Silence better plan than bagging fans
03 April 2003 Herald Sun
By TREVOR GRANT
THE history of failed football clubs bristles with long-term plans.
Perhaps the most famous came at the end of 1980 when favourite son, Ron Barassi, returned to a hero's welcome and unveiled his five-year plan to take the Demons back to those days when premiership cups cluttered the club sideboards.
Barassi insisted the club needed to go back before it went forward. It managed the first part OK, going from ninth to last while winning one game in the first season under the new coaching regime.
Soon enough it became clear going backwards was the easy bit. After climbing to a high of eighth in 1982 and 1983, the Demons had slumped to second last in 1985.
So, the tally at the end of the five-year plan was 33 wins, 77 losses and no finals appearances. And now, almost a quarter of a century later, the Demons remain a sadly unfulfilled outfit.
More recently, in the mid-1990s, Collingwood director of football Graeme Allan suggested supporters of the then-floundering club would have to experience at least 18 months to two years of pain before it would be back to being a finals power.
Seven years down the track, the Magpies finally got back into the finals action last year, but only after years of pain and an almighty upheaval.
Bearing all this in mind, it's rather odd an official as experienced and savvy as Richmond's new director of football, Greg Miller, has suddenly invoked a three-year plan as he begins a campaign to raise membership.
Indeed, he's done more than that. As he outlined his plan in yesterday's Herald Sun, and explained that supporters "may need to be patient for three or four years", he gave those same fans a stern lecture about loyalty.
The essence of the message was that Richmond supporters were far too demanding for their own good. He said their renowned emotional volatility was counter-productive, leading to a lack of stability within the club.
He said they should show their concern for the club by buying a membership ticket, not by abusing the coach, officials and players.
You read and hear a lot of bunkum during a football season, and Miller has certainly added his share to the pile with this outburst.
You might ask what right has a former Sydney and Kangaroos official, who's been at Punt Rd for a few months, to start wagging his finger and talking down to supporters who've spent a lifetime watching this club lurch from one lousy decade to another?
And then there's the matter of his blueprint for success. History tells us to beware the recently appointed club official who comes bearing a three-year plan.
As cynical as it may seem, many fans will see it as nothing more than a strategy to buy time for the administration. If it works, great. If it doesn't, the officials usually move on, leaving the club to pick itself up and start again.
Clearly, Miller is not put off by his lack of experience dealing with the Richmond culture. On the eve of the season's opener against Collingwood, he said his team was motivated by the fact the Magpies had no respect for the Tigers.
You may well also ask how on earth would he know? Which is precisely what former Tigers premiership player, and his current Collingwood counterpart, Neil Balme, did the other day, in a scathing public review of Miller's provocative words.
Miller has made a serious error of judgment in attacking the club's supporters for a supposed lack of allegiance.
They had every right to vent their spleen after last Friday's abysmal display against Collingwood. Miller wasn't there last year, but they were, when the club disappeared into the mire yet again, after teasing everyone by reaching a preliminary final the previous year.
When you invest a lifetime of emotional energy into a club, it hurts when the rewards are so consistently poor. It is not alleviated by having a former Roo lecture you about the way you react to this mediocrity.
Miller would serve his current employer best by quietly doing the job he's paid to do, which is to help turn Richmond into a strong, successful, viable club.
It's the one sure way to put an end to the Monday morning abusive calls and obscene e-mails that obviously trouble him so much.
03 April 2003 Herald Sun
By TREVOR GRANT
THE history of failed football clubs bristles with long-term plans.
Perhaps the most famous came at the end of 1980 when favourite son, Ron Barassi, returned to a hero's welcome and unveiled his five-year plan to take the Demons back to those days when premiership cups cluttered the club sideboards.
Barassi insisted the club needed to go back before it went forward. It managed the first part OK, going from ninth to last while winning one game in the first season under the new coaching regime.
Soon enough it became clear going backwards was the easy bit. After climbing to a high of eighth in 1982 and 1983, the Demons had slumped to second last in 1985.
So, the tally at the end of the five-year plan was 33 wins, 77 losses and no finals appearances. And now, almost a quarter of a century later, the Demons remain a sadly unfulfilled outfit.
More recently, in the mid-1990s, Collingwood director of football Graeme Allan suggested supporters of the then-floundering club would have to experience at least 18 months to two years of pain before it would be back to being a finals power.
Seven years down the track, the Magpies finally got back into the finals action last year, but only after years of pain and an almighty upheaval.
Bearing all this in mind, it's rather odd an official as experienced and savvy as Richmond's new director of football, Greg Miller, has suddenly invoked a three-year plan as he begins a campaign to raise membership.
Indeed, he's done more than that. As he outlined his plan in yesterday's Herald Sun, and explained that supporters "may need to be patient for three or four years", he gave those same fans a stern lecture about loyalty.
The essence of the message was that Richmond supporters were far too demanding for their own good. He said their renowned emotional volatility was counter-productive, leading to a lack of stability within the club.
He said they should show their concern for the club by buying a membership ticket, not by abusing the coach, officials and players.
You read and hear a lot of bunkum during a football season, and Miller has certainly added his share to the pile with this outburst.
You might ask what right has a former Sydney and Kangaroos official, who's been at Punt Rd for a few months, to start wagging his finger and talking down to supporters who've spent a lifetime watching this club lurch from one lousy decade to another?
And then there's the matter of his blueprint for success. History tells us to beware the recently appointed club official who comes bearing a three-year plan.
As cynical as it may seem, many fans will see it as nothing more than a strategy to buy time for the administration. If it works, great. If it doesn't, the officials usually move on, leaving the club to pick itself up and start again.
Clearly, Miller is not put off by his lack of experience dealing with the Richmond culture. On the eve of the season's opener against Collingwood, he said his team was motivated by the fact the Magpies had no respect for the Tigers.
You may well also ask how on earth would he know? Which is precisely what former Tigers premiership player, and his current Collingwood counterpart, Neil Balme, did the other day, in a scathing public review of Miller's provocative words.
Miller has made a serious error of judgment in attacking the club's supporters for a supposed lack of allegiance.
They had every right to vent their spleen after last Friday's abysmal display against Collingwood. Miller wasn't there last year, but they were, when the club disappeared into the mire yet again, after teasing everyone by reaching a preliminary final the previous year.
When you invest a lifetime of emotional energy into a club, it hurts when the rewards are so consistently poor. It is not alleviated by having a former Roo lecture you about the way you react to this mediocrity.
Miller would serve his current employer best by quietly doing the job he's paid to do, which is to help turn Richmond into a strong, successful, viable club.
It's the one sure way to put an end to the Monday morning abusive calls and obscene e-mails that obviously trouble him so much.
