Opinion Whipping Boys Can Bite Back

[Pie eyed]

I haven't been very active on this board for 6 months or so. But I do read a lot.
Some posters make me laugh, some make me feel good, some actually improve my knowledge of the club and or players and others just make me shake my head in frustration more than anything else.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but here's a bit of grand-fatherly advice about expressing that opinion based on the taste of some sweet humble pie.

Many years ago, Collingwood meant just about everything to me.
There was literally nothing else of value in my life.
I wasn't passionate. I was obsessed.
It was the time of the new magpies. Hope quickly soured.
In that environment whipping boys are easy to find and I picked out a couple pretty easily.
Garry Shaw was obvious, but hardly ever played. Mike Richardson copped his fair share of abuse probably for no other reason than my female companion of the time fancied him, but there was one Collingwood player who could do no right in my malevolent eye. His name was Shane Morwood.
I thought he was lazy, slow and lacked courage. I paid my money every week and informed Shane of my considered opinion in no uncertain terms. It got to the point that I lost sight of the game. It was always Morwood's fault that we either lost or didn't win by more.
I was an idiot.
Then I got moved in my job and couldn't go to the footy every week. I doubt if Morwood noticed.
The new magpies disappeared, The Rose's tried to save a sinking ship and a bloke by the name of Leigh Mathews was appointed coach. Shane Morwood was still getting a game. I was still stuck up the country.
I remember the day the Collingwood resurgence that would culminate in a flag several year later began. It was a game against Fitzroy. We blitzed them. I listened on the radio.
The commentators were raving about Morwood and specifically about his vision, coolness under pressure and quickness of thought.
I think many of you'll understand when I say this was a bitter pill for me to swallow. Morwood -my personal whipping boy was starring. I figured it was a one-off.
But it wasn't.
Morwood quickly became a Leigh Matthews favourite and was relied upon for his toughness (The last plank of my early judgement destroyed) as well as his elite kicking, vision, coolness and defensive pressure.
Morwood took his place in the starting 18 in the 1990 premiership side and was his usual cool, reliable self, proving to me that I have NFI when it comes to judging elite footballers.
I have rarely bagged anyone since. Last year, I did question Fasolo and guess what? Two weeks later his depression story emerges.
That's my last lesson learned.
There are whipping boys on this board. We all know who they are.
The truth is that they try their guts out for a club we love. I cannot blame them for my own inadequacies.
One of those whipping boys reminds me very much of Shane Morwoood. The criticisms of him on this board are very similar to the criticisms I made of Shane Morwood 33 years ago. I suspect his story may be very similar- here's hoping

Great post.
The players are, for all their talents and defects, in all cases humans and in the vast majority very young men if not kids.
They are not, nor should they ever be, moral beacons or the hook we hang our every hope on.
Nothing is more enjoyable than seeing the maligned prove everyone completely and totally wrong.

Graeme Wright take a bow.
Nick Maxwell please take a bow.

 

[TradeDraft]

Lovely thread, but when I read the title I seriously thought it was about Schaz and Aish 'biting back'. They have been whipping boys, but now seem to be at the begining of the start of the first stage of a journey going forward when...Ok they are starting to bite back.

BTW, I was a fan of Morwood.

I had the same Thought.

Though Morwood was before my Time following Collingwood

 

[Pie eyed]

I had the same Thought.

Though Morwood was before my Time following Collingwood

Worth doing some reading Dave.
Some great stories in the 1990 side.
Some tragedy too.

Ron Mckeown played 20 games in 1990 but missed the GF.

We had a handful of stars and a team full of foot soldiers.


Books with a focus on the 1990 Flag side and precursor players.
Collingwood Forever by Gavin Brown
The Shaw Thing by Tony Shaw
The Centenary history of the Collingwood Football Club by Senis Carla

 

[Kick It 2 Me]

Morwood turned into a handy country (maybe metro) footy coach too I believe.

