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Akermanis

  • Thread starter Thread starter cleveland
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I've said this on Twitter and I'll say it here. JUST IGNORE HIM AND HE'LL GO AWAY. If you (counting the hundreds and thousands of people through the print, online and social media and here) are stupid enough to respond to what he says in any way he'll take it as a green light to keep talking about whatever he wants however he likes. If you ignore him then maybe, just maybe he'll drift off into the sunset. It's not that hard you know.....
 
Jim Stynes was first and foremost a great humanitarian whose influence is likely to last for generations through the everyday lives of those he sought to help. He also played great football. The protagonist in this was a great footballer. One will help shape history; the other is consigned to it.
 
Has anyone got a link to a transcript of what Aker originally said?

I've only read reports, and like the rest of you probably doubt his motives, but surely you'd support freedom of speech?

And BTW, anyone know how many, who and why state funerals have been given in Victoria in say the last 20 years?
 

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Dry Rot said:
I'm not sure that is 100% correct with our club.

I think we also saw the media/image/membership upside, and didn't heed the downside warnings from the Lions.
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...or maybe we thought either we could manage the downside or that the risk was outweighed by the benefits.

Nobody wants to be associated with Akermanis in March 2012 and most of us now cringe to think he ever wore the RW&B, but we may have forgotten that we got three good years, 70 games and a heap of good publicity from his recruitment before things turned bad in 2010. We even got kudos for being able to keep what was regarded as a loose cannon in check for 3 years.

I remember the club (Smorgon? Eade?) saying before the 2007 season that the fact he chose the Western Bulldogs when he was being courted by other clubs showed that we were now seen as an attractive destination.

It isn't fashionable to say it these days, but I think it was a worthwhile risk and on balance we probably finished in front over the full three and a bit years.
 
dogwatch said:
...or maybe we thought either we could manage the downside or that the risk was outweighed by the benefits.

Nobody wants to be associated with Akermanis in March 2012 and most of us now cringe to think he ever wore the RW&B, but we may have forgotten that we got three good years, 70 games and a heap of good publicity from his recruitment before things turned bad in 2010. We even got kudos for being able to keep what was regarded as a loose cannon in check for 3 years.

I remember the club (Smorgon? Eade?) saying before the 2007 season that the fact he chose the Western Bulldogs when he was being courted by other clubs showed that we were now seen as an attractive destination.

It isn't fashionable to say it these days, but I think it was a worthwhile risk and on balance we probably finished in front over the full three and a bit years.
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If only he was able to get a kick on Stevie Baker in the 2009 PF things could have all worked out differently. The stage was set for him that night but he delivered stuff-all. We got him to make an impact at the pointy end of the season and 2009 showed just how close we were to a premiership - Akermanis was the proverbial cherry on top and well worth the gamble at the time.

The less said about year 4 the better, but I'd say the Akermanis brand has been tarnished far more than the Bulldogs brand in the ensuing 2 years.
 
Notice he has been cut out of all promos for celebrity apprentice now. Wonder if it is too late to heavily edit the whole show.
 
Dry Rot said:
I've only read reports, and like the rest of you probably doubt his motives, but surely you'd support freedom of speech?
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Absolutely. I’m privileged to live in a society where he, Clive and legions of politicians can say what they like and be heard. Fortunate to have the volitional capacity to choose whether I listen.
 
Dry Rot said:
I'm not sure that is 100% correct with our club.

I think we also saw the media/image/membership upside, and didn't heed the downside warnings from the Lions.
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I don't reckon the club looked beyond anything other than he was a star player on the field who was available at a time when we were entering a premiership window.

The only good publicity he was able to deliver both us and the Lions were due to his football ability.
 
His first media employer from a Queensland newspaper gave an insight into the mind of Aker.
He said, and i am paraphrasing that Aker cannot let go of slights that happen to him. Probably because of his disjointed early life, with his dad leaving etc.
An example was that when he was working in the Media in Queensland, he was still dirty that he wasn't selected as the Queensland U/16 state captain. It still ate away at him.
He was angry at the Lions that a lot of the players had media deals yet he wasn't allowed to do media until he won the Brownlow medal. It seems that the Lions had him pegged early but due to sheer weight of being the first Brisbane Brownlow winner and the requests afterward they had to let him go to the media.
It was quite a good insight into how the blokes mind works, maybe Stynes said something to him on the field about being a showboat or questioned his courage. That would be the sort of thing that would eat away at a bloke with a chip on his shoulder like Aker.
A real shit bloke (perfect Bubba) is just the best way to describe him.
 
Zephiisdaman said:
His first media employer from a Queensland newspaper gave an insight into the mind of Aker.
He said, and i am paraphrasing that Aker cannot let go of slights that happen to him. Probably because of his disjointed early life, with his dad leaving etc.
An example was that when he was working in the Media in Queensland, he was still dirty that he wasn't selected as the Queensland U/16 state captain. It still ate away at him.
He was angry at the Lions that a lot of the players had media deals yet he wasn't allowed to do media until he won the Brownlow medal. It seems that the Lions had him pegged early but due to sheer weight of being the first Brisbane Brownlow winner and the requests afterward they had to let him go to the media.
It was quite a good insight into how the blokes mind works, maybe Stynes said something to him on the field about being a showboat or questioned his courage. That would be the sort of thing that would eat away at a bloke with a chip on his shoulder like Aker.
A real shit bloke (perfect Bubba) is just the best way to describe him.
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I can buy that completely. Strikes me as a very petty little man.
 
Dry Rot said:
Has anyone got a link to a transcript of what Aker originally said?

I've only read reports, and like the rest of you probably doubt his motives, but surely you'd support freedom of speech?

