Am I a 'real Freo Supporter'??.....well am I.

[dockshark]

I sat in my usual seats on the weekend and I had a visiting interstate member sitting next to me (whom I am pretty certain is a member here!)

I was getting progressively more and more annoyed with the lack of commitment....from a team that should have been playing for their season.

We were out muscled and out gunned....and that is one thing, but we were out 'passioned' in my view.

One thing that was startlingly obvious was Carlton’s commitment to get back and support each other when we were in possession, compared to our stand with hands on hips or head and point approach when they took possession. Unfortunately...our captain was one of the worst offenders.

During the 3rd I mentioned that I thought the playing group should give their match payments back to members after such a performance.....perhaps a little OTT. AT this point my neighbour told me to give it a rest.

At the end of the game, I told him that I admired his positivity....to which he responded: "You're not a true Freo supporter"....I replied maybe I'm just a realist.

Got to thinking about it this morning, and maybe he's right. I'm starting to believe the rhetoric about franchise teams that have no culture etc. Yes we have had terrible luck with injuries this year. But that doesn't excuse what we witnessed yesterday.

So what is real Freo supporter? Does it mean remaining positive without wavering? I have to admit that I care more about East Fremantle than Freo.

So I guess I'm sorry for upsetting the guy....but then I'm not at the same time. I was only being honest after all…….

Maybe he is right.....maybe I'm not a true Freo supporter.....hell maybe there's no such thing.

 

[estibador]

I've been having a bit of crisis of identity lately about my true-Freo-supporterness lately too.

I've been watching games while deliberately trying to keep more of a sense of detachment and inner calm - still getting happy when we kick goals obviously, but not allowing myself to get upset at umpiring decisions or when we concede goals (or make Freo-esque mistakes in general).

I'd like to think its part of growing older and wiser and gaining perspective in life, but part of me wonders if my passion is receding slightly.

Regardless, I think there is such a thing as being too emotionally involved in something you have no control over. And I figure as long as I keep buying a membership and/or watching every game I'll always be a true supporter, regardless of how I choose to express that.

 

[Chops_a_must]

A real Freo supporter in my experience is anyone or more of the following:

Drug Addict
Long term clinical depression sufferer
Alcoholic
Sociopath
Sufferer of geriatric profanity disorder


I'd guess you need to be number 1. It's better that way.

 

[The Night Shift]

The fact he used the 'No True Scotsman' argument as he was upset at your criticisms means he is not prepared to set aside his love for the club and see the real situation we are in.

You support FFC your way and importantly give a shit about the club and how it goes. You paid for a membership. Sounds like a real supporter to me.

 

[shibz_1989]

HAHA yes!!! Number 2 FTW!

 

[estibador]

Pretty sure I've fit in categories 1, 3 and 6 at one stage or another. Often all at once.

 

[Clay Davis]

Sounds like you were seated near a ********, dockshark.

 

[shibz_1989]

Pretty sure I've fit in categories 1, 3 and 6 at one stage or another. Often all at once.

There is no 6 Esti...

 

[estibador]

There is no 6 Esti...

Haha 5 then.

That would be all the damage 1 and 3 has done to my brain...

 

[shibz_1989]

No one is perfect.

 

[dockshark]

No one is perfect.

Incorrect. My wife is......

 

[raffrox]

Support the club however you want. No one can tell you how to be a supporter but if you have to ask if you are supporter... well only you can answer that question.

 

[Lach72]

A real Freo supporter in my experience is anyone or more of the following:

Drug Addict
Long term clinical depression sufferer
Alcoholic
Sociopath
Sufferer of geriatric profanity disorder


I'd guess you need to be number 1. It's better that way.

Tourettes sufferer:
" ah fa **** sake". "Fuuuuuuuck". "****ity **** ****". "****ing Johnson".

 

[Chops_a_must]

In all seriousness though, I remember backing off and posting about it a little while ago. I'm much better off for it.

When I started going to Dockers matches in 95 and for years afterwards, we had a lot of old supporters around us. There aren't any of those around anymore. It disturbs me because I often think they had shortened lives because of following Freo.

I don't religiously watch Freo matches anymore. I try and organise other things to do when we're playing. I don't look at fixtures anymore. If I watch it, I watch it. I don't go out of my way to anymore.

But I am involved in local footy. I find it less stressful, more social, and the bad comes with a lot more good. The NT Thunder and the footy here is a really nice antidote.

Of course I'm still a Freo supporter. It just doesn't dominate my life anymore. I'm a much more positive and functional person for it.

But I am extremely concerned about the welfare of our players. Knowing people here, who personally know Mark Harvey, does not give me confidence that the best thing is being done by the players.

Actually, I feel sorry for Freo tragics these days. It's not a nice world to live in.

 

[DockerDude76]

A real Freo supporter in my experience is anyone or more of the following:

Drug Addict
Long term clinical depression sufferer
Alcoholic
Sociopath
Sufferer of geriatric profanity disorder


I'd guess you need to be number 1. It's better that way.

When I'm at the game definitely number five hahahaha!

