Can Nettlefold please shut it?

The Redeemer · Wed 09 Nov 2011 4:42am

How come now we read of Nettlefold constantly driving the need and the desire for the football club to be more open and community friendly?

Did it really take a change of coach that nearly lead us to the flag to come to this oh-so-amazing realisation?

So if our football is more open and lovey-dovey with the media Rodney Eade style we will automatically get from 2nd to 1st?

I do not think so....

Shut the happily new family football club mantra Nettlefold. It is not the dawning of a new age that our football club becomes more family friendly. As a member I hope to see them win on the field. Nothing more and nothing less.

fingers · Post: # 1174270Post **fingers** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 7:00am

It think you are really missing the point.

Dr Spaceman · Wed 09 Nov 2011 7:32am

Unfortunately it looks like Netters is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

philtee · Post: # 1174276Post **philtee** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 7:45am

Perhaps you could get up at the AGM and make your feelings known ?

HitTheBoundary · Wed 09 Nov 2011 8:34am

Hey Redeemer, glass half empty?

Legendary · Post: # 1174283Post **Legendary** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 8:34am

Could not disagree more.

Whilst premiership success will always be the ultimate goal, it does not have to be at the expense of making the members of this club feel valued, and engaging with them in a meaningful way.

We are - after all - a club, and a club is defined according to its membership.

We have enjoyed an incredibly successful period and yet our members have felt less engaged than ever before. There has been an air of secrecy and exclusion around the Saints.

It is fantastic to see Nettlefold and the rest of the club embracing the community again. We can still win premierships and be open with our members.

This club means a lot more to tens of thousands of people than it seems to mean to you. That's fine -- but don't slander those who want to be a part of something a bit more special.

Little Dozer · Wed 09 Nov 2011 9:03am

The club are clearly sick of taking a beating from the media. It's a good thing to get the fans and the media onside.

His comment about the building of momentum doesn't make much sense though. It's November...

Thinline · Post: # 1174297Post **Thinline** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 9:14am

Tell you what: If being open and friendly and courteous and whatever else brownnoserly type nonsense is necessary to appease people who make a quid anaesthetising the brains of numb skulls who thrive on a diet of vanilla makes a an inch of s*** difference to winning a flag, then I'm all for it. If it doesn't, then I hope the bubble re-emerges in titanium form. I'm well tired of media presence being touted as some kind of magical part of a winning formula.

saintlee · Post: # 1174300Post **saintlee** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 9:31am

Personally, I think its a wonderful breath of fresh air to have open and friendly relations with the media. The new era has gotten off to a great start so far, and I hope it translates to on-field performance. But even if it doesn't, this new approach is absolutely the right way to go IMO for a number of reasons such as attracting more fans and sponsers and generating positive publicity. Nettlefold is doing a fanastic job at the minute.

thejiggingsaint · Wed 09 Nov 2011 9:31am

Thinline, I'm not sure if being a wee bit more friendly and open is being (as you put it) "brownnoserly"

I think that the club have responded to a situation PR wise, that had the potential to belt the membership figures big-time. I agree entirely that success ON THE FIELD is the ultimate (and most successful) membership recruitment resource, but from my experience yesterday at the St Kilda beach event, the club are making a mighty effort to regain the support of the members. Makes good business sense to me, (apart from the real sense of again being a part of the club) If it's not being too "brownoserly"

, I thought Michael Nettlefold, Rebecca and the crew did a good job yesterday (just my opinion of course

)

The Fireman · Wed 09 Nov 2011 9:34am

This thread is taking up space on the front page.

thejiggingsaint · Wed 09 Nov 2011 9:37am

YES!!!!!!

Thinline · Post: # 1174312Post **Thinline** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 9:52am

thejiggingsaint wrote:Thinline, I'm not sure if being a wee bit more friendly and open is being (as you put it) "brownnoserly" I think that the club have responded to a situation PR wise, that had the potential to belt the membership figures big-time. I agree entirely that success ON THE FIELD is the ultimate (and most successful) membership recruitment resource, but from my experience yesterday at the St Kilda beach event, the club are making a mighty effort to regain the support of the members. Makes good business sense to me, (apart from the real sense of again being a part of the club) If it's not being too "brownoserly" , I thought Michael Nettlefold, Rebecca and the crew did a good job yesterday (just my opinion of course )

I hear you.

Kind of.

But in my lifetime I've seen bubbles come and go, I've seen 'It's Time' Blight, I've seen slogans of every kind and PR every which way and at the end of it all I see St K almost constantly belittled in the press and a drawn GF as my personal zenith.

Seems simple maths to me.

'Just f****** win'.

How's that for a bumper sticker then?

saintspremiers · Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:00am

The openness can't do any harm and surely could help our membership base.

