The Squib Strikes Back

[Markfs]

James Brayshaw has two claims to fame. First, he's the son my mother always wanted and second, he's President to a club that will provide the numbers for 9 games each week next year.

You would think that an ex-cricketer who never achieved any great heights in that game would be happy to take some easy-money for hosting a tv program that Eddie built up from scratch many years ago.

You would think that a guy who generally doesnt have an opinion about anything would keep his mouth shut and take all the help the AFL is currently giving his club...but no....he wants more....he wants to be given a premiership.

Evidently, he was complaining earlier today that Eddie and that idiot Kennett are fat cats because their clubs are winning and have more supporters. Brayshaw says that we'll all regret it if North fall down and go belly-up. Personally, I think it would be a good opportunity to kick them and the Power out of the League and improve the standard of play...

 

[Zahki]

It's funny because as the blowouts continue it's bringing one fact to the attention of the media and thats that there isn't enough talent in Australia to support an 18 team AFL. Too many average players are dragging the quality of the competition down and eventually something will break and some teams will have to be removed. It makes sense to remove teams from Melbourne, and those that struggle with their finances will be target #1. North are in the firing line and he knows it.

 

[Thommo 42]

North will be a powerhouse when they start playing 11 home games in Tassie

 

[domus]

It's funny because as the blowouts continue it's bringing one fact to the attention of the media and thats that there isn't enough talent in Australia to support an 18 team AFL. Too many average players are dragging the quality of the competition down and eventually something will break and some teams will have to be removed. It makes sense to remove teams from Melbourne, and those that struggle with their finances will be target #1. North are in the firing line and he knows it.

We have short memories. I loved Mark Fine's comments on SEN last night. St Kilda got flogged by over 100 points in the first three games of a season in the early 80's. The sky didn't fall in and they are still in the AFL. There were more games where the margin was above 50 points at halftime in a couple of recent seasons than in 2011.

He also mentioned the fact that we were all bemoaning the fact that we would never see high scoring games again because of flooding and defensive tactics. Now it's a flood of goals and a handful of massacres and the sky is falling once again. Take out the Gold coast and this season is pretty much on par with most other seasons.

 

[RuFiO]

Hawthorn and us had to dig ourselves out of a hole. It's not like the money just comes to us without working. Granted our large supporter base helps, but Eddie still had to put in the hard yards to get us to where we are today. Bloody sook, just cause his inept in dragging his club out of they're problems, the only other way is by dragging other clubs down to his club's level.

 

[Good_Old]

If the AFL is going to give the poor clubs such a big leg up by either curbing the other clubs expenditure on sports science, facilities etc, or handing out more money to the poorer clubs for the aforementioned things, then what incentive does that give the successful clubs?
I'd wan't to just roll over and rely solely on the AFL like the others, because what's the point of striving to make a rich club if you don't benefit from it?

 

[Zahki]

We have short memories. I loved Mark Fine's comments on SEN last night. St Kilda got flogged by over 100 points in the first three games of a season in the early 80's. The sky didn't fall in and they are still in the AFL. There were more games where the margin was above 50 points at halftime in a couple of recent seasons than in 2011.

He also mentioned the fact that we were all bemoaning the fact that we would never see high scoring games again because of flooding and defensive tactics. Now it's a flood of goals and a handful of massacres and the sky is falling once again. Take out the Gold coast and this season is pretty much on par with most other seasons.

Dunno what any of that has to do with the fact that I said there isn't enough talent in Australia to support 18 teams? There are already very, very average players getting games, thinning out the genuinely good players even further isn't going to help things. If St Kilda were booted out in 1980 I wouldn't care either. South Melbourne got moved to Sydney, Fitzroy merged with Brisbane, the world didn't stop spinning.

 

[morgues]

My question really goes out to all of my fellow Collingwood supporters:

When we were at the bottom of the pile, in strife, did the AFL hand us money? If they did, then this is kinda similar...as long as it has a finite amount of things to provide and requires some equally strong effort by North et al. The AFL cant prop them up if they are just going to squander it.

Did other clubs care about our situation? I bet they didn't. Bit before my time in terms of fanaticism and maturity to really have remembered.

RE: Brayshaw - he should just shut his mouth. Anyone got details on the deals that North/Pies have going at the moment? Be fascinated to know.

 

[mattys123]

I laughed hard at the comment;

"What do they want to do, play each other every week?" or something along those lines.

Yeah, like Carlton, Essendon, West Coast and a few other well run football clubs are ever going to go our of business you moron.

Brayshaw seriously must of been on the piss before that press conference, because he simply didn't make sense, even from a North point of view.

