Interesting that the coach was prepared to say, "I think there is a lot of mediocrity around and we sit in that". What an admission from someone who I have thought has been incredibly glib and obtuse in all the press conferences I've seen, including when he was at the Saints.
But he is right.
Quasimodo has hit the nail on the head in saying that FFC was "set up for mediocrity in 1994" and for that we can blame the WAFC and the AFL jointly.
We came in with a culture born of the Fremantle working class heritage as well as the supporter passion that remains evident on this and other forums, but successive managements and Boards have seen us move a long way away from those early years, with no tangible benefit in terms of on-field achievements or results.
The last few weeks have convinced me that the supporters feel far more committed to the cause than the management, the coaches and (with some exceptions) the players — after all they are employees, who can shift their allegiances elsewhere (example Lachie Neale and others who follow him out the door this year).
And who employs all of them? Well, I use an analogy to answer that. Coles and Woolies, the banks, the airlines pay their employees, but they would not be there if there weren't customers coming into their shops, banks or flying with them. Does FFC exist because the AFL allows it to? Or should the attitude be that there are people out there who want to have a team to believe in, to feel confident will do their best, who present a professional and committed attitude from President to bootstudder.
Whether we like it or not, the team up the road has a culture built on excellence and performance and, putting aside lapses that have seen that image dented, they continue to live by it. Look at Geelong, Hawthorn, Collingwood, Richmond — outsiders can't be in any doubt that they are serious about what they do. I'm not convinced we are.
I'm afraid to do the calculation of 25 years times the cost of Mrs FB's and my seating at Subi and now Burswood and any joy and euphoria that we have felt over the years is fading fast.
The AFL does not run a fair or equitable fixture and we are treated as little more than a cash cow for their revenue. Our own dismal state of affairs does little to provide optimism for the future.
I'd love to be more cheery.
