viewtopic.php?f=1&t=83193&p=1397177#p1397133
We may not have had the success (yet) of certain other clubs, but..., we have not sold our souls to the devil like they have...cwrcyn wrote:No point comparing us with Carlton and Collingwood. They make, between them, about 30 million a year just from the pokies. We make about 2 million. The Bulldogs make 3 million, and North make zero. We were just unfortunate that we didn't have the crooked contacts that the Pies and the Blues had when the pokies emerged. If we had, we wouldn't be whining about club finances right now. Add to that our hideous deal with Etihad Stadium, and it's just not us. Bulldogs, North, and Carlton are getting equally screwed. I know for a fact that the North Melbourne directors pour enormous funds into that club just to keep it afloat. Are you going to have a crack at them? Throw on top of that our pathetic fickle supporters who jump ship as soon as we drop out of the finals. All I can say is Shame on Them, the 8,000 so called members who bailed out like spoilt children, taking their bat and ball and going home. Perhaps some of you on this forum who continually slag off our club are part of that 8,000. In fact, I'd put my house on it.
Yes, the club has made some mistakes. So has every club in the past 20 years. The Tigers were nearly broke 4 years ago. Essendon have cocked up a bit, wouldn't you say? The lions run at a loss every year, and what about Port Adelaide, who can't make a cracker in a two team town. Don't get me started on Melbourne. Meanwhile, Sydney get ridiculous concessions and the expansion teams have bags of money thrown at them. The draw is designed to favour a handful of Melbourne clubs, and guess what, we're not one of them.
Just keep sticking the boots in. Remember, we've never had any favours from the AFL, and while Thomas coached us, the AFL CEO detested us, and gave us no help in our dealings with the local council, while at the same times assisting the Doggies in a similar situation. We've had to tough it out, just like North Melbourne.
Don't underestimate how tough it's been for our club and the people who have run it in the past 20 years. Against the odds, they have busted their arses to keep us viable. As Rod Butterss used to say, it's tough out there in clubland. You think a succession of experienced and successful business people haven't done their best for us (ARCHIE FRASER ASIDE)? Particularly those who have been Saints supporters or former players?
Give us 18 million dollars a year in pokie revenue, a favourable (rigged) draw that allows us to stuff our pockets full of cash, and a stadium deal that allows us to actually make a single dollar, and I'll show you a happy and relaxed membership. The reality is, we don't have those things, so to just break even is a massive achievement. Especially when pathetic so-called supporters bail out at the mere hint of a decline in ladder position.
Support your club. Don't echo the cliches of hack, biased journos just because you can't cop it that we have to re-build. Just support. Buy you memberships and look to the future. I'm sick of supporters slamming the club at every turn.
So, a massive thank you cwrcyn for sharing with us one of the all time great posts on this site!!!
You should be proud of what you've just done!
And we should all be proud of our eccentric, irrational, non conformist, exasperating, zany..., but also never boring, always wonderful, and just sheer gawd-damn loveable enfant terrible of a footy club!
Our club and its supporters... we are unique, we do things our way, against all the odds, and...
140 years later... we-are-still-here! Be bloody proud!
And-you-get-it 
