Elton Johns Wig
Premiership Ruckman
- Moderator
- #1
Hello SFA and welcome to a new season of The Whine Room. I've got quite a few special guests lined up this season. I'm going to be interviewing some of my favourite posters from my time in the SFA, and find out what makes them tick.
We'll start the season off with one of my very favourite posters, Tony Lynn 15. Tones and I both started back in Season 23 and we've certainly seen plenty. He's part of the polarising Baghdad Bombers, so I thought I'd see what was behind the facade.
EJW: G'day Tones, what can I get you to drink? The bar is open and nothing is off limits.
TL15: Wow, seriously. The bar is open! Given you are a wine expert and it is a free for all let's start with a lovely little Matthew Lang Shiraz.
EJW: Phuc Dat!!! I am not serving you that s**t!! You're not Ned_Flanders. We'll crack a shiraz, sure. Try this little number from McLaren Vale. Kays Amery Hillside Shiraz.
And some snacks, something light to eat, maybe some dumplings?
TL15: LOL, yes! The chicken and corn and scallop dumplings are a not negotiable!
EJW: How much of the dumpling catch up thing is real? And seriously, how come I haven't been invited? Our PM's back in the day, I thought it was a formality. I'm sensing maybe your love for me isn't real.....
TL15: Haha, nah mate you would always be welcome. To be honest they don't happen all that often. Maybe once or twice a year. The get cancelled often and we never get the time to linger as long as we would like to. In the past it was just me, TC16, KohPhi and ctacp but I know that ABV and call me snake have now become initiated.
The matching outfits were Tones idea. I must admit I was the one that borrowed the old Meltin With Elton trophy for the cheese fondue.
EJW: If I remember rightly, you started with me in S23. Did TheCoach16 start at the same time? How is he by the way?
TL15: Yep season 23. You won the EKA and I don't actually think I got one vote. Coach did start in that season as well. To be serious for one moment we have not heard from Coach now in a couple of months which is pretty rare and we are slightly worried about him.
EJW: That was a while ago. How were you roped in? Was it KohPhi and the Carlton connection?
TL15: KohPhi was the one who talked me into it. I had rarely ventured away from the Carlton board and did not know this place existed. Cammo6556 had reached out a season before that but I declined. KohPhi said he needed some help so in I marched.
EJW: You've always played for the one club. Why?
TL15: I have always enjoyed posting with KP and TC16 when he was up and about. Once I started I wanted to help the Bombers become more stable and be stronger. In doing that I have also met some other amazing posters and down right good people. Also I have rarely been approached by other clubs to join them so I have stayed true to Baghdad.
What a powerhouse combination these guys have been for the Bombers, the "Holy Trinity" of Baghdad.
EJW: Also, can you ever see a day when the "Holy Trinity" of yourself KohPhi and Tones aren't at the same club?
TL15: I think that would be extremely unlikely. We make each other laugh and have always only ever been in it to amuse ourselves. I could not see myself on a different team to them.
EJW: Would you all move together lock stock to help a struggling club?
TL15: That is an interesting question. Many in this league would argue we are a stain on the SFA and are just s**t posting spammers. Not sure how we would help a struggling club exactly? That said there are many posters on other teams I have a lot of time and respect for. I am sure if we ever did make the move it would be very low key. I sense if we all did move it would be to try and help out whoever needed it.
EJW: I don't think you're a stain at all. I would say very few if any people do. We all realise that differences are needed. I'd reckon that the "Holy Trinity" are held in high regard. I think it's more the excitable types and a style thing.
EJW: Now, on to struggling clubs. The Bombers have always been good at recruiting players. But it's fair to say they are better at recruiting established stars more so than rookies. (Not saying their hasn't been successes) Do you accept the premise that there can be too much poaching? And have you ever been aware of or even cared about that when recruiting?
TL15: From my personal experience we have not poached all that many. Most that have come our way over the past few seasons have contacted us and wanted to join for various reasons. When I was skipper I rarely loitered in the sign up thread as I felt there were clubs that needed players and it was better to let them have first bite. I would also argue over the past 2 or 3 seasons we have recruited more rookies than many other clubs. A lot of them have become extremely active SFA members too. It will only get harder though. We now have a very strong list and I am sure hanging on to them all will get difficult.
EJW:I'd actually say Ding has done more recruiting than anyone, but spread them to various clubs. Now, you've taken a step back, and handed the captaincy over to WaynesWorld19. What prompted this, and why the fu** would you subject the rest of the competition to more/peak Wayno?
TL15: It is an interesting one. I thought KohPhi did a great job as captain. He took over after Haro left, steadied the ship and turned the club into a powerhouse. He had a lot on in his personal life and decided to stand down. I have always been busy away from here with work and life and really did not have the time to be skipper. At that stage the guy who wanted to take over we just felt may not be able to withstand the barrage of constructive feedback that comes your way at Baghdad. So I put my hand up and roped Coach in. My life has gotten really busy over the last 12 months and I just could not do it any more. Wayneo put his hand up and I feel has done a really good job. It is not easy getting pounded from all angles every day but he is made of the right stuff.
