News All saints fans need to read this.

[sauce_head]

A good post PS. I hope you are right.

I still think the stadium deal is the responsibility of the board, game plan or not. And hope the elite sports facilities really are the answer to everything and not spunked money. I guess we will see.

 

[PoppedCorn]

big whoops an 80 buck membership
people interstate and overseas spend 500 bucks plus and not even getting to games in melbs!

 

[SaintsSeptember]

I'm not sure about the "players letting off steam due to pressure thing".
A lot of people seem to think that the Saints ran amuck last season.

Thanks to the innapropriate wording by the HUN Many people still seem to believe that Kim Duthie got with the StKilda football club and had sex with Armitage and Gilbert at the same time while the rest of the club had a homosexual orgy in the background.

Nothing vaguely like this happened and I dont like even acknowleging that the players "let off steam" at any particular time. Though there was obviously a bit of partying in the off season. ( as there was in my personal life ).

 

[March Hare]

big whoops an 80 buck membership
people interstate and overseas spend 500 bucks plus and not even getting to games in melbs!

I think you are being a bit harsh there. You are still counted as a "member" and the overall number is important as the media love to link decines in membership with "off field drama's" and so on.

If I could afford to spend $500 on a St Kilda memberships and nearly $600 on my MCC Membership (which I am not prepared to give up), believe me, I would...

 

[FlyingSledghamer]

Have any of you guys seen 'Money Ball'. Its not a bad movie but the concept is about the financial running of a struggling baseball team in the MLB.
Our game is heading in that direction very very fast.
Westaway said "the game is changing at an unprecedented rate" and he was right. But do we know what he meant.

In 2013, Free trade starts. This is going to change the game forever. It will start as a regulated practice but slowly it will become more deregulated. Who will suffer, who will benefit? Smaller clubs will suffer. Larger more successful clubs with financial problems, just like us, will suffer greater. Because bigger richer teams will come in and say " Hey Goddard, come play for Collingwood in 2 years, heres 2 Million Dollars" and clubs that are struggling won't have the finances to hold on to these players OR go out and do the same thing to get quality replacements. Just have a look at the Scully deal from last year. This is already happening but with free trade its going to get worse.

Money ball. if you don't financially support your team, your actually making the opposition stronger.

 

[phantom13]

big whoops an 80 buck membership
people interstate and overseas spend 500 bucks plus and not even getting to games in melbs!

You dont know everyones financial and personal situations mate so pull your head in, if you have millions of dollars sitting in the bank to buy 14 gold memberships and social club etc etc then good for you, but every little bit counts, dont be such an idiot.

 

[StFly]

big whoops an 80 buck membership
people interstate and overseas spend 500 bucks plus and not even getting to games in melbs!

I think you hit the wrong button, you want the elitistnet, you're on the internet, hence the ads and s**t speeds.

 

[The Punter]

I don't know why everyone thinks Free Agency is going to mean going back to the 1980s.

The salary cap will remain.

If Goddard goes to Collingwood for $1 million per year, Collingwood is going to have to push a few good players out to afford him under the cap.

Also, wanted players don't qualify for unrestricted free agency until they are at least 27 years old.

 

[McCrann]

Well, Ross Lyon is gone now so undoubtedly the Saints will be playing a more attractive brand of footy in 2012 - which will support crowds and membership.

Anyone here who says that fans and members want to watch boring and defensive footy because it wins games is deluded and putting the long-term health of the club at stake.

Hopefully the board understand this and instruct Watters accordingly.

 

[SA1NTER]

Hopefully the board understand this and instruct Watters accordingly.

I'm starting to doubt whether the board has any influence on anything at all these days. :/

 

[Papa Juggs]

Well, Ross Lyon is gone now so undoubtedly the Saints will be playing a more attractive brand of footy in 2012 - which will support crowds and membership.

Anyone here who says that fans and members want to watch boring and defensive footy because it wins games is deluded and putting the long-term health of the club at stake.

Hopefully the board understand this and instruct Watters accordingly.

Play spuds in the forward line that get bashed?

This is modern footy. What we need is midfielders kicking goals. This means hard running and no slacking. Lenny will lead the way.

Changing the entire game plan when you already have something close to a top4 team is not a good idea.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Watters has most recently coached a sucessful team at Collingwood.

Collingwood have a highly defensive game style.

StKilda should maintain their defensive style, however, not to the degree that there is no forward line, and we dont score anything.

I'm pretty sure that Watters has indicated that he won't be throwing out the whole style that the Saints are coached in. If he does, kiss the season goodbye, because the players will take a whole season to learn something completely different.

The defensive game plan does not mean that players should be dreadful at kicking to a target and marking, in fact it would probably work even better if the players could kick and mark.
Something that used to make me sick was StKilda players waiting for an incoming ball to bounce before trying to get it, then getting tackled and turning it over. HELLO you get a free kick if you mark it.

 

[VDS66]

It sure is a fickle game ain't it?

Had we pinched a flag, I suspect we'd all be parising Lyon etc. But we didn't and we're not.

FF have significantly invested in the footy department and it has yielded results. The full impact and benefit of seaford won't be seen until at least this year or next.

It's damned if you do or damned if you don't with some supporters.

Do we get it right 100%? No we don't... and neither does any other club.

Despite this year's loss - coming after 2 years of $1m + profits, we are still in far better shape than we have been since the mid sixities.

A new open policiy will benefit the club and help it reconnect with the media and fans. This can only be a good thing... and some on field success will certainly help get some decent sponsers.

For what it's worth...

My decision to be a member of this great club is based on passion.

