To be an arrogant fan?

[BoBo 2,941]

Not sure if it’s just a Dees thing considering we’ve been down for so long, but I always hated it when opposition fans became really arrogant and lose any semblance of being humble (not saying anyone of us are arrogant or anything!).

When I’ve seen it, I’ve thought to myself not carry on like that as in general I just don’t really like it I guess. You can be proud of your club sure, but the blind arrogance thing just irks me. 
 

I guess the people I know that are humble and just *know* they’re team is good, have much more weight when they do out the boots in to someone, rather than someone who’s constantly banging on about how good their team is and how [censored] others teams are.
 

Is it a right of passage to be arrogant if your team is successful? Or is there a good way to carry yourself? 

Genuinely want to know how people are reacting to the flag win?!
 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2021 by BoBo

[durango 2,005]

There is an old saying 'winners are grinner's and losers can please them selves'.

It is not arrogant to enjoy the premiership moment but with next year 5 months away enjoy the feeling because as soon as the next season starts we will be like every other team in the competition on zero wins and zero losses.

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

I was arrogant and completely lacking in humility when we were crap, I am not going to change now!

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,805]

Good thread BoBo.  I'm struggling a bit with this myself with respects to how to get the ballance right and how to go about it.

I've always thought we have had some gun players on our list, some of which have been somewhat underrated until now.  Also thought we'd have the potential in our team to go on and win the big one at some point.  If I had expressed these things in any way to supporters of other clubs in the past, I think they would have just been dismissive, felt sorry for me to be one of those poor Melbourne supporters and not seen it as a sign of arrogance.  But I feel like now that we have actually had the sucess, I might need to tone down some of that at risk of being seen to be arrogant.

 The other dimension to this is the expression of celebrating the sucess that we've just had.  Again, I feel as if because of our torrid history, we have been forgiven for any over the top celebrations and I've certainly not held back on any public celebration of our premiership.

I guess it's about walking that fine line of being proud, happy and celebrating sucess without rubbing others faces in it and putting them down.

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

1 minute ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Good thread BoBo.  I'm struggling a bit with this myself with respects to how to get the ballance right and how to go about it.

I've always thought we have had some gun players on our list, some of which have been somewhat underrated until now.  Also thought we'd have the potential in our team to go on and win the big one at some point.  If I had expressed these things in any way to supporters of other clubs in the past, I think they would have just been dismissive, felt sorry for me to be one of those poor Melbourne supporters and not seen it as a sign of arrogance.  But I feel like now that we have actually had the sucess, I might need to tone down some of that at risk of being seen to be arrogant.

 The other dimension to this is the expression of celebrating the sucess that we've just had.  Again, I feel as if because of our torrid history, we have been forgiven for any over the top celebrations and I've certainly not held back on any public celebration of our premiership.

I guess it's about walking that fine line of being proud, happy and celebrating sucess without rubbing others faces in it and putting them down.

Don’t tone it down, stay the same, just be condescending to the sods that have done it to us for 50+ years.

 

I am already eyeing the filths record of four on the trot 😂

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,805]

I guess another form of arrogance, that I am pretty guilty of is in the misery and wishing ill of others.  I find this particularly the case with teams like Hawthorn, Essendon, Carlton and West Coast, who have had so good for so long realitively speaking in my lifetime as a supporter.

I've known good and bad supporters from all these clubs, but some of them have been truly putrid in their arrogance and I guess the recollection of that is both the basis of my resentment of these teams, but probably also a good reminder of what not to become.

[Roger Mellie 3,992]

I tell my crud Geelong supporting mates that I'm just practising being arrogant, while I dish out what they've pummelled me with for decades!

[Wrecker46 2,963]

Let's be happy but not arrogant like Hawthorn supporters.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,805]

12 minutes ago, Rod Grinter Riot Squad said:

Don’t tone it down, stay the same, just be condescending to the sods that have done it to us for 50+ years.

 

I am already eyeing the filths record of four on the trot 😂

Don't worry, I'm already dreaming up that back to back, which morphs into a three peat.  As much as part of me dispises them, I'm really still somewhat envious and in awe of what the Cats, Hawks and Tigers were able to achieve once their list build and system hit the sweet spot of sucess.

Looking at the strength of our list, it's hard not to think we are on the cusp of greatness, but also knowing that we are also potentially just that key couple of injuries and patch of poor form off being back in the pack is keeping me humble ...for now!!

Edited October 6, 2021 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

1 minute ago, Wrecker46 said:

Let's be happy but not arrogant like Hawthorn supporters.

Tell me you don’t want to rub the Hawthorn supporters noses in the dirt…. I know I do😂

[Cassiew 1,903]

Every time I argue with an opposition fan (unless they’re St Kilda) I know it’s inevitably going to come down to “when was the last time Melbourne won a premiership?” I’m really curious to see what they’re final argument will be now

[Guest]

I like to think I could never be arrogant or condescending but then again, I’ve never been in a position to be so.  I will revel in this triumph probably forever, but I will not rub anyone’s nose in it.*

* With just one exception, that being Essendon as I hate them with a raging and undying  passion, the enormity of which sometimes scares even me. 

