Richo given until December to decide his future [updated]

[cub]

When Richo went this year the Passion went, never seen a team go through the motions as much as we did, specially the last half of the year.
The team needs him at the very least to instill some of this back into them.
The month will be for him to judge how his injury is going.
Even if he plays a pinch hitter off the bench, what better player could you ask for that job.
Crucial to the development of the team and the mental heath of some of the supporters.
Based on his 2008 form and 2009 start, injuriy aside he can play for maybe another 2 even 3 years.
Age has nothing to do with it when it comes to Richo.
Hope he pulls together and if so I don't need to wish for him to stick it up a few it will just happen.
Go Richoman ....

[Gigantor]

As great as richo is ,i think the club showed its intentions with regard to the remaining part of the season when they sent cotch and foley in for repair work.i think the RFC called it 'stumps' at that point of the season.

[Francois Jackson]

UNFKBLVBLE! You people are! Richo....runner up in the brownlow last year, was doing just fine till injury, can teach the young guys about working your guts out for the club, would not be a huge issue to keep on, the only bright spark in friggin YEARS of disappointment....VALUE??? you talk value?, Richos value is in much more than his on field performance(which in itself is enough IMO)
You armchair experts poo me with your bignoting and thinking you know better than the experts, i dont care who you are related to and how good your sons/daughters/whatevers are, bottom line is you dont know any more than this middle aged suburban mother of four, and that has been proved time and time again!
Richo and the club will know what to do and when to do it, doesnt need you bogans to "demand" his retirement now!  


Rant over

15 years he has been in the system and none of his work ethic has rubbed off yet so what makes you think its going to be any different going forward.

i trust Richo will know what to do but i laugh when you say "the club will know what to do and when to do it" Like they have such a great track record now dont they

[cub]

May of been the clubs intentions, but the players on the field were playing for their careers. They could of fooled me.

? Are you a spaceage robot, bigger than big?

[Jackstar is back]

Richo has said before he wants to go on hasn't he? If his upper hammy recovers fine then I don't see why he can't have one final year in 2010. He's a veteran listed player so he isn't taking up a senior list spot and only half his salary counts towards the cap. In what will be a difficult year for the club with or without him anyway if Richo can get through it relatively injury free and play 18 games then at least his 300th may give the club something to cheer about at the end of next season.

I think he should go on.
I dont think he wants to go on.

[Infamy]

haha how much VALUE did Richo give Richmond this year  ZERO
Next year older & wonky he will give ZERO 
Dont you understand a player of his size with serious injuries cannot go on

I thought you were leaving
Shouldn't you at least be at the Joel Bowden circle at Birdie Num Nums?

[Gigantor]

How many other clubs after nearly 30 years of mediocrity has supporters with so much passion as shown by the Richmond faihtful.We may differ as to what should be done ,but hey thats what a democracy is all about.After a poor season we richmond supporters can at least hold our heads high...congrats guys

[Go Richo 12]

True Gigantor! The only problem is that sometimes that passion is misdirected!

Anyway, Richo should be given the oppurtunity to choose when he is leaving!

Some posters call him selfish for bad body language but to me Richo is just showing the frustration that the rest of the club should have been showing alot earlier in regard to our skill level!
Richo selfishly played one week after fracturing his cheek bone when the season was shot to pieces!
Richo selfishly decides to come back early against Sydney but anyone who has ever played the game outside of the kindergarten know that footballers at all levels do this more to help their mates on the field than to be selfish!
Richo has selfishly turned down offers from other clubs when others have left(read Brad Ottens).

He is just one big selfish, good for nothing unit who has wrecked his body for this club!

Just off the top of my head:
Reconstructed knee
Broken Cheek bone by 2
Broken arm
Broken foot
Hammy torn off the bone
Please add more acts of selfishness if i missed any

[julzqld]

True Gigantor! The only problem is that sometimes that passion is misdirected!

Anyway, Richo should be given the oppurtunity to choose when he is leaving!

