I'm out

[nonplussed]

After watching the debacles on and off the pitch for the last few years, I have finally concluded that I will not be renewing my season ticket after 15 years. The abject nature of our performances is one thing, but the BS spouted from the all involved at Ulster rugby has finally alienated me. The 'Commitment' nonsense from our marketing gurus coupled with dire performances and delusional statements from the CEO have killed it for me.

I shall be spending more time at my club in future.

[namron]

Would you like to purchase a few tickets for the Pro 12 final from me at reasonable rates ? Cant see us making it and It would be nice to see two committed teams playing at Spanners for a change

[nonplussed]

I have my own... thanks

[Cornerfleg]

Don't think you'll be the only one ...

I get the feeling a lot of real dyed in the wool Ulster fans who have been willing to go with the flow so far are, now getting angry at what is being done to their club - looking at the joke shop ... the lets face it complete inability to find, secure and go with any sort of coaching set up. Despite a classy new ground the failure to bring on or invest in a squad of any depth, the displays of utter clueless lacklustre havers has all begun to bring a certain shame on the shirt ... The Ravens - the future - aye like feck - amateur garbage... etc etc etc

It's looking more and more like just a commercial brand now - The Haskell of club rugby, the heart and history of this great province are slowly being eroded, devalued or just plain trampled over. Seems the main worry is bodies through gates get them to spend money ... oh and ... some ballix on the pitch either side of a few kids getting a run out. Serve up slop - the punters are REAL fans they'll swallow anything, bang a drum wave a fleg ... a person is smart, a crowd is feckin dense.

You can only take people for mugs for so long ... there's loyalty and then there's ... credulity ... There's following through thick and thin and there's being taken advantage of and calling it Passion or the 16th man.

I WILL however be renewing my ST as I am prepared to give Kiss a chance and hope that new signings are not just happening but demonstrate a commitment to the shirt and club.

If it's just a few journey men and a 40% sale on Kukri shirts ... I wont be long following you.

As long as the suits believe that they are in no danger because rain or snow they crowds will still come due to some, bye gone altruistic view of loyalty and pride ... not much will change.

I grew up with morons shouting their only crime was loyalty ... fool me once shame on you ... fool me twice ...

[nonplussed]

Fair play to you for sticking it out, I wish I had the patience, but its been eroded to the point of 'whats the point.'

I'm sure Ill now be categorised as not being a real fan, but I'm hunting around for a feck to give...and nada, zilch, nahin!

[Cornerfleg]

Don't be taking away any man power ... the punters here are still looking for my Boxers ... there were reports of an unconfirmed sighting outside the Shankill Mission ... the noose is closing in on them ... we cant afford any bodies to go looking for your "Feck"

[Gary]

I'm still in...but only just.

Any more interference by the IRFU in our player recruitment, player positions and our tactics and I'll be off.

I don't care if they pay the piper and pick the tune. If the tune's dreadful, then I'll look for a better one elsewhere.

[thecrouch]

There need to be signings announced in the next few weeks.

And not more Butterworths or Rosses.

[Cornerfleg]

I take it you didn't include Murphy or Ryan as we want to sound objective and not just taking the pi$h!

[thecrouch]

I take it you didn't include Murphy or Ryan as we want to sound objective and not just taking the pi$h!

I forgot they existed if I am totally honest.

[BaggyTrousers]

Nonplussed, I don't as far as I'm aware know you, but I have to say that I can't quite understand why your post makes me feel genuinely depressed. For someone who has been a 15 year season ticket holder to quit on the back of an admittedly hugely disappointing season, makes me wonder how it can come to this, when despite all it's not impossible, if highly unlikely, that in this strange season that we could yet break the silverware drought.

For that to happen it has to be a combination of factors rather than simply what rubbish is being shown on the pitch and of course, you have alluded to that.

I'm not sure I am the right man to attempt to dissuade you from packing it in, for I am one of the mugs who will be turning up come hell, high water or neap tide. Ulster Rugby have me in their pocket for life, I'm quite literally "Ulster till I die", though I won't ever sing that flesh crawling little ditty. Part of that is because, unlike you, I don't have a rugby club to retreat to, having squandered my best years on golf, something I can no longer be bothered with, it's always been rugby that I've hankered after & the team game/mates I've missed.

What annoys me more than anything in the non-rugby sense, is the nonsense of the Seven Commandments issued before every game, the notion that Ulster fans need to be told how to behave, it boils my blood every time I see it in an email or on a bloody TV screen in the bars before a game.

