Richo is no good and must go.

[Croat tiger]

man, i am tipping you werent around when Rainsey was partying, purely by the fact that i can count the number of times Rainsey hit chests with his kicks, on on hand. He did pump it long though, to the waiting group of Roach, Cloke, Green, you name it we had it waiting for the Rainsey bomb.
As for Robert Wiley, well, can count the number of times he had to hit chests with his kicks, seeing his job was to kick goals when he got it.
Also we kind of had a few pretty decent ruckmen that got the ball to our players back then. You know which ones? the ones that didnt need 5 year contracts.

well those blokes must have hit the chest a lot more times than the current day players hence the 1980 premiership and 1982 grand final appearance,btw I almost forgot a silky smooth player by the name of maurice rioli.now your'e not going to me he didn't hit a few chests in his time.

 

[CoggaRules]

well those blokes must have hit the chest a lot more times than the current day players
hence the 1980 premiership and 1982 grand final appearance,btw I almost forgot a silky smooth player by the name maurice rioli.now your not going to me he didn't hit a few chest in his time.

you have gone fishing now my man. Yeah maurice could hit chests, the problem for him was that there were no chests to hit. Our forwards were brought up with the "long out of the center" culture, and when Maurice entered the fray they didnt have a clue what was required to make the space on the lead.
The other thing that was very apparent, in those years, that you seem to lose sight of, is that our forwards didnt need to take a million marks to kick a bag, do you know why? have a wild guess?

 

[Croat tiger]

you have gone fishing now my man. Yeah maurice could hit chests, the problem for him was that there were no chests to hit. Our forwards were brought up with the "long out of the center" culture, and when Maurice entered the fray they didnt have a clue what was required to make the space on the lead.
The other thing that was very apparent, in those years, that you seem to lose sight of, is that our forwards didnt need to take a million marks to kick a bag, do you know why? have a wild guess?

Are you talking about hungry?.

 

[CoggaRules]

Are you talking about hungry?.

naaa i am talking about "accuracy", do you know him? if you do, give him Richo's number.

 

[Croat tiger]

naaa i am talking about "accuracy", do you know him? if you do, give him Richo's number.

yeah we were accurate but then again we were a "skilled" side in those days unlike these days.

 

[CoggaRules]

yeah we were accurate but then again we were a "skilled" side in those days unlike these days.

yeah, but kicking is a vital skill in a game isnt it and we have hung our hopes on someone that cant do that, he can catch but he cant kick.
Listen man, my kids both had the 12 on their backs, been in a few altercations with opposition fans, backing Richo man up. All i am saying is its time to change the page, cleant he slate, form a new plan without the Richo factor, in front of the sticks.
Heck, i have been saying it for the last few years, put him at CHB, let him face the play, let him be the one spoiling, nothing would get passed him, with his athletic ability, no CHF would have been bigger than him,he would have been a super star at CHB, even with his sh-ite kicking skills. But naaa, FF was all the braniacs could come up with at tigerland.

 

[Croat tiger]

yeah, but kicking is a vital skill in a game isnt it and we have hung our hopes on someone that cant do that, he can catch but he cant kick.
Listen man, my kids both had the 12 on their backs, been in a few altercations with opposition fans, backing Richo man up. All i am saying is its time to change the page, cleant he slate, form a new plan without the Richo factor, in front of the sticks.
Heck, i have been saying it for the last few years, put him at CHB, let him face the play, let him be the one spoiling, nothing would get passed him, with his athletic ability, no CHF would have been bigger than him,he would have been a super star at CHB, even with his sh-ite kicking skills. But naaa, FF was all the braniacs could come up with at tigerland.

you reckon,I kind of like him in the square like a couple years ago because he's a strong bloke but wish we had a good midfielder that could bomb it to him and I'd really like to see cleve hughes get a game around chf because he reminds me of a young dermie.

 

[oxx]

I know how it feels, being a Carlton supporter, and especially seeing you ramble destroy our rabble last year, but Richo is really bad, and I think the sooner you guys realise that the better. Richmond need to re-structure their forward set-up, or Richo needs to become more accountable. Wallace should stop playing his hype-hype-hype game and start instilling some working-class accountability into a guy like him, as well as a few of your other regular under-performers like Rodan, Tambling, Krakouer, Schultz, Stafford, Tivendale..I guess you know the rest..

Its glaringly obvious to some Shlomo.

btw, I remember Shlomo Glickstein.lmao.

 

[ShlomoGlickstein]

Its glaringly obvious to some Shlomo.

btw, I remember Shlomo Glickstein.lmao.

