Being a supporter

[believe_it]

Well I tend to be more of a lurker overall anyway, but rest assured I'll only be posting in here as a (hopefully not too) beleaguered fan of the Dockers.

Nothing wrong with posting on another teams board . You are likely to get somebody who truly appreciates this great game beyond some weird fanatical alignment.In fact the only thing that shits me is when people start with saying sorry for intruding.Not because they say it but because they shouldn't have to.

 

[kiroshi]

^This

I am another eternal optimist. The glass is always half full when it comes to Freo for me.

However, when kicking someone when they are down does have its merrits: MJ anyone?

me too!!!

 

[jmadrox]

Same here and hurl abuse at the unfortunate maggots assigned to the game (if it's McBurney, I'm due to rip him one for 2.5 years of biased bs)

i'll be there too... will be good to have a few of us! I will be the 6'4 white guy in the new Jumper, with the Wog mrs rugged up to her neck with 37 jackets, 4 scarves, 2 beanies and a hot water bottle.

on topic

Shamefully i left 1/2 way through the final quarter. I did not do this even once in 2009, but the team lloked like they just didnt care. I know that they did, but from where i was sitting, their heart wasnt in it. Ballas was having a crack, and thank god for Elvis and Groves, but it just looked like they were waiting for the other guys to get back, AND looked like they thought the couldnt win without Sandi, so didnt really give 100%.

I was hot, and I am on anti-malarial tablets so i am super sensitive to SUn, so i left.

I will be there to the end next week, and the week after. I just get exasperated. I am very passionate about my clup, and it is just painful to watch sometimes. When they dont put in the effort i know they can, it feels like a slap in the face to all us supporters who have stood up for them all these years.

 

[leeloo]

I sometimes leave games early because I simply can't stand the way we play on occasions. All that staying does is make me appear like a completely abusive a-hole. I am far too emotionally involved. I become bitter and unhappy and it impacts me for hours afterwards. So I leave and save myself from more anger, misery, despondency and depression.

I am exactly the same. I wasn't at the game on Saturday but I turned the TV off at three quarter time and went and took the dogs for a walk. It hurt my eyes and my heart to watch that game

It wasn't the losing that hurt, I have watched plenty of games where Freo have lost and it didn't worry me, it was the way they were playing....

I don't agree with abusing the players or opposition players but I do understand that people get passionate. I describe it as stadium gate fever

 

[Frigate]

The one thing that REALLY REALLY annoys me are members who at the game just bag our players. Why the hell did you buy a membership if you just continue to abuse our own players.

There is a family who sit right next to me and they bag every player week in/week out. Mayne was the centre of their target this week - yeh Mayney had a terrible game but from my eyes 18 other players had bad games as well.

Supporter
–noun
A person or thing that supports.

Support
–noun
The act or an instance of supporting.

If you can't be positive about "our" team then you are not a supporter - you are a financially benefitting person to the Fremantle club. Actually Freo probably make more money from a non member buying a ticket for your seat instead.

Even though I have not read many of your posts (any?), and I glance over posts by newbies on BF to keep my sanity...

I rate this post
It comes as a refreshing reminder that newbies to BF can be diplomatic and emotionally intolerant. As opposed to the sometimes other newbie posters thinking that they can entice multiple responses by being shortsighted and ignorant. Bullying sucks, especially those that never wore boots other than colts grades and never had the guts to give it a go.

 

[TIM_VUA]

I love being a Freo fan and always will but it's not my whole life.If we lose we lose,i'm not going to slash my wrists if we play bad.I don't abuse the any players and there is no excuse to do it. I don't think you are less of a supporter if you leave early although I don't.

 

[valkorum]

Even though I have not read many of your posts (any?), and I glance over posts by newbies on BF to keep my sanity...

I rate this post
It comes as a refreshing reminder that newbies to BF can be diplomatic and emotionally intolerant. As opposed to the sometimes other newbie posters thinking that they can entice multiple responses by being shortsighted and ignorant. Bullying sucks, especially those that never wore boots other than colts grades and never had the guts to give it a go.

I dont post a lot but I have been here since the beginning of 2010. I am a passionate Freo supporter and have been since our first game, a 5 point loss against Richmond in 1995.

As some as said in this post - the glass is always half full not half empty.

