethiad Rocking the way Moorabbin used to rock in the last quarter coming home with the wind 4 goals down with 20 mins to go as Cuz hits plugger on the miss and hits!

*** That Moorabbin atmosphere was priceless. ***

I still think we could have negotiated to keep small games there.
Yes it would have involved spending some money on the facilities.
But it would have made money.

Geelong make huge profits from home games against interstate sides at KP whilst we lose bucket loads playing them at Jihad.
We could have been doing that at Moorabbin.

*** Making money on small games and consolidating a home ground advantage ***.

Yes! Yes! Yes! You've nailed it Enrico!

$850,000 profit per Hillbilly hoe-down, despite running around in those fugly hoops(!)
And they win those games too! (Ok, that recent balls-up vs the failed mining magnate aside.)

Poodles have been offered $750,000 per game to play some home matches there!

Average crowd to achieve all this... only 26.000 Hillbilly cousins and their Deliverance banjos.

Ie; we don't need to build ourselves another MCG.

To all my fellow Saintsationalists who may say that it doesn't matter where we play... I say that it bloody-well does!!!
It matters spiritually, and it matters financially!

We make more money outta' two MCG games, or outta' one Wellington boots game..., than outta' eight games at Docklands! This is not sustainable!

*** Transpose those figures above for our Docklands 'deal'... do the no-brainer sums... suddenly we are making multi-million dollar profits... ***

This IMHO is the single most important issue in our club's history that we need to deal with.
Get it right, and we return permanently to the mid 60's-mid 70's days when we had finally become the league powerhouse that we always should have been!

(And hey, we could even do all this and ditch the no-armed bandits. )

Moorabbin or the Junction (although I personally probably favour the Junction, I'd gladly take either in a heart beat), but if we want to compete with the Hillbillies, and with the scruple-free zone that is the cheating three C-clubs, and with those spoon-fed, soul-less, AFL artificially-inseminated, interstate abominations... then we need our own home ground again!

We don't need to do it overnight. But we must do it!






PS: Of the remaining real football clubs, we, the Poodles, and maybe Carlscum (who are arguably more of a gangland money laundering front than a real football club anyway ), are the only ones who have this possibility.

[The Redeemer]

I've been member since 1997 and part of the social club since about 2003. Every year I've renewed my membership without question... Usually by December at the latest.

This time round i kept putting it off for 1 reason or another. Christmas, bills, going out etc etc

I finally got round to it a few days ago and drew the conclusion that it really wouldn't bother me if I wasn't a member anymore. As well as renewing the membership, i explored this ambivalence.

Whilst i've had a growing general disinterest in AFL for reasons that aren't worth getting into, I found the drug scandal at Essendon bothered me a lot more than i realised.

Whilst the growing gap btw the AFL have and have nots makes it harder for us to get that elusive flag, i can accept it because our own decisions have brought us here and its up to the club to get itself out of this.

If a club is actually allowed to go on after cheating, and players fall through the net w/o punishment... Which they will the longer this drags out... Retire, delisted etc, well why would you bother going on caring about this sport. Seriously what's the point if we're starting this far back n the opposition can pull this sort of stunt? Do you really want to support a comp that allows James Hird to continue portraying the morally superior and righteous image.

Feel very meh about footy.

Anyone else go through this?

I feel somewhat excited but not as excited in years passed.

One reason is for the absolutely calamity that was the Watters era.

Furthermore the Essendon rubbish with a Brownlow Medalist still allowed to play despite admitting to taking something on a banned list.

Mostly the Watters crap, the fact that as a business, the business f***ed up and yet still ask for my money. Furthermore, the same people that hired Watters botched the Lyon non-rehiring etc.

In a business sense, you continue to f*** up so you don't get my money.

[stevie]

Dave, is the third cheating C club you refer to Essendope? Not sure what happened there.

Anyway i agree with all you posted.

Oh, and in reply to some other posts...i DO NOT need anyone, let alone a fellow sainter to tell me how i should follow a sport. If my passion for the afl has waned, well, so be it. the knobs who run it are responsible for that. I've seen plenty of disgruntled commnets around the Net from other cliub's team, not all from lower clubs either. I have followed the Saints for 40 odd years. i will not watch other games if I choose and I will not watch other teams win flags if i choose not too as it f****** annoys me.

