Losing Interest?

[MP magpie]

[Gonzalo]

When they traded Heath Shaw, they traded out part of the DNA that made our club.

We have always had someone who is a rascal and shakes things up.

We are now a club full of boring robots.

[What'sinaname]

[Collingwood Crackerjack]

[Culprit]

There is not much to like about this season. That's football. We will bounce back massively next season. This is the step backwards we had to have. Keep blooding the kids.

[Piesnchess]

[Flashman]

[The_Staunton]

[Piesnchess]

[doriswilgus]

[Redlight]

[Flashman]

[Presti35]

Some valid arguments/concerns in this thread.

The season has been nothing short of disappointing. We know this. And we know that a finals appearance is all but gone.

No doubt all the injuries have played a huge part in our disappointment. But how much exactly? If we had a golden run from round one, how many more wins would we really have?

Right now, all we can do is judge this groups morale which seems shot. Will the recover?

When you see the Cats from 07-11 (who btw, had a coaching change and lost the best player of the past 25 years) and what the Hawks have done from 12-now, we cant help but ask what went wrong after 2010? We had a fantastic side and an extremely young premiership side. And the truth is, we should have won at least one more flag with that group. We should have won 2011 and we could have won 2012.

But even if we're not winning the flag from 2011-now, we really should have at least been one of the teams in contention for it.

One question is, if we had of kept MM, would we have contested for another flag by now? Or would be in a similar spot, or heavens forbid, worse off?

Bucks will be the coach at the conclusion of 2016. That, I have no doubt of. But the jungle drums will be getting very loud if we put out more games like today, particularly against the poorer sides. 2017 might see some new faces around the place, and clearly there is something wrong within the club. (Wether it is simply Bucks, or others). BTW, I liked the idea of Craig Kelly challenging the president position. That could have some merit.

The other frustrating fact about 2016, is that the flag seems to be more up for grabs then it has been for a while. What I mean is that there hasn't been a super standout club. North, Geelong, Sydney, GWS, WCE, Dogs have all shown that they can push deep into September. This is similar to 2005 and 2006 where there was no clear ladder favorite. With our list and the expectation of this group, we could have been amongst the teams fighting for a top 4 spot.

Before the season started, most of the experts would have had Collingwood beating the Saints, Dees, Blues. Many would have expected a win against Port. And not many would have expected those huge thrashings in Sydney/Perth.

But then you look at the Cats game. Wow. What a week that was. We looked great and things looked back on track. 2 weeks is a very long time in football though isnt it? We have to beat Melbourne before we have our bye and then Freo.

Oh and getting to the crowd against Melb on Monday, how many Dees people will show up after smelling Pies blood? Sadly, we could be quite outnumbered on the day. I kind of hope they cant get the 60,000 as Im sick of handing them this payday game every year. I'd gladly let someone else take over this fixture.

[5 from the wing on debut]

I went to most Pies games in 1976 when we finished on the bottom for the first time. I haven't seen the stats but my memory is that even in that year the crowds were good at Vic Park. In my opinion that is because the culture was different then. We were Collingwood supporters. We supported our club no matter what. My grandfather did it. My father did it. I did it. If you weren't a Collingwood supporter you hated the club. It was tribal . Us against them.

Over the years something has happened. The sport has become professional. That means the players get paid more and change clubs to better their professional careers as would any other employee. It means I am not a fan anymore. I am a revenue unit in a business model The Pies don't have a home ground any more. They have little to differentiate them from any other team. Barracking at the football no longer exists. There is little banter between opposing supporters at games. Games are quite sterile in the outer.

I recall the first game I ever went to. Glenferrie oval, wearing the jumper with Macca's 6 on the back, sitting on my dad's shoulders so that I could see. I was hooked. I also recall the sadness of being at the last game at Vic Park.

My grandfather is long gone and my dad no longer attends games. I continued the tradition by taking my sons to the G for their first game. Nothing to watch before the game. Constant blaring rubbish over the speakers. The game and crowd were both boring & my sons lost interest very quickly. Not one memorable highlight to captivate my boys but that is par for the course with the modern game. It's funny but my boys had interest in the game but by taking them to a game it caused them to lose all interest in it. A decade on they are both very tall, athletic and strong, addicted to their sports but footy is of no interest to them at all. That is not unusual amongst their circle of friends.

The AFL may have achieved its aim of turning supporters into theatre goers but by doing so they have also damaged the game. Why would you keep going to a movie that you do not like?

I will sometimes go to a game and afterwards wonder why I bothered. In 20 years time what would I remember about what I just saw? What was the memorable incident? What was the highlight? Sometimes I will listen to the call of a game on the radio and enjoy it as I picture the game as it once was.

I concede that the skills and speed of the game are far better now than they have ever been. But, I don't think that the game is better. Where have the characters in the game gone? Where are the villains in the opposition? Where is the tribal fervour? Where is the passion? I know where they are. In the history books.

It's makes me so sad to know that the game I grew up with is diminished. For me, and a lot of others, I suspect that this is the real reason for the lack of interest rather than the current performance of the team.

[thompsoc]