Blockbuster sharing? WTF? Yeah, let's allow North and Melbourne to play on ANZAC day next year, we can even play it down at Geelong seeing as that stadium holds about what the expected crowd would be.

 

[Old Spice]

We have short memories. I loved Mark Fine's comments on SEN last night. St Kilda got flogged by over 100 points in the first three games of a season in the early 80's. The sky didn't fall in and they are still in the AFL. There were more games where the margin was above 50 points at halftime in a couple of recent seasons than in 2011.

He also mentioned the fact that we were all bemoaning the fact that we would never see high scoring games again because of flooding and defensive tactics. Now it's a flood of goals and a handful of massacres and the sky is falling once again. Take out the Gold coast and this season is pretty much on par with most other seasons.

I agee with that, the blow outs are largely GC related.

I reckon we can easily support 18 teams. I think the blow outs are more related to the drive toward blooding youth for bottom teams.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

I'm pretty sure we lost to Fremantle by over 100 points a few years back. I don't think anyone thought the league was going to collapse, or that Collingwood ought to be given a golden handshake and 52 first-round draft picks, at that point in proceedings.

 

[BuckleysBrigade]

It's funny because as the blowouts continue it's bringing one fact to the attention of the media and thats that there isn't enough talent in Australia to support an 18 team AFL. Too many average players are dragging the quality of the competition down and eventually something will break and some teams will have to be removed. It makes sense to remove teams from Melbourne, and those that struggle with their finances will be target #1. North are in the firing line and he knows it.

I keep hearing this, and I have to say I completely disagree.
It's a load of codswallop IMO! It seems to me an easy answer peddled to the difficult question of how to balance the league; fairly standard theory of media-origin, really. Underthought and over-simplified.

And now for a blantant over-simplification myself, as dinner is ready:
1995 = 16th team, Australian population of 18mil
2011 = 18th team, Australian population of 22-23mil (guess we'll find out tonight!)... but you get the drift of where I'm going. Increased professionalism, participation, population, investment, standard of second-tier leagues, increasingly national game, more viewership, money etc MUST = more capable players!

There are enough good footballers to go around. Unfortunately for Brayshaw none of them play for the Kangas! I think their relocation to Tassie would be a wonderful thing, all emotive arguments aside.

I'd suggest it's more about maturity of bodies in teams 'bottoming out', increasingly rapid tactic changes (to which some coaches take a while to adjust), drafting tactics and plain luck etc etc... Swannie at pick #58 - I mean, MY GOD!

 

[Thommo 42]

My question really goes out to all of my fellow Collingwood supporters:

When we were at the bottom of the pile, in strife, did the AFL hand us money?

No.

Which is a fact Brayshaw doesn't seem to grasp when he comes up with his strawman arguments

 

[daics_35]

They will never be a respected AFL team aslong as they keep getting money from the AFL. Brayshaw is a peanut btw, why should they get better treatment for not runnign a club as they should. In the press he says about the hawks and us if we want a comp where we play eachother. Thats a stupid thing to say, I want a comp with that club not in it.

 

[morgues]

No.

Which is a fact Brayshaw doesn't seem to grasp when he comes up with his strawman arguments

Ok well if that is the case and we got a new administration with a focus on rebuilding the club to its current gargantuan proportions, then I honestly think North (and the other clubs that are struggling) need to have a look in the mirror. In many ways the resurgence of Collingwood over the last decade in terms of membership and crowd numbers has driven the AFL into creating a league that feeds so strongly from big-club success.

Yes, I want the clubs to be around. Yes, it was a smashing against Port, but I would have traded 100 of the winning margin to have beaten any other team. I have no gripe with Port as I respect their heritage. I just wish they had more fans turning up to games, as it is a blight on the league to see those horrible banners on the seats.

North need to understand that to be a success off-field, it requires more than just handouts and better management. It requires bums on seats. Yes, their stadium deal is shocking. Wish there was an easy answer to this. I guess if it was anyone other than Brayshaw having a whinge I could handle it.

 

[Old Spice]

My question really goes out to all of my fellow Collingwood supporters:

When we were at the bottom of the pile, in strife, did the AFL hand us money? If they did, then this is kinda similar...as long as it has a finite amount of things to provide and requires some equally strong effort by North et al. The AFL cant prop them up if they are just going to squander it.

Did other clubs care about our situation? I bet they didn't. Bit before my time in terms of fanaticism and maturity to really have remembered.

RE: Brayshaw - he should just shut his mouth. Anyone got details on the deals that North/Pies have going at the moment? Be fascinated to know.

As another post earlier this week showed, the previous AFL administration gave us donuts when we went cap in hand to them during our own financial crisis. We were offered 100k for selling a game in Sydney, in spite of a 1.7 mil debt. Eddie told them where to shove it.