Never really had a most disliked player, but I have a caveat on that comment. Any Collingwood footballer who has no opposite foot always draws my ire. And I'm not talking about a poor opposite foot, I'm talking about a non-existant opposite foot. Should be a bloody prerequisite when recruiting I reckon.

As for current...well.....probably past it whipping boys, I loved Blairy so much in 2010 that I made a Blair bandwagon avatar for my now rarely used Nicks account, but I understand the grief he receives these days. But you can never doubt his effort, even if top tier footy has passed him by.

 

[HeathySure]

Great post.
The players are, for all their talents and defects, in all cases humans and in the vast majority very young men if not kids.
They are not, nor should they ever be, moral beacons or the hook we hang our every hope on.
Nothing is more enjoyable than seeing the maligned prove everyone completely and totally wrong.

Graeme Wright take a bow.
Nick Maxwell please take a bow.

you Maligned Graeme Wright??? wow he came into the side and was an instant sensation! kicked 7 in an early game from memory. He was a fave from the start for me

 

[Ingy]

Morwood turned into a handy country (maybe metro) footy coach too I believe.

Never really had a most disliked player, but I have a caveat on that comment. Any Collingwood footballer who has no opposite foot always draws my ire. And I'm not talking about a poor opposite foot, I'm talking about a non-existant opposite foot. Should be a bloody prerequisite when recruiting I reckon.

As for current...well.....probably past it whipping boys, I loved Blairy so much in 2010 that I made a Blair bandwagon avatar for my now rarely used Nicks account, but I understand the grief he receives these days. But you can never doubt his effort, even if top tier footy has passed him by.

So you wouldn't have been a Ben Johnson fan then.

I loved him, but when, late in the piece, he had his leg broken in a tackle changing direction because he had to get onto his preferred I was a bit like "well, BJ, if you only had an opposite foot that wouldn't have happened". Still, that qualifying final against Port - he proved a lot of knockers wrong that night - and that match-saving tackle in the goal square - legendary stuff

 

[Robroy22]

Geez this is a great thread...LEGENDARY

 

[whiteside35]

i remember when we picked Morwood up and after watching him a few times i thought WHY,but he turned into the best pick up of the bunch.He had that Pendlebury feel about him.Two whipping boys of the late 90's were J Wild and J Mahony,who would constantly turn it over,but would still get a game as they were trying hard(putting in),but effort wasn't going to stop the losses back then,anyway a few years later J Mahony went to Port and became a premiership player(and played well),so i gave up trying to work out some players.It does get pretty frustrating when some players will make the same mistakes over and over,yet still get picked the next week,(the coaches know/see something that we don't).

 

[Kick It 2 Me]

So you wouldn't have been a Ben Johnson fan then.

I loved him, but when, late in the piece, he had his leg broken in a tackle changing direction because he had to get onto his preferred I was a bit like "well, BJ, if you only had an opposite foot that wouldn't have happened". Still, that qualifying final against Port - he proved a lot of knockers wrong that night - and that match-saving tackle in the goal square - legendary stuff

Did you enter my head sometime tonight? I had Ben in my thoughts as I was writing it. And it was that broken leg incident. And I had the exact same emotion of "well, BJ, if you only had an opposite foot that wouldn't have happened". Uncanny!

 

[Gungadin]

I had the same Thought.

Though Morwood was before my Time following Collingwood

I suddenly feel very old

 

[Saintly Viewed]

you Maligned Graeme Wright??? wow he came into the side and was an instant sensation! kicked 7 in an early game from memory. He was a fave from the start for me

Very dashing.
Great on a wing especially VFL Park.
And a Bruce Springsteen fan, what’s not to like

 

[Scritchyscroony]

you Maligned Graeme Wright??? wow he came into the side and was an instant sensation! kicked 7 in an early game from memory. He was a fave from the start for me

+1.. he was an excitement machine and widely liked player from day 1 in my recollection.

