I posted something similiar in EB's thread, and no-one gave me an answer on it, so I figured I'd ask in here.

Whilst the melodramatic panic attack is firmly entrenched as the most common reaction to a heavy Blues loss, the sniping amongst each other isn't that far behind in second place. We all seem to try and scramble over each other to try and claim just who is the biggest/best supporter out of us all, usually at the expense of someone else.

So to those who constantly toot their own horn about how well they support their club, I ask of you, what makes you a better supporter than others on here, at least in your own eyes?

Is it the amount of cash you put into the club each year in memberships/tickets/merchandise? If so, anyone not on the highest membership package the club has to offer, currently decked from head to toe in Carlton paraphenalia, lower your hand....or, to cut to the chase, if you're not Richard Pratt, don't bother putting your hand up.

Is it the amount of time you spend at the club, or time dedicated to the club? If so, anyone who works 9-5 Mon-Fri, lower your hand, as you obviously can't get to all the training sessions, see all the reserves games, or help out with the banner making on Thurs/Fri night.

Is it those who refuse to say a bad word about the club, the players, the coaching staff, or anyone remotely associated with the club down to the bloke who delivers the morning papers to the social club? If that's the case, I suppose that Smorgon would still be at the club, and no Richard Pratt. Lower your hands, glass half-full people.

So then would it be the ones who are always cynical about the goings on of our club? The list is crap. The coach is crap. The board are crap. Marc Murphy hasn't won 10 Brownlows yet. Kouta's still overpaid. Pfft, if it was up to you guys, then Richard Pratt would never have come back either. Why would you put your neck out for people who are only going to put it on the chopping board anyway?

Is it the elderly statesmen of the board, who, seeing as they've been accustomed to success all these years, yet still hang around in the bad times, because of what's to come? No, because you're all curmudgeonly old bastards who are instantly rude and dismissive of anyone under 21 and their love for the club, thus giving them further ammunition to go off and barrack for the clubs their mates are barracking for.

Is it the younger kids around here, because, they know no better, some may have never seen us win a flag, and could quite easily, as I said, piss off and barrack for another club that could deliver them short-term success? No, because they fail to look past the senile. grumpy old bastard exterior, and listen to what the elderly are trying to say. Jezza Who?

Way I see it, we're all just as bad as each other, we go to the games, if we don't, we're sure as hell listening on the radio, the internet, the phone for what's going on, we're all waiting for Thursday to dissect the starting 22 named, and we obviously await the morning after to give our 2 cents worth. Anyone who demeans anyone else for being lesser a supporter than they are, are merely fixating an inferiority complex, and a need to wonder what their club can do for them, in terms of their own reputation, rather than what they can do for their club, in avoiding such petty b.s, and not demeaning the club in the eyes of the multitude of journalists and opposition supporters who frequent these forums.

You're no better than the next bloke. A footy club and it's supporter base....seemingly the only place where communism seems to work.

*end rant*

.... and China.

Good post.

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|♥♥♥♥♥♥| http://www.blueseum.org |♥♥♥♥♥♥|

POW IMO

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1945 - End of round 3 Carlton was last.

Last round Carlton made the final four for the first time.

Eventual premiers.

That's what I'm talking about!

A Carlton supporter is someone who

LOVES their club...period

LOVES their team each week even when their favourite player is in and their least favourite isn't

LOVES it when their team wins and hates it when they lose

LOVES every player that ever wears the OLD DARK NAVY BLUE..even while yelling..'how the **** did you ever get a game ' at Scott Howell or the like

HATES pepole who call themselves Carlton supporters whilst they bag the players and administration on a constant basis

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carn the blues

I dont think people are claiming to be better supporters when they criticise others. None of us would be here if we didn't love our team.

There will always be different ways of supporting your team, different views on the best way to play the game, build a list, the time needed for players to establish themselves, the best place for them to establish themselves etc.

Some people prefer to look at areas of improvement, others prefer to focus on what is going well now, anticipating what the future holds.

I freely admit I fall into the second category. I'm prepared to be patient with Gibbs, Murphy, Kennedy, Bower etc. they'll all get their chance. I was patient with Walker, when others were criticising his disposal and questioning Pagan for playing him as a backman, I was confident he was gaining the necessary experience to be the wonderful player he is becoming.

I think Whitnall deserves the opportunity to show he can still be valuable, that he has a few credits left in the bank to cash in while he goes through a form slump.