It gives me a discount on my entry and entertains me. And I have to say the win loss ratio since mid 2003 has given outstanding value.

I don't buy a membership to tell the club what to do. They are far better qualified than I am.

However, despite the ups and downs and near misses... I'll be there again for year # 42.

Let's not get complacent folks. 09-10 and to a lesser degree 2011 were frustrating and draining years for club and fans alike.

Let's not leave it until the last minute when we have to rattle tins or look for a saviour like Stynes to save us. Now is the time to consolidate and build on the hard work already done.

In my humble opinion, the club has taken great strides to win a flag - and we almost did it - twice. Let's not forget that fact... hindsight is great, but we have to stand up again and again and again.

It's the fans that make strong clubs stronger. It's why we are still around after all the years of failure... it's why other clubs don't want us to rise... they know we are a sleeping giant.

It's a self-fulfilling prophecy... we support the club... the club makes money... the club invests in the footy dept... we eventually win a flag... our return on our life long investment cannot be valued once that happens.

Let's show the knockers how proud we are. If we stop now because of petty criticisms, then we justufy the vitriol and rabble tag thrown at us.

Stick with the Saints again this year and into the future!

Remember: Winners never quit and quitters never win.

Fortius Quo Fidelius!

 

[Bornsaint]

Have any of you guys seen 'Money Ball'. Its not a bad movie but the concept is about the financial running of a struggling baseball team in the MLB.
Our game is heading in that direction very very fast.
Westaway said "the game is changing at an unprecedented rate" and he was right. But do we know what he meant.

In 2013, Free trade starts. This is going to change the game forever. It will start as a regulated practice but slowly it will become more deregulated. Who will suffer, who will benefit? Smaller clubs will suffer. Larger more successful clubs with financial problems, just like us, will suffer greater. Because bigger richer teams will come in and say " Hey Goddard, come play for Collingwood in 2 years, heres 2 Million Dollars" and clubs that are struggling won't have the finances to hold on to these players OR go out and do the same thing to get quality replacements. Just have a look at the Scully deal from last year. This is already happening but with free trade its going to get worse.

Money ball. if you don't financially support your team, your actually making the opposition stronger.

Sledge, you are totally right about the membership requirements for the Saints. I am a reserve seat social club member and will join again. What gives me the craps about our great club is the poor communication about memberships etc. I contacted the club to rejoin for my social club, family membership with seats on the wing on level 1 only to be told that mr kids could not be part of the family membership as they were not in the social club like me and to make it worse my seats had gone from $210 each to $405 WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. So now I must pay an extra $60 per kid for social club and $600-800 more for seats?! Otherwise I now sit up on level 3 or behind the bloody goals after 5 years in the same seats on the wing. This might not seam much to some but, for me with a family and mortgage like most this is getting extreme. But worse is the total lack of communication about changes in memberships rules and prices hikes of nearly $200 PER SEAT?!!
I would be better getting Foxtel and sponsoring a player for $15 a week. The club would still lose my $1000+ a year aswell as everything else I spend with them.

 

[OhMyGoddard]

Well, I'm doing my bit - I made a Saints supporter come out of my Geelong-supporting wife.

'Little Saints' membership = $40; Grooming another generation of paid-up Saints members = priceless!

 

[McCrann]

It sure is a fickle game ain't it?

Had we pinched a flag, I suspect we'd all be parising Lyon etc. But we didn't and we're not.

FF have significantly invested in the footy department and it has yielded results. The full impact and benefit of seaford won't be seen until at least this year or next.

It's damned if you do or damned if you don't with some supporters.

Do we get it right 100%? No we don't... and neither does any other club.

Despite this year's loss - coming after 2 years of $1m + profits, we are still in far better shape than we have been since the mid sixities.

A new open policiy will benefit the club and help it reconnect with the media and fans. This can only be a good thing... and some on field success will certainly help get some decent sponsers.

For what it's worth...

My decision to be a member of this great club is based on passion.

It gives me a discount on my entry and entertains me. And I have to say the win loss ratio since mid 2003 has given outstanding value.

I don't buy a membership to tell the club what to do. They are far better qualified than I am.

However, despite the ups and downs and near misses... I'll be there again for year # 42.

Let's not get complacent folks. 09-10 and to a lesser degree 2011 were frustrating and draining years for club and fans alike.

Let's not leave it until the last minute when we have to rattle tins or look for a saviour like Stynes to save us. Now is the time to consolidate and build on the hard work already done.

In my humble opinion, the club has taken great strides to win a flag - and we almost did it - twice. Let's not forget that fact... hindsight is great, but we have to stand up again and again and again.

It's the fans that make strong clubs stronger. It's why we are still around after all the years of failure... it's why other clubs don't want us to rise... they know we are a sleeping giant.

It's a self-fulfilling prophecy... we support the club... the club makes money... the club invests in the footy dept... we eventually win a flag... our return on our life long investment cannot be valued once that happens.

Let's show the knockers how proud we are. If we stop now because of petty criticisms, then we justufy the vitriol and rabble tag thrown at us.

Stick with the Saints again this year and into the future!

Remember: Winners never quit and quitters never win.

Fortius Quo Fidelius!

I agree pretty much 100% with what you are saying. Of course we have had some pretty good times lately, no complaints there. But we clearly must always strive to be better.

Grant Thomas might not have been a great coach, but the team played great footy under him (probably because it was the best list - though terribly injury ravaged) for a few years there.

Rossy was brought in to make them more accountable - there's no doubt he did. 2009 was a great year and 2010 was a gutsy effort. Last year was disappointing but hardly unexpected.

Anyway, I am on board for 2012 and confident we'll have a good year.