Heh, well he was one of Israel's greatest sporting heroes in a country full of military heroes! But I think Richo should just play as a 'link' or loose player as he gets double and tripled up each week. Dunno what yr supporters are complaining about lack of midfielders when you have Coughlan, Tuck and Delidio working quite nicely, but limited striking options. Wallace must get more mileage outta Simmonds and Knob-el and likewise swing Brown back to a midfielder role. But I think it's early days yet, and Brown is too good a footballer to stuff up, he'll come good in a coupla and swing back the penulum a bit.

I mean for a few weeks last year yr forward line looked as good as Stinkilda's, especially against us in that horrorful game, but you guys came unstuck worse than a Uhu-glue stick, and yr forward options for the future are looking pretty ******** awful unless Wallace makes more use of what he's got and improves the work-rate of yr team (and Wallace has never been a 'workrate' type coach, maybe he should learn of Eade), coz honestly you looked like a pack of lazy bums.

 

[Punt_Road_Roar]

Dunno what yr supporters are complaining about lack of midfielders when you have Coughlan, Tuck and Delidio working quite nicely, but limited striking options.

thats only 3 players, in this day an age you need a minimum of 6 players that rotate throughout a match. You cant leave it all upto 3 players to do all the work otherwise by years end they are rooted.

But I agree about the lazy tag because they didnt bother about being accountable for their direct opponents all night.

 

[1980]

well those blokes must have hit the chest a lot more times than the current day players hence the 1980 premiership and 1982 grand final appearance,btw I almost forgot a silky smooth player by the name of maurice rioli.now your'e not going to me he didn't hit a few chests in his time.

We had skillful players like Wiley, but we were not the league's most skillful side in those days. But we were by a long way the leagues toughest.

 

[1980]

well those blokes must have hit the chest a lot more times than the current day players hence the 1980 premiership and 1982 grand final appearance,btw I almost forgot a silky smooth player by the name of maurice rioli.now your'e not going to me he didn't hit a few chests in his time.

We had skillful players, but we were not the league's most skillful side in those days. But we were by a long way the leagues toughest.

 

[froars]

I know how it feels, being a Carlton supporter, and especially seeing you ramble destroy our rabble last year.

Just one comment, you wouldn't have a clue what it feels like. You have a couple of years of bad form and you think you're on a par with us who have suffered 25 years of bad form, the club nearly going into extinction, 5,000 coaches, bad recruiting, bad management, one bad headline after another in newspapers (because when it's bad at Richmond, it sells newspapers apparently).

Come back in another 20 years and tell me what it's like.

Richo may as well stay at the Tiges - he's untradeable, he luvs the club, the supporters apparently luv him (most of them), and i guess it would be nice to see all the effort he makes (even if he's not too successful most times) rewarded.

 

[Tyger]

Ahhh the seventies and early eighties. 20 blokes who were prepared to have a dip. A little bit of class and a truck load of mongrels. We went long, we contested every ball, we had more than forward option and we were feared. How times change. We have 22 blokes being paid a fortune for turning up, we go short and sideways and every opportunity, we have one forward option and we are the butt of everyones jokes.
Tigerboyz, do you remember Leon Cameron? Got sick of hitting blokes on the chest and the ball spilling out with surprise. I think he was putting it down Richo's throat up until quite recently. My classic Richo moment was the mark in the goal square 8 metres out directly n front, unopposed, turns, gives it a
fair roost and doesn't even score. This does alot for morale. Sadly, it's not an isolated incident. Something needs to be done quickly so that Deledio doesn't start looking for team success elsewhere.

 

[iamfooty]

I'm going to end this thread right now. Richo is the most exciting player in the AFL and the reality is 15 other teams in the competition would bend over backwards to get him in their side. It's time all those Richo critics shut their mouths or tear up their memberships because at the end of the day you get your money's worth watching him. He's big, strong, athletic and does more for his club than any other player. He was presented a special award for his work with kids last year. He may be enigmatic, but whenever he kicks one out on the full, just turn your eyes back to that game against the Western Bulldogs last year when he kicked 10 -- that's right, Richmond's midfield was actually giving him some decent delivery for a change. He is the standout player of the competition and this thread is a waste of time and space. Hail Richo

 

[tigerdan]

I'm going to end this thread right now. Richo is the most exciting player in the AFL and the reality is 15 other teams in the competition would bend over backwards to get him in their side.

You got it half right. Richo is the most *entertaining* player in the AFL. There is no player in the league who can do the impossibly good and impossibly bad in the same passage of play.

I think he encapsulates exactly what it is to be a Richmond supporter. Among the league's most feared but also among the league's most derided.

I became numb to him about 3 years ago. Prior to that I expected 100 goals a year. I expected 17 marks a match. Hell, I expected 10 goals a match! I used to peer through my fingers when he marked in the goalsquare and pull my hair out when he'd miss 10 seconds later. I'd cheer him on when he'd kick the impossible goal from 50 out and on the boundary line.