[6621104]

Not one of us who frequents this board, even those who rarely post, will stop supporting the saints. For many of us, those who have followed this club for decades anyway, have bequeathed to our children winters of hope and anguish (particularly recently). How can we disappoint them? Yes, the sport itself has changed, the money has corrupted and success can more readily be bought. But it has always been thus. Why have we lost so many of our champions to other clubs after all? Yet still we are sainters fans, even surrounded by the raving lunatics that are Crows fans ( yes, sadly I live in Adelaide), we show the colours and seek the comfort of those who like us wear the red , white and black! I can remember that little boy who sat despairing as Bob Keddie kicked the Hawks to Victory …….. and all that has come after till now! Its too late to say it was all for nothing, it is my club! My team and I will stick! We expect those who run on to the ground to do us proud, do their best and give all they have. And winter goes by so quickly! It is not so much to ask that we do the same. Demetriou, McGuire and the rest be damned - the StKilda football club gives me joy, sadness and a family like no other. Those of you I have never met, on a Saturday( or a Friday/Thursday/Monday..) become my brothers, sisters, children…. Me and mine will be signing up so see you at the footy!

[gringo]

I've been member since 1997 and part of the social club since about 2003. Every year I've renewed my membership without question... Usually by December at the latest.

This time round i kept putting it off for 1 reason or another. Christmas, bills, going out etc etc

I finally got round to it a few days ago and drew the conclusion that it really wouldn't bother me if I wasn't a member anymore. As well as renewing the membership, i explored this ambivalence.

Whilst i've had a growing general disinterest in AFL for reasons that aren't worth getting into, I found the drug scandal at Essendon bothered me a lot more than i realised.

Whilst the growing gap btw the AFL have and have nots makes it harder for us to get that elusive flag, i can accept it because our own decisions have brought us here and its up to the club to get itself out of this.

If a club is actually allowed to go on after cheating, and players fall through the net w/o punishment... Which they will the longer this drags out... Retire, delisted etc, well why would you bother going on caring about this sport. Seriously what's the point if we're starting this far back n the opposition can pull this sort of stunt? Do you really want to support a comp that allows James Hird to continue portraying the morally superior and righteous image.

Feel very meh about footy.

Anyone else go through this?

It's like asking a heroin addict if he's over heroin. I was over the game in 1997 then 2009 then 2010 but I can't stop. But it's the damage that it causes amongst the lesser fans that will be the worry. My wife is over it completely after Essendon. We went away for the week end last week and we were with Bombers supporters who were saying Paul Little was a hero for saying f%$# you to the AFL because they are a toothless dog. The comp has really lost it's place as the morally superior sporting body these days.

[Dave McNamara]

Dave, is the third cheating C club you refer to Essendope? Not sure what happened there.

Anyway i agree with all you posted.

Oh, and in reply to some other posts...i DO NOT need anyone, let alone a fellow sainter to tell me how i should follow a sport. If my passion for the afl has waned, well, so be it. the knobs who run it are responsible for that. I've seen plenty of disgruntled commnets around the Net from other cliub's team, not all from lower clubs either. I have followed the Saints for 40 odd years. i will not watch other games if I choose and I will not watch other teams win flags if i choose not too as it f****** annoys me.

Yes Stevie, the three 'C's... Collingwoe, Carlscum and Effn'dopeneedlesyringejunkies. I'm ripping-off the oft maligned Dermie for that one.

And I too, agree with you Stevie! I rarely watch, or even pay much attention to, non-Saintas' games these daze.

However, two pieces of positivism for you Stevie...

1. If I was one of those deluded sycophants of 'Club Third C' I should be living in dread. The lightning bolt will strike, and totally out of the blue, and (with just a touch of luck ), their crackhouse could well be burnt to the ground.
Glasgow Rangers anyone...? (Cue evil laugh... coz Club Tird will deserve it.)

2. Re "the knobs who run it" (the game) wrecking it... as a 40 year footy follower Stevie, you should remember, people have been saying that for every one of those 40 years.
(That said, I'm really struggling with the umpires' uniforms... a maggot is white, gawd dammit!!! And bring back the goal umpires' coat and hat.)


A third piece of positivism IMHO will be if 6621104 posts more often... but..., please, please, please..., I'm begging you 6621104, have mercy... no more Bob Keddie references!!!

[Dave McNamara]

I still think we could have negotiated to keep small games there.
We could have been doing that at Moorabbin.
*** Making money on small games and consolidating a home ground advantage ***.

$850,000 profit per Hillbilly hoe-down.
Average crowd to achieve all this... only 26.000.
We make more money outta' two MCG games, or outta' one Wellington boots game..., than outta' eight games at Docklands!
Transpose those figures above for our Docklands 'deal'... do the no-brainer sums... suddenly we are making multi-million dollar profits...

