Stan Middleton with 1958 Brownlow Medalist, Neil Roberts, at the Vietnam Swans / Vietnam Veterans / Southern Dragons / Sydney Swans MCG function last year.

Official historian of the Vietnam Football League during the War, Stan Middleton, has responded to an innocuous email from the Swannies that acknowledged the improvement of his Essendon Bombers this year.

Stan then replied with an extraordinary and stinging attack on the Collingwood Football Club. Read below!

Yes very happy after Essendon’s mid-year slump! The future looks good!

Would be good to have a draw like Collingwood! Recently they played their first game out of Melbourne after 21 games (18 played at the MCG and 3 at Etihad). Even then they played Sydney at the ANZ Stadium which Sydney hate! Their home ground is the SCG and they play their best there.

Two more interstate games only for them this year (3 in total). A holiday at the Gold Coast and Fremantle in Perth! No wonder they like going to Arizona as they would rarely get to travel otherwise!

Are you aware that whenever Collingwood play an away game at the MCG, the home team has to use the visitors’ rooms? Collingwood never has to change rooms at the MCG! I went into the Hawthorn rooms last year for the Collingwood v Hawthorn game and my friend John explained why Hawthorn were using the “away” rooms for their home game!

Carlton had the home game last Saturday but as well as the change rooms could not use the functions rooms of the home team because Collingwood get them for all their games; not just home games!

So every game for Collingwood at the MCG is totally a home game for them! I don’t think it is very fair and is even worse now they have a good team!

The AFL even has arranged for the Grand Final to be on the 1st October as Collingwood can’t win Grand Finals in September (last one they won was 1958!). 1990 they won in October because of a drawn final and same last year! So to make sure they win this year, the AFL made Grand Final day in October as well!

I wonder if a player from another club would have had the last 6 weeks of a suspension suspended so that the player could play in the finals (Heath Shaw)! I don’t think so!! I would bet on that!! Shaw had to own up because they told him he was on CCTV when the bet was made! So they suspended part of his suspension for being honest!!

There you are Swannies; a bit of stuff for you to stir all the Collingwood supporters up in Vietnam about!

Stan’s comments have indeed proved controversial sparking a number of emails to this website:

Could this be Stan's letter box? We all hope not.

Reader 1

Mmmm… Stan’s dealing with some baggage… Did a Collingwood supporter break Stan’s letterbox? Run off with his wife? Or maybe Woodsmen just smashed his team!! Again!!!!

Reader 2

It just may be that Stan cares and is worried about all the travel the little ‘Pies have to do as it could affect their performance at the end of year. The poor little ‘Pies could get tired!

Reader 3

I asked Greg to explain the horrible inequity that was outlined in Stan Middleton’s email. He replied, ‘It’s common sense’. (Greg happens to be a Collingwood supporter.)

Reader 4

Loved the Swannies’ new logo but loved Stan’s letter even more… It is not fair and it is not a level playing ground in the AFL. Give the Pies a bit more stick…

With News Corp somewhat preoccupied with its own issues at the moment, the Swannies Blog pledges to continue being hard hitting – even if controversial –  just so that we can break the stories that you need to know.

Do you have a comment to make re Stan’s email? Leave it below!