Some posters call him selfish for bad body language but to me Richo is just showing the frustration that the rest of the club should have been showing alot earlier in regard to our skill level!
Richo selfishly played one week after fracturing his cheek bone when the season was shot to pieces!
Richo selfishly decides to come back early against Sydney but anyone who has ever played the game outside of the kindergarten know that footballers at all levels do this more to help their mates on the field than to be selfish!
Richo has selfishly turned down offers from other clubs when others have left(read Brad Ottens).

He is just one big selfish, good for nothing unit who has wrecked his body for this club!

Just off the top of my head:
Reconstructed knee
Broken Cheek bone by 2
Broken arm
Broken foot
Hammy torn off the bone
Please add more acts of selfishness if i missed any

Well said.  Same 2JD. 

[Stripes]

I don't think anyone here doesn't love what the big Richo has done for our club. He has been our marque player, the heart, soul and face of the club for over a decade but we need to think beyond an single player now and look at our club and team. We are all hoping for success and are hoping we can build a team that gives us that success. Regardless of what he has offered to us in the past we need to sit back now and dispassionately evaluate what he will offer us in the future.

At best he has one or two years left. We will be struggling to make the finals in that time let alone be reaching for a flag.

We are screaming out for our players to become team orientated ie work with and for each other, Richo doesn't do this.

We have the worst team defense in the league and Richo is the biggest culprit on our list.

We are trying to develop our forward line and change our culture - Richo has epitomized this culture for over a decade.

Richo could have gone elsewhere and he has given his all to win as many games as he can for our great club but he has always tried to do it alone. Richo is a great contested mark but he only every has eyes for the ball and has frequently injuried his team mates going for marks that they were in a better position position to take.

Richo is a great champion of the club but having him play next year serves little purpose for 2010 and absolutely none for our future.

I want Tigers to be a feared team and unfortunately Richo is only standing in the way of that. 

Stripes

[Jackstar is back]

haha how much VALUE did Richo give Richmond this year  ZERO
Next year older & wonky he will give ZERO 
Dont you understand a player of his size with serious injuries cannot go on

I thought you were leaving
Shouldn't you at least be at the Joel Bowden circle at Birdie Num Nums?

You should go to Birdie Num Nums, great place

[Tigermonk]

You should go to Birdie Num Nums, great place

yep great place good host   

[Tigermonk]

Good player Joel Bowden was 
Didnot see any Richmond players get picked as All-Australians this year, not even a emergency spot.
? was there any in last years squad  or the year before. Not many Richmond players are good enough to make All-Australians
Just goes to show the talent & hard workrate footballers have to work to get in the All-Australian squad.
Better still he did it 2 years in a row. So he must have been good, like Richo who done it 3 times l think 
Time to go Richo 

[one-eyed]

Richardson told to consider his future
John Barnes - Geelong Advertiser
September 3rd, 2009

RICHMOND superstar Matthew Richardson may only have a month to make a decision on his playing future.

It is my understanding the Tiger veteran and spiritual leader has been told to have a good think about whether he wants to go on next year after injury wrecked his 2009 campaign.

New coach Damien Hardwick has basically indicated that few are safe at Tigerland as he plans the mother of all culls.

The forthcoming clean out at Punt Rd will be unlike any other seen at an AFL club, with Hardwick set to take a sledgehammer to a large slice of the Tigers' underperforming list. Existing assistant coaches and fitness staff also face a nervous wait.

Richo has a month to think about his options but it's clear Hardwick has decided to make a statement.

He's definitely got the balls to do something like that. When he played, he was like a bull at a gate and something like giving Richo the flick wouldn't worry him either.

Andrew Raines is already on his way, along with Nathan Brown, Troy Simmonds and possibly Kayne Pettifer.

The question might be asked how could you cut a Simmonds when you don't have a ruckman? But Hardwick apparently doesn't like the way he plays. He wants an enforcer.

One thing about a Hardwick coached team is that it will be tough.

The new Tigers mentor does not like soft types and anyone who is anything but hard will either get the flick or spend most of 2010 at Coburg.

Richmond has picks 3, 19 and 35 at the beginning of this year's draft, so there is plenty of opportunity to add some talent and mould the type of side that Hardwick wants to preside over during the next three seasons and possibly beyond.

http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2009/09/03/100021_geelong_sports.html

[Tigermonk]

cant wait for that sledgehammer to strike March