I'm American and want to know more!

[Joel]

Dan24 do u have a ****ing LIFE?

I dunno where you finished in 1996 simply because U cant remember but that may have had something to do with crowd numbers in 1997! Did u think of that? Just **** of with your *** little stats, who lame loner!

 

[Joel]

I'll send in intelligent posts when it is warranted. I wonder do you ever speak of your onfield performances, or just send in your statistics every post on how many members, how many came to a game, how many members, how many reserved seats there are at Colonscopy stadium, how loyal your fans and players are, I mean it goes on! But is any of it to do with onfield performances? I mean you "barrack" for the best team in the competetion at the moment but do you ever speak about the actual games? I think if you do then you would you would receive a more rational response! I'm sure if my team was travelling (although we are) along as nicely as you guys are then I would be talking of onfielf performances!

 

[Dan26]

Joel,

I talk a lot about Essendon matches. just go to Bomber Talk on the Essendon Football Club website.

At the moment, with so many Bomber fans on this BigFooty site, there is not a lot of merit talking about the teams last match, as everything has already been said.

If I have something diferent, or interesting to mention, I will. Suffice to say, an expected, uninspiring 43 point win over Ricmond, with no injuries, or major highlights doesn't leave a great amount to comment on, does it.

I will comment when it warrants it, mate. Not just for the sake of it.

 

[Pessimistic]

If we are in the business of recomending teams, let me suggest Hawthorn, the greatest club in living memory (or since Film/TV was invented)

-The Official Greatest Player ever - Lee Matthews - who went on to coach collingwood to a flag - probably about as hard as winning 3 in a row with another team

-The unnofficial Greatest ever - Dermott Brereton - dominant from 1985 to 1991

-The most decorated player ever - Michael Tuck - 7 premierships and 4 hundred odd games

-7 of the current 16 coaches played for Hawthorn, a staggering 6 from the one Grand final team. Countless others have been coaches, were/are in the media. So much so that if they were taken out, a huge hole would be left behind

Seven Grand finals in a row for four Premierships

Nine Premierships in thirty years - Equaled only by Carlton


Even the '90s, a bad decade for Hawthorn, boasts One day premiership, Three Night Premierships and one Brownlow
-Three of the greatest goal kickers in the last three decades


On another issue, there has been discussion on the crowd size for the Essendon v Port game, It was a 'special' occasion. Yet the biggest two melbourne attendances for a Port game were:
1) Port Adelaide's first AFL game, some 50-odd thousand agaonst Collingwood
2) 1998 ansett cup GF (last at waverley) nearly 50,000 mostly Hawthorn fans - but I can't be sure, most had gone home when Port Kicked their first goal

Arguably the biggest turnout ever for a H&A Game with an interstate team (Ok so it was sydney) nearly 80,000 at waverley Round 22 of 1999

 

[-TotalFooty2000-]

Pessimistic, that is a very cheap shot at Collingwood, even more so since we kicked you back to Glenferrie last Monday. And season 2000 is not looking good for the Hawkers.

Kate, if you are still following this topic, there is a writer from the New York Times (John/Jim Bacon) who was assigned down here to check out the progress of the Sydney Olympics. He became attached to Australian football, and he will be publishing some articles in the NY Times soon. www.thenewyorktimes.com - you will need to sign up.

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BFN TF2K.
http://go.to/totalfooty2000
http://members.xoom.com/Total_Footy

 

[Jaffa]

I don't think that was a cheap shot at Collingwood at all. I reckon it is harder to win a flag at Collingwood than any other club. Simply because of all the internal and external bullshit that goes along with the club.

Only the best coaches can make Collingwood successful. That is why I'm happy Malthouse is there. He won't put up with any bullshit from people who aren't relevant. Be it past players, idiot supporters or the media.

 

[Bradley]

Hi Kate,
in case you hadn't noticed, football in Australia envokes passion in it's supporters unlike any other game played here. Even that would cause debate, but certainly not on this board. Supporters will argue until they choke for the loyalty of their chosen club. Just look at all the crap debate your question formed. I think you get the idea.

AFL is the extension of the old VFL and incorporates several interstate clubs which started forming in the early 1980's ( firstly with the swans):

The sydney swans, were originally south melbourne and relocated because of debt and poor crowds. The brisbane bears (1987), who later merged with Fitzroy (another debt laden club) and became the Brisbane Lions (end 1996). The West coast eagles (1987), The Adelaide crows (91),Fremantle dockers(95?) (WA again)and the Port Adelaide Power (delayed till '97 because fiztroy refused to die) are all new clubs and have had no previous history until they joined this league, except in their respective local comps.

Football is loved the most by the vics, south aussies and sandgropers (WA), but has had grudging acceptance by NSW and Queensland who for some unknown reason like rugby league a lot more. But their is no excuse for bad taste!

What specifically do you want to know, I will help if I can.