I believe it stems from a stern wigging Fit got via email from Ed Griffiths after the Saracens game, how do I know that? I just do. The Saracens CEO, a cheeky ballix, tore strips off the behaviour of the Ulster Mob (as that guttersnipe Brian Smith called us, the Australian who sullied the Irish shirt briefly & then badmouthed an Ulster legend on a false racists call). To my mind, had Fit attained the rank of whatever he says in the Army, he'd have manned up, told Griffiths to ask his own players about the atmosphere and basically asked him the old questions about sex & travel and told him to mind his own business - literally, crap club, no fans - and to fu@k off in no uncertain terms. That was a remarkably unusual game, atypical of what happens at Ravenhill, nobody needs to go further into the whys & wherefores.

Instead Fit has taken it upon himself to civilise the fans, like some 18th century preacher in a foreign field. I know few who are as enraged as I am by being force fed lessons on behaviour, I know many who think he's taking a bloody liberty and should just have grown a set of ballix. Ulster fans do not need lessons in behaviour any time never mind before every bloody game.

The Marketing bollix about being the 16th man etc? The tripe about showing your commitment to ST holders? That I must say flies right over my head, completely dismissed as marketing bollix, unoriginal, stolen from elsewhere and better aimed at children who are normally ever so slightly more naive than your average old wrinkly such as myself.

Sadly it's something pretty much that we expect these days and if you appoint a marketing person, they will bring to bear what some consider best practice & not without it should be said, an eye to their next employment, meaning all the unnecessary formulaic crap will be peddled, whether required in this specific role or not, its the way of the world.

In the old days when ould lads like me got jobs for life, you got on with being yourself and moulded the job around you, now pliable people mould themselves around jobs that they may only have to tolerate for a few years before moving on. They must have much more physical flexibility than I ever did and a different mental attitude forbye.

ON the rugby front, I'm sure we have had much worse in the past, especially in fairness, before the Humph & Fit revolution when we have in the main done the right thing and got Ulster back to some sort of competitiveness when we were in great danger of going the way of many - Cardiff are a prime example, mistakes after mistakes off the pitch and the proudest of clubs reduced to a farce.

I worry like others that we took a step back last summer. Gone are the boasts of only signing players who would command a place in the starting team, no marquee players signed though I am convinced that Herbst will be a great signing over time, getting a young prop of his ability was great business. The rest were modest or appalling, I'm happy with Van der Merve a big solid grafter, always available, Louis Ludik is decent but certainly not marquee, most of the rest, including sadly Ian Humphreys are more or less dross, warmish bodies, no more.

Thing is Nonplussed, I believe you are going a year early, if go you must. I hope to see changes with Les Kiss, I hope he will get a coaching team that he trusts and not what he is given, I'm hoping that Burt is his choice, it looks that way.

I'm hearing all manner of rumours that indicate that changes are imminent in NIQs for next year, I'm hearing rumours of some definite quality, changes that might surprise some - especially me. I don't trust rumours, I do trust many people who are telling me them. I'll wait and see but if they are substantiated it will be a step forward if true.

So Nonplussed, why it should matter a damn to me if you don't renew is beyond me, but today it does. Maybe think on it when the season ends ............ or before the end of the loyalty period . I hope you change your mind.

[thecrouch]

I am unconvinced by Van der Merwe baggy.

If you consider Hendo a lock (which ultimately will happen unfortunately) then I would argue that Henderson and Tuohy is our best lock pairing.

[BaggyTrousers]

I am unconvinced by Van der Merwe baggy.

If you consider Hendo a lock (which ultimately will happen unfortunately) then I would argue that Henderson and Tuohy is our best lock pairing.

With absolutely no offence intended, I don't care about any specifics in my post, I'm trying to talk a complete picture to Nonplussed, nothing else.

However, out of politeness, you should possibly chew on what my feelings on him are, given the fact that I described him as "modest".

[bazzaj]

Think the problem is that we have had worse seasons but not on the back of relative success.
Its easier to accept you are crap when you think you should be crap than when you are crap when you think you should be good.
We have been spoiled with some of the players and performances in the last few seasons and the come down was never going to be easy.

Trust me on this, a coach with half an idea and a decent open side will make the world of difference.
With Kiss coaching and Henry fit for next season, I absolutely guarantee things will be a lot better and you can quote me on that.
Don`t give the ticket up just yet.

[Gary]

As both Tuohy and Henderson have been injured for most of the season, I think we should be grateful that we had Van der Merwe in the ranks.