The Next Bulldogs Premiership

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

Stick fat Mantis. We have some trying times ahead but we have survived trying times in the past and come out the other side ok.

Lots of negativity around at present on WOOF and in general media circles but things are never as bad or as good as they seem.

I agree with you 100%, and have even stopped posting for the most part as I couldn't handle my frustration at some of the negativity going around, and as was pointed out to me quite forcefully, nobody wants to hear it. So I have capitulated and remained mostly silent.

The negativity was inevitable. We didn't win a flag, and are paying the price of failure. After such an exciting period, sliding down the other side of the curve was always going to be a rough ride. Our biggest curse as a club is the premiership drought, as it's a self-fulfilling situation. I feel a lot for the players being caned by our supporters continually for the wrongs of 58 years past. Supporters are frustrated, even incredibly knowledgable and respected posters are not immune to it, and that frustration is played out in most of the negative posts on here. They're not wrong or incorrect per se. Just borne of frustration rather than pure logic.

My premiership plan?

2012 — Continue to blood the kids and assess the list. Every last resource of the club needs to go into this year's draft.

2013 — We will likely be just as bad, if not worse, as we farewell senior champs and the young guys get one more preseason into them. Finish bottom four and again draft well.

2014 — The good young players we've got now — Wallis, Libba, Dahlhaus, Jones, Cordy, etc — will have 3-6 years in the system, and we'll start to take some scalps and play more exciting footy. Finish just outside the eight. Trade some picks for some good talent from GWS/Gold Coast that can't be retained now that their salary cap is brought back into line with the rest.

2015-2018 — our next shot.

2019 (if we fail again) — see 2011. Start again.

Success is purely perseverance. Nothing else.

[chef]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

I'm almost resigned to the fact that I will never see one.

Worse still is that we face a huge task to even exist in current form in 10 years time... We are becoming less and less relevant every day and we need to turn it around very quickly.

Sadly, I feel the same way. FA is also going to decimate us IMO.

[Bulldog4life]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

Stick fat Mantis. We have some trying times ahead but we have survived trying times in the past and come out the other side ok.

Lots of negativity around at present on WOOF and in general media circles but things are never as bad or as good as they seem.

I agree Maddog. I have been a member for over 50 years and have seen the rise and fall a number of times. From 1965 to 169 in 5 seasons we won 23 games out of 90. A tad over 25%. I only missed a handful of games during this time. So harden up all the doomsayers on this board. Maybe you young ones have been spoiled. These are the times that you stick with the Club and good times will happen again. Sometimes in life you just have to be patient. This is just one of those times.

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

Will be the reserves team playing in the VFL.

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

I agree Maddog. I have been a member for over 50 years and have seen the rise and fall a number of times. From 1965 to 169 in 5 seasons we won 23 games out of 90. A tad over 25%. I only missed a handful of games during this time. So harden up all the doomsayers on this board. Maybe you young ones have been spoiled. These are the times that you stick with the Club and good times will happen again. Sometimes in life you just have to be patient. This is just one of those times.

I went through those times as well as a kid but still went each week.
These days you can turn it around in 2 seasons ie West Coast
With 4/5 picks in the top 40 next draft and games into the kids 2014 is a possibility for something I havent seen
Keep the faith youngsters it will be all the more sweeter when it comes

[Chicago1]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

I agree Maddog. I have been a member for over 50 years and have seen the rise and fall a number of times. From 1965 to 169 in 5 seasons we won 23 games out of 90. A tad over 25%. I only missed a handful of games during this time. So harden up all the doomsayers on this board. Maybe you young ones have been spoiled. These are the times that you stick with the Club and good times will happen again. Sometimes in life you just have to be patient. This is just one of those times.

I agree completely. After 35 years of following a team, 13 of those years from 10000 miles away, I look back proudly at the times I stuck by the club when we were at the depths of despair. Standing out in the cold and rain back in the early 80s and seeing the team lose almost every week was character building. I had my chance of deserting the Doggies and supporting another team at the time since I had no family attachments to the Bulldogs, but there was and always will be an inexplicable attachment to a team I freely chose to follow from the very first time I saw them in April 1976. And I guess I have Gary Dempsey to blame for that!

