Opinion Do you have any dark hearted mates?

[mhill]

I have a mate who, despite his very best of intentions, has a dark heart when it comes to the Tigers.
His heart is black at the best of times but when it comes to the Tigers his memories pre 2017 continue to overcome his view of this juggernaut of our team.
His prediction for the Doggies game?

“They will pump us”

And

“20+
It’s a pretty weak side we’ve picked”

I told him that I thought we’d win - that the “bogey side” angle was overplayed given most games were pretty close except for last year and that they’re a pretty flaky side.

We, on the other hand, are super reliable when it matters and last night it mattered.

My response was some hard love

“You’re probably going to hate this but I reckon you’re dark heart is interfering in the joy.
The facts are this:-
We are in the middle of the best era you are going to see ... probably in your lifetime.
The team have earnt the right to be admired and for us to be optimistic as to what they can achieve.
Even if it doesn’t happen.
I’d rather work back from their best than worry about their worst.
I leave the negative s**t to the media.
Your worry is about losing, mine is looking forward to how we can win.
I’ll take being wrong with that attitude than being affirmed for being right if we lose.
It’s the whole point of following a footy team and I’ve been waiting nearly 40 years for it.”

what are your thoughts?
Is he right, was I too harsh or
Should he wake TF up and start enjoying the era each week?

 

[Bojangles17]

It won’t surprise anyone when I say ,,,,,,NO

 

[Meteoric Rise]

I have a mate who, despite his very best of intentions, has a dark heart when it comes to the Tigers.
His heart is black at the best of times but when it comes to the Tigers his memories pre 2017 continue to overcome his view of this juggernaut of our team.
His prediction for the Doggies game?

“They will pump us”

And

“20+
It’s a pretty weak side we’ve picked”

I told him that I thought we’d win - that the “bogey side” angle was overplayed given most games were pretty close except for last year and that they’re a pretty flaky side.

We, on the other hand, are super reliable when it matters and last night it mattered.

My response was some hard love

“You’re probably going to hate this but I reckon you’re dark heart is interfering in the joy.
The facts are this:-
We are in the middle of the best era you are going to see ... probably in your lifetime.
The team have earnt the right to be admired and for us to be optimistic as to what they can achieve.
Even if it doesn’t happen.
I’d rather work back from their best than worry about their worst.
I leave the negative sh*t to the media.
Your worry is about losing, mine is looking forward to how we can win.
I’ll take being wrong with that attitude than being affirmed for being right if we lose.
It’s the whole point of following a footy team and I’ve been waiting nearly 40 years for it.”

what are your thoughts?
Is he right, was I too harsh or
Should he wake TF up and start enjoying the era each week?

So what you are saying is you and Mopsy are mates then....?

 

[peterbuch74]

Not harsh at all... I'm loving this era.
Would much rather this now knowing that each and every week we are a ripping good chance of winning. Compared to eras gone by where the best we could hope for was an honourable effort and a glimmer of hope from someone.
Sometimes people need to be told to "smell the roses" every now and then

 

[Sir_Loin]

I have a mate who, despite his very best of intentions, has a dark heart when it comes to the Tigers.
His heart is black at the best of times but when it comes to the Tigers his memories pre 2017 continue to overcome his view of this juggernaut of our team.
His prediction for the Doggies game?

“They will pump us”

And

“20+
It’s a pretty weak side we’ve picked”

I told him that I thought we’d win - that the “bogey side” angle was overplayed given most games were pretty close except for last year and that they’re a pretty flaky side.

We, on the other hand, are super reliable when it matters and last night it mattered.

My response was some hard love

“You’re probably going to hate this but I reckon you’re dark heart is interfering in the joy.
The facts are this:-
We are in the middle of the best era you are going to see ... probably in your lifetime.
The team have earnt the right to be admired and for us to be optimistic as to what they can achieve.
Even if it doesn’t happen.
I’d rather work back from their best than worry about their worst.
I leave the negative sh*t to the media.
Your worry is about losing, mine is looking forward to how we can win.
I’ll take being wrong with that attitude than being affirmed for being right if we lose.
It’s the whole point of following a footy team and I’ve been waiting nearly 40 years for it.”

what are your thoughts?
Is he right, was I too harsh or
Should he wake TF up and start enjoying the era each week?

Fair call on the dish lickers they have a good record against us.

maybe it’s 30 years of pain but I’ve never been “yeah we will walk over them” at any time. Except for the granny last year.

good thing is when we lose it’s like “yeah knew it” But when we win it’s like Christmas hehe

 

[JR82]

Have a couple that are all over a Richmond loss but never hear anything after a win. It shows us winning eats away at them. They are either cats or Hawks fans & both think thier era's are still well & truly alive tho i think the Hawks contingent have woken up to thier new reality.

 

[Madtiger2006]

Slap him.
Dont need a downer supporter at the best of times. He will only get worse soon when we aren’t the power we are now lol

 

[mhill]

Have a couple that are all over a Richmond loss but never hear anything after a win. It shows us winning eats away at them. They are either cats or Hawks fans & both think thier era's are still well & truly alive tho i think the Hawks contingent have woken up to thier new reality.