That doesn't mean I believe this is the only or best way of showing my support. When Synbad says Lance is finished, I disagree, but I understand his argument. I know he loves the Blues just as much as me, he just wants to rid the team of anything he perceives is holding us back.

Neither of us is a better supporter, we just have a different outlook.

Thanks for responding



Agreed, however, I'm sure we all have different ways of showing it. I mean even blokes who beat their wife, are still showing a form of love to some sick degree.



Agreed. Hopefully we don't see people getting to the point where they're not turning up to games because Lance is in, and Hartlett isn't.



Very hard to disagree with that one.



Yeah.....@#$%&! Justin Murphy though.



I'll disagree with you on that one, as by referring to a constant basis, are we assuming that such a person would be bagging the players and administration on an equally constant basis were we performing on-field like a West Coast or Sydney, or is it just parallel to what's been endured over the past 5 years?

[quote=I'll disagree with you on that one, as by referring to a constant basis, are we assuming that such a person would be bagging the players and administration on an equally constant basis were we performing on-field like a West Coast or Sydney, or is it just parallel to what's been endured over the past 5 years?[/quote]

Actually what I was thinking of was an old bat that used to stand near us behind the goals at Princes Park..Heatley Stand end. My God she was rabid and used to abuse the players non stop.

But recent times have seen a bit of it too..and the kids learn that...I dont like that.....though I will admit to blasting Beaumont once or twice.

I still loved Beaumont for being a Carlton player though deep down. Every one of em ever that pulled on a geurnsey. They are all heroes wether they reached the highest heights or just tried their guts out and didn't quite have it.

Now we have the Lance bashing brigade on the loose and it is Bloody pathetic. Those Lance Bashers don't qualify as Carlton Supporters under my rules even though he's out of form. See I bet Lance is trying as hard as anyone who ever tried and thats all anyone can ever do.I remember as a kid ,reading the footy record...every week their would be a Q and A with a player and fickle supporters was nearly always the thing they hated most.

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carn the blues

The last two dot points are completely opposite to one another. How can you say "how the **** did you ever get a game' and say that's not bagging a player?

But that's ok isn't it? To hate other supporters is ok but to hate players isn't?

Make up your mind please. You can't have it both ways.

Good post Hoggy - kind of what I was getting at in the Petition for Lance thread.

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

I got called a fair weather supporter today for admitting I left during the third quarter. I'll tell you now I wasn't the only one here because there were hundreds going over the bridge with me.
I don't think I'm fair weathered I just found the game boring.

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"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

No they arent opposite at all.

Read it properly.

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carn the blues

You don't call "how the **** did you get a game?" a bagging?

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

Im the best Carlton supporter because my head is so far up my own arse that I can smell what I'll eat for lunch tomorrow.....

I'm also the greatest Australian and the worlds biggest sex machine

Because I love movies, I love every single actor in the world, INCLUDING Tom Cruise.... he's my hero because he's is lucky enough to be picked to perform in movies and therefore deserves to be adored.

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Love Cricket? Love me

No thats barracking with frustration...and after the game you laugh and still Love the guy because he plays for CARLTON


Bagging is what we see here on a daily basis.

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carn the blues

It's still "paying out" or "bagging" - don't try to take the moral high ground on this issue because it's the same no matter which way you look at it.

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

Obviously you missed the humour that was intended. Okay if it makes you feel better I hate myself too when I BAG a player
But the point I was trying to make was to distinguish between yellin at the game and systematically whingeing here. A player like Howell would make you tear your hair out....BUT...he was a Carlton Player and I loved him for that. Whitnall..Houlihan...and whoever else is constantly bashed here seem unloved and thats the problem. It stops being just a game with a team and players that we love then.

A Carlton Supporter LOVES their team

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carn the blues

Is that you, John Singleton?

I'm also the greatest poster in the world

I am so self-righteous that I just threw an ecumenical conference for myself and appointed myself the messiah of posting

I can water into whine

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Love Cricket? Love me

A poster is a bad kick for goal

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carn the blues

I think it's incorrect to say the supporters who bag certain players, coaches, admin etc are bandwagon supporters

They only do so because they want the best for the club and want to see improvement.

We are better than how we played on the weekend, and we know it. No one says it was an easy game to win against a potential finalist, but it was the way the game was lost that hurts me.

When you see apparent problems, of course you are going to criticise them.

So all you people who are not worried about getting thrashed and bagging others for being negative, get over it because we all want what is best for the club and thrashings are not part of it.

Good topic by the way.

I think therefore I am

I barrack therefore I am not

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!