EJW: Just on the captaincy/leadership thing. I reckon you can to some extent teach it/improve people, but that most are natural leaders. It's clear Wayno is not. Who do you see at the Bombers that could step up to the plate, and also, who across the competition has caught your eye and looks like being a captain of a club?
TL15: The thing KP, TC16 and I always realised was that outside of the SFA we are very different to the majority of other people on here. Our interests, lifestyles and how we see the world. That is no slight on anyone but we just understand we are the minority on here. We have been really impressed with what WW19 has done so far and feel he is a genuine leader. I think ABV, norma lee ava and riviat would also be very good skippers if the opportunity arose. It is hard for me to answer about other posters as I am genuinely self absorbed but I would think talkingfootynow has leadership written all over him!
EJW: The Bombers have been no stranger to controversy over the years. Lets get more into that area. How much is concocted (because some definitely is) and how much is genuine mistakes?
TL15: I would say 75% is concocted and 25% are mistakes that we then just run with. At the start of most seasons we would have a list of things we were keen to try. I spend a lot of time on planes and would often brainstorm ideas of ways we could make the league more interesting. We have always felt this is just like the talk back line on AM radio. Nobody enjoys the straight down the middle caller. People want to feel their blood boiling.
EJW: Do you believe that being given suspended sentences for multiple infractions emboldened (I so should have said embiggened there Noobz0r) the club to continue along a controversial path?
TL15: We have always tried to push the boundaries but always ensure the club was never penalised. We do not really care but know that some on our list love the actual game side of it so we would never do anything that would cost us points. Most of us don't really care if we cop a ban and miss a fake game of Qootball. We have always felt the controversy is what this place is about and that comes before worrying about playing a game.
EJW: I loved Haro, he played so many on a break, and was great for the comp. How much do the older Bombers miss him?
TL15: I think for a few of us we do genuinely miss having him around. Doing the whole Harolad Diaries thread brought back a lot of memories and a lot of things I had forgotten about. Even though most of us did not know each other in real life we felt a genuine bond. I think he was great for the competition and he reached out to a few of us recently via PM which was really nice.
EJW: That is superb. I hope things change and he can be welcomed back. One of my favourite things was the boycott. I still can't believe a) the kerfuffle it caused, and b) the penalty. For me, it was a completely legitimate tactic. It was brilliant.
TL15: The boycott was brilliant. Really increased the rivalry we had with the Hawks at that time. We were talking recently about it and trying to pinpoint why it happened but we could not honestly work it out. It was KohPhi's idea and it casued some massive waves. For me they were the good old days where things happened and people genuinely jumped on. I recall Hate was imposing penalties that were nonsensical but it was all part of the theatre. Caoch and I did nothing wrong in that whole thing and at one point were up for 8 game suspensions. Hate played it all perfectly and from memory finished in the top 5 of the beez that season. I reckon it was all off the back of the Boycott so he actually should be thanking us.
EJW: You've re-emerged on media street after not doing much for a while. What has prompted this?
TL15: I have always enjoyed media more than match threads. With this season not being skipper I wanted to be more involved in that side of things. It gives you a chance to stir up some trouble and also have a bit of banter. I am perhaps one of the few people on here that could quite happily not be involved in the games and just hang around the media threads.
EJW: I reckon we're in a really fertile period for media. There's a lot of crap, and probably too much in total, but also there is some really good stuff. Who are some of your favourites?
TL15: Yeah I agree. I really like Test Tickles work, I have been enjoying what The Injury Factory has been doing too.
EJW: I'm a big BRAB fan. He is no fan of Ant Bear. What do you know of it and is there anyone in the SFA you genuinely dislike and can you start a feud please?
TL15: I actually know very little about it nor do I know if he is taking the piss or serious. He is like a dog with a bone though and will not let it go. In full flight BRAB is fun to watch. He has been very sporadic though for a few seasons now.
I can honestly say there are no people on here that I dislike. Sure there are a few that rub me the wrong way but to be honest I enjoy that more than the vanilla stuff. The SFA is fun when you are getting a bit hot under the collar.
EJW: Who are your favourite 3 individual opponents in the SFA and why?
TL15: I actually do not know that I could choose 3. There are so many that I really enjoy for many different reasons. What I will say is those that I supposedly have some history with are probably those that I enjoy posting against the most.
Let's just say most of the original Boy's Club.
Tigerturbulance and Flanders.
EJW and Phil Reich.
Apologies to the dozen others that I did not mention.
EJW: It's Season 35. What is Tones doing? Is he still playing?
TL15: Season 35, wow. I will be racking up game number 600 and still recalling the S24 grand final as it is unlikely anyone will have broken the 151 DT points record I set.....
Ummm, I actually do not know. There is every chance I may call it quits before then. The league is changing as is what is acceptable and what isn't. Things evolve and I don't ever want to out stay my welcome. I hope I know when my time has come to say farewell.
Well, thanks mate, I've really enjoyed the chat. Hopefully people can see that there's some thought that is behind the apparent madness. Looking forward to the dumplings, but if you put that Matthew Lang anywhere near me you can GAGF.
Wig Out.
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