But one day I had an epiphany. I realised that Richo is not actually a member of the team. He's the 'human highlight package' created by the AFL. Think of him as the clown at the rodeo or the bimbo at the formula one. When Richo marks now I just calm down and smile. It's not a Richmond player having a shot at goal. It's like having your favourite episode of Get Smart appear on TV. I just sit back and get ready to laugh, regardless of whether he kicks goal of the year or into the man on the mark.

Long live Richo!

 

[GhostofJimJess]

You got it half right. Richo is the most *entertaining* player in the AFL. There is no player in the league who can do the impossibly good and impossibly bad in the same passage of play.

I think he encapsulates exactly what it is to be a Richmond supporter. Among the league's most feared but also among the league's most derided.

I became numb to him about 3 years ago. Prior to that I expected 100 goals a year. I expected 17 marks a match. Hell, I expected 10 goals a match! I used to peer through my fingers when he marked in the goalsquare and pull my hair out when he'd miss 10 seconds later. I'd cheer him on when he'd kick the impossible goal from 50 out and on the boundary line.

But one day I had an epiphany. I realised that Richo is not actually a member of the team. He's the 'human highlight package' created by the AFL. Think of him as the clown at the rodeo or the bimbo at the formula one. When Richo marks now I just calm down and smile. It's not a Richmond player having a shot at goal. It's like having your favourite episode of Get Smart appear on TV. I just sit back and get ready to laugh, regardless of whether he kicks goal of the year or into the man on the mark.

Long live Richo!

Lovely work, Dan.

He was simply not meant to play in a successful team. It would totally ruin his allure.

 

[cub]

65 goals = 4th in goal kicking last year is really bad is it.

Fukc me if the man had played in a decent side during his career he would go down as a legend of the game.

Because we have been so schit, opposition teams have been able to double / triple team him most of his career.

SLOW - I am pretty sure he is still right up there as one of the fastest at our club.

More accountable - How many Richmond games have you watched - the man never stops trying, busts his ars week in week out.

True Friday nights effort in surrender and a few of his tanties over the years have done his image no good, BUT the media and most of the tossers on here focus on those things and not all the great things he has done over the years.
Sort of like the morons here that label richmond supporters spitters because of one numnut.

My opinion is Richo is still up there with the best going around and will and deserves to be at Richmond for at least the next 4 years under Wallace - whatever position he ends up playing.

People seem to forget 3 - 4 years is a LONG time in footy, Brisbane went from laughing stock spooners to a threepeat in that amount of time. The kids will take time and need Richo types around while they learn.

Wallace has had ONE year so far to fix a rabble - can't expect miracles straight away.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

you guys must be crazy to call for Richo's head, his problem is one of delivery into yor forward line, because on friday night your field kicking skills moving forward were ordinary to say the least, with the amount of turnovers created coming out of defence and the mid-field.

if the tables were turned and he had some of the delivery that the dogs had he would still be a 70+ goal full/half forward. just think how many goals he could kick with Lindsay Gilbee delivering it lace out.

hope things turn around quickly for the Tiges.

 

[Bentleigh]

I know how it feels, being a Carlton supporter, and especially seeing you ramble destroy our rabble last year, but Richo is really bad, and I think the sooner you guys realise that the better. Richmond need to re-structure their forward set-up, or Richo needs to become more accountable. Wallace should stop playing his hype-hype-hype game and start instilling some working-class accountability into a guy like him, as well as a few of your other regular under-performers like Rodan, Tambling, Krakouer, Schultz, Stafford, Tivendale..I guess you know the rest..

Spot on

 

[jackson_rules]

Spot on

clearly he is not spot on moron

 

[Mcchawk]

I like Richo, i rate him highly but I have a few quams on him. First of all if played at CHF I'd like to see him play a more traditional role, feeding the ball when he's against 3 opponents to some of your very good on ball brigade. Yeah he's getting old in the tooth but he still knows where the ball is going to go and what is required to free up his own man for an uncontested accurate pass further into the forward line. Secondly is his kicking for goal, my God something needs to be done their.

What did you guys think of him playing down back? Do you think it can work?

I know my team won our first game and I don't want to sound like a know all but I honestly don't mind watching Richmond you've got some great players.

 

[julzqld]

Here we go again. Every time we lose Richo cops a bagging. Funny how no-one bagged him the other week when he was BOG against the Swans. Oh that's right - it was only a practice match. As someone on OER said, Riewoldt had a shocker but no-one bags him like they bag Richo. Nathan Buckley abuses the snot out of his players but how many threads are written about his dummy spits and how he is past it.

What's even funnier is the support coming from opposition supporters. For that I thank you. Tiger supporters should be ashamed of themselves for such "support" towards a true servant of the club. If only half the team showed such emotion and tried their hearts out week in week out, maybe we'd be more successful. So he didn't get any goals this week but who else really did apart from Simmo.

