I can tell you they are checking all the RFC Supporters sites down at the club today. They know they are in trouble. They will probably make some sort of apology to the supporters to try and limit the damage but deep down they know they have stuffed up. The recruiting philosophy has been a disaster, the fitness isnt good enough and Hardwick seems to have lost his mojo.
The rebuild has failed. Moneyball recruiting has failed. We have stacked the list with other clubs rejects and made them senior 22 players. Its the same problem, the same rubbish we have had for 34 years. The club has failed us again and they are looking down the barrel of losing 10,000-20,000 members next year. They are in crisis down their and they are doing their best to hide their failures.
It's actually business as usual, another game to prepare for, a new community partnerships to announce as we have earlier this morning. It was a bad loss yesterday obviously, and the coach has acknowledged that, but like any other business we move on to the next thing.
Of couurse it is look for new members whilst burning 63K of members year in year out. I read this at work and was suitably disgusted.
Whilst looking at different forms of revenue is good we are the RICHMOND FOOTBALL CLUB and we attempt tp play football you all at the RFC live and die by the job the club does on field. Ultimately. I could not give a rats fat clacker about charity this and charity that and what have you timed perfectly as a goofd time story after a 66 point loss to the reigning premier with an upcoming game against a side we have not been on the same planet with for 8 seasons.
Furthermore the club in 2010 released its manifesto of 3-0-75 which we have shockingly fallen short of bc last yr as far as I am concerned was a finals failure given we lost to a team that didn't qualify on merit the debt well Dimma's asking me if he's giving 100% and we are only at 63 K members and come to a halt due to thie apparent malaise the club invariably goes through.
What is good business practice is keep the money you have the members and grow from there not serve up this slop and slurry that is coming out of the club because after all we are the lifeblood of this footy club and have come to the aid of it both in 1990 and wit the FTF. We are the lifeblood and we deserve better than this. But hey its the RFC of course we'll sugar coat everything until it is time to rattle the cans and call the members for contributions and donations by phone, email and every other means possible all for a tokenistic finals app once decade since the 1980's.
Hey the 6 yr old kid in Pakenham wants to wear the jumper so we offer him one or we cajole his mate to wear one and we'll plant a tree at his school and get some player(s to come out and tell him how to be a seagull or whatever but hey that's ok because the bloke growing up in Prhran, South Yarra, Richmond, Oakleigh, Clifton Hill who has gone for years and years and all the contributions he/she makes is seen with a lack of emotion.
32 years is enough. it was 22 after Spud, 27 after Frawley and the way ings are going will be 33 under Wallace yes RFC official that's the attitude we succeed together but when we fail I'm not in at area I'm not responsible yet just over the road Hawthorn from the bootstudder to the jock strap cleaner to the CEO everyone is just as important and hence in the time of our malaise they have overtaken us in flags and continue to reinvent themselves as a progressive, modern, relevant, up to date sporting club with success and wealth.
Yes we are all innocent at RFC it wasn't i an Wilson or Graeme Richmond it was someone else and the chain gets bigger and bigger and the responsibility of helping the club falls on to the member time and time again. If the government fails we vote another one in, if staples are high we complain, if petrol and taxes are high we are entitled to complain yet when a club has failed for 32 years and the slurry that comes from the coaches and Dan's mouth is what the club thinks given these men are the face of the club then as members and supporters and hopefull people wishing to see a flag in their lifetime to go with the faded memories of 1980 when I was a young 5 year old then you are bloody right I have a right to object to this bs.
When these older fans who saw the success from 67-80 start passing bc of their age has the club implemented a plan to ensure family members continue the loyal support or is our membership base going to decline further as it did in 2007-08 and 2010 most recently when the fans had had enough and were emotionless towards a club who had offered them noting but the odd player who we labelled a superstar well Richo was a gun.
I can remember times in the late 80's and early 90's playing in front of 10000 crowds and occasionally less something Melbourne has played in front of in recent years but hey I guess we'll come up in marketing with another gimmick that will take four to five years to come to fruition but by then hey we'll remain fiscal for a few years after that before the nut bags start dropping manure or spitting at coaches but hey we are the RFC.
One official says its not my fault the bloke who heads that dept has a PHD in gonad scratching and I have a PHD in bum scratching and I aint going to tell anyone how to scratch. To all te apologists if your happy with what is being served up and feel you don't need to do anything because its all fine then that is great but many of us want to see success at the club.
If Benny is being interviewed by the AFL for the CEO job then say it. He's entitled to it but we are also entitled to know. Honesty and transparency is the lifeblood of good relations between the club and fans. If Lids has an achilles problem that is long term put him on the LTIL and promote Miles no point breaking him for the sake of the 20 members tat might sign on between now and the 30th June. Same with Maric and other injured players.
This club treats us all with disdain and disrespect and then we get to matchday where we get slaughtered by a better side a side that according to the 3-0-75 manifesto we should be beating same with the Cats this week but hey offer a fan who wants a reserved seat membership upgrade a discounted rate because the skata has hit the fan whilst i pay full price because the club is full of snake oil in November and December.
Enough is enough this club owes its members and coteries better and if what I am saying hurts you as an employee then good and if this will be read or passed on to anyone else in the RFC whether off or on field staff even better I think I lay in the majority of disgruntled fans and rather than PM you to your inbox where the conversation would remain discreet and quiet I felt it was important to voice my concerns and those that have been echoed by others who seem to get stonewalled continually by the RFC and are being left disgruntled, emotionless and extremely unhappy with the results so far.
Regards
Richmond Member and Coterie Member member for over 15 years and born in an RFC Premiership Year when we were the best footy side in the land.