Morning after the night before and I've been think about why I used the term "dishonest" in a post about the 2nd half last night. I've only ever used it once before and that was back when we got thrashed by Carlton at the FTF game.
Why dishonest?
There are lots of reasons for me and I wanted to put them out there because I'm on the brink of walking away. Why now after 30+ years of false hopes, 30+ years of poor seasons am I considering just not doing this anymore
Why? Simply because right now I don't have any respect for the RFC. They treat me like a fool and expect me just to accept what they throw at me
Yes in the past I've been angry with them, yes I've been disgusted with things they have done but I never not had respect for this Club. I may not have agreed with things and decision they've made but I've always respected why they've done them. Because I've believed they were done with the best interest of the club in mind
Sadly not now.
I'm firm in my belief that this has been a build up of things over a period of time and is not just about this year's debacle. It's not just about the coach or players it runs through the entire club.
The thing is when you are winning the things that are wrong get ignored because the wins hide the problems. But when you lose well there is no place to hide and problems that have always been there shine like a beacon in the night. That's what's happening at Richmond circa 2014. The problems that were was a dim flame last year are now shining like a distress beacon in the ocean
Let's go back to when Dimma was first appointed. He told us, no he promised us that players would only get games if they put there head over the ball and when it was their time "to go they had to go" if they didn't they wouldn't get a game. Moving into year five of his tenure I question what happened to that. When did that supposed non-negotiable become a negotiable? Because to me that hasn't been a non-negotiable for over 3 years now. Players who time and time again refuse to "go when it's their turn to go" have continued to be played, literally been gifted games. Why? Blind Freddy can see that games have been given to "favourites" ahead of kids that are busting their guts in the VFL. What sort of message does that send other than a bloody poor one?
Then just this week we get told that we'd get changes but the only changed we get were forced by injury. Another great message as the under performing players get spared what they should clearly face and that's being dropped for not playing up to standard
I expect to get whacked for this and I know I am breaking my own embargo about it. I expect people to say I am being petty. But the decision to allow the current captain to continue to wear his preferred number to number 17 was a poor leadership by the Club in particular the board and management. It also makes me wonder what impact it has had on the playing group and the message it sends. Forget whether you agree with the captain's number concept the fact remains that the Club allowed an individual to dictate a condition of him accepting the captaincy. The lack of leadership shown by the board in this case was wrong in that it sent a poor message to everyone especially the player group. In a way they allowed "the tail to wag the dog". Granted it is a small thing in the overall scheme of things but it is just another example of the lack of leadership that seems to engulf our club
We have a bloke in charge of list management who rates our list and under his rating system he believes certain players are deserving of 3 year contracts when again most people can see that the same players aren't going to improve. Then we lose a certain type of player (White) rather than finding a like type player we go 360 and target a lack of speed. Granted he targeted Maric and that was a great get but the others? More frustrating questions than answers
Then we have the club spin. The warning bells for me this year started during the pre-season when the club started spruiking a top 4 finish. Internally you can have whatever goals you want but for a team that hadn't played in back to back finals series since 1975 the talk externally should have been about improving again to ensure we got enough wins to make finals. Once you get the wins then you can talk about top 4. Then we have not only the coach saying we are a better side than last year but the GM of footy and the CEO saying the same thing. Outside of it being an incredibly stupid statement it was and is clearly a dishonest one
Then we have the off field. We get told that the Club exists for it's members not because of them. This is another dishonest statement. The exists because of us and maybe it's time they to started admitting it. The contempt that we get shown not only with the on field but the off field is just well mind numbing now. They spend so much time trying to find new members that they have forgotten those who have backed them unconditionally for decades. That is simply disrespectful and dishonest
I genuinely feel people who work at the Club like Mr RFC_O and those I speak to in membership and coteries. They are the ones who have to face the anger of the members and supporters. Benny doesn't, Dimma doesn't. They get shielded and justify things with their spin. Stig comes on here and cops abuse simply for doing his job and because he is the only conduit people have to vent at the Club. It is a thankless job but he keeps fronting up and I give him a helluva lot of credit for it. Ditto the folks in membership and the Coterie crew
But when it's all said and done the person that I am most angry at is the CEO Benny Gale. He's the one I reckon has played us as fools the most. Smart man is Benny, IMV he has known from the day he started that people would believe him and follow him and above all not question him. He was the great off field hope that we needed. Maybe it is time we started to question him. He stood in front of me at the FTF launch and said it would only be around 2 years at the most, it continues today and the Club's reliance on it is well scary. He gave us the 75-0-3 plan that has failed with the irony of it being the only part that has been successful is the zero debt thanks to the members. He implored people to vote in favour of the constitutional changes that gave the Board the power to appoint their own directors and allow him to sit on the board. The very thing people are now sooking about.
I could go on but what's the point? I just get angrier and more frustrated
Don highlights a key point for me when he said "
It's not only the loss. It's the way we lose. We just find new ways to break the hearts of members and supporters." Never has a truer word been spoken
