How as Richmond maintained it's stature?

[tigerdan]

I can't really answer why because Melbourne should be just like us. They had 12 flags by the 60s and should have the same kind of 'I'm still here, and even if we are shit, we are still better than you' attitude. But they are not. At all. I dunno if it's the whole posh MCC thing. Probably is I guess.

Yet the Tigers never let go. Even when we were shit I never wanted to change clubs. I was born in 73 and can remember 80 and 82. I remember crying when Geoff Raines left. I remember 87 was ****ing shite (though Knights / Free / Lambert / Nicholls were a bright spark that year), and we were basically shit every year until 94/95, though in 93 we made the preseason granny with a huge crowd at Waverley. We were all still there even then.

Sure the Blues have (had) a swagger and the Bummers still think Sheedy is coaching, but the only club that is anything like us for feralness is Collingwood. But the pies had all those GF losses and perversely that makes the typical pie supporter inherently defeatist. For them it seems they know they are destined to lose. For the Tiger supporter it's 'we might be shit now, but just wait until we are good again!'.

This kind of shit is character building and all I can say is thank **** i'm not a soft **** Essendon supporter.

 

[Craze]

One of my favourite memories was the '88 match against reining premier Carlton in the middle of winter. Freezng cold. Chris Pym played the game of his life. Flea. Wilson doing cartwheels. Back in those days it was a matter of seizing on any little faint hope. Strangely it solidified my love for the club, even though I hated 19 out of the 25 weekends over the season.

 

[captain blood 17]

https://wp.me/p8LKNR-zn

An article from today. Who wants a trip down memory lane?


Sent from my iPad using righteous man power

 

[Samuri Pizza Cat]

Friday 6th May 1990
Round 6 - Richmond vs West Coast

I was 5 years old, I will never forget this night for as long as I live.

I remember walking into this park with my dad. Hundreds of cars parked, possums scurrying around up into the trees.

There was these huge bright lights in the distance and everyone was walking towards them.

As we got closer to the lights I remember the smell of hamburgers from these old vans. Record... record this you boy was yelling and giving away magazines. I remember asking my Dad if we could get one of the young boy... we will get one after the game my dad said.... (tightarse)

Then all I remover was queuing up at the turnstiles and we proceeded through and there it was the hollowed turf of the greatest place on earth... The MCG.

We found a seat on this old wooden bench seat. And then it began... The song was being played over the ground!! This magical song... the only song I've ever known ever word too. "Yellow and Black".........

Sorry for the long winded description but this thread has really got me emotional about who this club is to me and my family... The Richmond footy club is part of my families family. That first time my dad took me to see our great club will stay with me forever, we got absolutely annihilated by the Eagles that night but it really didn't matter.. The results have never been the reason we love our club. We love our cllub because they are family to us

 

[RogerDean]

sandeano, You're bloody right about that. Throughout all the shit I've had from other supporters I've always maintained the line that there is no other club like the Tigers and you either get it, or you don't. Its non-stop entertainment with the whole gamut of human emotions running though the course of a game, or a week or a season. Think about some of Richo's brain fades, Mundy's goal, Carmichaels shot....Its a Shakesperian tragedy played out in the shadows of the MCG. Once you realize all of that, it becomes captivating- and there's no other club that generates that! Absolutely none...not the Dogs or the Saints, or even the drug cruelled Bombers. There's times I could cry, (and I probably will in the next two weeks) and there's times I can laugh with joy (like last Friday night)And forget all the negative posters who take pot shots at players and coaches...they're not seeing the big picture. So...here we go. The next week or so will be the most exciting time of our lives. Go Tigers!

 

[DrMike]

I love how so many people suggest our bandwagoners are coming out of the woodwork.

Oh no, bless.

We haven't even begun to see what our real bandwagon looks like. I can't wait.

 

[Mr Unbelievable]

We make all our announcements at 10:20

 

[sregit]

RFC Was left to me by my father who was left it by his father. I have passed it to my son. He now lives in NZ with 2 boys and watches our games every week. Sons in their tiger jumpers. They get to Melbourne 2 or 3 games a year. They made it to the cats game and will be back for the prelim and hopefully GF. As a family it consumes us. We all love the Tigers. It's our legacy and must be passed to the next generation.


Richmond supporters feel like we own our club. We have been ridiculed, laughed at and put down for years and it just makes us stronger. We are more passionate than any other supporter base and collectively we feed our adrenaline rush. We roar like no other team.


Our support has not diminished for we pass it down to our family and encourage others to join us. That's why we'll always be a huge club.


If we win the flag and you are not a tiger. Leave town for we will celebrate like you have never experienced.

 

[balmainforever]

Richmond is the only club which can match the ups and downs of real life.
If you can live through 37 years of pain watching Richmond, you can cope with anything that life has to throw at you.

 

[gaelictiogar]

Back in the day Richmond had a very big Irish support base. My family is Irish. The Irish have had rooted deep sporting loyalties and rivalries in hurling and gaelic football which go back many generations and perhaps they brought that culture with them to how they support Australian football. I think so.

I don't think its a coincidence that the clubs that really do stand out in terms of passion and one eyed loyalty - the clubs who call their fans "armies" - are Richmond and Collingwood......both heavily supported by Irish people as the game developed. When Ireland play anyone it's the Irish who make the noise....when we play anyone its us who make the noise. Next time Richmond play Collingwood in a final EVERY other match up will pale into insignificance. They pretend Essendon and Carlton mean more but back in the Tiger Train years they regularly wet themselves in finals against us....we are their real rival. They are not used to being drowned out at the G in big games......we can do it.

Its not the only point but I think its part of the heritage of Richmond.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

We stick together like family...

 

[KiwiTiger]

We stick together like family...

