West Sydney here we come

[Moccha]

I think it's time to bite the bullet and relocate. St.Kilda just can't compete withe big boys anymore. A golden opportunity was lost in 04 and the quickest way to success is to relocate. Just look at our history and tell me what the odds of success are if the Saints stay in Melbourne. Certainly survival is the essence and we along with North and Footscray are staring down the barrel. Bite the bullet and move north.

[jonesy]

Maybe you should relocate

[Moccha]

Maybe you should relocate

I'd love to....to West Sydney!

[brown-coat]

I live in western sydney, it would be nice if the saints relocated..FOR ME.

But it would tear the living heart out of the club and transform it into another manufactured whore creature creation of the AFL. Disgusting and pitiable.

Atrocious idea. Better for the club to fold than throw away what ounce of soul has left.

[redwhite&blackblood]

If we were to think of Moving surely GC is the place to be much nicer weather there plus Roo will be at home and we get tons of AFL concessions before WS get anything hopefully giving us a crack at a Premiership in the next 80 years. But we won't even consider moving nor should we.

[jonesy]

But it would tear the living heart out of the club and transform it into another manufactured whore creature creation of the AFL. Disgusting and pitiable.

Atrocious idea. Better for the club to fold than throw away what ounce of soul has left.

My 'glass is half empty brother' is correct again

[rogerwa]

brown coat...try saying that to the syd & bris players who are walking around with a flag in their pocket

the players today are dragged from all around the country to play for a "licence" its their job

as far as supporters go both bris & syd have 1.5 mill (offical figues) we have 380.000...how much money does that generate

THE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER....if you or 5000 other supporters no longer follow the club/licence it would be like pyssing in the ocean..have no effect

[Sainternist]

Simply horrible post, Moccha... truely pathetic. Please, by all means bugger off to West Sydney, if you think along these lines.

[Moccha]

Simply horrible post, Moccha... truely pathetic. Please, by all means bugger off to West Sydney, if you think along these lines.

No problems, accept the mediocrity and then watch the club go down the gurgler. We've have a losers mentality for over a 100 yrs. Would you prefer the club to fold? Think of the big picture and tell me when the next premiership is coming? One in over a hundred years doesn't give me too much confidence for the future.

[jonesy]

Simply horrible post, Moccha... truely pathetic. Please, by all means bugger off to West Sydney, if you think along these lines.

No problems, accept the mediocrity and then watch the club go down the gurgler. We've have a losers mentality for over a 100 yrs. Would you prefer the club to fold? Think of the big picture and tell me when the next premiership is coming? One in over a hundred years doesn't give me too much confidence for the future.

Relocating is folding!!! Don't understand how people don't realise this. Perhaps if you're outside Victoria and you don't have a true understanding of what passion and history is. True supporter products of the modern game!!!

I follow the Stkilda F.C,not West Sydney,Gold Coast or whatever. Feel free to jump ship now

[Moccha]

Simply horrible post, Moccha... truely pathetic. Please, by all means bugger off to West Sydney, if you think along these lines.

No problems, accept the mediocrity and then watch the club go down the gurgler. We've have a losers mentality for over a 100 yrs. Would you prefer the club to fold? Think of the big picture and tell me when the next premiership is coming? One in over a hundred years doesn't give me too much confidence for the future.

Relocating is folding!!! Don't understand how people don't realise this. Perhaps if you're outside Victoria and you don't have a true understanding of what passion and history is. True supporter products of the modern game!!!

I follow the Stkilda F.C,not West Sydney,Gold Coast or whatever. Feel free to jump ship now

Hmmm, not sure if Brisbane or Sydney supporters share your views. I'd still follow them as long as the colours stayed the same

[ausfatcat]

yep relocate and say good bye to 90% of current saints supporters, the teams that relocate are teams that are off field basket cases we are not one of them.

Bulldogs could win the premiership this year and we the wooden spoon yet they still would be more likely to relocate than us.

