Footy Sucks when we suck.

[mjp]

It's stating the obvious, but I hate footy when we play bad.

I don't want to watch/listen to any of the post game stuff because I just don't want to hear the negativity...as for the pre-game predictions, well, I don't want to hear all the ways it's gonna break down (again).

Why was I looking forward to this again?

[bulldogsthru&thru]

It's stating the obvious, but I hate footy when we play bad.

I don't want to watch/listen to any of the post game stuff because I just don't want to hear the negativity...as for the pre-game predictions, well, I don't want to hear all the ways it's gonna break down (again).

Why was I looking forward to this again?

Couldn't agree more.

The weekend was a nasty reminder of how much I'm increasingly disliking footy season. The off-season was great. Winning is the only cure.

[bornadog]

agree. When the siren went I rushed out of the ground and didn't want to know what happened in other games or what the papers, Fox or anyone said. I didn't even want to come on this forum.

[Countrydog5]

Not sure if it's just me becoming disillusioned and disinterested in footy in general, but i've struggled to watch us play since 2021 i'd say. I'm more concerned it's due to the fact our game style currently is extremely tough to watch, and fairly constant negativity surrounding the team in the media.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Not sure if it's just me becoming disillusioned and disinterested in footy in general, but i've struggled to watch us play since 2021 i'd say. I'm more concerned it's due to the fact our game style currently is extremely tough to watch, and fairly constant negativity surrounding the team in the media.

The media in general are just insufferably negative. It definitely makes it harder to follow and get into the sport. It's obviously compounded by the fact that we're not much chop. Footy might be more palatable if it weren't for the media even if we were losing. But we'll never know.

I think a lot of us can handle the losing for a period of time so long as there's hope and a glimpse of improvement. What most frustrating right now is that we believe we have the cattle to contend or at least play finals, yet we show no signs of improvement and continue to trot out the same garbage year after year.

Dare I say it, it's starting to feel like the McCartney days except this time we actually have a decent list and are in our "window". Bevo gave us a breath of fresh air and a whole new lease of life. We're all craving that again. Where's it going to come from?

[SonofScray]

The media cycle and personalities of footy have killed my love of the game generally. I refuse to watch any of it other than our games, if it’s on when I’m out and I pay attention, it just frustrates me. The umpiring. The commentary. The language of the game. It just gives me the shits.

I hate watching us on TV.

I love going to the ground and watching with my family and friends. The noise and lights and fixture changes over the years have tried to stuff that up for me too.

[Mofra]

Not sure if it's just me becoming disillusioned and disinterested in footy in general, but i've struggled to watch us play since 2021 i'd say. I'm more concerned it's due to the fact our game style currently is extremely tough to watch, and fairly constant negativity surrounding the team in the media.
I wonder if our hope and expectations are greater than our reality.
2015 was just magic as a season - I'd love to get some of that back.

[angelopetraglia]

Ditto. I feel your pain. I love the game. When we win I want to be across everything. Watch every game. Ingest all the media. When we lose I want to hide in a non-AFL bunker and whine on WOOF. Ha. My default coping situation is to concentrate on things that I can control when we lose and throw myself into that. This week that has been running.

The best football feeling is winning on a Friday night and then absorbing everything football for the rest of the weekend.

[GVGjr]

It's stating the obvious, but I hate footy when we play bad.

I don't want to watch/listen to any of the post game stuff because I just don't want to hear the negativity...as for the pre-game predictions, well, I don't want to hear all the ways it's gonna break down (again).

Why was I looking forward to this again?

I'm a bit the opposite when it comes to hearing that some in the media say about our performances. I mean that I want to look past all the Naughton to CHB speculation as to me that isn't the reason why we lost and it's more of an opportunistic chance by some in the media to get back on their hobbyhorse.
I'm searching for someone who can make sense of it.

[mighty_west]

Yep, nothing better than winning being at the game, feeling great about the team then getting into the car wanting to listen to the full radio recap of the game, watching 360 and On The Couch etc, lose, nothing, hate it all won't watch anything.