Edited October 6, 2021 by WalkingCivilWar

[BoBo 2,941]

12 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

I guess another form of arrogance, that I am pretty guilty of is in the misery and wishing ill of others.  I find this particularly the case with teams like Hawthorn, Essendon, Carlton and West Coast, who have had so good for so long realitively speaking in my lifetime as a supporter.

I've known good and bad supporters from all these clubs, but some of them have been truly putrid in their arrogance and I guess the recollection of that is both the basis of my resentment of these teams, but probably also a good reminder of what not to become.

Yeah I guess this is what I mean. I’m not saying that some friendly put downs to co-workers/oppo fans is out of bounds at all! 
 

But at games especially, there is a line between what you’ve pointed out of being proud/happy/supportive with how your team is doing is different than being belligerent/agro/constantly negative about opposition teams.

Some of the worst games I’ve been too has been with Essendon/Hawks/Collingwood supporters in their prime and it just created a really negative atmosphere. Hyper aggressive. Which I guess I don’t want to emulate if the Dees have prolonged success. Sure some of them deserve it, but there’s also people that just want to go and watch their team play that aren’t [censored], so to create that negative atmosphere doesn’t sit right with me. 

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

3 minutes ago, BoBo said:

Yeah I guess this is what I mean. I’m not saying that some friendly put downs to co-workers/oppo fans is out of bounds at all! 
 

But at games especially, there is a line between what you’ve pointed out of being proud/happy/supportive with how your team is doing is different than being belligerent/agro/constantly negative about opposition teams.

Some of the worst games I’ve been too has been with Essendon/Hawks/Collingwood supporters in their prime and it just created a really negative atmosphere. Hyper aggressive. Which I guess I don’t want to emulate if the Dees have prolonged success. Sure some of them deserve it, but there’s also people that just want to go and watch their team play that aren’t [censored], so to create that negative atmosphere doesn’t sit right with me. 

A Geelong supporter once told me Melbourne was her second favourite team until she sat behind me. I don’t care for people’s sympathy, I don’t care for hyper aggressive tossers, but I want passionate fans, fams who have earns the right to enjoy being on top and if others don’t like it, we’ll they can get stuffed

Edited October 6, 2021 by Rod Grinter Riot Squad

[Chook 15,012]

It's not my style to be arrogant. I love the little things, like our players being rated accurately (or hell, even overrated) in the media, or seeing the word "Premiers" in front of the Melbourne name casually bandied about in the papers/news.

[YesitwasaWin4theAges 6,685]

Just to those who decide to challenge our Mighty Demons and think their better.

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

Get used to it.

You can only be yourself, but other Demon supporters can and will be insufferable, even to fellow D supporters (there's one on bigfooty rubbing Doggie noses in it in the most ungracious fashion).

When the Boston Red Sox won their first "World Series" in something like 85 years, after a curse, near misses, tragedy, humiliation and lost hope (sound familiar?), were their fans humble, thankful, gracious in victory ... ?

Were they [censored].

In no time, they were rubbing noses in it as hard and as long as they could. Their "good sports", "loser", supporter base turned into a bunch of [censored]. Maybe that's baseball, maybe that's America, but more likely, that's sport.

We can be as humble, gracious, etc, as we like (and of course we D-landers will be!), and a select few nuff-nuffs will earn for us all a bright reputation as arrogant, smug, and so on. The more we win, the more burnished the reputation.

What can we do about it?

It's a choice. We can barrack for a losing team and suffer the barbs and taunts of unpleasant oppo supporters, or we can barrack for a premiership winning team whose supporter base is widely seen as arrogant and insufferable. I know which one I choose.

[DEE fence 5,004]

I looked up our overall winning percentage as a club since 1897 today ~46%, Collingwood ~60%. And inferior to Carlton (still 57%)/Geelong/Essendon/Hawthorn/Sydney/Richmond. We need 10 years of better than .75 to start addressing the lost years. I plan on being humble for a while yet. Obviously if we get multiple flags in a short period of time that would shift the needle.

On the other hand of any multiple premiership team, we have the best strike rate .72, and significantly better than the Greg Normans of the AFL, Collingwood on .35.

[Roost it far 8,206]

Just be stoked your team is the best atm. As the rightful Rulers of the game bagging other teams is below us. I just talk Melbourne and I talk a big game 

Edited October 6, 2021 by Roost it far

[faultydet 7,594]

If you look at other Footy sites, it was obvious that almost the entire footy world wanted us to win, and celebrated as such.

No need to be anything but happy and humble.

[dice 699]

Going to be interesting next year when we go to the footy, expecting them to win all the time! Strange times ahead

[Emerald 1,744]

As long as they're selling loud mouth soup at the games, there will be arrogance.

[daisycutter 29,605]

i like to think of it in terms of 'controlled arrogance' with a combination of 'sneering condecendence'

with an extra dollop dished out for filth and peptide fans

oh the schadenfreude.....

[Wrecker46 2,963]

Being selfless won us the flag. Let's stick with it.

[The heart beats true 18,110]

Arrogance isn’t rooted in fact. It’s not arrogant to believe we are the greatest football team of any era. Watch the last minute of the third quarter and try disprove it. 😉

I think we can be as arrogant as we want as long as it’s done in good humour. Footy fans are genuinely good natured and love a laugh. I’d imagine most would encourage us to carry on like pork chops while we can. We’ve earned it, and they know it.