There`s nothing wrong with financial assistance per se, but NM need a major revamp of their brand. Brad Scott`s continual junking of the shin-boner spirit is part of that, the other element is more banal and requires an aesthetic shift. Their colours, frankly, are shit.

 

[Zahki]

At least the people who founded the club didn't go on a bender and decide to make their colours brown and gold, compared to hawthorn North are positively blessed with their colour scheme.

 

[Old Spice]

At least the people who founded the club didn't go on a bender and decide to make their colours brown and gold, compared to hawthorn North are positively blessed with their colour scheme.

Yeah, but Hawthorn can always bank on yuppies. You cant bank on a shit shade of blue when the workers have all but deserted North Melbourne.

 

[Go_Brad_Dick]

Give em the money i say.. What else is demetrio gonna do with a billion bucks? More donuts?
Theres enough cash there to look after all the teams and then some, they need to stop hoarding it and paying bonuses to the ceo for everyone elses hard work.

 

[ozpie]

It's funny because as the blowouts continue it's bringing one fact to the attention of the media and thats that there isn't enough talent in Australia to support an 18 team AFL. Too many average players are dragging the quality of the competition down and eventually something will break and some teams will have to be removed. It makes sense to remove teams from Melbourne, and those that struggle with their finances will be target #1. North are in the firing line and he knows it.

I dont agree with this part of your statement....lets just say that the comp had 10 teams, the standard of those getting a game would be even higher, so is that the sollution?..cut down the amount of teams untill its only the superstars that are getting a game?.....and let me tell you something mate, i dont think anybody getting a game of AFL is an average player.

 

[morgues]

As another post earlier this week showed, the previous AFL administration gave us donuts when we went cap in hand to them during our own financial crisis. We were offered 100k for selling a game in Sydney, in spite of a 1.7 mil debt. Eddie told them where to shove it.

That is something I want to read more about. I need to get my hands on some great books about the history of our club as well as some that I would hope focus on the up of 1990 and the down of the following times. Any suggestions?

There`s nothing wrong with financial assistance per se, but NM need a major revamp of their brand. Brad Scott`s continual junking of the shin-boner spirit is part of that, the other element is more banal and requires an aesthetic shift.

Agreed!
North need to work, and work hard, on shifting their club as being the "poor old north" or "north are ok they are battlers" image.

 

[Pie eyed]

Brayshaw says that we'll all regret it if North fall down and go belly-up. Personally, I think it would be a good opportunity to kick them and the Power out of the League and improve the standard of play...

Personally I have no animosity to North, the club and hope it can survive.
That said I think Brayshaw simply uses the Presidency at North to further his wish to become/inhabit Eddie's body. He is driven by nothing but self interest.

We have short memories. I loved Mark Fine's comments on SEN last night. St Kilda got flogged by over 100 points in the first three games of a season in the early 80's. The sky didn't fall in and they are still in the AFL. There were more games where the margin was above 50 points at halftime in a couple of recent seasons than in 2011.

He also mentioned the fact that we were all bemoaning the fact that we would never see high scoring games again because of flooding and defensive tactics. Now it's a flood of goals and a handful of massacres and the sky is falling once again. Take out the Gold coast and this season is pretty much on par with most other seasons.

Have to agree. A total over-reaction to a few blowouts.

 

[Daics35Marvel]

That is something I want to read more about. I need to get my hands on some great books about the history of our club as well as some that I would hope focus on the up of 1990 and the down of the following times. Any suggestions?

This was the link that Old Spice was referring to: http://nick.magpies.net/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4616

It's a pretty good read. The most shocking aspect for me was learning that when Eddie took over the Presidency, he was 34 years old! Talk about a high achiever. Made me feel just a little inadequate as I am that age and probably not quite ready to be President of Collingwood.

 

[andypie]

James should be careful what he wishes for.
He used to say that the AFL equalisation was justified due to the inequities in the draw and the crap stadium deals of smaller clubs. Now that the stadium deals are better, if the prime time footy slots ar shared equally (which they should regardless of what tv stations want), then their will be no justification for handouts.
Be careful what you wish for James.

 

[Jelly Bean]

I don't understand how anyone can have a problem with Brayshaw - he is doing what he thinks is best for his club. Let's give him some credit - he took on the job of fulfilling the wishes of the North Melbourne members in keeping their club in Victoria (one of the more difficult tasks in football).

I somewhat agree with what he is saying, anyway. Something needs to be done to ensure that "battling clubs" can generate enough money to compete with the powerhouses like Collingwood. Something around this will happen in the next 12 months.