The feeling on Sunday after the game obviously watching on TV here in Brissy just felt so flat, it was as if it was the following week after our dismal performance v West Coast last game last season with the way we played, lack of structure and a leaky game style, the build up with the positives over pre season with the changes of coaches, full review, training at the club and not Sunshine's old VFL ground, new facilities etc everything was positive and building nicely, then bang! back to earth with a thud.

Now, leading up to the Suns who are playing well under their new coach who spanked us last season, this week at a ground that we have been spanked in recent times doesn't exactly excite me, will obviously still watch and support in hope but that positive mindset has taken a beating.

I'm actually holding in hope that Darcy plays, give us something to get excited about.

[mighty_west]

I'm a bit the opposite when it comes to hearing that some in the media say about our performances. I mean that I want to look past all the Naughton to CHB speculation as to me that isn't the reason why we lost and it's more of an opportunistic chance by some in the media to get back on their hobbyhorse.
I'm searching for someone who can make sense of it.

Yeah agree with all the talk on Naughton to CHB etc, our defenders should work out ok if our overall game was around a more team orientated defensive system, we won a Premiership with 2nd rate key defenders and Dale Morris, to me all the shifting this player here or there is really just a cop out for our loose game style.

[Axe Man]

Now, leading up to the Suns who are playing well under their new coach who spanked us last season, this week at a ground that we have been spanked in recent times doesn't exactly excite me, will obviously still watch and support in hope but that positive mindset has taken a beating.

You have an unusual definition of spanked. We lost to Gold Coast by 7 points in Darwin last year despite having more scoring shots. Our only 2 losses in the past 5 seasons (8 games) at Ballarat have been by 5 points and 1 point. If those are spankings what was Sunday? :eek:

[hujsh]

You have an unusual definition of spanked. We lost to Gold Coast by 7 points in Darwin last year despite having more scoring shots. Our only 2 losses in the past 5 seasons (8 games) at Ballarat have been by 5 points and 1 point. If those are spankings what was Sunday? :eek:

One of those to new darlings GWS during their run to finals

[jDogs]

I think the footy product sucks, even if the Dogs are winning. I haven't watched any TV show about football, listened to SEN, or listened to any podcast in many years. I watch games on mute. Every time I catch a bit of commentary of a game, it just reminds me why I watch on mute. It's so shit. I don't want to hear the opinions of any of those idiots, they are all shit to me.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the preseason reports from GVGjr, just factual stuff about what's been going on with our club in the offseason. I like to read the unbiased opinions of fellow supporters.

[bornadog]

I think the footy product sucks, even if the Dogs are winning. I haven't watched any TV show about football, listened to SEN, or listened to any podcast in many years. I watch games on mute. Every time I catch a bit of commentary of a game, it just reminds me why I watch on mute. It's so shit. I don't want to hear the opinions of any of those idiots, they are all shit to me.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the preseason reports from GVGjr, just factual stuff about what's been going on with our club in the offseason. I like to read the unbiased opinions of fellow supporters.

AFL are ruining the game

[GVGjr]

AFL are ruining the game

That's also why we have the Monday Soapbox :)

[jeemak]

What I find interesting is how many people out there are willing to allow it make them miserable, with the only thing that can turn that misery into something half positive is all but dominating an 18 team competition (that's without even considering the inequities within that competition to begin with). Even when we do all but dominate that 18 team competition people allow the lack or recognition we receive to make them miserable anyway!

Turn off the TV, turn off the radio, don't read the papers and don't read the socials if us losing and the scrutiny it brings delivers no joy and makes life a misery.

[mjp]

I'm searching for someone who can make sense of it.

The loss on the weekend isn't hard to make sense of though. The review must have taken 11.2 seconds.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

What I find interesting is how many people out there are willing to allow it make them miserable, with the only thing that can turn that misery into something half positive is all but dominating an 18 team competition (that's without even considering the inequities within that competition to begin with). Even when we do all but dominate that 18 team competition people allow the lack or recognition we receive to make them miserable anyway!

Turn off the TV, turn off the radio, don't read the papers and don't read the socials if us losing and the scrutiny it brings delivers no joy and makes life a misery.

Isn't that what most on here are saying? They no longer consume any sort of afl media?

[hujsh]

The loss on the weekend isn't hard to make sense of though. The review must have taken 11.2 seconds.

