Demon supporters...

[rusty_kingswood 0]

There was only one thing more disapointing than the demons performance today, and that was the lack of supposed 'supporters'.

From the 39,384 (??) people who were there, seriously, there would have been perhaps 1000 - 1500 Dees fans there.

What is it going to take for these 'supporters' to get off their arse and what the team that they supposedly 'support'.

I can fully appreciate that it may have been a little late for some who need to catch trains, get the kids of to bed etc etc, however, roughly 38 000 Hawthorn fans can do it.

After some impressive performances in the last couple of weeks, it was a very very poor turn out indeed.

We bang on about how commentators like Brian Taylor pay fans and the club no respect, well how about you rock up!

[deeflog 679]

There was only one thing more disapointing than the demons performance today, and that was the lack of supposed 'supporters'.

From the 39 384 (??) people who were there, seriously, there would have been perhaps 1000 - 1500 Dees fans there.

What is it going to take for these 'supporters' to get off their arse and what the team that they supposedly 'support'.

I can fully appreciate that it may have been a little late for some who need to catch trains, get the kids of to bed etc etc, however, roughly 38 000 Hawthorn fans can do it.

After some impressive performances in the last couple of weeks, it was a very very poor turn out indeed.

We bang on about how commentators like Brian Taylor pay fans and the club no respect, well how about you rock up!

well said RK, a very disapointing turn out from the red and blue

[IWAP 168]

Don't know where you were sitting today Rusty, but i was sitting top level Olympic stand, and saw a decent amount of red and blue, considering it was an away game. Certainly a lot more [censored] and poo colours, but i'd like to think it was about 1:3

[deeflog 679]

Don't know where you were sitting today Rusty, but i was sitting top level Olympic stand, and saw a decent amount of red and blue, considering it was an away game. Certainly a lot more [censored] and poo colours, but i'd like to think it was about 1:3

no chance it was 1:3...closer to 1:16

[True Believer 1]

Don't know where you were sitting today Rusty, but i was sitting top level Olympic stand, and saw a decent amount of red and blue, considering it was an away game. Certainly a lot more [censored] and poo colours, but i'd like to think it was about 1:3

agree... plenty of dees near me too. Sure more Hawks but they have a much greater membership than us.

[IWAP 168]

no chance it was 1:3...closer to 1:16

where did you sit?

[deeflog 679]

where did you sit?

MCC....not sure what that has to do with this

All you had to do was have a look around the crowd today and it was a sea of brown and gold apart from the small area behind the city goals end

[Je Roos Salem 661]

I thought there were more than 39,395 people there. There were certainly more Hawthorn supporters, but the top level general admission in the great southern stand were going a fair way back, along with the Olympic stand. The Ponsford stand was also really full. I was also sitting in the Olympic stand top level and there was a few Melbourne supporters around me, but too many Hawks supporters for my liking. Too many annoying Hawks supporters who keep going on about umpiring decisions and shouting the same things over and over again.

[w00dy 146]

it is disappointing... remember most of the Hawthorn supporters there tonight have all jumped on the bandwagon because they're a successful team these days...

I wonder how many of them were in the 11,682 that attended Hawthorn V Port Adelaide at the MCG in 2004, when they were strugglilng like we are now... not many i would've thought

[Guest morton10]

Walking out of the gates from the MCC to richmnd station the ratio looked like 1:20 it was amazing I was finding it hard to spot other Melbourne supporters.

[IWAP 168]

MCC....not sure what that has to do with this

All you had to do was have a look around the crowd today and it was a sea of brown and gold apart from the small area behind the city goals end

Cause its very easy to be influenced if you are sitting in an area dominated by opposition supporters.

I think the fact that our last 3 games in Melbourne were home games had an effect. People were more likely to take this game off, given that it makes no difference to our bottom line if they didn't attend - plus the crap time

[rusty_kingswood 0]

Cause its very easy to be influenced if you are sitting in an area dominated by opposition supporters.

I think the fact that our last 3 games in Melbourne were home games had an effect. People were more likely to take this game off, given that it makes no difference to our bottom line if they didn't attend - plus the crap time

I have to argue that point.

Yes is makes no difference to our bottom line, but what does it say about a club and its supporter base, if they are only attending home games?

You will find us loosing our big games and a reduction (if thats at all possible from where we sit) commercial TV exposure, if fans arnt prepared to turn up home AND away.

[IWAP 168]

I have to argue that point.

Yes is makes no difference to our bottom line, but what does it say about a club and its supporter base, if they are only attending home games?

You will find us loosing our big games and a reduction (if thats at all possible from where we sit) commercial TV exposure, if fans arnt prepared to turn up home AND away.

I think there is only so much you can expect from supporters. We don't have a large supporter base to begin with - we've finished 14th, 16th, and likely 16th again - a large percentage like me are probably having an internal dilemna as to whether its in the teams best interest to actually win. Yes it would be great to have huge numbers of Dees supporters turn up to every game, but it just ain't gonna happen. If they are going to turn up, i'd rather it be for our home games.

[praha 10,552]

I thought the turn-out was decent. I was sitting on the wing in the southern stand, first level. We were outnumbered, but that is to be expected when the bottom side plays the reigning premier. Let's look back to when we played the Hawks in 04-05. They hardly had any support at their games. Saints. Bulldogs. It's to be expected. We'll all be there, but the casual supporters won't be. Them's the breaks when you're a struggling team.

[davey_magik 1]

I thought the turn-out was decent. I was sitting on the wing in the southern stand, first level. We were outnumbered, but that is to be expected when the bottom side plays the reigning premier. Let's look back to when we played the Hawks in 04-05. They hardly had any support at their games. Saints. Bulldogs. It's to be expected. We'll all be there, but the casual supporters won't be. Them's the breaks when you're a struggling team.

