Embracing the past

[Missing-Dog]

Re: Embracing the past

Lace up jumpers anyone??

[Missing-Dog]

Re: Embracing the past

I'm not really fond of the robo-dog to be honest. It reminds me of a mid 90s corporate logo, so anything the takes it off our jumper I support.

On the name change issue, I have well and truly gotten over the anger and resentment I felt when it happened and I'm not advocating a change back. But those who think that our current relatively prosperous situation has anything to do with the name 'Western' are kidding themselves and not giving enough credit to Campbell Rose and the relative success of our side in the last few years.

Members didn't exactly flock in 97-00 due to the name change, the little that did come, came due to our on field success and our exciting play style. We almost folded in 2003-04 with the lowest membership in the league and I don't remember being called Footscray then.

It is simple success breeds support, there is a reason that despite being called Collingwood, the Magpies have supporters all over the country (a fair amount of them in West Melbourne) and some of the best major sponsors of any AFL club, and it's the same with Carlton and Essendon.

It's not like being called Footscray made us less of a Western suburbs team, in fact an argument could be made that it serves this purpose better than the moniker 'Western' as at least looking up Footscray comes up with a suburb in the west of Melbourne whereas Western encompasses places like Western Australia or Western Sydney before western Melbourne.

But as I said before I believe the horse has bolted on the name issue, I just dislike the revisionist history on display. If you like the name, that's odd but cool just don't try to convince me or others that it's what saved the club in the mid-90s.

Although, what it may do now is a whole different story as I think it is a perfect bargaining tool with the AFL, in that they have realised that the West is one of the fastest growing regions of Australia, so they can be convinced that having us around in our current form would be advantageous.

Overall, to get back on topic I think changing our jumper back may be a good way of bridging the gap between the club and those who are still caught offside by the name change and I think that can only be a good thing. Also it may make our club feel less corporate to not have a weird logo to go along with our trading name.

[Bornadog]

Re: Embracing the past

Great Jumper

[Drunken Bum]

Re: Embracing the past

^^^This

perfectly summed up


Edit: i was referring to immortal mike's post but the above post fits too

[LongWait]

Re: Embracing the past

Love the '54 strip. I say keep Robo-dog for merchandising purposes and as the mascot but not on the jumper. The Chris Grant picture earlier in the thread epitomises what I'd like to see as our playing strip from now on.

The move to revert to the 1954 style strip is completely independent of any discussion of the club name. Let's not confuse the two issues.

[Doggy]

Re: Embracing the past

That is one of the best jumpers I've seen. Bring it back and Chris come back with it

Love this jumper. Just needs blue arm bands instead of red. The v neck should be red with a thin stripe of white.

[Dancin' Douggy]

Re: Embracing the past

Love this jumper. Just needs blue arm bands instead of red. The v neck should be red with a thin stripe of white.

Yep you're dead right.
Even just red for the v neck would do.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: Embracing the past

I'm not really fond of the robo-dog to be honest. It reminds me of a mid 90s corporate logo, so anything the takes it off our jumper I support.

On the name change issue, I have well and truly gotten over the anger and resentment I felt when it happened and I'm not advocating a change back. But those who think that our current relatively prosperous situation has anything to do with the name 'Western' are kidding themselves and not giving enough credit to Campbell Rose and the relative success of our side in the last few years.

Members didn't exactly flock in 97-00 due to the name change, the little that did come, came due to our on field success and our exciting play style. We almost folded in 2003-04 with the lowest membership in the league and I don't remember being called Footscray then.

It is simple success breeds support, there is a reason that despite being called Collingwood, the Magpies have supporters all over the country (a fair amount of them in West Melbourne) and some of the best major sponsors of any AFL club, and it's the same with Carlton and Essendon.

It's not like being called Footscray made us less of a Western suburbs team, in fact an argument could be made that it serves this purpose better than the moniker 'Western' as at least looking up Footscray comes up with a suburb in the west of Melbourne whereas Western encompasses places like Western Australia or Western Sydney before western Melbourne.