See, that mentality is the torment. They can’t shake that habit of thinking “false dawn” after every loss because there were so many false dawns.
It has become a conditioning thing, a trickery of the mind that despite 2 flags, 6 finals campaigns in the last 7 years and a win/loss of 70% in the past 3 and a half years there is still, somehow something wrong with the team and the club....

 

[SunshineBoy]

I’m looking for a dark headed woman..........

 

[Dr Tigris]

I sometimes get like that. Then I realise what we've done, finalists for 6/7 years (2016 was dire). 2/3 premierships. A team with amazing depth, great management and a bright future. And best of all our best in 20202 could/should win another flag.

Then I'm glass 2/3 full, maybe 95% full.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

I’m looking for a dark headed woman..........

You smooth operator...

 

[RunningBounce]

Is he right, was I too harsh or
Should he wake TF up and start enjoying the era each week?

You certainly weren't wrong. But people are weird. They sometimes take great pleasure out of things that don't look like much fun.

I have dark hearted supporters in my family. I've heard them many times, talking about their team: "if they were dogs, you wouldn't feed 'em!" Sometimes after a win. Sometimes in a premiership year. A Collingwood supporter, who has been watching football since the 60s, repeatedly tells me that Steele Sidebottom is the worst player his ever seen... (I ask "have you see Billy Gowers this year?")

There's a certain melancholy warmth that comes from a good wallow, I guess. Maybe your mate kinda enjoys it. Like those posters that tell us that premiership players are soft.

 

[Mr Unbelievable]

So what you are saying is you and Mopsy are mates then....?

******* GOLD !!!

 

[SunshineBoy]

You smooth operator...

Well it was go be be a hard headed woman but dark sounded better

 

[juss]

I'm probably still a bit pessimistic and reluctant to be too hopeful. Mainly because of all the times I was burnt between 1990-2016 by this club, there's a lot of memories that still make me fearful..... then when we are out of form, I look at the list and there's quite a few players you look at and wonder how have we won so many games?

But OP is right, it probably is detrimental to my enjoyment of what will be the best era of my footy supporting life.

 

[_Wang_]

I am that mate, sorry guys

 

[k31th]

I am that mate, sorry guys

at least you fluctuate a little between ECO and ECI not like the OP's mate haha

 

[tora tora tora]

Enduring season 2016 turned me into a zen master, zero expectations. I thought the club would sack Dimma and my enjoyment would be watching young early round draft picks. Aside from the brilliant recruiting off and on the field what the team started to do was not race out to huge early leads but eventually lose, we started slow, eased into games and learnt how to finish strongly. To cap it off with one flag would have been insane but to get 2 flags, and be competitive again this year, sometimes with a long list of outs. Now we are seeing the young, under 30(games) brigade play such good Richmondy footy and smash a bogey team like the dogs. And basically not have a poor performance out of any player. Gawd, if you can't find pleasure in that.no pleasing you. Icing on the cake is its all happening 1 hour drive away

 

[JR82]

See, that mentality is the torment. They can’t shake that habit of thinking “false dawn” after every loss because there were so many false dawns.
It has become a conditioning thing, a trickery of the mind that despite 2 flags, 6 finals campaigns in the last 7 years and a win/loss of 70% in the past 3 and a half years there is still, somehow something wrong with the team and the club....

In some cases they need to look in the mirror to find the new laughing stock. As for the ppl i mentioned a part of it is that they think with us out of the picture they are a chance. It's amusing being written off then watching them go into hiding when we go above them on the ladder, if we are gone then they are absolutely gone!

 

[JR82]

I'm probably still a bit pessimistic and reluctant to be too hopeful. Mainly because of all the times I was burnt between 1990-2016 by this club, there's a lot of memories that still make me fearful..... then when we are out of form, I look at the list and there's quite a few players you look at and wonder how have we won so many games?

But OP is right, it probably is detrimental to my enjoyment of what will be the best era of my footy supporting life.

How i get around that is by looking at the last 3 yrs they have given us, during our 2 flag yrs we had form slumps & got back from that. We have tremendous upside & i trust them now much more than i used to.

 

[WATiger86]

My mates in the punting club all hang s**t on me for always suggesting we punt on whoever is playing Richmond

 

[Cotcho]

I still think we will lose each week lol

 

[Tiges1229]

we are gonna loose.

 

[k31th]

My mates in the punting club all hang sh*t on me for always suggesting we punt on whoever is playing Richmond

they must hate you if they actually do bet against Richmond

 

[mhill]

I still think we will lose each week lol

Why?
If you look at it statistically, the probability is that we will win 3 times out of 4 so isn’t it better to assume a win?
The disappointment of being disappointed one week will more than likely be resolved a week later with a couple of wins?
2009 was the commencement of my dark heart.
Prior to that, I always had hope by Thursday.
It took until the flag for me to overcome this darkness.
Even in 2017, the Freo game, the bloody Giants game and, of course, that trip to the Cattery denied me true hope until Butler kicked that goal in the last quarter. From the moment, those 22 immortals changed my outlook.
And Buddy, they should have changed yours too!!!!!!