Matabele
Journey Man
Context - this was written a few days after we were pummeled by Penrith in 2004
OPINION:
Democracy! It is a value that has inspired heroic deeds from great men. It is also a term that has been hi-jacked to launch great evil on the world. What is this concept, held so dear, that we are prepared to fight great battles in its defense, sacrificing millions of souls to its cause?
For many the most noted value of democracy is the freedom of speech and the right to determine our own destiny. There would be no need for democracy if we all agreed. In the absence of differing points of view there would be little need for debate or the consideration of an alternative. The reality is that we live in a world far from that ideal and let’s face it mankind would probably find something to criticize even in a perfect world.Â
Given then that we live in a world where reality often falls short of expectations we have several options open to us. We can desist from raging against the dying of the light and allow a slow atrophy and decay of what we hold dear. The alternative is to decide what it is that we consider of value and set ourselves to the task of improvement. One of the most important parts of that process is the ability to analyse and objectively criticize that which is wrong, broken or imperfect.Â
A good example of this is our political process. The media and public scrutiny are essential tools in the process of identifying the wrongs and shortcomings of a government. In a society where apathy rules or where this process is stunted, and sadly some would argue that is the case in Australia in this current political age, the authority or management of that society often gives itself to indulgence or autocracy. Neither of these options is acceptable and history shows that the inevitable end for the indulgent or autocratic regime is either civil unrest or invasion.Â
What does this have to do with the Manly football club you ask? Well I think it is an important background to the debate that has raged since Manly’s capitulation to Penrith on Saturday night, arguably the club’s darkest hour. The week has seen the battle lines drawn with fans generally identifying with one of two broad groups. The first is populated by those that would argue loyalty to the cause and the need for affirmation of the players and the club in an attempt to protect their confidence. The second group is those that are calling for change, for heads to roll and a thorough analysis of what led to the disaster of Saturday night and to this, our most disastrous of seasons.Â
In many respects this is a debate that has been raging for much of the season. Perhaps it’s the debate that Manly had to have. As such a successful club we are unaccustomed to sustained failure and supporters have had to look within themselves to decide how they will respond to our lack of success in recent times. However, the Penrith massacre has raised the stakes as dumb struck supporters have found that they cannot sit on the fence. The volume and venom of criticism has intensified too.Â
There is no doubt that supporters in the past week have gone beyond a simple “bagging†of the club. Bagging suggests a light heartedness. I know there are a huge number of well-informed fans that are at a point of despair and of the opinion that these are not "teething pains" or "part of re-building" but problems of such serious nature that they could prove terminal.Â
There is a vast difference between blind loyalty and objectivity. At the moment, those that choose to be critical of the club and especially the players, do so with no great pleasure. Rather it comes from a deep concern that the current player mediocrity and certain areas of off-field concern could well lead to a mortal decline in the club we all love. They contend that it's better to have a club to criticise than to blindly love it into the grave.
The last comment to make is that those choosing the critical road seem to be particularly inflamed by the growing impression that their desire for frank analysis and drastic action to reverse the tendency towards decline and decay doesn’t seem to be reflected at the club level. Occasionally coach and administration have talked tough. However, when the same 17 players from last week were handed the jerseys for this week’s encounter a rousing crescendo of angst could be heard as the realisation hit home that there’d be no retribution for last week’s shame. Threats are nothing but hollow if the threatened don't start to feel the razor sharp edge of the guillotine hovering above their necks.
So the faithful will wend their way to Brookvale Oval this weekend. Already the stirring can be felt in the breast as we dare to dream of the possibility of a glorious victory. Despite ourselves we will hope against hope that we will be toasting our players and the Manly Spirit at 5pm on Sunday. Together we will stand the loyal and the agitators, urging our team, our passion, to great deeds. We love this team. It’s just that some of us will also feel the slight slide in our guts, against the butterflies of optimism, that these days a win doesn’t mean the confirmation of our dominance. It’s more likely that a win shows a complacent opposition and an inspired, above ability performance from our boys. Are we wrong to want to change that?Â
OPINION:
Democracy! It is a value that has inspired heroic deeds from great men. It is also a term that has been hi-jacked to launch great evil on the world. What is this concept, held so dear, that we are prepared to fight great battles in its defense, sacrificing millions of souls to its cause?
