RichotheGreat
Senior List
i dont know if anyone has read this before, but i stumbled along it while looking up my beloved tigers.
The rollercoaster of the emotional
Richmond fans typify the famous quote: "Football isn't a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that". So seriously do Richmond fans take their football, the club is prone to extremes of popularity. In the good times, it ranks alongside Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon as one of Melbourne's "big four". In bad times, Richmond fans desert the club as they are unable to cope with the stress of losing. Their popularity subsequently ranks alongside the likes of North Melbourne.
Finals are over-rated
Tiger fans are notoriously demanding. Arguably they are also the most incapable of coming to terms with losing. They are not like St Kilda fans who see losing as somewhat part of their identity, or Sydney fans who will be unfazed and find another form of entertainment, or Collingwood fans who will be disappointed by still struggle onwards. No, for Richmond fans, defeat is a cut that is almost too difficult to bear. To deal with this psychological turmoil, some fans take proactive action such demanding the removal of the coach's head. In 1981, the need to placate fans led to the sacking of coach Tony Jewell. This was quite a hasty move considering that he had coached the club to a premiership the year before. The club did the same with Francis Bourke in 1983 after he coached them to a grand final in the previous year. In 2001, another proactive fan tried to remedy Richmond's poor start to the season by dumping a load of chicken manure on the club's doorstep. Countless others tore up their memberships and posted them back to the club as their way of motivating their beloved Tigers.
Of those who can't take such affirmative action, alternative strategies are used to deal with their frustration. To their credit, this rarely involves changing allegiances or going to watch a successful VFA team (ala Port Adelaide supporters.) No, Richmond fans often stop watching football altogether. When quizzed, they don't deny that they were once Richmond fans nor do they deny that Richmond meant to the world to them. They simply say things like they "have lost interest in football due to the AFL administration making it a farce
Of course this is somewhat of a lie. In reality, the Tiger fans are gazing upon the AFL from the fringes, keeping one eye on the results whilst pretending not to care. Then once the Tigers start winning again, they pounce back into the fray; cheering like the fans of old. This tendency to disappear only to roar back into life often has the club being labelled the "sleeping giant of the AFL.
The seeds of Richmond's culture were sewn in 1921 when the club changed its name from the "yellow and black angels" to the "Tigers". The ferocity of its new moniker inspired the catch cry "eat'em alive". It was a brutal cry that compelled players to make no apologise for their methods and let nothing stand in the way of victory.http://www.convictcreations.com/football/richmond.htm
thought that snippet was interesting and shows just how passionate we really are about our club because the club means the world to me as im sure it does to some of you guys as well.
The rollercoaster of the emotional
Richmond fans typify the famous quote: "Football isn't a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that". So seriously do Richmond fans take their football, the club is prone to extremes of popularity. In the good times, it ranks alongside Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon as one of Melbourne's "big four". In bad times, Richmond fans desert the club as they are unable to cope with the stress of losing. Their popularity subsequently ranks alongside the likes of North Melbourne.
Finals are over-rated
Tiger fans are notoriously demanding. Arguably they are also the most incapable of coming to terms with losing. They are not like St Kilda fans who see losing as somewhat part of their identity, or Sydney fans who will be unfazed and find another form of entertainment, or Collingwood fans who will be disappointed by still struggle onwards. No, for Richmond fans, defeat is a cut that is almost too difficult to bear. To deal with this psychological turmoil, some fans take proactive action such demanding the removal of the coach's head. In 1981, the need to placate fans led to the sacking of coach Tony Jewell. This was quite a hasty move considering that he had coached the club to a premiership the year before. The club did the same with Francis Bourke in 1983 after he coached them to a grand final in the previous year. In 2001, another proactive fan tried to remedy Richmond's poor start to the season by dumping a load of chicken manure on the club's doorstep. Countless others tore up their memberships and posted them back to the club as their way of motivating their beloved Tigers.
Of those who can't take such affirmative action, alternative strategies are used to deal with their frustration. To their credit, this rarely involves changing allegiances or going to watch a successful VFA team (ala Port Adelaide supporters.) No, Richmond fans often stop watching football altogether. When quizzed, they don't deny that they were once Richmond fans nor do they deny that Richmond meant to the world to them. They simply say things like they "have lost interest in football due to the AFL administration making it a farce
Of course this is somewhat of a lie. In reality, the Tiger fans are gazing upon the AFL from the fringes, keeping one eye on the results whilst pretending not to care. Then once the Tigers start winning again, they pounce back into the fray; cheering like the fans of old. This tendency to disappear only to roar back into life often has the club being labelled the "sleeping giant of the AFL.
The seeds of Richmond's culture were sewn in 1921 when the club changed its name from the "yellow and black angels" to the "Tigers". The ferocity of its new moniker inspired the catch cry "eat'em alive". It was a brutal cry that compelled players to make no apologise for their methods and let nothing stand in the way of victory.http://www.convictcreations.com/football/richmond.htm
thought that snippet was interesting and shows just how passionate we really are about our club because the club means the world to me as im sure it does to some of you guys as well.