Why even review it? Just pretend it didn't happen is the go I've heard

[jeemak]

Isn't that what most on here are saying? They no longer consume any sort of afl media?

Not just here, referring to basically anywhere.

[EasternWest]

It's stating the obvious, but I hate footy when we play bad.

I don't want to watch/listen to any of the post game stuff because I just don't want to hear the negativity...as for the pre-game predictions, well, I don't want to hear all the ways it's gonna break down (again).

Why was I looking forward to this again?

It actually gets me down when YOU talk like this.

Like the bulk of us are irrational know nothings that shoot from the hip. But you actually know what you're talking about and you're usually a voice of calm and temperance.

If you think we're doomed then we're doomed.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

It actually gets me down when YOU talk like this.

Like the bulk of us are irrational know nothings that shoot from the hip. But you actually know what you're talking about and you're usually a voice of calm and temperance.

If you think we're doomed then we're doomed.

It's all over everyone we don't have a prayer!!!!!

reverendlovejoy.gif

[hujsh]

It's all over everyone we don't have a prayer!!!!!

reverendlovejoy.gif

https://morbotron.com/video/S05E10/q4UQ52yv9cxd2wNtYhZd2OgYZA8=.gif

[MrMahatma]

This week definitely hit a bit differently. Harder. I’ve avoided the footy media all week. I’ll watch the prime time matches on the weekend, and ours, but I’m expecting that we’ll lose. It feels inevitable.

[jeemak]

I blame The Bulldogs Bite for making everything buy into round one being the most important round one ever! :)

[mighty_west]

You have an unusual definition of spanked. We lost to Gold Coast by 7 points in Darwin last year despite having more scoring shots. Our only 2 losses in the past 5 seasons (8 games) at Ballarat have been by 5 points and 1 point. If those are spankings what was Sunday? :eek:

Sunday was just extremely disappointing, any loss we have in a game i think we should win is a spanking to me, well more so the GWS game i guess, we were in total control in that game and again another one of those where we fall asleep and let a team get a run on and beat us, not by a big margin in the end but was still a spanking the way the game panned out.

[azabob]

I blame The Bulldogs Bite for making everything buy into round one being the most important round one ever! :)

I really wish you just bumped the thread and watch woof burn down.

[jeemak]

I really wish you just bumped the thread and watch woof burn down.

Some of us love WOOF Aza.

[mighty_west]

What I find interesting is how many people out there are willing to allow it make them miserable, with the only thing that can turn that misery into something half positive is all but dominating an 18 team competition (that's without even considering the inequities within that competition to begin with). Even when we do all but dominate that 18 team competition people allow the lack or recognition we receive to make them miserable anyway!

Turn off the TV, turn off the radio, don't read the papers and don't read the socials if us losing and the scrutiny it brings delivers no joy and makes life a misery.

I guess when you've been a passionate supporter for so long like all of us here, you build up hope and expectations because of the talk from other supporters, from media, from the club, the more passionate about the you are the more it hurts i guess, we see other clubs have sustained success like Geelong and Sydney, Collingwood never stay down too long so why not us? with us thankfully we all witnessed the ultimate success after the heartbreak of many Prelim losses ('85 and '97 burnt for many years) and reaching another GF, but 100 years and two flags to show for it is, you know, crap!

For once i'd love our club to be the best in the comp, we have never been the best, yeah 2 flags and that's great but never finished on top, and we don't have to dominate every club and every game (would be nice to) but we get good, but we also drop just as fast.

Funny thing is, in Bevo's time, its our most sustained successful time in the competition yet look how much he cops, which i understand because we just have to be better than what we are.

[jeemak]

I guess when you've been a passionate supporter for so long like all of us here, you build up hope and expectations because of the talk from other supporters, from media, from the club, the more passionate about the you are the more it hurts i guess, we see other clubs have sustained success like Geelong and Sydney, Collingwood never stay down too long so why not us? with us thankfully we all witnessed the ultimate success after the heartbreak of many Prelim losses ('85 and '97 burnt for many years) and reaching another GF, but 100 years and two flags to show for it is, you know, crap!

For once i'd love our club to be the best in the comp, we have never been the best, yeah 2 flags and that's great but never finished on top, and we don't have to dominate every club and every game (would be nice to) but we get good, but we also drop just as fast.

