Torn-big time!

[sendmehomehappy]

I never ever thought I would be in a position to do this.

I'm a life-long, rusted on, tragic painter.

My father played a few games for the club.

He took me, as a young boy, to watch the 1966 triumph, by his side.

We gathered for countless pre-game drinks/BBBQs with the mates,then onto Moorabbin, in the 70s, 80's, 90s and then arctic park. Hard times those...but what stars we had! And what grit and determination the GOPs showed on the whole.

Time, work, family and travel splits up mates and makes it harder to be there week in week out, but my love for the St Kilda FC has never waned.

A member for all years except for a decent block when OS working.

I am now/was an interstate member.

A few days ago I sent the membership department an email resigning. I said I would rejoin immediately after Richardson, Sexton and Kingsley are gone.

Each has had enough time to see the saints better positioned than where they now are.

Each must take responsibility and move on.

I am a minuscule cog in the St Kilda machine...something less than a cotter pin I imagine. But perhaps my protest can hit them where it hurts. Perhaps some positive can come out of it, a counterpoint to the behind the scenes machinations of the big players.

Does any one else feel like a financial protest?

[Living the dream]

No, I will never give up my membership.
Some years it is harder than others.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Congratulations on spelling "minuscule" correctly.

[saintadamski]

Yes indeed
I believe a financial protest is the only power we truly have in swaying the future of the club.

If the likes of Newnes, Weller, Armitage etc are still on the list after the trade period, then I will be cancelling my membership in protest.

Once new management, and better decisions are made in terms of players, coaching, and recruitment are made, I will return.

I just cannot pledge my support to the current regime.

[Enrico_Misso]

Agree on sending an email expressing your disappointment but I think quitting membership is a bit extreme!

Just out of interest
- who did you send the email to?
- did you get a reply?

[sendmehomehappy]

Agree on sending an email expressing your disappointment but I think quitting membership is a bit extreme!

Just out of interest
- who did you send the email to?
- did you get a reply?

Yes it is a bit extreme.

But's that's how I feel. This season has been a shocker, the players are dis-spirited, skills regressing and I just don't think the club can take another year of it or worse.

All the various reasons for my view have been presented by countless others too on this forum.

To get change, when something is going so wrong, I felt I had to do my bit to show the club how an ordinary, but loyal, supporter feels.

I can understand guys who don't want to stop their 40-50 year memberships etc...but my actual consecutive membership years is not so great...so it's less pain from that regard.

I sent the email to membership on Monday. No reply yet.

PS. Years ago some great computer crash lost many members or social-club data, and I was one of them. After that, I never cared about that number.

[Scollop]

Congratulations on spelling "minuscule" correctly.

Check again

[chico2001]

ROFL

[parkeysainter]

We will bounce back as a club next year. Wait and see.

New list. New players. New coaches. New staff. New gameplan. New atmosphere. New beginning.

But I may be wrong.

[desertsaint]

i've given up. been a hawks supporter these last six years. just come on here to remind me what a smart move it was.
you poor bastards!

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Congratulations on spelling "minuscule" correctly.

Check again

No, you check again.

[The_Dud]

Poor behaviour should not be rewarded.

[Sainternist]

Depending on what happens over the trade period, draft and off-season, I've been thinking about taking a hiatus from attending Saints games next year. Of course, I still intend on keeping my membership. I didn't renew my membership in 2008, after feeling disillusioned with RL's coaching. I felt quite bad about it, particularly with it being Rob Harvey's last season. Having said that, I did see his last game in that PF. I was a wreck when they chaired him off the ground and vowed never to abandon the Saints again.

[saintsRrising]

PS. Years ago some great computer crash lost many members or social-club data, and I was one of them. After that, I never cared about that number.

Yes for years I used to have a 4 digit number...and then all of a sudden it was a dozen odd .

[Scollop]

We will bounce back as a club next year. Wait and see.

New list. New players. New coaches. New staff. New gameplan. New atmosphere. New beginning.

But I may be wrong.

Just like the bloke in the monty python film who said it was a just a flesh wound and he'd be ok after he grew back New Arms

Yes. You may be wrong. But that's ok. Stay positive. Be happy!

[saynta]

i've given up. been a hawks supporter these last six years. just come on here to remind me what a smart move it was.
you poor bastards!

So, just a troll now.eh?

