379 replies to this topic

[Keith T]

It's difficult to compare media coverage from the 60's and 70's with today as nearly all the main newspapers had north and south editions with many printed in the north. However, when we talk about "rugby league" coverage nowadays we only seem to talk about "super league" and the lower leagues get forgotten about. So again, I don't think there is any way comparisons can be made.

Edited by Keith T, 09 July 2010 - 04:07 PM.

[sam]

the one thing to come out of franchising is the current clamour of clubs saying 'look at out nice shiny seats; look, you don't have to go for a ###### against a brick wall anymore; look at our lovely drawings of the stadium we hope to build; look at the young kids coming through; look at the profit we made last year etc etc things that 5/10 years ago didn't even enter the equation.

[Gixxer]

Franchising isn't sport.

It's a farce.

You are right on the button with this comment.
Just look at the absolute complacency of the Bulls - does anyone believe that they would have been languishing where they are now if the threat of relegation was hanging in the air? I will concede that the clown who masquerades as their manager is also to blame, since he inherited a team that could beat the best. He was living on the coat tails of Noble. His inability is glaringly obvious now he tries to stand on his own feet. England are welcome to him but they will win nothing under his leadership. And before anyone rushes to point out the win against France let me say that if a team of 16yr old schoolboys were put on the park to play the French international team the schoolboys would win - that match was an ego rub for Macnamara

[Johnoco]

Gixxer, there will always be useless coaches regardless of whether there is relegation or not.

[Gixxer]

Gixxer, there will always be useless coaches regardless of whether there is relegation or not.

Jonnoco, Sorry about that -went off on a rant. Leaving aside useless coaches, until relegation is reintroduced the sport will run on 3 cylinders. I remember the playoff games fought with real passion and skill, players finding just an extra ounce of strength and daring but ending with a drama that can only come from going up or down. And not just in Super league but in all the leagues

[Trojan]

dean bell was on it
this is your life is no longer broadcast and hasn't been for years
the games treatment by the media is well known and long standing.
at what stage in your experience of it was rugby league in a better state than it is now. You've already written off large chunks of it in thiss thread alone.

The game was more united, the "big clubs" were more prepared to share power with the smaller clubs. The Wembley event was generally attended by fans from all over the game, it's not today. In the past Rugby League had a much higher media profile than it does today. In the eighties say, international games got better coverage in the media and as a result were better attended than they are today. They were played at times when it was easy for most people to either attend them or watch them on free to air TV. This certainly doesn't happen today. Rugby League is in a media ghetto - it may be a well paid media ghetto but it's a ghetto just the same. Huge swathes of the press ignore RL - they didn't used to.
And as has been stated on here many fans are on the point of walking away from the game for ever because their team stands little or no chance of ever playing with the big boys again.
The Challenge Cup is a joke. The crowds for the earlier rounds are pathetic. The later rounds are so spaced as to make the competition as an attention getter a total lame duck. The only competition that really matters to the media and to the clubs is that which takes place in September and early October - the play-offs and the final. That is exciting and catches attention - but we have a 9 month season plus internationals and the only bit the media pay attention to lasts about four weeks.
I've been a supporter of the game longer than I care to remember and even in the lowest points of the sixties and seventies I've never seen the fans of the majority of the clubs in such a demoralised divided state.

[The Parksider]

You know that for a fact do you Parky? People on this thread are talking about walking away from the game. The game is disintegrating before our eyes and you keep spouting the same old garbage about how franchising will be good in the long term. In the long term we're all dead.

Who'll be next? Someone has to be bottom of the pile or there's no pile. When the Championship clubs have disappeared, will it be Salford, Cas and Wakey's turn?

You are renown for telling us that people are walking away from the game. The total number of people watching the pro/semi pro game in 1995 before superleague was far far less than the numbers watching now AND THAT IS AN OUT AND OUT FACT so who is walking away?

Where are they walking to? are they walking out of NL clubs to SL clubs? Many are. Are they walking home to their armchairs to pay sky subscriptions which put millions into the game Many are. You conveniently want to forget the armchair paying fan. The armchair fan provides the game with millions AND THAT IS A FACT.

Who comes bottom of the NRL pile then and how do they "die"??, their franchised league is set up so that doesn't happen and ours is the same. I See our bottom club Les cats is giving Saints what for tonight.

I am sorry Featherstone in modern times are a club too small for the top division mate, but time moves on.

[The Parksider]

1. And as has been stated on here many fans are on the point of walking away from the game for ever because their team stands little or no chance of ever playing with the big boys again.

2. I've been a supporter of the game longer than I care to remember and even in the lowest points of the sixties and seventies I've never seen the fans of the majority of the clubs in such a demoralised divided state.

1. Look private Fraser, here's the stats....

1995 32 clubs returning an average attendance of 3,455
2009 35 clubs returning an average attendance of 4,245 PLUS thousands of armchair fans of the game returing approximately £12,600.000 per year in SKY money the equivalent at £12 a game of another million clicks of the turnstiles.

One almighty success that Superleague......