Actually you know, nothing has changed for me...I'm probably the loudest in my block. Go to every match expecting a win..why waste money if you don't?? Alway scream for a total smashing, totally abuse the opposition and the umps if warranted AND if loud opposition supporters get seats in front then WATCH OUT!!...and as I told the dirty blues supporters on Sat its a Freo home game what do you think was going to happen?

So yea I'm a freaking REAL Fremantle supporter

P.s. I expect Freo to smash the Roos this week too.

 

[believe_it]

If you feel good when Freo win and play well and bad and annoyed when they lose you are probably a supporter. If you feel the same no matter what the result you are probably not or are a vegetable

 

[Pegasaur]

If you felt devastated when Ballentyne's kick hit the post to the point where you wanted to lie on the ground and drift into a peaceful death, then your a Freo supporter.

 

[purpleblood29]

I love AFL and football in general so much it isn't healthy. I HATE losing, can't stand it. It doesn't matter what it is, sport, exams, monopoly. I am quite a competitive person, and am very passionate about this club. I often tell myself to calm down, me being young. I have plenty of years ahead to watch my club, hopefully one day win a premiership, that I don't need to be so stressed about it now. But it is my nature, I can't help it. If freo lose, my week is screwed.... well not really. But for the days after the match, I am in a pretty dour state, although I don't show it. But I think about football probably 30 percent of the time. I can't help it, I swear it isn't healthy. When I am at games I piss myself off sometimes, heck I don't know what it would be like for others, I'm not racist or aggressive, just passionate. And that passion causes utter annoyance, annoyance that annoys myself.

It is all part and parcel of watching sport. I wouldn't say sport is my life, but football more specifically is I guess like a religion for me. For example, on Saturday after the match, I went to a party. Now when I woke up that morning I was very much looking forward to the day. At the party I couldn't wait to go home, thinking about Freo's loss most of the time and getting pissed off because Essendon was beating bulldogs. Along with other pressures such as study, and other stuff. It gets intense. When freo get the four points, it seems as though a weight is lifted off my chest. My friends know I am obsessed with football, and they always jive me up. Most of them couldn't give shit about football, and they are the serial offenders. But I just try to laugh it off, while inside, my blood is boiling.

Anyways, that's my say, I am knackered and off to bed now fellas.

 

[dugrene]

PB29.
Iirc you are in your early teens.

Something better than Football is very soon about to take up every waking moment. And a good bit of sleep time.

Football will become an old friend you can escape to while your chasing new, soft, smooth, tasty friends.

 

[E Shed]

What a wonderful mature thread, a breath of fresh air after some of the drivel here lately. I've been trying to stay off this board and BF in general. It's kind of an addiction and not a healthy one. I stayed off most of the weekend and just succumbed before bed to a quick look.

I've gradually lost interest in things like pop culture, tv, clubbing, most televised sports over the years but AFL and Freo have become more intense as other things have slipped away but I think it's finally dying off. It's starting to seem faintly ridiculous to be so obsessed with a sport and also I just can't stand the predictable nature of our continued pathetic performances. I didn't particularly want to go to the game on Saturday because I knew what to expect. Listless, timid, gutless and ultimately futile showing from our lot.

I don't know if there is such a thing as clubs with Karma, that the Hawthorns of this world effortlessly win premierships while Saint Kilda never will. That West Coast can play in Melbourne and win on the G while we quite simply can't and don't ever look like doing it.

I know I sound jaded and cynical but there you are. Thinking about Football makes me angry and frustrated so I think I'd rather not do it.

I don't think I can stop following it all together but Chop's post resonates with me as does Esti's like usual.

 

[shibz_1989]

pb29.
Iirc you are in your early teens.

Something better than football is very soon about to take up every waking moment. And a good bit of sleep time.

Football will become an old friend you can escape to while your chasing new, soft, smooth, tasty friends.

haha

 

[BeinPurplenGreen]

I sat in my usual seats on the weekend and I had a visiting interstate member sitting next to me (whom I am pretty certain is a member here!)

I was getting progressively more and more annoyed with the lack of commitment....from a team that should have been playing for their season.

We were out muscled and out gunned....and that is one thing, but we were out 'passioned' in my view.

One thing that was startlingly obvious was Carlton’s commitment to get back and support each other when we were in possession, compared to our stand with hands on hips or head and point approach when they took possession. Unfortunately...our captain was one of the worst offenders.

During the 3rd I mentioned that I thought the playing group should give their match payments back to members after such a performance.....perhaps a little OTT. AT this point my neighbour told me to give it a rest.

At the end of the game, I told him that I admired his positivity....to which he responded: "You're not a true Freo supporter"....I replied maybe I'm just a realist.

Got to thinking about it this morning, and maybe he's right. I'm starting to believe the rhetoric about franchise teams that have no culture etc. Yes we have had terrible luck with injuries this year. But that doesn't excuse what we witnessed yesterday.

So what is real Freo supporter? Does it mean remaining positive without wavering? I have to admit that I care more about East Fremantle than Freo.