Funny thing is, in Bevo's time, its our most sustained successful time in the competition yet look how much he cops, which i understand because we just have to be better than what we are.

Counting backwards we've made finals in 2022, 2021 (GF), 2020, 2019, 2016 (GF/Premiership) and 2015 under Bevo's reign. During that time we've rebuilt once, and in our most recent iteration are clearly trying to build again.

Prior to that we made preliminary finals in 2008, 2009 and 2010, plus finals in 2006 and probably should have done a bit more in 2009. Under Wallace we made prelims in 1997 and 1998, and finals in 1999 and 2000.

Like anyone I'd have loved to have made more of our finals appearances and season finishing opportunities under all of our coaches, but it's a tough competition and we have a lot of structural issues holding us back that we have to fight against at a competition level. We share a home ground that every team plays at all the time, we rarely play at the G in massive matches. We struggle to attract big names, we have no real advocacy in the media landscape (even our veteran players are media apologists when you think about it).

While I'm not suggesting we should be comfortable or happy with our lot, and our results, I'm of the view we're at different times an easy punching bag for the media (particularly with an intellectual as a coach who doesn't kiss arse to the media cabal) and supporters of the major clubs. And we buy into the narrative, notwithstanding we've never had it so good as supporters.

So it's great that we have high expectations and strive for more as supporters. But getting involved in the media bullshit and being miserable about it when things aren't going exactly to plan (we were one game and four per cent out of fifth last year - but apparently we're in crisis) is pretty much like jumping into a sandpit without any pants on and being upset because you got sand in your vagina. Just don't do it in the first place.

I'm just saying life is better if you ignore the noise. The noise can't help you control anything, and just makes you angry. You can also think more clearly if it's out of your mind.

[Boots]

I often wonder if beginning my time as a supporter in 2016 gives me a false sense of what the team is capable of or what 'success' is, so I can usually write this feeling off for myself at least as an irrational one. But I do agree with MJP's excellent summation of the problem in the thread title, noting that I didn't even watch the game on the weekend, just the worm on the AFL app turning an annoyingly predictable shape. I realised that my own resignation to our flat performances has become normal, which made me quite sad

I think Jee is right to point out that your pass mark can't be dominating the competition. At some stage valiant losses played with heart have to be OK or we'll all go out of our minds.

On the other hand, a few people here have pointed out that the way we play footy right now is 'boring' and I think that's both completely right and really relevant to the problem. BT and Brayshaw may be mouth-farting imbeciles, the footy media more broadly might be full of sycophants and imbeciles, the music and light show at games might be really, really annoying - but if we still played with heart we wouldn't care.

I think we all want to feel about our team like Geelong supporters do about theirs, or maybe more realistically like Swans supporters do - but I keep asking myself, what does it feel like to be a St Kilda supporter? Or (god help us) a Carlton supporter? Obviously the Bulldogs are not those teams - we have our own history and love the club for it. But we might need to find a way to be OK with being a mid-table team again after 2016.

But then again, it does depend on some of our more electric players being given license or finding form to play to their best again. That really does seem missing from the team since 2021.

[1eyedog]

It's stating the obvious, but I hate footy when we play bad.

I don't want to watch/listen to any of the post game stuff because I just don't want to hear the negativity...as for the pre-game predictions, well, I don't want to hear all the ways it's gonna break down (again).

Why was I looking forward to this again?

Feel very much the same and dropped into quite a deep depression from the start of the second quarter through to today. I just expected so much more given the changes to the coaching panel and all the diatribe from Bains et al. across Summer.

The loss itself isn't really a governing factor for how I'm feeling it's a cumulative effect. The hype leading into the season (I get every club does this but we had a decent overhaul which spawned new expectations), the non-selections leading into Round 1 were head scratching to me and then just watching us get rag-dolled by none other than Melbourne of all teams - it was a genuine knife twisting event to sit through for me and the kids.

I know the players try their guts out but Melbourne just worked harder and wanted the win more than we did and that is very, very disappointing. Our lack of defensive run was particularly upsetting.

Ah well.

[ledge]

Nothing worse than going into work and the team you just lost to is packed with their fans.