 

[Weaver]

if the tables were turned and he had some of the delivery that the dogs had he would still be a 70+ goal full/half forward. just think how many goals he could kick with Lindsay Gilbee delivering it lace out.

We've had this debate over and over and over again. Even Gilbee couldn't hit Richo on the chest with him leading early, wide or not at all. Even if he could there is every chance that Richo would be 60m out with his butt-cheeks on the fence. If Richo lead in the corridor even Hyde could hit him.

Richo is one of the greatest HFFers the game has seen. He plays exactly the same style of game as Russell Robertson or Paul Medhurst but is 10-times better at it. Our problem is that because of his height he has always been miscast as a FF or CHF which is a position that he has never learnt to play well ... well in the sense of bringing structure and predictability to the forward-50 so that the midfielders and fellow forwards can benefit.

How can Krakouer rove to a guy who himself doesn't know where he is going to go? Krakouer basically has to shut his eyes and guess where the next crumb might come from.

Richo will play out his time and then we will begin to build a forward line out of less talented blokes (eg Adelaide with Welsh, Hentschel, Perrie and co) but that will be better for us long-term. We can begin to have a forward line where they use the space well, block for each other, clear room for each othe and offer dummy leads.

You can have a one-man forward line when that one-man is Barry Hall working the corridor and presenting in front. You can't have a one-man forward line when that forward is Tarrant leading to positions outside the 50 and on the boundary line. You can't have a one-man forward line when your only forward is a HFF who happens to be taller than most.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

Here we go again. Every time we lose Richo cops a bagging. Funny how no-one bagged him the other week when he was BOG against the Swans. Oh that's right - it was only a practice match. As someone on OER said, Riewoldt had a shocker but no-one bags him like they bag Richo. Nathan Buckley abuses the snot out of his players but how many threads are written about his dummy spits and how he is past it.

What's even funnier is the support coming from opposition supporters. For that I thank you. Tiger supporters should be ashamed of themselves for such "support" towards a true servant of the club. If only half the team showed such emotion and tried their hearts out week in week out, maybe we'd be more successful. So he didn't get any goals this week but who else really did apart from Simmo.

Okay, here's the situation as I see it, and pretty much as I have seen it over the last handful of years, with respect to Richo and Richmond.

We love Richo, and an overwhelming majority of us think he's actually a pretty damn good player. In addition to this, most of the time it seems pretty evident that he is giving his all, even if that enthusiasm sometimes manifests itself in overt disappointment in his body language and the occasional brain-fade on the footy ground.

Notwithstanding this, I have been a reasonably vocal proponent of the 'Trade Richo' concept for one major reason - I could never envisage him being part of a Richmond Premiership team. That is not a slight on the man himself ... he's more than capable of being in the best 18 of the best team in the competition, and quite simply, any premiership team in history could have included a player of Richo's ability in it's starting lineup. So I hope that's cleared the air on how I rate him as a footy player.

The reason I see him as never being part of a Flag is that it is pretty clear Richo is nearing the end of his career. Pure unadulterated chronology will see to that. Unfortunately, Richo's retirement date has always seemed to be some time before the time lapse required to rebuild our club to the status of a potential Premiership unit. Therefore, the presence of Richo at Tigerland is effectively just marking time for the big fella.

Sure he plays the odd blinder, maybe even won a game off his own erratic boot on more than one occasion. And his presence as a ‘good bloke’ around the club is also clearly without question. But I don't see any reason - "true servant" or not - why Richo should have been forever immune to discussions of trade, and how we might improve our club and, more importantly, enhance our chances of Premiership success.

The fact of the matter is, Richo will never play in a Premiership at Tigerland. That has been fairly clear for quite a while now – there’s been hundreds of threads on this board over the last four years outlining how inadequate our playing list has been to accomplish such a task. So we should have traded him for early draft picks, ala Plugger and Spider from the Saints, and Carey from the Roos, when his currency was high.

We obviously can’t now. That horse has well and truly bolted, and we could never recover nowadays what Richo’s worth is by sticking around as a career player at Tigerland. We might as well embrace the idea that Richo will play out his career at Tigerland, and celebrate those exciting moments he has provided us with in that time.

As usual when this subject has come up over the last four years, I brace myself for the inevitable backlash from the Tiger fans – and bless their souls, because they honestly mean well and have the club close to their heart – who believe that Richo is an inherent part of the fabric at Tigerland, and would see flogging him off as something akin to selling the image of Captain Blood to Collingwood.

However, I am now resigned to keeping Richo until he hangs up his boots, but for a somewhat different reason to these people. As I see it, no other club would now offer us what we would need and deserve for him.