For many the most noted value of democracy is the freedom of speech and the right to determine our own destiny. There would be no need for democracy if we all agreed. In the absence of differing points of view there would be little need for debate or the consideration of an alternative. The reality is that we live in a world far from that ideal and let’s face it mankind would probably find something to criticize even in a perfect world.Â
Given then that we live in a world where reality often falls short of expectations we have several options open to us. We can desist from raging against the dying of the light and allow a slow atrophy and decay of what we hold dear. The alternative is to decide what it is that we consider of value and set ourselves to the task of improvement. One of the most important parts of that process is the ability to analyse and objectively criticize that which is wrong, broken or imperfect.Â
A good example of this is our political process. The media and public scrutiny are essential tools in the process of identifying the wrongs and shortcomings of a government. In a society where apathy rules or where this process is stunted, and sadly some would argue that is the case in Australia in this current political age, the authority or management of that society often gives itself to indulgence or autocracy. Neither of these options is acceptable and history shows that the inevitable end for the indulgent or autocratic regime is either civil unrest or invasion.Â
What does this have to do with the Manly football club you ask? Well I think it is an important background to the debate that has raged since Manly’s capitulation to Penrith on Saturday night, arguably the club’s darkest hour. The week has seen the battle lines drawn with fans generally identifying with one of two broad groups. The first is populated by those that would argue loyalty to the cause and the need for affirmation of the players and the club in an attempt to protect their confidence. The second group is those that are calling for change, for heads to roll and a thorough analysis of what led to the disaster of Saturday night and to this, our most disastrous of seasons.Â
In many respects this is a debate that has been raging for much of the season. Perhaps it’s the debate that Manly had to have. As such a successful club we are unaccustomed to sustained failure and supporters have had to look within themselves to decide how they will respond to our lack of success in recent times. However, the Penrith massacre has raised the stakes as dumb struck supporters have found that they cannot sit on the fence. The volume and venom of criticism has intensified too.Â
There is no doubt that supporters in the past week have gone beyond a simple “bagging†of the club. Bagging suggests a light heartedness. I know there are a huge number of well-informed fans that are at a point of despair and of the opinion that these are not "teething pains" or "part of re-building" but problems of such serious nature that they could prove terminal.Â
There is a vast difference between blind loyalty and objectivity. At the moment, those that choose to be critical of the club and especially the players, do so with no great pleasure. Rather it comes from a deep concern that the current player mediocrity and certain areas of off-field concern could well lead to a mortal decline in the club we all love. They contend that it's better to have a club to criticise than to blindly love it into the grave.
The last comment to make is that those choosing the critical road seem to be particularly inflamed by the growing impression that their desire for frank analysis and drastic action to reverse the tendency towards decline and decay doesn’t seem to be reflected at the club level. Occasionally coach and administration have talked tough. However, when the same 17 players from last week were handed the jerseys for this week’s encounter a rousing crescendo of angst could be heard as the realisation hit home that there’d be no retribution for last week’s shame. Threats are nothing but hollow if the threatened don't start to feel the razor sharp edge of the guillotine hovering above their necks.
So the faithful will wend their way to Brookvale Oval this weekend. Already the stirring can be felt in the breast as we dare to dream of the possibility of a glorious victory. Despite ourselves we will hope against hope that we will be toasting our players and the Manly Spirit at 5pm on Sunday. Together we will stand the loyal and the agitators, urging our team, our passion, to great deeds. We love this team. It’s just that some of us will also feel the slight slide in our guts, against the butterflies of optimism, that these days a win doesn’t mean the confirmation of our dominance. It’s more likely that a win shows a complacent opposition and an inspired, above ability performance from our boys. Are we wrong to want to change that?Â