 

[Deathray]

One of my best memories was Wrighty taking a speccy on the wing zipping away and snagging one from the boundary in front of me at Vic Park. Star.

 

[Prestigerrycomo]

When people are negative in life, they tend to find negativity in football.
It's funny, I was listening to SEN this arvo and KB was talking to someone on tailback, a Saints fan who was saying he'd keep backing the team no matter what and that he still loved them because that's what a supporter is. Was hilarious, KB had no comeback, just stumbled over his words and pretty much said he thinks the Saints are done. Football media lives on the negativity and the older I get, the more I am done with it. Especially in relation to Collingwood!!

I feel for Saints fans in real life, there's plenty on Bigfooty though that can GAGF

 

[HeathySure]

I feel for Saints fans in real life, there's plenty on Bigfooty though that can GAGF

One of my close friends is a Saints supporter. she rang me just after the Grand Final replay in 2010 to say congrats, bawling her eyes out waiting at the train station going home from the footy devastated after another loss. It almost made me feel bad! Saints supporters suffer way more than us and there are worse teams around to hate.

 

[Vicky Park]

One of my close friends is a Saints supporter. she rang me just after the Grand Final replay in 2010 to say congrats, bawling her eyes out waiting at the train station going home from the footy devastated after another loss. It almost made me feel bad! Saints supporters suffer way more than us and there are worse teams around to hate.

True. Hard to feel hatred for the Saints. Most of my capacity for hatred is taken up by Carlton and Essendon.

Would be terrible to be one of their fans. Must be like carrying around a big rock for the whole of your life.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

True. Hard to feel hatred for the Saints. Most of my capacity for hatred is taken up by Carlton and Essendon.

Would be terrible to be one of their fans. Must be like carrying around a big rock for the whole of your life.

Treated right a rock can give you fulfilment (so I’m told).

Can’t say the same for following the Saints

 

[jonbe54]

One of my close friends is a Saints supporter. she rang me just after the Grand Final replay in 2010 to say congrats, bawling her eyes out waiting at the train station going home from the footy devastated after another loss. It almost made me feel bad! Saints supporters suffer way more than us and there are worse teams around to hate.

Total agreement re Saint's fans . . . their s...t stain of a club however . . . ANY club who has a thug who king hit a young champion to 'bring him back to the field' on it's honour roll is a disgrace to the competition.

 

[ipswichpies]

I haven't been very active on this board for 6 months or so. But I do read a lot.
Some posters make me laugh, some make me feel good, some actually improve my knowledge of the club and or players and others just make me shake my head in frustration more than anything else.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but here's a bit of grand-fatherly advice about expressing that opinion based on the taste of some sweet humble pie.

Many years ago, Collingwood meant just about everything to me.
There was literally nothing else of value in my life.
I wasn't passionate. I was obsessed.
It was the time of the new magpies. Hope quickly soured.
In that environment whipping boys are easy to find and I picked out a couple pretty easily.
Garry Shaw was obvious, but hardly ever played. Mike Richardson copped his fair share of abuse probably for no other reason than my female companion of the time fancied him, but there was one Collingwood player who could do no right in my malevolent eye. His name was Shane Morwood.
I thought he was lazy, slow and lacked courage. I paid my money every week and informed Shane of my considered opinion in no uncertain terms. It got to the point that I lost sight of the game. It was always Morwood's fault that we either lost or didn't win by more.
I was an idiot.
Then I got moved in my job and couldn't go to the footy every week. I doubt if Morwood noticed.
The new magpies disappeared, The Rose's tried to save a sinking ship and a bloke by the name of Leigh Mathews was appointed coach. Shane Morwood was still getting a game. I was still stuck up the country.
I remember the day the Collingwood resurgence that would culminate in a flag several year later began. It was a game against Fitzroy. We blitzed them. I listened on the radio.
The commentators were raving about Morwood and specifically about his vision, coolness under pressure and quickness of thought.
I think many of you'll understand when I say this was a bitter pill for me to swallow. Morwood -my personal whipping boy was starring. I figured it was a one-off.
But it wasn't.
Morwood quickly became a Leigh Matthews favourite and was relied upon for his toughness (The last plank of my early judgement destroyed) as well as his elite kicking, vision, coolness and defensive pressure.
Morwood took his place in the starting 18 in the 1990 premiership side and was his usual cool, reliable self, proving to me that I have NFI when it comes to judging elite footballers.
I have rarely bagged anyone since. Last year, I did question Fasolo and guess what? Two weeks later his depression story emerges.
That's my last lesson learned.
There are whipping boys on this board. We all know who they are.
The truth is that they try their guts out for a club we love. I cannot blame them for my own inadequacies.
One of those whipping boys reminds me very much of Shane Morwoood. The criticisms of him on this board are very similar to the criticisms I made of Shane Morwood 33 years ago. I suspect his story may be very similar- here's hoping