To be more family friendly though we need more day games.

markp · Post: # 1174317Post **markp** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:00am

Thinline wrote: 'Just f****** win'.

Yep... I don't care if it's from the inside of a bubble or a belief cloud or a cuddle.

But people maybe forget what 'the bubble' was a response to, and how well it deflected so much horse shyte and saw us to successive GF's, both missed by the bounce of a ball.

ThePunter · Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:06am

I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time.

PS - looked good on the 9 News there Jigging Saint!

thejiggingsaint · Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:12am

Fair comments guys. Yes Mark, I see what you mean re: "the bubble" and good points you make too. Thinline, I don't think we really disagree, except perhaps on emphasis/priority...fair? Certainly I don't want to go back for "the ride of my life" (well not with the St Kilda Footy club anyway

) a-la malcolm blight/RB-GT-BW era with all that false dawn crud. But it would be good to COMBINE a friendly public face for the club, while at the same time cultivating a HARD EDGE where it matters!
Er........................................................................GO SAINTS!

saintly · Post: # 1174328Post **saintly** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:16am

markp wrote:
Thinline wrote: 'Just f****** win'.
Yep... I don't care if it's from the inside a bubble or a belief cloud or a cuddle.

But people maybe forget what 'the bubble' was a response to, and how well it deflected so much horse shyte and saw us to successive GF's, both missed by the bounce of a ball.

the bubble was becuase of the external things that were going on. lovett, milne (from 4-5 years ago what had been brought up again) kim, new zealand, etc. even kim came down to seaford at training.

they just went too far with it, and probably couldn't break it.

thejiggingsaint · Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:17am

Hey punter! the challenge for me yesterday was not the walking or the chewing gum but trying to retain some semblance of dignity when I almost broke my bloomin neck tripping over the lead of that bulldog and then stpped into a huge puddle!!!! Now THAT was a challenge!!

Dr Spaceman · Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:20am

thejiggingsaint wrote:Certainly I don't want to go back for "the ride of my life"

The trouble back then was not the slogan but the jockeys we picked.

At least this time we have someone who would look right at home in the mounting yard at Flemington

saintbrat · Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:33am

and you know what that bulldog did at least twice ::.......

SainterK · Post: # 1174335Post **SainterK** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:34am

markp wrote:
Thinline wrote: 'Just f****** win'.
Yep... I don't care if it's from the inside of a bubble or a belief cloud or a cuddle.

But people maybe forget what 'the bubble' was a response to, and how well it deflected so much horse shyte and saw us to successive GF's, both missed by the bounce of a ball.

Maybe, maybe not.

fingers · Post: # 1174339Post **fingers** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:45am

markp wrote:
Thinline wrote: 'Just f****** win'.
Yep... I don't care if it's from the inside of a bubble or a belief cloud or a cuddle.

But people maybe forget what 'the bubble' was a response to, and how well it deflected so much horse shyte and saw us to successive GF's, both missed by the bounce of a ball.

Agree. Members however are constantly having a go at their club about what they do wrong. The bubble was fine while winning. The closed trainings pissed people off. The lack of information about injuries and players pissed people off.

Now that the club is doing the opposite people are pissed off.

There will always be people for whom the club will never do right. They may have over -corrected a little with the new media friendly approach. But it's all part of keeping members happy and attracting new members. Which in turn gives the club more money, which can be spent on football, which will hopefully improve our chance of winning.

fingers · Post: # 1174340Post **fingers** » Wed 09 Nov 2011 10:46am

markp wrote:
Thinline wrote: 'Just f****** win'.
Yep... I don't care if it's from the inside of a bubble or a belief cloud or a cuddle.

But people maybe forget what 'the bubble' was a response to, and how well it deflected so much horse shyte and saw us to successive GF's, both missed by the bounce of a ball.

Agree. Members however are constantly having a go at their club about what they do wrong. The bubble was fine while winning. The closed trainings pissed people off. The lack of information about injuries and players pissed people off.

Now that the club is doing the opposite people are pissed off.

There will always be people for whom the club will never do right. They may have over -corrected a little with the new media friendly approach. But it's all part of keeping members happy and attracting new members. Which in turn gives the club more money, which can be spent on football, which will hopefully improve our chance of winning.

I mean seriously - it's not rocket science.

tweedaletomanning · Wed 09 Nov 2011 11:41am

Thinline wrote:Tell you what: If being open and friendly and courteous and whatever else brownnoserly type nonsense is necessary to appease people who make a quid anaesthetising the brains of numb skulls who thrive on a diet of vanilla makes a an inch of s*** difference to winning a flag, then I'm all for it. If it doesn't, then I hope the bubble re-emerges in titanium form. I'm well tired of media presence being touted as some kind of magical part of a winning formula.

This... if it doesn't translate into ON field success, then its all just keeping the wrong people in their jobs...