And BTW, anyone know how many, who and why state funerals have been given in Victoria in say the last 20 years?
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What does freedom of speech have to do with it. You are both free to speak but also free to suffer the consequences of that speech. Nobody stopped him from speaking but there were consequences to what he said...
 
I guess freedom of speech would mean being able to say whatever without consequences......

Having said that, absolute disgrace that he would spew crap like that about Jim let alone a couple of days after he died. Stuff freedom of speech.
 

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Fossie 32 said:
I guess freedom of speech would mean being able to say whatever without consequences......

Having said that, absolute disgrace that he would spew crap like that about Jim let alone a couple of days after he died. Stuff freedom of speech.
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I think immortal got it pretty right below

immortalmike said:
What does freedom of speech have to do with it. You are both free to speak but also free to suffer the consequences of that speech. Nobody stopped him from speaking but there were consequences to what he said...
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With great freedom comes great responsibility. I would reject the notion that freedom of speech should be curtailed because some muppet doesn’t exercise his right to speak freely with the judgement and responsibility one would hope for.
There have been consequences for Jim Stynes’ family, friends and fans and for Akermanis himself but perhaps the longest lasting and most damaging consequences will be for Akermanis’ family. That’s the price of it but I wouldn’t change it.
 
Freedom of speech is a cop out.

Of course he has freedom of speech. Just as we have freedom of speech to tell him that what he said about Jim Stynes was disgraceful.

Sick of Akermanis and his sympathisers trying to paint him as the victim every time he gets his arse into trouble. It's always someone else's fault according to them - when he gets the arse from two different clubs for acting up its because there's a conspiracy against him, when he writes a blatantly homophobic article, apparently the Herald Sun have edited it without him knowing, when he calls Michael Braun a drug cheat with no proof whatsoever aside from that he was running pretty fast or when he calls Jim Stynes a nasty piece of work 2 days after he's died, its either because he's taken out of context, entitled to an opinion an it's his right to free speech and they're all out to get him.

He needs to grow the hell up and stop blaming everyone else whenever the shit hits the fan after mouthing off.
 
Leon said:
Freedom of speech is a cop out.

Of course he has freedom of speech. Just as we have freedom of speech to tell him that what he said about Jim Stynes was disgraceful.

Sick of Akermanis and his sympathisers trying to paint him as the victim every time he gets his arse into trouble. It's always someone else's fault according to them - when he gets the arse from two different clubs for acting up its because there's a conspiracy against him, when he writes a blatantly homophobic article, apparently the Herald Sun have edited it without him knowing, when he calls Michael Braun a drug cheat with no proof whatsoever aside from that he was running pretty fast or when he calls Jim Stynes a nasty piece of work 2 days after he's died, its either because he's taken out of context, entitled to an opinion an it's his right to free speech and they're all out to get him.

He needs to grow the hell up and stop blaming everyone else whenever the shit hits the fan after mouthing off.
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Spot on :thumbsu:
 
If free speech comes with consequences, when is there NOT free speech then?

When you get jailed or shot :confused:
 
Leon I don't think there are any apologists here for Aker. At least I haven't noticed any.

The free speech debate is just a distraction ... I don't think anyone here's defending him.

He was a good footballer who should have stuck to football. I think he has some dark days ahead of him. Pretty sad really.
 
Isn't being allowed to be critical of what Akermanis said also a part of free speech? On a side note he was going to continue his circus side show of one off appearances at clubs by playing for Moonee Valley in the EDFL for round one, they have flicked him and replaced him with Kouta
 

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I don't think "free speech" should be an automatic excuse for people to say anything they like. There are already restrictions eg incitement to racism (as discovered by that tweeter in UK). What about personal responsibility, common consideration and decency, which have largely gone out the window as people exercise their "right" to use disgusting language in front of anyone, plus road-and-anything-else rage. Sorry, old-fashioned values here. Those that wish to, feel free with your speech to ridicule.
 
Fossie 32 said:
If free speech comes with consequences, when is there NOT free speech then?

When you get jailed or shot :confused:
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Public and social consequences not governmental. In other words there shouldn't be a law against you saying anything you want (even though there are) but that doesn't stop others disagreeing or not wanting to have anything to do with you. I.e., you are free to walk up to Barry Hall and call him a w***er but it's not socially (or physically) advisable...
 
Aarh think I'm getting my head around it now thanks Mike :o
 
From everything that I have heard (particularly when Aker was asked about it afterwards), it didn't sound like Akermanis intended to be completely derogatory towards Jim Stynes, it was more a case of he didn't choose his words very well.

I believe he said something along the lines of Stynes being nasty (which everyone took to mean that Aker was saying Stynes was a nasty person), but what I think he was trying to say was it was nasty playing against Stynes (because he was bloody good).

Either way, Aker works in the media and clearly knows the price of not correctly wording what he was trying to say.

I don't really see a problem with him asking why Stynes deserved a state funeral though. It was just a question, and who knows, perhaps he was genuinely unaware of Stynes' community work...

Really, his question just served as an opportunity to tell about the legend of Jim Stynes. FWIW, I think Aker backtracked on querying the state funeral when it was explained to him that considering Stynes' selfless attitude towards both his community work, and his love and care towards his football club (all despite ill health) were cherished in the community.

Ultimately, I think Aker probably copped too much stick over this. Yes, there were some ill chosen words, but really I don't think he meant any malice in what he said.

BTW, I still think Aker is a complete toss, I just don't agree with the complete pasting he copped over this!
 
josh the gent said:
I don't really see a problem with him asking why Stynes deserved a state funeral though. It was just a question, and who knows, perhaps he was genuinely unaware of Stynes' community work...
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or, even if he was, he still thought, as do I, that it was inappropriate for the state to give him a funeral. Jim was inspirational, his accomplishments awesome (in the literal meaning of the word) but the publicity and hype went right over the top.
 

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