[LENNY LEADS THE WAY]

Relocation is not the answer to our current problems

[st_Trav_ofWA]

rebuil;d now or relocate later !! this is the grim fact if we cant effectively have a short down time this year and mybe next to build for 2010 at full tilt then there is going to be dark days ahead !!
mid table isnt going to keep us alive we are fast losing the "fans" we aquired in 2004 .
we need to go down and bounce back quickly (somthing we have never been good at )

[mad saint guy]

I don't want to see it happen, but his statement does have a point.

The AFL is not going to have an 18 team competition for very long. Ideally they want two Melbourne clubs to fold/merge/relocate. And we are going to be in a very vulnerable state over the next 5 years. We are going to be a bottom side in a year or two (or zero) and due to the raiding of draft by the new teams it will very hard to drag ourselves out of the bottom four. No on-field success, no stable home base (Frankston still a long way away), not much of a force off-field and no strong membership numbers would make us a prime candidate for the AFL to destroy.

Realistically, we would be much more stable and successful if we did annouce that we were willing to relocate to WS before they even get the new club started. We'd get draft concessions, plenty of handouts and the general bias from the AFL until we win a premiership.

[Zippy]

Realistically, we would be much more stable and successful if we did annouce that we were willing to relocate to WS before they even get the new club started. We'd get draft concessions, plenty of handouts and the general bias from the AFL until we win a premiership.

True, but then I wouldn't be able to sledge sydney supporters about their flag being based on handouts . . .

I'd support the saints even if they moved to Tehran, but I'd still rather they stayed right here in Melbourne.

And, certainly, a I know a lot of melbourne-based fitzroy and swans supporters who are still die-hard supporters, although the fitzroy supporters took quite a while to heal (and the three-peat was a pretty important part of that).

[kos]

why the relocation talk?
our issue is not financial its on field. we have many supporters who are understandably frustrated as i am, but talk about this relocating s..t really pisses me off.
i agree changes do need to be made, maybe new coach, definitly list changes but not a state change.
get a grip and support the club you love dont try and get rid of it.
critisisim of the team is accepted as a supporter as i give plenty myself
but please end this bulls..t topic.

[dcstkfc]

Moccha- get a life!

[hilairehinshelwood]

There is no such thing as relocation. The so called relocation would be the saints killed off and a team called Western Sydney put into the league in its place. Anyone thinking the new team is the saints is stupid.

Good on the Roos for fighting "relocation" and hopefully there aren't too many stupid fans amongst the saints ranks.

[desertsaint]

Interesting article at foxsport
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 14,00.html

claiming sydney NRL teams are possibly 'killing the game' - and that sydney should be divided into four zone teams - similar situation with many VIC clubs in the AFL - living on handouts and forcing salary caps below what they otherwise would be - hence disadvantaging player earning potential (with many big names now looking at england for the money).
Lucky for the AFL there are no real alternatives, or are there? Long term youngsters could see more potential earnings in soccer - even within Oz or the Asian zone.

Unfortunately the AFL has to change - there can be little doubt - it is already to big in club numbers, but isn't yet a national game. The only way to become national is to either relocate teams or start new teams up. The problem with new teams is they only add to the too large team list.

Hopefully teams like the Bulldogs won't disappear but will merge and remain, relocate, or continue on in the current VFL.

Maybe the saints should move to the NT! First pick of the future Buckleys, McLeods, Whites, Daveys, Bowdens, Riolis, etc.

Seriously tho - despite the likelihood of obsolescence in the future I'd like the saints to stay where they are. At worse merge with melbourne- happy with the 'melbourne saints' (if we get to keep our colours!)

[Huzzad]

As someone who lives in Sydney, I'd love for the Saints to move here. However, I don't think the Saints should relocate. Being a traditionalist when it comes to footy, I don't think I'd like it much, as cool as it would be for the Saints to play in my city every 2nd weekend

[rodgerfox]

But it would tear the living heart out of the club and transform it into another manufactured whore creature creation of the AFL. Disgusting and pitiable.

Do we have a soul anyway?


Aren't we just a business now anyway? We haven't been a footy club for years.

I actually felt that Thomas and Butterss brought that real 'club' feeling back. They dragged some respect back to the club - self-respect.

Since the sacking, that has well and truly gone.