Spot on. We're like family. We share the highs and lows together. Travelling to watch us play is like catching up with family every weekend. It's never taken for granted.

Haere Ra

 

[tigers47]

A generation of folks - who saw a lot of Tiger premiership success from 1967-80 - brought their kids up with no alternatives, ifs or buts.

My old man always said to me and my brother that if you arent a richmond supporter there is no food here for you.
I tell that now to my four girls and get this strange look as they empty the pantry

 

[blackcat]

Last premiership was in 1980, yet it seems support for Richmond has hardly waned. The 'Tiger army' prides itself on loyalty, having stuck with the club through thin and thinner, and I believe even last year you had over 70,000 members? Carlton has 50 odd thousand, and seems to have declined in stature. Also Richmond seems to get an awful lot of media attention here in Melbourne, good and bad. At the same time the Melbourne FC, who boast 2 more flags, are a minnow club, though they haven't lifted the cup in over 50 years.

What do you attribute this to? Something about the culture of the club, their supporters? Borne from the early days of Richmond as a working class 'battler's' suburb? Contrasted to the toffy members of the MCC who supported Melbourne? If Richmond win the premiership this year you could argue the big 4 in Melbourne will be Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn and Richmond.

Demons never had a home, the MCC was a cricket ground. That left them bereft when it came to an organic growth and development, and the common domain their supporters holding MCC membership, and get in to 'home' games with their MCC membership.

The paradox of their home ground. It became less a home ground, as the game has developed. Those suburban home grounds really fostered tribes and allowed the culture to have an organic development and grow when they left their home base to greater pastures when the teams have outgrown their home suburban grounds. *I know St Kilda has played at multiple suburban home grounds, not merely moorabin. I know Fitzroy moved around. **I know everyone has migrated to bigger grounds in the Docklands, Waverly, and MCG.

 

[Noel Mugavin]

I feel like family with you Kiwi. I must be your daughter as you always kiss the top of my head as I head off to the footy.

 

[Craze]

Back in the day Richmond had a very big Irish support base. My family is Irish. The Irish have had rooted deep sporting loyalties and rivalries in hurling and gaelic football which go back many generations and perhaps they brought that culture with them to how they support Australian football. I think so.

I don't think its a coincidence that the clubs that really do stand out in terms of passion and one eyed loyalty - the clubs who call their fans "armies" - are Richmond and Collingwood......both heavily supported by Irish people as the game developed. When Ireland play anyone it's the Irish who make the noise....when we play anyone its us who make the noise. Next time Richmond play Collingwood in a final EVERY other match up will pale into insignificance. They pretend Essendon and Carlton mean more but back in the Tiger Train years they regularly wet themselves in finals against us....we are their real rival. They are not used to being drowned out at the G in big games......we can do it.

Its not the only point but I think its part of the heritage of Richmond.

To be sure

 

[Spagman]

And we were utter SHIT. Still went though. Princes Park, Kardinia Park, Western Oval, Victoria Park, Windy Hill, Moorabbin, VFL Park...didn't matter where. Occasionally we'd win...f**king hell.

Where I grew up, the only option was the trek to Waverley. It was cold, miserable, shit traffic in and out in an old piece of shit car for a 1.5 hour drive and Richmond would lose most of the games we'd go and see.

Fun times.

 

[Rezza Tiger]

Richmond is the only club which can match the ups and downs of real life.
If you can live through 37 years of pain watching Richmond, you can cope with anything that life has to throw at you.

So true. The first game against GWS at Spotless had me curled up in a foetal position. But 10 minutes later I'm back on my feet and saying "Oh well that's Richmond." Now we're building up to an incredible emotional high, Who knows what's gonna happen but at least we can stand up to anything that comes our way

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Nahhh...Tigers are not native to Ireland.. .
Heck they dont even have snakes..

 

[tigland]

My great grandfather was on the Tigers board. So when I was born, nan gave me a choice. Richmond or adoption. I choose Richmond.

The flip side of this is I am a January 81 birth so might or might not be the curse

 

[TigerImposter]

In the words of our well adored Peggy O'Neal

STABILITY

 

[TigerImposter]

I feel like family with you Kiwi. I must be your daughter as you always kiss the top of my head as I head off to the footy.

Now now don't get into the intricate details as your head on BF has a different connotation .

 

[jarrod_island_doggies]

A guy by the name of Matty Richardson used to run around for us in our dark days. He put in the effort that everyone of us expected, did some magical things and some very relateable human things. I would credit him with a lot of supporters holding on to the club when times were tough.

We also seem to hold it as a badge of honour that we will still go to the footy when we're getting flogged. We have all suffered through a lot. I had a big fight with my missus the other day because I didn't want her to come to the footy with me for prelim/GF (hopefully). I said that I want to go with my mates who all have put up with so much shit and are now enjoying the fruits of our labour, whereas she only moved to Australia a couple of years ago and has a passing interest in footy. I have deliberately never been to a neutral prelim or GF because I wanted to save the experience for when Richmond was in it. That time has come

And didn't we all want to be a Richo man. Such a legend, god how I would have loved to see him lift the cup...

 

[Downtown06]

I was brought into it by my old man and then also my 2 younger bros... **** even my Mum supports us like crazy, unfortunately it was during our dark as days but **** me, I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

Once you're in it, you ride every single ****in bump like those players, celebrate every win like its your last and every loss like you cant stand it anymore.

Cause when our day comes (2 weeks time?), all those years of frustration, despair and people hanging it on us will wash away and it will be our turn to run this town!!!!!!

 

[Shogun]

Most of us were born into it. And we pass it on.


I was always told, you never change your colours. It's something I'm teaching my kids.

Richmond is my family. My wife has no interest in footy. That's ok. I got the kids into it.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app