You Can't Have it Both Ways Phil

[WilliamPowell]

Having just read this weeks Inside Football - I thought I'd share some of Phil Cleary's comments from his weekly VFL column about tomorrows Coburg VFL match to be played at Punt Road. Why I am sharing? Read on and you may get a feel as to why I get so "fired up" over some of the stuff that the "media" gives us.

All the stuff in italics comes from page 32 of this weeks "inside Football Issue No. 1087 19th May 2004.

Have to say some of this priceless

So it begins with......

"Signing a deal with Richmond on behalf of the Coburg board to have the debt repatriated was the most important thing we did during my brief stint as Coburg president"

So far so good 

Part of the deal included Coburg playing 2 game sat Punt Road in 2004. Richmond wanted 3 games. We settled on two, and believed these games would help win over the Richmond faithfull

Fair call - couldn't agree with you more on that one.

Personally, (ed: says Phil) I have problems with Coburg wearing the Richmond jumper and being called the Tigers. However, to secure the partnership there seemed no alternative. We accepted that compromises were part of the new VFL.

I'll get onto some of "our problems" shortly

Finally the best till last....

Given Coburg has offered this olive branch Richmond people should flock to Punt Road on Sunday

Olive branch....................what the ???

Can we please get into the real world here.

If you want to win us over I doubt talking about "olive branches" and the problems "with wearing the Richmond Jumper and being called the Tigers" is exactly the right way to do it

While Phil has problems with Coburg wearing the Richmond jumper -perhaps he should stop and think for a moment what it is like to watch the young up and coming Tiger players wearing a jumper that looks like Essendons. I have been at Coburg games and you hear it all the time "gee I hate it - we look like Essendon" Granted the Coburg colours are navy blue and red but the first thing any sane tiger fan thinks of is the Bombers. My advice to Phil is get over it.

Secondly, if it wasn't for the partnership with the RFC I doubt very much there would be a Coburg Football Club. As I was told last year - Coburg need us (RFC) more they we need them. Secure the partnership - perhaps that should read secure survival?

As for "olive branches" I reckon that tomorrow Coburg will play in front of its biggest crowd in years and that's because it is at Punt Road and Coburg will be wearing the Richmond jumper. And the crowd will be made up of mainly Richmond members who want to see the likes of Moore, Raines, Gilmour and some of the older blokes like Duncan Kellaway - the more Richmond players the better.

As I said at the beginning you cannot have it both ways. It is a partnership and if that means for 2 games Coburg plays at Punt Road Oval and wears what most of us consider a sensational looking jumper and that gets more Richmond people watching Coburg every week then that's got to be good thing doesn't it?

[mightytiges]

Secondly, if it wasn't for the partnership with the RFC I doubt very much there would be a Coburg Football Club. As I was told last year - Coburg need us (RFC) more they we need them. Secure the partnership - perhaps that should read secure survival?

Phil Clearly is a passionate Coburg person so I'm not surprised  by his comments. It's not the first time he's said similar things as he's never been happy deep down with Coburg becoming an affiliate of the RFC. Phil's just got to accept that Coburg (merged with Fitzroy btw) was on it's knees by on and off-field. As WP said, Phil without the RFC there would be NO Coburg FC. RFC were the ones who offered Coburg life support let alone an olive branch and RFC were the ones who allowed Coburg to keep its navy and red guernsey. I didn't see him complain when the Coburg Tigers were one kick away from the GF after being down the bottom of the ladder for over a decade .

[Judge Roughneck]

Not happy we are playing 18 non-coburg listed player tomorrow

[dwaino]

Bents the necromancer.

[mightytiges]

Nine year bump Bents. That must be a record  .

Not happy we are playing 18 non-coburg listed player tomorrow

I heard Cleary too. He said with Coburg playing 18-19 Richmond players tomorrow it's denying local Coburg players from getting a game. He's wishfully trying to claim Coburg will be fine next year as a standalone club as supposedly all these denied locals will nag down the door wanting to play with Coburg and they'll be guaranteed a game next year. What Cleary is forgetting is you need a list of decent footballers in the VFL so you don't end up at the bottom of the ladder year in year out. Coburg has no money so any young quality footballer they find will be poached by other clubs on the promise of more $$$ and playing in a winning side. Cleary also said it costs $800k to $1m to run a standalone VFL club and that the AFL should be paying for clubs like Coburg and Frankston to survive as community clubs. That ain't going to happen Phil.

[Penelope]

VFL/AFL has butt raped the VFA, something i believe was on the agenda from the day they split.

you cant blame phil for being upset about hardly any coburg players playing.

If that continues all year they wont have a side to field next year when we field a stand alone team.

I know some people will be happy about that, but some people get delight out seeing fooled children getting beaten up.

He is right about saying that the VFL should prop up these clubs, but yeah, it aint gunna happen. when they all finally disappear leaving only the AFL clubs and their reserves it will be mission accomplished for the buttwipes

[1965]

VFL/AFL has butt raped the VFA, something i believe was on the agenda from the day they split.

Absolutely

  from Chiang Mai

[yellowandback]

I used to love the old VFA but times have changed as football has become more professional.

[WilliamPowell]

He is right about saying that the VFL should prop up these clubs, but yeah, it aint gunna happen. when they all finally disappear leaving only the AFL clubs and their reserves it will be mission accomplished for the buttwipes

Although I understand Phil's point what he fails to mention is that AFL Victoria (which is  just a de facto division of the AFL) has propped up these clubs with financial assistance for a long time. It is only in the last couple of seasons they haven't handed over money hand over first because the AFL has wanted their funding of AFL Victoria to go into more grass root comps and program's.

Over the years Coburg has received more than their fair share but still they struggle simply because they have no other revenue stream outside footy. At VFL level that isn't sustainable. The strongest VFL clubs (port, willy, werribee, nth ballarat) all have other revenue streams (read porkiesPOKIES)

[Smokey]

The strongest VFL clubs (port, willy, werribee, nth ballarat) all have other revenue streams (read porkies)

What, they sell bacon?   


 

[WilliamPowell]

The strongest VFL clubs (port, willy, werribee, nth ballarat) all have other revenue streams (read porkies)

What, they sell bacon?   


 

 

Bloody self word correct on this stupid iPad

POKIES that shout be

[Smokey]

The strongest VFL clubs (port, willy, werribee, nth ballarat) all have other revenue streams (read porkies)

What, they sell bacon?   


 

 

Bloody self word correct on this stupid iPad

POKIES that shout be

No need to yell WP.

 

[WilliamPowell]

The strongest VFL clubs (port, willy, werribee, nth ballarat) all have other revenue streams (read porkies)

What, they sell bacon?   


 

 

Bloody self word correct on this stupid iPad

POKIES that shout be

No need to yell WP.

 

WHAT?

 

[Rampstar]

The VFA/VFL started going downhill when they outlawed the thuggery from the game. In the old days people watched VFA for the thuggery. It was great stuff. Thats how you bring back the crowds. Acts of thuggery and cowardice is the way of the future for the VFA.

[yellowandback]

The strongest VFL clubs (port, willy, werribee, nth ballarat) all have other revenue streams (read porkies)

What, they sell bacon?   


 

 

Bloody self word correct on this stupid iPad

POKIES that shout be

Maybe they should sell Porkies, it was very popular on the movie Porkys