[Grantysghost]

Feel very much the same and dropped into quite a deep depression from the start of the second quarter through to today. I just expected so much more given the changes to the coaching panel and all the diatribe from Bains et al. across Summer.

The loss itself isn't really a governing factor for how I'm feeling it's a cumulative effect. The hype leading into the season (I get every club does this but we had a decent overhaul which spawned new expectations), the non-selections leading into Round 1 were head scratching to me and then just watching us get rag-dolled by none other than Melbourne of all teams - it was a genuine knife twisting event to sit through for me and the kids.

I know the players try their guts out but Melbourne just worked harder and wanted the win more than we did and that is very, very disappointing. Our lack of defensive run was particularly upsetting.

Ah well.

I felt this one more than I usually do.

Sick of playing Melbourne rd 1, always at their home ground - now on the back of a game under their belts.

Plus we started so well, for 15 mins we could believe, then.....normal service resumed.

We need to play players who give a shit, not laconic blokes who somehow keep getting games whilst not performing.

The rhetoric around fittest, hungriest blah blah blah...God that aged well.

[mighty_west]

The rhetoric around fittest, hungriest blah blah blah...God that aged well.

Yeah that comment whilst sounding inspiring at the time was fraught with danger, what if our most ready players weren't necessarily the best for match up's etc (Buku on Brown), even though i see Keath now as a break glass option and with JOD and Gardner not available surely it was that time to break the glass for the Brown match up even though Buku played well in the Hawks games and was "more ready".

[bornadog]

The rhetoric around fittest, hungriest blah blah blah...God that aged well.

This is being misquoted by many people. Check the vid


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIDguWEMmYI&ab_channel=WesternBulldogs

"Our FITTEST, STRONGEST & MOST READY Team"

[Grantysghost]

This is being misquoted by many people. Check the vid


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIDguWEMmYI&ab_channel=WesternBulldogs

"Our FITTEST, STRONGEST & MOST READY Team"

That's even worse than what I said :cool:

[bulldogsthru&thru]

That's even worse than what I said :cool:

The 2016 squad said hold my beer and sent in the 2016 finals DVD.

[EasternWest]

That's even worse than what I said :cool:

Lols.

[mighty_west]

This is being misquoted by many people. Check the vid


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIDguWEMmYI&ab_channel=WesternBulldogs

"Our FITTEST, STRONGEST & MOST READY Team"

That quote has certainly bitten Bevo on the backside, we looked far from being fit enough, hungry enough and if that was our most ready team (eeek!), round 1 early days i know but as a supporter it still feels like a punch in the guts after watching Sunday's game, but you know, we get back up again and believe we can knock off those Suns.

[MrMahatma]

This is being misquoted by many people. Check the vid


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIDguWEMmYI&ab_channel=WesternBulldogs

"Our FITTEST, STRONGEST & MOST READY Team"

If his job was to make the team the fittest, strongest and most ready... then he failed. Miserably.

[ledge]

If his job was to make the team the fittest, strongest and most ready... then he failed. Miserably.

Maybe we were , just means our first 9 years of him in charge must have been horrible. :-)

[hujsh]

If his job was to make the team the fittest, strongest and most ready... then he failed. Miserably.

Maybe we just didn't look fit and ready because our opponents just played an AFL match then had a 10 day break after being spanked while we were stuck playing the Hawks twice in practice matches.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Maybe we just didn't look fit and ready because our opponents just played an AFL match then had a 10 day break after being spanked while we were stuck playing the Hawks twice in practice matches.

I think there's no question all that played a part in the historically low performance.

What's harder to swallow is the fact we've seen all this countless times before without those excuses so I don't have much confidence this sort of stuff won't be a regular issue going forward.

[MrMahatma]

Maybe we just didn't look fit and ready because our opponents just played an AFL match then had a 10 day break after being spanked while we were stuck playing the Hawks twice in practice matches.

So the Dees playing a match 10 days before our match, meant we couldn't get near them and thus laid the lowest tackle count we've had in 5 seasons?

Please....

[hujsh]

So the Dees playing a match 10 days before our match, meant we couldn't get near them and thus laid the lowest tackle count we've had in 5 seasons?

Please....

Yeah I'm sure it means nothing when notoriously teams are rubbish round 1

tHaNk YoU...