But as I said before I believe the horse has bolted on the name issue, I just dislike the revisionist history on display. If you like the name, that's odd but cool just don't try to convince me or others that it's what saved the club in the mid-90s.

Although, what it may do now is a whole different story as I think it is a perfect bargaining tool with the AFL, in that they have realised that the West is one of the fastest growing regions of Australia, so they can be convinced that having us around in our current form would be advantageous.

Overall, to get back on topic I think changing our jumper back may be a good way of bridging the gap between the club and those who are still caught offside by the name change and I think that can only be a good thing. Also it may make our club feel less corporate to not have a weird logo to go along with our trading name.

Wayne Carey, a couple of premierships and 10 years of finals didn't help North.

Success certainly helps but there's a whole lot more to it than just that. No-one can quantify how many extra members signed on due to the name change, but the arguement that "Footscray" conjured up images of drug dealers was true. I've no idea if that is still the case - I wouldn't be caught dead in Footscray - but perception is reality and most people still think of Footscray that way.

[GVGjr]

Re: Embracing the past

That's the one we should be wearing

[Remi Moses]

Re: Embracing the past

Some parts of Footscray you wouldn't be caught dead in. Then you wouldn't be caught dead in areas of plenty of suburbs! Just keep the name as it is,we've got a whole generation who know us as the Western Bulldogs.The Western region is going gangbusters in population growth,I've never seen so many youngsters wear our colors .It's up to the club to get
Into the schools and spread the dare I say it "brand"

[Missing-Dog]

Re: Embracing the past

Wayne Carey, a couple of premierships and 10 years of finals didn't help North.

Success certainly helps but there's a whole lot more to it than just that. No-one can quantify how many extra members signed on due to the name change, but the arguement that "Footscray" conjured up images of drug dealers was true. I've no idea if that is still the case - I wouldn't be caught dead in Footscray - but perception is reality and most people still think of Footscray that way.

North squandered their opportunities by alienating their fanbase (by changing their name to attract a broader market oddly enough) and having the biggest bunch of morons I've ever seen in charge of the club's finances and marketing. Couple that with only having a small inner suburb as their base and you have their current predicament. We have and always did have the whole west as our base, we just haven't had the success to capitalize on it.

On the whole Footscray-drug dealer issue. I live in West Footscray and probably walk around middle Footscray once or twice a week and while the drug situation was bad at on stage, nowadays I rarely see anything worse than a few bad drivers and a few homeless people wanting a buck or two, whereas I've been to Collingwood and Richmond a handful of times this year and each time I have seen either a drug deal, a fight or police arresting someone. Hey, Footscray is hardly a beautiful area but it's no worse than Richmond, Collingwood, and much better than the city when it comes to crime, junkies and dealers. The funny thing is Footscray is undergoing a yuppiefication the likes of I haven't seen since they started building million dollar monstrosities in Maribyrnong and started calling it Edgewater. And to be honest I prefer the dealers, at least they're honest about being pricks.

Oh and it's fair enough if you wouldn't be caught dead in Footscray, there are parts of Melbourne I wouldn't be caught dead in also. Toorak, Templestowe, or Hawthorn for example.

Anyway, I've derailed this thread enough with my nonsense. Carry on ladies and gents.

[The Pie Man]

Re: Embracing the past

Is it just me or do the stripes on that jumper look a bit thicker than the traditional jumper?

That they do! We wore another version of the heritage guernsey against Carlton in 09 (complete with black shorts!) that was much closer to the 54 top with skinnier hoops.

Still a great jumper (both of the heritage ones that is)

[chef]

Re: Embracing the past

[chef]

Re: Embracing the past



Still think he looks best in this, to me anyway.

By then again Granty looks awesome in anything RW&B.

[EasternWest]

Re: Embracing the past

Still think he looks best in this, to me anyway.

By then again Granty looks awesome in anything RW&B.

Geez there's some Grant love going on. What did that guy ever do?