this is a great post and thread,like you I also mostly just read these days but it is posts like yours which make it worthwhile reading.
great post and most enjoyable I have read in quite a while.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Worth doing some reading Dave.
Some great stories in the 1990 side.
Some tragedy too.

Ron Mckeown played 20 games in 1990 but missed the GF.

We had a handful of stars and a team full of foot soldiers.


Books with a focus on the 1990 Flag side and precursor players.
Collingwood Forever by Gavin Brown
The Shaw Thing by Tony Shaw
The Centenary history of the Collingwood Football Club by Senis Carla

McKeown not the only one unlucky in 1990

Alan Richardson was also unlucky. Allegedly injured although I suspect he was right to go,just omitted.
As was Brian Taylor. His cameo coming off the bench in the drawn QF and kicking two goals in the last quarter saved our season. That ended up being the last game of his career.

 

[northpie]

G

I haven't been very active on this board for 6 months or so. But I do read a lot.
Some posters make me laugh, some make me feel good, some actually improve my knowledge of the club and or players and others just make me shake my head in frustration more than anything else.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but here's a bit of grand-fatherly advice about expressing that opinion based on the taste of some sweet humble pie.

Many years ago, Collingwood meant just about everything to me.
There was literally nothing else of value in my life.
I wasn't passionate. I was obsessed.
It was the time of the new magpies. Hope quickly soured.
In that environment whipping boys are easy to find and I picked out a couple pretty easily.
Garry Shaw was obvious, but hardly ever played. Mike Richardson copped his fair share of abuse probably for no other reason than my female companion of the time fancied him, but there was one Collingwood player who could do no right in my malevolent eye. His name was Shane Morwood.
I thought he was lazy, slow and lacked courage. I paid my money every week and informed Shane of my considered opinion in no uncertain terms. It got to the point that I lost sight of the game. It was always Morwood's fault that we either lost or didn't win by more.
I was an idiot.
Then I got moved in my job and couldn't go to the footy every week. I doubt if Morwood noticed.
The new magpies disappeared, The Rose's tried to save a sinking ship and a bloke by the name of Leigh Mathews was appointed coach. Shane Morwood was still getting a game. I was still stuck up the country.
I remember the day the Collingwood resurgence that would culminate in a flag several year later began. It was a game against Fitzroy. We blitzed them. I listened on the radio.
The commentators were raving about Morwood and specifically about his vision, coolness under pressure and quickness of thought.
I think many of you'll understand when I say this was a bitter pill for me to swallow. Morwood -my personal whipping boy was starring. I figured it was a one-off.
But it wasn't.
Morwood quickly became a Leigh Matthews favourite and was relied upon for his toughness (The last plank of my early judgement destroyed) as well as his elite kicking, vision, coolness and defensive pressure.
Morwood took his place in the starting 18 in the 1990 premiership side and was his usual cool, reliable self, proving to me that I have NFI when it comes to judging elite footballers.
I have rarely bagged anyone since. Last year, I did question Fasolo and guess what? Two weeks later his depression story emerges.
That's my last lesson learned.
There are whipping boys on this board. We all know who they are.
The truth is that they try their guts out for a club we love. I cannot blame them for my own inadequacies.
One of those whipping boys reminds me very much of Shane Morwoood. The criticisms of him on this board are very similar to the criticisms I made of Shane Morwood 33 years ago. I suspect his story may be very similar- here's hoping

