John Crow Batty

Sind sie Renfield durch zufall?

Schwab's parting message to Saty before he resigned. "Gehe nach norden nach Riga. Die armee von ratten und pest werden folgen"

I am sure Roos is being conservative in his public expectations. He will be thinking if Hinkley can turn things around quickly so can I. And given he has a two year tenure, he will be aiming for respectable results in that timeframe. IMO all the right moves have happened since Jackson took over and I expect us next season to fall somewhere between the efforts of the Suns and Port this season.

We have been substituting for the Christians lately.

Because media barons are just an itsy bit more powerful. A little higher on the pecking order. They are the same but worse. And football is very big business and political just like when the Romans kept the plebs happy with gladiators and feeding Christians to lions. A good way to keep the mobs off the streets.

I don't know ex president McLardy's sincerest motives but people who put themselves in such a position leave themselves wide open for personal attack and anger when things go horribly wrong. An irresistible motive for many who take on such positions is the power and prestige. Looks great on a business mans or politicians CV. Not to mention the opportunities for aggrandisement and riches that can follow. Being a supporter of a particular club just makes it easier for them. And they have lots of money so whatever they choose to contribute looks like a fantastic gesture to ordinary plebs. And their egos do not consider the prospect of failure. Some are also attracted by the warlord syndrome. One upon a time the rich and powerful sponsored their own private armies to curry influence and wield power. Of course these days this cannot be done, hence being the boss of a football club is the modern substitute. These types are tough nuts and did not become who they are by being fragile and sensitive. To be successful in business and politics one has to be ruthless, have a high level of immunity to criticism and no pity for those they vanquished on their way to success.Thus just like your least favourite politician they are fair game when they fail.

If he turns to be a dud, there no doubt will be a traditional Demonland witch hunt and burning.

I have become underwhelmed with the annual draft lottery. I just hope that Roos and his helpers will pick the nuts with astuteness, blind luck or both.

So far I see a consistent pattern. TS has always accumulated praise in the off season. I recall on this forum many witness reports of his powerhouse presence in pre season training and the same now at GWS to go along with his near legendary reputation at junior levels. Yet when it comes to actually playing for premiership points football he hasn't fired a decent shot yet in four seasons. I 'm not sitting on the fence with him. He will be a B grade midfielder at best for the rest of his career.

As I recall you were very busy agitating for posters to block those who were pushing hard that Schwab not be re-signed at the time. Then early this season when things were going belly up fast you was endlessly spamming that Schwab, McLardy and Neeld (in no particular order) not be removed till the end of the season at least. Stalling for time for your failed regime were you? It would be a fatal disaster for the club removing them prematurely you said. Well thank God the AFL stepped in and removed them quick smart or else we may have been extinct for sure by now. Now you want to build bridges and others to join you to move forward but ceaselessly try to stifle debate on any critical deconstruction of why we got into such a mess in the first place. It would be more appropriate that you should be praising and joining with those who agitated for the positive changes that have now occurred. It may surprise you that the overwhelming majority of those who agitated against Schwab and Co are a 100% behind the new regime and club direction yet you still try to make them out like some sort of traitors. You were a leading sycophant and collaborator for those that nearly took the club to oblivion. You and your revisionist posts are now just as irrelevant as the old regime.

Instead of calling the shots he was Schwab's puppet through and through IMO. Should never have been president but Schwab needed a stooge to manipulate upwards. I seriously doubt that a competent independent thinking presidential type like Jackson could have ever been tolerated by Schwab.

I prefer the odd donation. A life member being banned for life is only slightly less humiliating than being a defrocked priest.

I would not be upset if we rookie him. Hard trier, dogged by injury and never got his confidence up in an inept team. Will do better in a more polished and focused outfit.