 

[dominguez]

This season has been one of extreme highs and lows for Freo supporters. We have gone from being no chance to top 4 and now it seems that there is some consensus about the prospect of another decade of mid to bottom of the table pain.

Really ?

Going into the season I had us finishing 7th-10th but was pleasantly surprised when we were 4-1. But the last month has been really disappointing and we need to find form quickly.

Either way I think things look good for 2012 and beyond.

 

[Reginald Perrin]

^^
Agreed.

2012-2014 looks to be a realisitc premiership window, plus we have a nucleus of young talent that should keep us playing finals consistently for the next decade.

Its not all doom and gloom.

 

[bfff]

Really ?

Going into the season I had us finishing 7th-10th but was pleasantly surprised when we were 4-1. But the last month has been really disappointing and we need to find form quickly.

Either way I think things look good for 2012 and beyond.

I admit that was stretching it a bit. I was worried.

 

[estibador]

Yeah Clay's the only one who's come close to predicting another decade of bottom 8 finishes, but he's either a clinical pessimist or a professional shit stirrer so we have to make allowances either way.

 

[Boppo]

I tape the games on Saturday while I play sport and come home to watch before going out Sat night. Last week was the first time I turned the telly off, about halfway through the second quarter. There was drinking in Sydney to be had and we looked disinterested.

Generally though I'll watch again the next day to see the intricacies I missed first time round.

I keep an eye on Souths scores and try and get back to Perth for Foundation Day Derby weekend. I'll go to Melb for 3 or 4 games each year and of course the Sydney games.

I don't bag our guys until I can do what they do. Criticisms are fine but Im not an ex player, physician, psycologist or 21 year old coke user so I don't demand that my views are gospel. I dislike the Eagles but can appreciate the way they dismantled the Doggies. I reckon our list is not as great as we all think cos players who made great strides last year are stalling in their development compared to other teams. I can laugh at our past. If I could clone a champ from days gone by it would be Stephen Michael and I'd play him rotating between ruck and CHF.

If we make the GF I'll get hold of a ticket, take a week in melb and go on a bender.

 

[Frigate]

I dont post a lot but I have been here since the beginning of 2010. I am a passionate Freo supporter and have been since our first game, a 5 point loss against Richmond in 1995.

As some as said in this post - the glass is always half full not half empty.

If you are as passionate as you say you are then....
post more.

Funny days looking back at the original team. Neesham,G . It was WC that cost us a finals appearance. His game plan is widely adopted now. At the time clowns lik Barnes went on national TV calling the game plan a cheats strategy. Little did he know a couple of teams would later sneak in premierships playing the water polo flavour.

GN failed as a selector, however his gameplan changed the comp. It was a refreshing style of run and attack apposed to the aggressivley defensive mindset in the game we got through the bunch up the road. It was sad how boring the Eagleas became, only to rewitness it in 2005 for a few years with Sydney. Ugly footy. Effective - yes - ugly - yes.

 

[Farrand]

Really feels like a kick in the balls sometimes.

 

[muckypup]

From one British sitcom character to another, I should probably apologise to you, Perrin, since the original response was probably way too terse for a noob.

Honestly not a troll, have been a fan of the Dockers since '96, have a "First Edition" Fremantle scarf hanging on my chair next to my Bombers scarf (which is actually younger), have a Dockers guernsey with Ben Allan's #7 on it from when I was a kid tucked away in the wardrobe somewhere (complete with those awesome shorts with the little anchors on the hips that they used to have, and the gaudy socks).

As I mentioned earlier, I went to the Dockers/Richmond game (which I obviously can't verify for you, but if someone else here was there and in the cheer squad, there was a lone fat Richmond idiot just to the left of them hurling abuse at them all day), and will be going the Hawks game on Sunday. Hell, I'll even provide photographic evidence, if needed.

The story of my dual barracking is long, boring, and involves me being a gutless, quisling coward when I was about 8 years old, so I'm not overly fond of telling it, but all I can say is that my heart has bled for the Dockers for a good 15 years (their performance on Saturday was a bit of a cruel reminder of my childhood, actually), and there is nothing in the sporting world that would bring me more joy than a Fremantle premiership.