Agreed, I was on the top level in the southern stand behind the goals and thought although the Hawks had a big crowd our turnout wasn't THAT bad.

Let's also consider it was an away game (Even though members for us get in free) and it was a rubbish timeslot.

[olgreydingo 51]

i admitt we were well out numbered, but I still thought that it would of been a 35/65 split approx.

[She Devil 64 21]

I was very disappointed in the crowd. Considering Hawks have 50,000 members and Dees have 30,000 a crowd of 39.000 is less than 50%. I think the AFL has to have a look at the 4.40 start. Even 4.00pm would be better. Definitely more Hawks supporters but I think our turnout wasn't too bad. I was in Ponsford stand.

[Guest sticksmorton]

Easierly 80% Hawks supporters there

No wonder BT hates our supporters, They are P^ss Weak at times. No one hear of course.

[hillie 41]

don't call me fair weather or whatever, i've been a melb member for 10 years and gone to 100's of games through good times and bad, put up with a lot of pain, and stayed to the end of every single one of them. I would have gone today if they scheduled the game for a decent time. I went to the adelaide game (speakin of pain) at this time slot and got home around 9. I don't want to get home at thattime and then have to start thinking about the week ahead. It is the most rediculous time for a footy match. Saturday afternoon i thought was the traditional time for footy and it'd be nice if the oldest club in the land got a shot at playing in that traditional timeslot for a change.

[olgreydingo 51]

don't call me fair weather or whatever, i've been a melb member for 10 years and gone to 100's of games through good times and bad, put up with a lot of pain, and stayed to the end of every single one of them. I would have gone today if they scheduled the game for a decent time. I went to the adelaide game (speakin of pain) at this time slot and got home around 9. I don't want to get home at thattime and then have to start thinking about the week ahead. It is the most rediculous time for a footy match. Saturday afternoon i thought was the traditional time for footy and it'd be nice if the oldest club in the land got a shot at playing in that traditional timeslot for a change.

Hear Hear!

Its the Boom Town Rats Song "I Hate Sundays"

But I did go today!

[MadAsHell 4,089]

I would have been there but I'm sitting in a hospital bed at the moment. Hope that's a good enough excuse. I'll be there QB, don't you worry!

[praha 10,552]

I was very disappointed in the crowd. Considering Hawks have 50,000 members and Dees have 30,000 a crowd of 39.000 is less than 50%. I think the AFL has to have a look at the 4.40 start. Even 4.00pm would be better. Definitely more Hawks supporters but I think our turnout wasn't too bad. I was in Ponsford stand.

With all due respect, 10,000 of those members are in Tasmania, with another few thousand interstate.

Melbourne would probably have 25,000-28,000 members in Melbourne. Consider that probably only 60-70% of members attend games, even when the club is up and winning, and that brings you down to 15-18k, plus probably 2-3k casual fans. That's when we're doing well. +30,000 Hawks members/supporters Add on roughly another 10k if we were a top 8 side. We're not, so obviously less people are going to attend.

[Binmans PA 26,663]

Don't know where you were sitting today Rusty, but i was sitting top level Olympic stand, and saw a decent amount of red and blue, considering it was an away game. Certainly a lot more [censored] and poo colours, but i'd like to think it was about 1:3

Oh, there's no way it was a 1:3 ratio. They easily out numbered us, even in the MCC they probably outnumbered us. As I was driving in there were hoards of Hawthorn supporters going in and many with young families and so fourth, s owe can hardly use that as an excuse either.

[Binmans PA 26,663]

With all due respect, 10,000 of those members are in Tasmania, with another few thousand interstate.

Melbourne would probably have 25,000-28,000 members in Melbourne. Consider that probably only 60-70% of members attend games, even when the club is up and winning, and that brings you down to 15-18k, plus probably 2-3k casual fans. That's when we're doing well. +30,000 Hawks members/supporters Add on roughly another 10k if we were a top 8 side. We're not, so obviously less people are going to attend.

I don't entirely agree with this either. We were up and running throughout the early and mid 2000s, yet we still weren't drawing the numbers. I'm still not convinced we'll pull big crowds when we rise to the top 8 either. I agree, though that the numbers certainly increase when a team is winning, which is so disappointing.

Jimmy and his team have done a wonderful job so far, but so much is still to be done. Now that we've managed to get these members on board, we have to try and get them to matches. One thing I noticed tonight was that Hawthorn do a hell of a lot of competition/giveaways on game day and as strange as it might sound, that might just get a few extra thousand along to games. I know they've been doing that sign crap for a couple of seasons now, but perhaps we should look at doing something like this with our home matches? Over the past year, there's no doubt our club has become more professional. We have seemingly a proper training base, with top class facilities. We've formed a number of little subsidery fan clubs, if you like, such as 'Mates of Melbourne' and so fourth. They're doing a fantastic job, but on game day, we need to think about having something a little bigger than a match day raffle.

[Doggo 32]

Absolutely pathetic effort by Dees supporters last night.

In the first half i sat ground level at the punt road end with my hawks supporting female friend- i saw 5 others in red and blue. Just FIVE! Absolute no BS, 5 in my bay. There was easily less than 500 mfc fans in total in the whole ground level at that end. Every time we scored or there was a free to one of our guys, i was greeted with nothing but complete silence or disdain. You could easily have been mistaken for thinking we were from interstate given the complete lack of support we had at that end of the ground. Such a strange feeling at the MCG. 80:20 split IMO.

Moved at half time to get near our cheer squad at the city end, and make the 'G feel like home again.