enius poece. Didn't know who you were referring to but I very much agree. Don't get the Langdon hate. Looking from afar he is developing into an accomplished med. back. Hopefully he is half as good as Morwood. That would be enough

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Loved Morwood. I've said it before but he had that ability to slow time when he had the ball. Always seemed to be able to make the right decision despite being in heavy traffic.

 

[Countrypie]

One of my close friends is a Saints supporter. she rang me just after the Grand Final replay in 2010 to say congrats, bawling her eyes out waiting at the train station going home from the footy devastated after another loss. It almost made me feel bad! Saints supporters suffer way more than us and there are worse teams around to hate.

I understand why you say ths, but every time I start to feel charitable, JIm O'deasurfaces in my mind to remind me why they deserve everything they get

 

[Countrypie]

Loved Morwood. I've said it before but he had that ability to slow time when he had the ball. Always seemed to be able to make the right decision despite being in heavy traffic.

I can see that now...very clearly.
There's nothing as debilitating as blind irrational hatred.

 

[SwanDaneFan1991]

I'm too young for the new magpies and the 1990 premiership, having being concieved just prior, but Countrypie is onto something here, and for me, Leigh brown springs to mind. I recall much of 2009 in the aftermath of his recruitment from north him being close to useless, at least in my eyes, and what he turned around over the next twenty four months was extraordinary. The flag aside, that wrong bounce against Geelong will be hard to forget.

I don't mean to piggy back, but long ago I posted some ramble about being positive, at the behest of the mods. We all work day jobs and that leaves us stressed, and we use the football to forget out daily grind, and when we put so much hope behind two hours of carnage, and it goes the wrong way, the air goes out of the balloon and we suffer twice as much from the trials of the week previous. Otherwise we feel rejuvenated, and we could conquer the world, even if we beat the bottom side.

When I was younger, a block headed and ignorant adolescent, I went to a lot of games and my barracking stirred a lot of trouble. I simply didn't care, had white line fever, and saw no reason not to open insult opposition and their supporters, and revel in their dejection and misery in the wake of a loss. I believe it comes from being spoiled, since for the first twelve years I regularly followed the club from 2001-2013 we made the finals all but three years, and a bloke like myself felt it would continue forever.

But the last few years, being distracted by personal tragedies that dragged me away from the game to the point I don't know many of the players anymore, has taught me that a win should be celebrated. It's four points you will never get back, and it takes us all uniting together towards a common goal rather than squabbling behind the scenes amongst ourselves about who we hate the most, and some almost hoping we will lose so it will continue.

If you have time this week, reflect on the positive from the Carlton game and what was different, and focus your thoughts on a positive outcome Friday night. We should all meditate on this. I often hate the question "why is football so important?" or the old cliché "it's only a game". It actually is, but it is tribal, and for a tribe to succeed all members have to fight side by side, otherwise the wheels fall of the wagon.

I stress again, we must find a positive mindset, and not lose hope Friday night in a heartbeat. Give it time and have patience. Persevere. A single twig will break, but a bundle of twigs is strong.

P.S I've said some horrible things in the heat of the moment I have instantly regretted. Another reason why such an approach is important, and one must disconnect from footy at times to have balance in life. The mods and others know my indiscretions, and they should also know I feel great remorse and shame. So, I'm sorry.

Floreat Pica