We aren't St Kilda anyway. We moved to Moorabbin, now to Frankston. We can't go and watch training anymore. We get told where to sit when we go to the game. The only thing that makes Docklands 'home' is the red, white and black balloons in the social club.

It's a business now. It has been for a while.


To be honest, the first club to realise that and relocate is the smartest one.

[4ever_saint]

I personally understand what people are saying, but, rellocation is a big thing. Despite the devastating loss on the weekend, we have still won 4 games. The fact that some of our supporters are even considering a move to the Gold Coast or W.Sydney, all because we are dropping games, is absolutely absurd. Melbourne are sitting 8-1, and Jeff's comments on the possibility of them moving caused an uproar to the supporters- even though they continue to lose after the comments were made.

If we move to either locations we will lose supporters, even more money and become merely the property of Andrew D and the AFL. Not even a proper football club anymore, as all that we have stood for- our history- will be dismissed and forgotten.

Yes, we've lost games and yes, we are not playing an exciting brand of football. But, to stay positive, it will come again. Despite the reports of us having an 'overrated' list, we HAVE talent. We just need the coach to utulise the talent and get them to play a game they can actually play. With that, the supporters will definately become more vocal. I think in some ways it is unfair to ask for our supporters to cheer them on with all their might when the players lack effort, however, support will come with a win. It comes when your playing an exciting brand of footy. And that will come.

I think that jumping the gun now is foolish. We lost by 46 or so points, but we coulda lost by a whole lot more. We didn't fall away in the last quarter and let them take the loss to a 100 point smashing- which they easily could've. Its not a huge positive, but it does show they actually have a tiny bit of respect left in them.

I think this week at the St Kilda football club will be an interesting one, that we will all have to watch closely, as Ross' job is now officially on the line- and he knows it (hence his recent outburst at the players, completely true outburst might I add). If he can shape up the club, we may just suprise everyone.

Despite the comments of a large ammount of people on this forum, we are NOT destined for rellocation and we will have our second premiership win sooner or later. Lets just hope Ross can tackle the problem and this second premiership comes SOONER.

[supersaints]

I've stated this before , The Western Bulldogs agreed in principle to relocate the West Sydney in 2011 when Smorgan took over several years ago as part of the league bailing them out. An old fellow who was the past players (president?) said he saw the signed document on Smorgans desk, he rang up 3LO , Smorgan denied it and the guy was sacked later. The dogs seemed to have turned it around and the league now says that they will not force anyone to re-locate. as it is never popular with supporters, I would not be at all surprised if the Doggies will still be given any relocation option to West Sydney (that's why they changed their name to the Western Bulldogs at that time.
From a personal point of view, re-location does destroys what fabric any club still has, just ask any of the older Sydney and Fitzroy supporters. We should stay.... Is relocating any better than tanking ?.
We do have a proud and passionate supporter base (although reading this forum sometimes have me wondering.... We have been in worse positions, that said I am wondering how the club , all the football experts, and most supporters, believed we would march back toward the finals this year.. something is rotten in Denmark

[The Peanut]

I've stated this before , The Western Bulldogs agreed in principle to relocate the West Sydney in 2011 when Smorgan took over several years ago as part of the league bailing them out. An old fellow who was the past players (president?) said he saw the signed document on Smorgans desk, he rang up 3LO , Smorgan denied it and the guy was sacked later. The dogs seemed to have turned it around and the league now says that they will not force anyone to re-locate. as it is never popular with supporters, I would not be at all surprised if the Doggies will still be given any relocation option to West Sydney (that's why they changed their name to the Western Bulldogs at that time.
From a personal point of view, re-location does destroys what fabric any club still has, just ask any of the older Sydney and Fitzroy supporters. We should stay.... Is relocating any better than tanking ?.
We do have a proud and passionate supporter base (although reading this forum sometimes have me wondering.... We have been in worse positions, that said I am wondering how the club , all the football experts, and most supporters, believed we would march back toward the finals this year.. something is rotten in Denmark

We learn something every day ... I thought it was Terry Wallace and co that pushed for the renaming of Footscray so that they could dig further into the Western suburbs (Melb) for memberships.