Posting with permission from Eddie

[STOKA35]

Port now have the never tear us apart at the start of the game which has taken off for them.
Maybe we could do something similar or the slow collingwood chant scarve wave before the game starts?

[joffa corfe]

[joffa corfe]

[joffa corfe]

[joffa corfe]

[1061]

So have you been appointed by the club to organise all this Joffa?

[joffa corfe]

[1061]

That bloke would wanna be if it's the same bloke that is actually the Club President.

[joffa corfe]

Im happy to be at banner making each week on the basis I believe its all about families and the kids, I'll put up my hand to be the go to person when families and kids and anyone else comes to banner making to ensure that they are made welcome and feel a part of it.

[King Monkey]

[Scribe]

Indulge me for a moment while I try and explain to you why the Ponsford end has been quiet this year.

I want you to think about Collingwood fans like a wife. If Collingwood was the husband, we were the woman by its side.

During tough times (70's and 80's heartbreak, the wobbles, the 90's) we stuck by our man through thick and thin. Near misses only fueled our love. We embraced our simple surroundings at Victoria Park, we accepted that the club was like any other - having no God-given right to be at the top of the ladder every year.

The longest darkness was followed by the brightest of lights in 1990. But not before long, we returned to the struggle. It's what we had become accustomed to.

We didn't need the flashy things. All we needed was the black and white jumper and a bit of hope.


Then someone came along and promised us more.


We wanted more, so we listened. We believed.

Our dilapidated home in Dandenong was being sold and we were moving to Toorak. The Datsun was being traded in for a BMW (or Lexus). We were going to do things better, Collingwood was going to become what we had always dreamed about.

The husband delivered on the promises.

After the foundations were built and finals had become an expectation, rather than a surprise, 2010 happened.

2010 happened in a way that made us all believe we would be in for a dynasty - we had forgotten how much luck was involved. We had forgotten the penance you usually have to pay.

In 2011 we came close, but we were seemingly not broken.

Then, and this is the important part, our relationship with our husband changed.

We became accustomed to a certain style of living and during 2012,2013 and most painfully, 2014, we were not ready to go back to what we were before.

This happens all the time. The loyal wife sticks with you through thick and thin, then after you show her a life with a mansion, a BMW and all of life's perks - she changes.

I go to the football because I love Collingwood. But the truth is - almost everyone at the Ponsford end is quiet because we changed.

We're always told by our husband that we're better than everyone else. We have more money. We have more success. We have better plans. We have better people.

Then, we go to the football and we no longer see it. We don't have the best people. If we have more money, it's being wasted. Our injuries and recuiting tell us we have fallen behind the pack. If we have better plans, I don't see them.

We're coming down in lifestyle. It's a tough thing to go through. There is very little reason to be excited about Collingwood.

I now feel like a trophy wife. Not dealing well with the thought of moving back to Dandenong.

Our husband promised us more than this because he loves us... and still they promise, even though a harsh truth would always be better.

Passion, noise, numbers - these things don't come and go because of a loud-o-meter, dancing group or different banner (although, those three things are incredibly embarrassing) - they come with desperation.

We stopped being desperate. The players stopped being desperate. We reached the mansion, got comfortable and now the empire has crumbled.

I'll buy my legends membership again next year, I'll go to another 15 games... but I'll accept that things won't be as good as I remember. It will be tougher to get excited and make noise.

Because we don't do a lot to make noise about any more.

The rabidness has dwindled.. and it's a natural demise.

You know what will bring it back?

Not new initiatives, not louder clappers, not new hooded jumpers for the cheer squad... it's just time.

Time to realise that once again, our expectations have to go down.

You can be disgruntled about the coach, you can be disgruntled when 85% of our list try to attempt a simple drop punt to a teammate... and yes, things may get worse before they get better... but I can assure you, the one thing that will bring back the noise is desperation.

The passion for the rest of us comes in the climb, not in the fall.

[die4pies]

"We stopped being desperate"

Glib generalisation that is unhelpful. Suggesting that the players somehow don't try is not a reflection on their effort, more a reflection on how out of touch those who make the suggestion are and their inability to accept that in competitive sport there are winners and losers. "If you can meet with triumph and tragedy and treat those two imposters just the same..."

Reality is when we are winning is when the players need 'support' the least. When we are struggling is when the Club needs support the most.

Side by Side.

So glad the Ponsford will be "fixed". Very interested to watch how this evolves.
The so called "Collingwood Stand" is embarrassing.

It is important that those that have been excommunicated from the cheer squad and victimised by the Club over the last ten years be brought back into the fold with the promise that they will never ever be treated that way again. It starts with an apology.

The cheer squad needs a clearly defined charter and proper structures put in place with elected officials.

Like Victoria Park, an attempt was made to kill the Cheer Squad off for good. It failed. While I have never been a member of the cheer squad (or wanted to be one for that matter) several of my closest friends have been and still are. Their welfare coupled with how embarrassing it is too look down at our empty "Collingwood Stand" means I will be keenly interested in how the rebuild takes shape. It is a rebuild too, not starting from scratch.

My suggestion to increase bums on seats is to reallocate all seating in the area based on 2014 and 2013 attendance records of individuals. Less than 80% attendance means you sit elsewhere in 2015 and your seat is taken by a 80%+ Supporter.

[Scribe]

[roar]

In 2011, I was actually bored with smashing everyone in the H&A rounds, and couldn't wait for the finals to start because I was only interested in winning the flag. All the games leading up to it just seemed to be filler. Now, I do admit I would prefer to be winning all the time but I think watching a young team work their way to the top will bring back some passion.

[John Wren]