[Teflon]

I can understand this.
The club have just got to realise in these times there is just so much competition for people’s hard earned coin, the days of loyalty to club by players and administrators has long gone.....perhaps supporters now are entering the realm of “I want something back for my commitment “ is that wrong?
Let’s be real - we are not talking about a blip in a hugely successful clubs history....we are talking about perennial failure it can’t go on forever with the expectation that supporters will just “dig deep again next year” out of blind faith. That’s not sustainable in today’s times for both club and individual supporter.
I’m not advocating every member do this because without us there is no Saints....but I too have battled with this decision - prepared to write my families ongoing membership off for the past 4-5 years as a “donation” ...which is what it feels like.
This is why this off season and next season is critical - as I’ve said before, in early 2000’s we were on our knees....but the talent REAL talent was there....other people talked about us as the young side that would eventually come....and we did. The difference now is as others have noted - this time around weare even further back, the Agrade/elite talent far less obvious in a competition that to meet appears more diluted for talent across many teams than in days gone by...
It’s why Lethlean /Board better get this review right. It’s why excluding a coach who hasn’t taken us to finals in 5 years from a review was dumb.
This club more than ever needs to sell hope to its members because I genuinely fear many are at the point of no return.

[saynta]

Richardson will be the coach next year unless the president changes. That should be pretty obvious by now.

[kosifantutti]

i've given up. been a hawks supporter these last six years. just come on here to remind me what a smart move it was.
you poor bastards!

If that's a joke it's in poor taste. If it's not a joke you should just f*** off.

[freely]

I get it too - but Isn't there something faintly ridiculous about fan-mercenaries? Are we all going to be fans of whichever club wins the most premierships and gives away the best scarves? Is that how it works?

Incompetence is infuriating - but welcome to St Kilda!

[thejiggingsaint]

Some of the performances this season have had me feeling just about as low as I thought I could ever feel about this club. I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that in a couple of those games I left the ground early. To say this season has been a “disappointment” is to redefine the meaning of the word: “understatement”. The season has been shithouse, on SO many levels.
I can relate to anyone feeling the same way as the author of this original post. I’ve posted stuff on here in these past weeks, that have been in a similar vein, (and have been called out for it by some fellow posters) I believe it reflects those feelings of frustration and disappointment currently so widespread within our supporter base.
However, having said that, and after taking a Iittle time to reflect more, ( and sook less?) I also now understand how it’s important not to allow ourselves to become victims of DESPAIR! With that in mind, I intend to renew my membership in 2019...... BUT will also discuss my concerns with the club before shelling out the dough.
sendmehomehappy has every right to feel aggrieved at what the team has served us up with in 2018, I would ( with respect ) suggest that an email/ letter to the club would go a LONG way to articulating those feelings if it was repeated by ALL members. Another way to go, is to bother to attend the AGM..... speak up! Let them know how you feel!
At the end of the day, and after weighing up all my options of late, I want to be IN THE TENT P*****G OUT! ( painful and frustrating though it may be at times )

[Selhurst Saint]

I feel physically sick at the position the club are currently in and this has been by far the least enjoyable season ever, and this includes the 1980's.

Unfortunately I think that the club will take a massive financial hit next year. Considering we already have a ten million dollar debt it could be close to fatal.

I am a forty year member and I have had enough, I can't do it anymore.
- I have sponsored players for the last 10 years but I am going to cease next year.
- I am going to make no further donations to the Moorabbin development.
- I buy multiple memberships, reserved seats, and Social club memberships each year but I am going to reduce it down to just 1.

I need to find a way to successfully uncouple from this relationship.


PS Anyone interested in two Best and Fairest tickets for this year? $250 each

[degruch]

Will stay a member, but was a late starter getting to the footy this season...by the time I got to a game it was clear we were intending to dish up a sustained pile of crap for the rest of the year and I waived the white flag on regular attendances. Oddly, I've only been twice this year, GWS at Etihad and Melbourne at the MCG, I haven't witnessed a loss!

[desertsaint]

i've given up. been a hawks supporter these last six years. just come on here to remind me what a smart move it was.
you poor bastards!

If that's a joke it's in poor taste. If it's not a joke you should just f*** off.

arbiter of humour are you? i read poor taste in here every day, whinging and whining and woe is us.
fair dinkum. it's a footy game and we've been through much worse. the good times and bad times roll around. if you don't get the meaning behind my post just scroll on. too much abuse in here, eating our own.

[saintspremiers]

Richardson will be the coach next year unless the president changes. That should be pretty obvious by now.

True.

And that is almost certain to happen.

He can take Finnis with him also.

New President and CEO and onya bike RIcho.

Would be a disaster if he was coach in 2019.

Sad times again for our bloody club....I'll go on Saturday night - probably need a good shellacking again to make sure the cogs keep spinning......