The well used motoring cliche" Going/stepping up a gear" when a team takes the game on is literally and fundamentally wrong. Going up a gear is more like cruising and slowly accelerating on less power and torque once speed has already been built up. The term should be "going//stepping down a gear " which means going to a lower gear where maximum power can be applied thus increasing torque and acceleration. This is more accurate to players increasing intensity as against playing as front runners for those going up a gear. For example two identical cars are doing 60 km in 3rd gear. One car goes to 4th and the driver puts the foot down. It will build up revs and speed slowly. The other drops to 2nd and also plants the foot down. The car going down a gear will rev and accelerate harder and surge ahead of the car in 4th. Once maximum revs are reached then the gears can be upped to increase momentum. I hope this makes sense to those who drive automatics only.

Yes there is something in that. Whether it is just team balance and/or team sprit we will see. Towards the end of last season the Swans were playing with a lethargy not dissimilar to ours. Interesting that the only final they won was when Tippett only got one disposal and subbed off early.

Sydney's record before and during Tippett last season. Before Tippett played.9.5 wins, 2 losses. After Tippett started playing. 7 wins, 7 losses.

Just his luck. Can never get into a winning team.

In response to Daisycutter's reply. I don't want an argument. I got angry at all these big shot lawyers etc, who pulled out all stops to get him off (for their own aggrandisement ) then left him high and dry so that he could step on the next turd in his path. It was a cynical cause célèbre case of the lowest order. He should have been tried with his co-accused and justice metered out fairly and evenly. The same goes for the plaintiffs in the case. They were made to look like a bunch of blithering idiots further debasing the community. The whole saga has ruined any attempt to reconciliation with his community and made it a virtual impossibility.

The sad thing is that most of the elders are damaged people also and perhaps incapable of providing leadership and guidance. May take generations to right things.

If he can get focused and shed his distractions he would be great to have back but will take a miracle now.The thing that irks me most about the current Jurrah situation is all the hypocrisy over compassion for him. Has compassion helped him? Trotting out the compassion catch phrase gives far too many absolvence and distance from collective guilt to the indigenous plight. If all this compassion was genuine and channelled to their plight it would have a dramatic positive effect. I particulary found the hypocrisy striking when his co-accused for the machette case were summarily locked up and convicted without a hint of compassion or natural justice whilst Liam due to his celebrity status gets bucket loads of natural justice and acquital. And you compassionate types dont start calling me racist. My wife is part indigenous and I have lots of indigenous friends.

I think the jury is still out on Buckley but a verdict will be reached before the end of next season IMO. He was handed a tough gig based mostly on his playing reputation and friendship with Eddie with little practical experience in coaching. He was always a prima donna and acted like one. FIGJAM might end up being his epitaph. Not the best qualification for people managing. It appears he is attempting some sort culture change at the pies. As to why I am not sure. Malthouse seemed to keep the bogans there under control and performing well. I seriously doubt that he has full control unlike his media persona suggests. What irks me the most about him is that flawless media persona. Always has the right things to say, eloquent, measured and never appears flustered. Seems in full control but rumblings and evidence suggests otherwise. Starting to appear like another phoney all talk no action type. Perhaps he should had taken Gary Lyon's lead and built a media career instead.

Malthouse is an old grizzly bear with as the saying goes "has street cred" To their detriment some of his students seem to think it has rubbed off on them in a trifle shortcutting the near 30 years plus experience the old bear has. Callow imitators have been exposed with unseemly haste.

They would not touch us with a ten foot pole or broomstick.

In hindsight Ely Lilly could have been a great potential sponsor for us touting their wonder anti depressant drug PROZAC. Shame it is out of patent and every drug company now makes their own version hence sponsorship options are out the window. We should have signed them up after the 2000 grand final or even the 88 grand final. A missed opportunity. We could have made millions for them and us.

North historically have always drawn less than optimal attendances even in their heyday. They could never live down the fringe suburban club perception. Thats why they even ditched their name a few back to reposition themselves in the new world order of footy until backward thinkers took over. I prefer to see us as something like Richmond. Start winning and the fans come back.