So I guess I'm sorry for upsetting the guy....but then I'm not at the same time. I was only being honest after all…….

Maybe he is right.....maybe I'm not a true Freo supporter.....hell maybe there's no such thing.

You were sitting next to me, Dockshark, and yes, I did call you out.

We were in Block 311, row LL, for anyone who is a member in that area. The rest of that whole area is Freo season members I think. (BTW, thanks to the girls in the row for being kind enough to swap seats with me, had I known what was coming I'd have stayed in my original seat).

If your post had been a fair account of the game, and your interactions with me, you might have mentioned that you spent a large part of the game out of your seat down in the bar, and only returned to sit next to me because you were asked to leave the bar area.

You might also have been fair to me by recounting the numerous times during that the game (at least that part that you were in your seat) that I criticised Freo players, pointed out the dumb things that were going on in Freo's play, and commented about how poor our structures, strategies and coaching set up was.

To suggest that myself, or any of the other members in block 311, are mindless, frothing at the mouth one eyed supporters who won't tolerate criticism of Freo is just garbage. There was plenty of anger (and justifiably so in my view) by both myself and many of the Freo members in the area towards our own players for poor efforts, lack of efforts, or just plain shockingly bad play during the game. We are realists, and we have been through lots of pain as long term Freo fans (you know from what I told you of my own background just how many defeats I've seen).

However, when our team did something good, we all also gave credit. We were balanced, and appreciated the strong efforts of players like Silvagni and Clarke.

I did not see you clap a single Freo goal, mark or passage of play, and I didn't hear anything from you except how expensive season tickets were, how our players should take a pay cut to give you back your season ticket fee, or how we should all stage a walkout. Or how we had to get Woewodin back in as he could fix things. But I heard all of that over and over and over again. And it didn't start in the third quarter, mate, you were going on about pay cuts from halfway through the first!!

In an entire afternoon at the footy, you couldn't find one single positive thing to say, and that is your right. However, where you crossed the line was in the constant, never ending stream of negativity - it was a never ending verbal tirade, repeating the same stuff over and over, that just doesn't add any value to anyone's experience at the footy.

I think everyone around you would enjoy the footy a lot more if you could find a way to limit the negative comments about our own team to one or two every say, I dunno, three or four minutes - just have a bit of a silence in there if you really can't say anything. At least find something new to say every little while - when you call out that the players should take a pay cut for the 57th time of the afternoon it really doesn't do much except grate on people. Even if we agree that some might be overpaid...

You weren't being honest, and you weren't being a realist - you were being boringly repetitive, unduly personal in your attacks on personal traits of the players, and frankly just ruining everyone's afternoon at the footy.

I remain quite convinced, based on the comments of the members that have sat around you for years (ask your Carlton mate what they said when you were at the bar), that you are overwhelmingly, constantly negative at every single home game, and have been for years, even when we are winning. Don't take my word for it - ask them next time you go.

 

[The Night Shift]

Jerry.. Jerry.. Jerrry.. Jerrrry..

 

[dont bowl there]

This thread just got interesting!

 

[Wizard]

I love AFL and football in general so much it isn't healthy. I HATE losing, can't stand it. It doesn't matter what it is, sport, exams, monopoly. I am quite a competitive person, and am very passionate about this club. I often tell myself to calm down, me being young. I have plenty of years ahead to watch my club, hopefully one day win a premiership, that I don't need to be so stressed about it now. But it is my nature, I can't help it. If freo lose, my week is screwed.... well not really. But for the days after the match, I am in a pretty dour state, although I don't show it. But I think about football probably 30 percent of the time. I can't help it, I swear it isn't healthy. When I am at games I piss myself off sometimes, heck I don't know what it would be like for others, I'm not racist or aggressive, just passionate. And that passion causes utter annoyance, annoyance that annoys myself.

It is all part and parcel of watching sport. I wouldn't say sport is my life, but football more specifically is I guess like a religion for me. For example, on Saturday after the match, I went to a party. Now when I woke up that morning I was very much looking forward to the day. At the party I couldn't wait to go home, thinking about Freo's loss most of the time and getting pissed off because Essendon was beating bulldogs. Along with other pressures such as study, and other stuff. It gets intense. When freo get the four points, it seems as though a weight is lifted off my chest. My friends know I am obsessed with football, and they always jive me up. Most of them couldn't give shit about football, and they are the serial offenders. But I just try to laugh it off, while inside, my blood is boiling.

Anyways, that's my say, I am knackered and off to bed now fellas.

I am/was a bit this way, but think i might be mellowing a little as i have just hit the ripe old age of 24.
Very much was exactly like you are for the best part of 10 years, but the past season have found myself a little more removed and taking a little less interest. I still watch every single game without fail and must watch it live (at the ground or live telecast), refuse to record the game and watch it later.... which causes a little tension with the missus.
But i don't find myself getting as frustrated and upset as i used to.

I think i have found other things in life that are a bit more of a priority of just take up more of my time. Moving in with a partner will make a big difference to your life.