I wasn't meaning to take a shot at Fremantle supporters when I said that they shouldn't leave games - from my point of view that goes for any supporter, and to be honest I've seen it more commonly from Essendon fans than Freo fans (but then, I go to more Essendon games so...that means nothing). Few things rile me more than seeing people leave a game before full time, and that's a universal thing. I don't like seeing it from opposition supporters either. (Except for the Carlton fans... the sooner they bugger off the better.)

I hope I am actually allowed to post on this board, since I barrack hard for the Dockers for all but 1 game of the year (during which the internal conflict is so unbearable that I just hope for a draw). As I say, if you want a photo of the scarf or whatever (which is as friggin' old as a Fremantle scarf can get, BTW), so be it, but I can assure you that I'm sincere.

You're gonna have a hard time trying to post on two boards Lord Nic, but respect to you. I am diagnosing you as a closet Fremantle fan.

 

[Freo_4eva]

Somedays are harder than others... they usually fall on weekends

 

[IAMJUNGLEMUFFIN]

Opposition supporter on our team board just before we play them - Check.
Subtle jibes at our team/supporters - Check.
Stupid name - Check.
Recent join date - Check.

Sorry dude, you fail the troll test.

Just think of it the way we do. Why the hell are you here?

Irony - Check

 

[Willsy82]

Their gonna break your heart, time and time again...

...and im prepared to stick with it, no matter how many household items i may break

 

[TheLoris]

Is very hard work...........not so much that we lost, but the fact that during the game you just knew we were going to stop running and get bent over. Frustrating.

 

[muckypup]

Is very hard work...........not so much that we lost, but the fact that during the game you just knew we were going to stop running and get bent over. Frustrating.

THIS ^

Great thread.

Being a supporter to me means identifying with the team. So a part of my identity belongs with Fremantle. Its not in any way logical but its been like that since I started watching my uncles run around for the Manji Tigers.

 

[imperial_oz]

Well I'll have my 2c here.

I'm not like some of you on here. Yes, I've also been with Freo from day 1 and I'll give up watching footy before I barrack for another team.

I don't agree with this "don't criticise" mantra that some people think is the only way to support your team. Where criticism is needed, it should be applied.

Its interesting to see the attitude at Geelong last year to their defeat in the finals. The fans were filthy at that and let it be made clear. The attitude to the Freo defeat, was "great job getting there"

It was a great job getting there but that game...we were awful. We need to be honest and stop concentrating ONLY on the positives because the negatives will continue to hurt us if we continue to ignore them. I think, as fans, we should communicate loud and clear what is acceptable and what isn't. I'll still be there on Saturday, supporting the guys, even when unacceptable stuff is produced but then I'll say something.

One other thing that is important to me as a supporter is not attacking other supporters with different views. Division among the supporter base has been a problem with Freo this year and I just can't see how that helps the club or adds any support to the guys.

 

[E Shed]

I'm not disagreeing, in fact I've been doing an uncharacteristic amount of whinging lately but what I don't get about the "not accepting mediocrity" point of view is what good it does?
There is only so much I, as a supporter, can do. And if at the end of a long hard season I want to applaud the guys, even though they didn't win the flag, then that's my choice as a follower of sport. After all it's not going to be me running out there for pre-season training or deciding whether to peak them, fitness wise in July or August.
I believe the guys that get paid to prepare the players and the players themselves carry enough of their own weight. I'm sure Harvey spends more than enough time lying awake at night pondering how to get that last 1% out of his players and that DeBoer still replays the gimmee goals he's missed in his head.
At the end of the day it's about how much do I want to let this affect my life? I've admitted like others in this thread that far more of my identity than is healthy is bound up with the fortunes of FFC. There has to be a point where I let go and say, enough, we've all had a go here, someone has to win, someone has to lose. It's only a game.
I didn't clap the players off at half time V Saint Kilda and I freely vented my disgust here during the week in the belief that people from the club read this board. I hoped that they would hear my words and realise what they put up simply wasn't good enough.
We have come to expect better from this group and when they fall short I think they know it themselves.
What am I saying? I don't really know anymore, just that if you are the sort that wants to march in the street or tear up your membership that's your right, as is it someone else's to look for the positives and start thinking about next week. Just don't take it personally when we lose. It's really not about you, or just you anyway.

 

[Lach72]

It's all about the manure...get a truck full...dump at front gate.