 

[Joel]

Sorry Dan24 I fel like being an arsehole the other day! BUT you stats to get a little repetitive!

 

[Dan26]

Pessimistic.

A couple of things :

First, of all, it is NOT harder to win a premiership at Collingoowd than any other club. They have won 14 flags. Only two clubs have won more.

Sure they havn't won man in the last 50 years, but how unlucky have they been !! If they had sneaked over the line in just one or two of those closelosses they had, you wouldn't even have said what you said

Premiership success is hardest to acheive at clubs with a losing culture. Eg St.Kilda, Bulldogs, etc.

Collingwood have a winning culture. 14 flags. Even when they havn't won flags, they have been very competitive, and nearly won a few more.

I appreciate your passion for Hawthorn, but it may have clouded your thinking.

Leigh matthews may have been one of, if not the greatest player of all time. Players don't make a club. A "team" makes a club.

You may have noticed that Collingwood (who I despise by the way) did not have one player in the AFL team of the century in 1996. Yet, despite this, no one would deny Collingwood, as one of the major couple of clubs in Australia. Certainly mauch more so than little old Hawthorn !!

The Hawks-Sydney crowd at Waverley of 72,000 was only achieved becasue it was the last home and away game at Waverley.

The best way to look at crowds is to look at the BIG picture. Namely, Essendon averages about a million per season, while Hawthorn, is lucky to get half that. Perhaps the Hawks may push towards 600,000.

Also, one great era doesn't make a history. So, since 1971, the Hawks won 8 flags. Impressive. What did they do before that ? Only one flag.

Hawthorn hold the dubious distinction of taking 32 years (the longest on record) to make the finals. The didn't make the finals until 1957.

Essendon on the other hand have made the finals more times, won more flags, and made more Grand Finals than any other club from 1940 onwards. We hold every team record in that period

Taking into account our WHOLE history, we are one flag behind Carlton.

That will change in 2000

 

[madswan]

BRADLEY......The ratings for televised swans games are now much higher than any league games in Sydney.(except for state of origin).
And how many 30,000+ attendances will there be at rugby league home and away fixtures in Sydney this year.....i guarantee it will be very few.
AFL is alive and well in Sydney and growing stronger every year.

 

[Pessimistic]

Dan24

Sorry the point I wanted to make was that while the Crowd v sydney mainly because of a 'special occasion' but wasn't the first game at colonial also a special occasion ? I do think, however that the lack of a full house at Essendon v Port was due to general disenchantment with AFL, Early season, Saturday night etc rather than Essendon Crowd related. I must tell you that my phone number is one digit different to the Essendon hotline and I got a message left the other night from an essendon supporter who said 'that's it boys, you've lost me' so there is disenchantment. Of the 21,000 at the carlton Hawthorn game only 500 or so Hawks supporters bothered to turn up. Was it the delayed telecast ? The early start ? Or a boycott of Optus Oval ? Who knows.

Apologies to Collingwood fans, my cheap shot probably deflected from my message. But you guys did celebrate like 3 flags back in 1990.
I was trying to underline that Lee Matthews is a really good coach, and there was tremendous self-doubt to overcome when collingwood won the flag.
It's well known that the post 1950's Hawthorn was modelled on the Collingwood Club of the time. That's why we have stripes also.

 

[Jaffa]

The point I was trying to make was that it was hard to win a premiership at Collingwood because of unhealthy internal and external influences. As Dan24 rightly pointed out, it is harder to win a flag at clubs with losing cultures like StKilda.

My main point with Collingwood was the inbred nature of the club and its perchant for living in the past. I don't think it was a coincidence that we won our first flag in 32 years after we brought in someone from another club (a successful club) and McAllister gave him a free reign. Matthews changed the culture of the Collingwood footy club. As Sheedy did at Essendon. Where were they pre-1981. Only the strongest characters can change the culture of a club.

The problem Collingwood had after Matthews left was that under the Rose Administration we went straight back to the inbred culture. Now that Ed has come in, and with Malthouse on board, we shouldn't have that problem anymore. Hopefully.

I think the role of a coach is greatly underestimated. Look what happened at North when Pagan took over. The first thing a football club has to do to be successful is get a good coach.

 

[Arch]

looks like I may be partly responsible (along with Shinboner)for starting Dan up again. my apoligies posters.
However, I think you guys just get pissed off with him because he has a habit of proving you wrong - more often than not - and he adds a little Bomber spice in there too, just fire yez up.
Dan- you couldnt post up the total crowd figures (i think for 98 or whichever year you had), as be interested to see them (or alternatively if you cld email them to me to save space here)wld be muchly appreciated ?????????
PS- CANT WAIT FOR SUNDAY NIGHT!!!!! MY ONE GAME OF THE YEAR !!!!!!! WOOO HOOO.

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BOMBERS REIGN SUPREME.