2. 14 clubs are in Superleague - no "demoralisation" there.
17 clubs do not apply for superleague - no "demoralisation" there.
1 club a shoe in for Superleague - no demoralisation there.
Halifax, Leigh and Featherstone - once clubs who could win something but times change, and sadly the
"nearly men" of SL. I suspect many of the pragmatic are not demoralised. I suspect many others enjoy
their NL rugby and are far more interested in wether thy can win a NL trophy than your miserable doom
and gloom offerings.........

[Trojan]

1. Look private Fraser, here's the stats....

1995 32 clubs returning an average attendance of 3,455
2009 35 clubs returning an average attendance of 4,245 PLUS thousands of armchair fans of the game returing approximately £12,600.000 per year in SKY money the equivalent at £12 a game of another million clicks of the turnstiles.

One almighty success that Superleague......

2. 14 clubs are in Superleague - no "demoralisation" there.
17 clubs do not apply for superleague - no "demoralisation" there.
1 club a shoe in for Superleague - no demoralisation there.
Halifax, Leigh and Featherstone - once clubs who could win something but times change, and sadly the
"nearly men" of SL. I suspect many of the pragmatic are not demoralised. I suspect many others enjoy
their NL rugby and are far more interested in wether thy can win a NL trophy than your miserable doom
and gloom offerings.........

It's not just Fev n 'Fax though is it? You're very selective with your statistics. Crowds in the Championship are down, as are crowds in the lower levels of SL. Face it Parky, franchising has the makings of a major disaster for the sport.

[Trojan]

You are renown for telling us that people are walking away from the game.

REad the posts on this thread Parky

[Tipster Ste]

1. The homegrown quota will increase year on year to achieve this

2. The clubs are all now concentrating on improved junior set ups for this

3. Nobody in SL has gone bust

4. Saw Cas and Crusaders win at Headingley this year, Quins beat Wigan etc

"It's four yesses" as Simon Cowell may say........

Your first two points arent answers they are assumptions that have not come to fruition as for point 3 nobody went bust pre francising either, point 4 i would agree with you!

[Tipster Ste]

I thought Mr. Moss stepped in there BJ??

Now I know a Superleague quality club that really did go bust and into administration not too long ago...

Er who was that now???

Both London Broncos and Celtic Crusaders had to reform in the golden SL era and Celtic within the wonderful franchise era

[Tipster Ste]

1. Look private Fraser, here's the stats....

1995 32 clubs returning an average attendance of 3,455
2009 35 clubs returning an average attendance of 4,245 PLUS thousands of armchair fans of the game returing approximately £12,600.000 per year in SKY money the equivalent at £12 a game of another million clicks of the turnstiles.

One almighty success that Superleague......

2. 14 clubs are in Superleague - no "demoralisation" there.
17 clubs do not apply for superleague - no "demoralisation" there.
1 club a shoe in for Superleague - no demoralisation there.
Halifax, Leigh and Featherstone - once clubs who could win something but times change, and sadly the
"nearly men" of SL. I suspect many of the pragmatic are not demoralised. I suspect many others enjoy
their NL rugby and are far more interested in wether thy can win a NL trophy than your miserable doom
and gloom offerings.........

Over 50% of SL clubs attendances are down year on year despite giving away child tickets and making it the cheapest spectator sport to watch in Britain, care to explain why?

[Johnoco]

Over 50% of SL clubs attendances are down year on year despite giving away child tickets and making it the cheapest spectator sport to watch in Britain, care to explain why?

Recession, job losses, lots of belt tightening etc Numerous reasons...why do you ask?

[Jimmy B]

Both London Broncos and Celtic Crusaders had to reform in the golden SL era and Celtic within the wonderful franchise era

Don't forget Paris who are no longer with us.

[l'angelo mysterioso]

Don't forget Paris who are no longer with us.

or Bradford who are

[no13benny]

P&R:

14 panicked bottles standing on the wall, 14 panicked bottles standing on the wall
and if one panicked bottle should accidentally fall...

it's replaced with one green bottle, that wouldn't cope at all

Licencing:

14 keen bottles standing on the wall, 14 keen bottles standing on the wall
and if some keen bottles should not improve at all...

There'll be more keen bottles banging on the door.

[Johnoco]

And as has been stated on here many fans are on the point of walking away from the game for ever because their team stands little or no chance of ever playing with the big boys again.

Wimbledon were effectively booted out of the Football League. They were replaced by MK Dons. The new team FC Wimbledon are now within a few rungs (or even rung) of being back in professional soccer. Their story can be repeated numerous times by a lot of football clubs (to one degree or another) but there is one constant theme - I have never heard any of them say they will give up on soccer.

Perhaps RL does not command that level of dedication and the people you refer to were only into it because they were born into it?

[Jimmy B]

or Bradford who are

When did Bradford go bust in the SL era ?

[Johnoco]

When did Bradford go bust in the SL era ?

The fact that they went bust in the 'golden era' of RL (when everyone was mates and cared about the game first and foremost ) in 1963 was the point.