The Saints reported... a statutory loss of $2,614,837... for the year ending October 31, 2013

So, to actually do the sums...

If we still had our own home ground... $850,000 * 3 games = $2,550,000.
A bit of creative accountancy... and we've made a profit for the year... simply by shifting just three home games from Docklands.
Now, what if we'd be able to shift... five games...

Yes, this IMHO is the single most important issue in our club's history.

That Moorabbin atmosphere was priceless.

[stevie]

I won't quote you Dave, to save space, but good on ya bro!

[bergholt]

Seriously what's the point if we're starting this far back n the opposition can pull this sort of stunt?

It's never been a level playing field. For me that's the point of supporting St Kilda - we're a bit useless and will probably never win much but we still struggle on. Builds character.

[3rd generation saint]

For Skeptic it is simple, I follow and support the St.Kilda Football Club, I do not support the AFL.
If St.Kilda goes, I will probably never attend another game of football again, even with free tickets.
I feel where you are coming from, but your membership and others is what helps keep our club in the competition. Sooner or later the crap is going to hit the fan, Dimwit will have plenty to answer for.
But support St.Kilda and make sure all your money goes to the club, not to the competition.

[ralphsmith]

what about ahmed saad being banned from the game for havinga milkshake yet not one essendon player has been banned yet?

[ozrulestrace]

I'd be curious as to feedback on other club's fan websites excluding EFC, and Collingwood and Carlton because THEY know they are the sacred cows of the AFL therefore untouchable. But what Re the thoughts of other supporters as we can't be the only club who are feeling maudlin about the game.

[felix]

Jusst as an old dog looses interest in chasing a ball so too does an old football fan lose interest
In Watching a ball game .

[Vazelos]

The only thing that keeps me in the game is my unconditional love for my club, St Kilda FC. I realised over a decade ago its a business & the AFL are a bunch of politicians. My anger towards the biased advantage the Swans have enjoyed for years nearly made me sign off from the game. Its sad & as the average punter becomes more sophisticated & understands the business of the AFL. They must be very careful they maintain the perception this competition has integrity, if they ever lose this position, the game will suffer. I have seen it in other codes in other countries.

[Scollop]

The only thing that keeps me in the game is my unconditional love for my club, St Kilda FC. I realised over a decade ago its a business & the AFL are a bunch of politicians. My anger towards the biased advantage the Swans have enjoyed for years nearly made me sign off from the game. Its sad & as the average punter becomes more sophisticated & understands the business of the AFL. They must be very careful they maintain the perception this competition has integrity, if they ever lose this position, the game will suffer. I have seen it in other codes in other countries.

So the 'Integrity Units' in the AFL are a con. They aren't about to uncover and report anything or prosecute anyone- they're more like cleaners rather than journalists or police...y'know -like the Wolf in Pulp Fiction

[skeptic]

I can accept that it's not a level playing field.

Some clubs bring in bigger money and get looked after accordingly. Other clubs are important to the AFL's expansion and get supported accordingly. It may not be strictly fair but you can understand it.

Its different to a club outright cheating. Carlton did the Salary cap thing and got a huge whack... They paid the price for years, were reduced to a cellar dweller rabble and have not got back to the force they once were. It sent a msg. Cheaters will face the full force. The integrity was still there.

How could you still be interested in the game if the bombers get away with this? Essentially it's saying that your destiny is not in your hands. We can accept being a poorer unsuccessful club because a lot of this is our own doing. Our success would be as well.

Don't get me wrong here, i love my club. I'm excited by our prospects. I feel like it's 2003 all over again and we'll be watching our future stars emerge over the next few seasons... Very cool.

But how can u support the club and back it when the comp is not so much unfair/unbalanced... The AFL outright lets other clubs cheat. How is that interesting? Why would you want to be a part of that? The comp is losing its allure to me

[Bernard Shakey]

Got nothing to do with the Saints struggling. The last 3 years the whole game overall has deteriorated due to rule interpretations, TV stations amateur coverage and the Bummers s***.

I followed the game with more interest during our dark years. At least it was still football

You show more passion for the 49ers, and the NFL has had more rule changes and behaviour problems than the AFL will ever have. By the way Seahawks were easily the best team of 2013/14 and I pretty much support San Fran.

I follow AFL and barrack for St Kilda because I love the the Saints and the game, and will always be a member.
I follow NFL and like San Francisco because i like the complexity of the game, but I don't care who wins.
I Love cycling and want to see Australian cyclists dominate the world and they will.

The game has not deteriorated, it has got better and will continue to do so!

[skeptic]

The game is a bit over officiated for mine. It's what puts me off going