Or spit...that'll do it

 

[imperial_oz]

I'm not disagreeing, in fact I've been doing an uncharacteristic amount of whinging lately but what I don't get about the "not accepting mediocrity" point of view is what good it does?
There is only so much I, as a supporter, can do. And if at the end of a long hard season I want to applaud the guys, even though they didn't win the flag, then that's my choice as a follower of sport. After all it's not going to be me running out there for pre-season training or deciding whether to peak them, fitness wise in July or August.
I believe the guys that get paid to prepare the players and the players themselves carry enough of their own weight. I'm sure Harvey spends more than enough time lying awake at night pondering how to get that last 1% out of his players and that DeBoer still replays the gimmee goals he's missed in his head.
At the end of the day it's about how much do I want to let this affect my life? I've admitted like others in this thread that far more of my identity than is healthy is bound up with the fortunes of FFC. There has to be a point where I let go and say, enough, we've all had a go here, someone has to win, someone has to lose. It's only a game.
I didn't clap the players off at half time V Saint Kilda and I freely vented my disgust here during the week in the belief that people from the club read this board. I hoped that they would hear my words and realise what they put up simply wasn't good enough.
We have come to expect better from this group and when they fall short I think they know it themselves.
What am I saying? I don't really know anymore, just that if you are the sort that wants to march in the street or tear up your membership that's your right, as is it someone else's to look for the positives and start thinking about next week. Just don't take it personally when we lose. It's really not about you, or just you anyway.

I don't disagree with you. I hope I didn't give the impression it was about me in any way what so ever. I see it more about us...club, players, coaches, supporters etc as a single group. Fine, supporters don't do pre-seasons etc but we do contribute by putting money into the club, being there on gameday , etc

Everybody needs to do something, no matter how small.

My attitude is based on my years of watching do terrible stuff and thinking I can only support by cheering. Well, now I think, I can support by cheering and pointing out stuff that should be addressed. I'm also of the view that if enough people did that, we wouldn't be doing the same stuff wrong that we did wrong for many years.

Maybe I'm wrong but I'll give it a go at least. (and yes, I cop a lot of flak for doing it but it won't stop me trying)

 

[muckypup]

I'm not disagreeing, in fact I've been doing an uncharacteristic amount of whinging lately but what I don't get about the "not accepting mediocrity" point of view is what good it does?
There is only so much I, as a supporter, can do. And if at the end of a long hard season I want to applaud the guys, even though they didn't win the flag, then that's my choice as a follower of sport. After all it's not going to be me running out there for pre-season training or deciding whether to peak them, fitness wise in July or August.
I believe the guys that get paid to prepare the players and the players themselves carry enough of their own weight. I'm sure Harvey spends more than enough time lying awake at night pondering how to get that last 1% out of his players and that DeBoer still replays the gimmee goals he's missed in his head.
At the end of the day it's about how much do I want to let this affect my life? I've admitted like others in this thread that far more of my identity than is healthy is bound up with the fortunes of FFC. There has to be a point where I let go and say, enough, we've all had a go here, someone has to win, someone has to lose. It's only a game.
I didn't clap the players off at half time V Saint Kilda and I freely vented my disgust here during the week in the belief that people from the club read this board. I hoped that they would hear my words and realise what they put up simply wasn't good enough.
We have come to expect better from this group and when they fall short I think they know it themselves.
What am I saying? I don't really know anymore, just that if you are the sort that wants to march in the street or tear up your membership that's your right, as is it someone else's to look for the positives and start thinking about next week. Just don't take it personally when we lose. It's really not about you, or just you anyway.

Its all about balance really, or at least thats what I think. No emotions are out of bounds but its important to get some perspective at some point otherwise you would only ever be happy when Freo have a #/0 win-loss and have won the flag which isnt really practical when your team has only made the finals a couple of times!!! I remember I gave Schwab an absolute mouthful after the most horrific performance against Richmond a few years back. No swearing just a straight up "this is absolutely unacceptable to people who you rely on to support this club". Did it make a duifference? Who knows. Did I feel better. You betcha!!!

I feel sorry for these guys sometimes. Imagine if you were sitting at your desk / in your ute etc and some b*stard was yelling at you all the time. Its not exactly a normal work environment. On teh other side no one cheers me when I nail a great contract, I dont run around the office punching the air. But maybe I should try it.