Hey Eddie they have a good point !

[Neil Appleby]

Malcolm Knight and Michelangelo make some good points in their recent letters here.
I must admit that I was a little bemused when I read the initial newspaper reports
regarding the Big 3 Alliance.
It's pretty clear that Eddie wants a bigger slice of the AFL pie and who doesn't.
Carlton Collingwood Essendon and to a lesser extent Richmond(their membership is high when their supporters perceive a position above 10th)pay the most via gate receipts.
It's fair and logical that those clubs get a bigger slice. However, look at what this equalisation fund has done for footy in recent years.
In no small way it has helped create the biggest most profitable game in Australia.
Eddie must have known the press,especially the interstate press,would pounce on his comments regarding interstate clubs and run with that.
Even Melbourne's astute footy boys missed the real point(David Hooke's concentrated solely on the interstate aspect and didn't even understand the real basis for the story).
It's a cruel world out there and the weak will eventually die;as much as I admire
Fitzroy's fight, they were on a hiding to nothing and Footscray and Hawthorn only need 2 poor seasons and they too would be gone.
It's really just a matter of time.
What is important for Collingwood is that it finally gets the marketing know-how to match the supporters' faith.
It's relly astonishing that with our following we can't get 50,000 Members.
I think the Board is now on track(united)
and with sufficient know-how, I guess we now wait and see.
By the way I'd really like to see the Stats
over the last 5 or so years to show crowd pulling ability.
I suspect that Collingwood, regardless of membership numbers ,would have consistently won this race.
Now there's an idea for Eddie; a page of 3 columns showing 1.Position on Ladder
2.Membership
3.Gate figures
I think this would really demonstrate Collingwood's power; regardless of ladder position, it always draws mightily.
Does anyone out there have these figures??
And please,if you're a follower of another club reading this, we're talking CONSISTENTLY, not one year's abberation in ten.
Come on you stats people, someone in suburban Melbourne must be smacking their lips over this little assignment....love to see the results......Floreat Pica'99


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[Lulie Street Phantom]

That is all very well - but if all these people that go every week bought a season ticket then we wouldn't have to bloody worry because all the spondulas would be going directly to the club......... Anyway Big John won't be seen at the 'G' this year anyway, he'll be outside puffin' on a fag.