This year has been very difficult to take, considering the great joy the Bulldogs gave me the last six years. But I think back to 1989 when I lived in Perth and wore my Footscray gear to every Eagles match and was ridiculed by the Eagles supporters. However, I guess I gained the respect of those I sat with at every match and took pride in my being called "Footscray" by them at both the WACA and Subi. The memories I have of a sport and of a team I had never even heard of until I was 23 have become an intricate part of my life. And for that I will be ever so grateful, even in tough times like now.

And as I've said many times on here and BF, try supporting a team like the Chicago Cubs who last won a championship in 1908. I guess I live in hope, because I ain't got nuffin else.

[Remi Moses]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

I always hark back to the Royce Hart nightmare!
Particular 1981 season was just excruciatingly bad.
Back then there was no draft to look forward to like now.

[Chicago1]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

When I come to think about it, maybe Royce Hart is the reason for my hatred of all things Richmond.

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

nice post Chicago1, can really relate to your experience, we just need to grin and bear it until our mighty club climbs back up the ladder, I just hope we dont lose too many members.

[Mantis]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

I agree Maddog. I have been a member for over 50 years and have seen the rise and fall a number of times. From 1965 to 169 in 5 seasons we won 23 games out of 90. A tad over 25%. I only missed a handful of games during this time. So harden up all the doomsayers on this board. Maybe you young ones have been spoiled. These are the times that you stick with the Club and good times will happen again. Sometimes in life you just have to be patient. This is just one of those times.

But haven't times changed?

Success over the past 5 or 10 years is almost directly related to the amount of money clubs can generate via sponsorship, members and stadium deals. We did a remarakble job to have 3 top 4 finishes during this time, but for struggling clubs like us it's pretty tough.

If we lose 3,000 to 5,000 members next year (which is realistic giving how disenchanted our supporter base is) this is probably at a minimum $600K we are down, if we add in the extra $500K we have to find to run our own VFL team we are already $1.1mil behind before we get started... Good luck running a successful footy program with these sorts of limitations.

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

I think we need to draft KPP, not more midfielders

[Eastdog]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

I think we need to draft KPP, not more midfielders

Agree Danstar. 5 midfielder can be worth 1 KPP. They are very difficult to find.

[Bulldog4life]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

But haven't times changed?

Success over the past 5 or 10 years is almost directly related to the amount of money clubs can generate via sponsorship, members and stadium deals. We did a remarakble job to have 3 top 4 finishes during this time, but for struggling clubs like us it's pretty tough.

If we lose 3,000 to 5,000 members next year (which is realistic giving how disenchanted our supporter base is) this is probably at a minimum $600K we are down, if we add in the extra $500K we have to find to run our own VFL team we are already $1.1mil behind before we get started... Good luck running a successful footy program with these sorts of limitations.

Times have changed and you make some good points. Even more reason why all supporters should stick with The Club in these tough times.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

Will be the reserves team playing in the VFL.

Yes good call; that would galvanise the club and it would be great to watch them rise. However most of the emrging players would be required in the ones, so the twos would have to succeed on a great depth of young talent and great recruiting.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Re: The Next Bulldogs Premiership

I agree Maddog. I have been a member for over 50 years and have seen the rise and fall a number of times. From 1965 to 169 in 5 seasons we won 23 games out of 90. A tad over 25%. I only missed a handful of games during this time. So harden up all the doomsayers on this board. Maybe you young ones have been spoiled. These are the times that you stick with the Club and good times will happen again. Sometimes in life you just have to be patient. This is just one of those times.

I remember us improving and defeating Carlton at the Western Oval in the 80's, something I'd never seen and having the noise of the Bulldogs crowd joyous and exhaltant; it was europhic not least to hear the crowd who were full of long suffering and were more used to harsh, negative barracking but on this occasion their voice was sweet enough to bring tears to my adult eyes. It was so sweet to see the 'blue blooded' team that had shaken us like a rag doll over the years, walking off exhausted and defeated whilst we marched off full of the future. Sweetness born of years of defeat and stunted hope.
We now return for at least a couple of years to those defeats and yes the spectre of the club's obliteration, and getting simple pleasure from players showing promise but when we do turn the corner it will be sweet again. As a club and a forum we need to galvanise ourselves for a period and not give in to despair or cheap whingeing. Know our time will come again.