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Now that season 2005 is almost upon us I would like to pose a scenario to the members of RWO.
Obviously we all hope that the Swans go on and have a fantastic season, winning the flag would just be marvelous for the club and for the city of Sydney.
However, based on the admission by coach Roos and members of the Swans board that the club cannot afford to slide down the ladder, in any attempted rebuild of the football list, I wonder what will happen if this year the Swans do in fact achieve the unthinkable and drop out of the final 8.
Will the current administration and their policy of "make the finals at all cost", be seen as sensible ? Or will there be a feeling of lost opportunity (under the new regime of Paul Roos )to really set the club up for a different kind of success ?
I am afraid that the Swans have been held hostage by a number of groups and a number of problems. Chief amongst these has been the great pressure to merly survive in a hostile environment. Also the low expectations of some of the Swans original instigators into the Sydney market. Is it time that the Swans out grew such lowly measures of success ?
For both the AFL and old South Melbourne supporters, the bottom line is the basic survival of the Swans as an entity in Sydney. Coming out of defensive reasoning, any sort of finals action is a lot better than what the alternative could have been. In South Melbourne's case oblivion, in the AFL's case no Australian rules presence in Sydney!
Now both these groups may be reasonably satisfied by the current situation, even if the Swans do not make the finals this year. The Swans administration can go to the heroes of old South Melbourne, as well as to the AFL and point to the record of success over the last 10 years.
However, for the city of Sydney and for those of us who would like to see the club unshackled from the restraints of mediocrity, close enough is no where near good enough.
Those of us who know Sydney know that when this city puts it's mind to it, anything can happen. I will cite the 2000 olympics as only one example (the best olympics ever!). That is why I am calling for the Swans to allow themselves to be taken over by Sydney. As opposed to the Swans taking over Sydney.
If Sydney as a city is given a chance to really be intelligently and democratically involved in the running of the Sydney Swans, the public will be more than happy to put up with a couple of years of hardship on the field, as long as the makings of an extraordinary team are unearthed at the end of that process.
I know there are a large number of Swans followers both here on RWO and in general who will shout and complain at these suggestions, many of them are happy with the status quo of Swans survival, for the reasons that I mentioned above. Yet they say they want real success.
The city of Sydney however can not allow the current situation to go on. Unless this year brings at the very least a top 4 finish, then the policies of paranoia must be overturned by the demands of the Sydney football going public for a truly great team no matter what the short term costs.
To this end I encourage all Swans supporters who live in Sydney (and especially those who participate on RWO), to keep on agitating for a revolution of footballing culture at the Swans.
Please demand a great footballing team and do not except the excuses of those whose great sufferings in the past, through the almost total extinction of their team has made them excepting of the mediocrity that the AFL and the current Swans board has served up more than 65% of the time.
It is common knowledge that the Swans face less criticism in Sydney than other teams do in their own home towns. I believe this is because they are still not perceived of as "us" yet in Sydney. Criticism is never welcomed, but I believe that more criticism and higher demands set by the people and press of Sydney are what is now required to spur the Swans on to truly great success.
I call upon all true SYDNEY SWANS supporters, the public and the press to fight for a better footballing team and culture amongst the Swans.
We must never stop till we can truly have pride in knowing that Sydney has one of the best Aussie Rules footballing cultures in the land.
Thank you.
Obviously we all hope that the Swans go on and have a fantastic season, winning the flag would just be marvelous for the club and for the city of Sydney.
However, based on the admission by coach Roos and members of the Swans board that the club cannot afford to slide down the ladder, in any attempted rebuild of the football list, I wonder what will happen if this year the Swans do in fact achieve the unthinkable and drop out of the final 8.
Will the current administration and their policy of "make the finals at all cost", be seen as sensible ? Or will there be a feeling of lost opportunity (under the new regime of Paul Roos )to really set the club up for a different kind of success ?
I am afraid that the Swans have been held hostage by a number of groups and a number of problems. Chief amongst these has been the great pressure to merly survive in a hostile environment. Also the low expectations of some of the Swans original instigators into the Sydney market. Is it time that the Swans out grew such lowly measures of success ?
For both the AFL and old South Melbourne supporters, the bottom line is the basic survival of the Swans as an entity in Sydney. Coming out of defensive reasoning, any sort of finals action is a lot better than what the alternative could have been. In South Melbourne's case oblivion, in the AFL's case no Australian rules presence in Sydney!
Now both these groups may be reasonably satisfied by the current situation, even if the Swans do not make the finals this year. The Swans administration can go to the heroes of old South Melbourne, as well as to the AFL and point to the record of success over the last 10 years.
However, for the city of Sydney and for those of us who would like to see the club unshackled from the restraints of mediocrity, close enough is no where near good enough.
Those of us who know Sydney know that when this city puts it's mind to it, anything can happen. I will cite the 2000 olympics as only one example (the best olympics ever!). That is why I am calling for the Swans to allow themselves to be taken over by Sydney. As opposed to the Swans taking over Sydney.
If Sydney as a city is given a chance to really be intelligently and democratically involved in the running of the Sydney Swans, the public will be more than happy to put up with a couple of years of hardship on the field, as long as the makings of an extraordinary team are unearthed at the end of that process.
I know there are a large number of Swans followers both here on RWO and in general who will shout and complain at these suggestions, many of them are happy with the status quo of Swans survival, for the reasons that I mentioned above. Yet they say they want real success.
The city of Sydney however can not allow the current situation to go on. Unless this year brings at the very least a top 4 finish, then the policies of paranoia must be overturned by the demands of the Sydney football going public for a truly great team no matter what the short term costs.
To this end I encourage all Swans supporters who live in Sydney (and especially those who participate on RWO), to keep on agitating for a revolution of footballing culture at the Swans.
Please demand a great footballing team and do not except the excuses of those whose great sufferings in the past, through the almost total extinction of their team has made them excepting of the mediocrity that the AFL and the current Swans board has served up more than 65% of the time.
It is common knowledge that the Swans face less criticism in Sydney than other teams do in their own home towns. I believe this is because they are still not perceived of as "us" yet in Sydney. Criticism is never welcomed, but I believe that more criticism and higher demands set by the people and press of Sydney are what is now required to spur the Swans on to truly great success.
I call upon all true SYDNEY SWANS supporters, the public and the press to fight for a better footballing team and culture amongst the Swans.
We must never stop till we can truly have pride in knowing that Sydney has one of the best Aussie Rules footballing cultures in the land.
Thank you.
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