47 replies to this topic

[PooingDog]

Who now represents Hornets interests down at Red Hall? I presume someone from the committee?

Mark Reynolds

Not sure HN, have you called the club?

[Pugwash]

Boycotting the Challenge Cup is not the answer and like it or not we have to put up with the current arrangements. The only way to change it is from the inside, not by shouting slogans from the sidelines. The RFL have done a lot for us, without them we would not have a club. Yes, they are not perfect and yes they possibly could do more, but it's only by meaningful dialogue that things will change. I'm sorry Pugwash, but banging on about 'Stupid' League does you no credit and is the language of the playground. No-one will listen to that.

So what about the match itself then? How are we going to fare? Castleford seem to be a better side this season and no doubt will be 'resting' some of their stars, but I hope we can make them feel they have been in a game. C'mon Hornets.

Fair enough El Senorito, the RFL did help us to set up the new club, but other things have happened which I cannot allude to because of a matter of confidential information and for that reason I refuse to wear a hair-shirt for ever.

The RFL have also had many occasions when they could have helped us and have done the opposite.

Now if you listen to the CC draw they always say that 'These ties are to be played on the xth and yth of the month and those days are the Saturday and Sunday so to play on any other day you need permission from them. When Hornets drew Leeds in the CC, Leeds wanted to play on Friday night and Hornets disagreed the matter went to the RFL and you've guessed it, Leeds won. The reason they didn't want to play on Saturday or Sunday, they were using the pitch as overflow parking for the cricket next door!!!!! The same rules apply to play-off games and when we were due to play York they also said they wanted to play on Friday night. Again Hornets objected as travelling that way on a Friday night is pergatory and would mean players having to take time off work etc. Again the RFL came down on the other side of the fence.

Then last season Blackpool who I remind people were cheating all season asked to change our fixture with them away to a, you've guessed it, Friday night. Blackpool had not adhered to the rules of telling the league their ground wasn't available and refused to switch venues to Spotland, again Hornets objected and again we might as well have banged our head against wall. We had to trek over to Blackpool on Friday night and Blackpool had parachuted several Wigan reserves infor the game and we got beaten.

Since the reformation of the club we haven't had one decent home game as far as crowds are concerned in the Trains Cup. We have had to travel to places like Gateshead but never had a game against Oldham, Widnes, Leigh or Halifax to help bring in some funds.

A couple of years ago we had Leeeds Met University away in the CC. This was before the current rule about season ticket holders had come in and we went over there to play at Headingley only to find that the students had given hundreds of free tickets to their supporters and we were the only ones paying. Shafted again!!!

The Hull fiasco is also another illustration of the RFL not being able to run a coffee stall. As BR said they had a rule in place which said clubs had to abide by a certain set of conditions as regards player elligibility tp play. Only the RFL could have introduced a rule and not included the sort of punishment for clubs that contravened the rule. Hull were allegedly said to be ready to sue if they were thrown out of the cup and that allegedly was why they were given a fine which was derisory and more than paid for with the massive TV payments they recieved and the losing Finalists money.

Unfortunately for Halifax that particular Barn Door had been well and truly locked by the time they made an innocent mistake with Michael Ostick, expulsion and I think a fine followed and I think Martin Hall lost his job!

If any further evidence were necessary to illustrate the incompetence of our friends from Red Hall, just look at the farce unfolding at Hull K.R., they've filled up their quota of Australians and they wanted Big Willie Mason, so they get the guy to apply for a Tongan passport and then Hey Presto, before your very eyes he appears.

Should any further evidence be needed I will just say London and you can add any of the many movements of the goal posts to suit them and to ensure they will remain in Super League come whatever! Then consider the Celtic Crusaders who played for a long time with people who were not legally entitled to be working in the coutry. Their punishment a swift segway into administration and a new start in Wrexham with no debt and only the equivalent of two wins punishment and then Wakefield get in on the wheeze swiftly getting rid of their debts and receiving only the same punishment and neither club had to go back to square one as Hornets did.

You want more? When the P&R was still in force between us and them they sent down the relegated club with a parachute payment which virtually ensured an immediate return to the Promised Land. Level playing fields, not in this game mate.

If Rugby League is to grow it must do so from sound roots which will allow the plant above the ground to blossom strongly and that means supporting your traditional clubs and then spreading your sport slowly and calculatingly where you consider there is a chance of it succeeding not just chucking a shed load of dosh at long-shots.

I think these sort of failures are much more than 'not being perfect' and more like a bunch of people feathering their own nests.

As to the game, we will get a spanking and no danger but I just hope the lads go out and play with pride in the shirt and they'll get my applause.

Pugwash.

[arabella]

Why ?

Because as you can see, people with more knowledge have done the job.

[Bedford Roughyed]

The Hull fiasco is also another illustration of the RFL not being able to run a coffee stall. As BR said they had a rule in place which said clubs had to abide by a certain set of conditions as regards player elligibility tp play. Only the RFL could have introduced a rule and not included the sort of punishment for clubs that contravened the rule. Hull were allegedly said to be ready to sue if they were thrown out of the cup and that allegedly was why they were given a fine which was derisory and more than paid for with the massive TV payments they recieved and the losing Finalists money.

Unfortunately for Halifax that particular Barn Door had been well and truly locked by the time they made an innocent mistake with Michael Ostick, expulsion and I think a fine followed and I think Martin Hall lost his job!

The rule was in the book years before clubs got professional. They were written in easy language, and everyone knew what they meant. However they were not written in suffuciant language that sports lawyers couldn't exploit. Hull were going to bring in the lawyers to defend a blatent breaking of the rules yet it's the RFL that is to blame? The clubs agree to these rules yet will bring in the lawyers as soon as they break them.

If any further evidence were necessary to illustrate the incompetence of our friends from Red Hall, just look at the farce unfolding at Hull K.R., they've filled up their quota of Australians and they wanted Big Willie Mason, so they get the guy to apply for a Tongan passport and then Hey Presto, before your very eyes he appears.

I'm not sure how the RFL get the blame for employment law? The RFL can not stop Willie getting a Tongan passport, only the Tongan government can stop him doing so. Once he has it the RFL can't doing anything to stop him playing. They brought in varrious rules to reduce the number of overseas player, but they can't stop many due to legal implications. How is it the RFL's fault that HMG employment laws allow certain countries free access to UK jobs? The RFL is trying and the clubs agreed to reduce imports but clubs know the loopholes (and despite agreeing to stop using them) they can't be stopped.

If Rugby League is to grow it must do so from sound roots which will allow the plant above the ground to blossom strongly and that means supporting your traditional clubs and then spreading your sport slowly and calculatingly where you consider there is a chance of it succeeding not just chucking a shed load of dosh at long-shots.

Can we expand anymore slowly? 100yrs to get where we are?

[OldhamGal]

I actually agree with BR-the RFL cannot be blamed for everything!

Sure, they get things wrong but they are doing a lot well too.

[xxxxgold]

I actually agree with BR-the RFL cannot be blamed for everything!

Sure, they get things wrong but they are doing a lot well too.

Everybody in all walks of life get things wrong, but certain people can't take their Blinkers off.

[DiddyDave]

The game is a shambles now due to News Limited and the so called "Super League",but you get what you deserve. They tried to take over here in Australia in the mid nineties and succeeded to a point,but a lot of the old guard (RFL) stuck to their guns culminating in a rugby league civil war between 1995 and 1997. A compromise was eventually agreed to and since then there`s been somewhat of a 50/50 power sharing in running the game,but News Limited have recently announced that they`re pulling out and that a new regime is about to take over the running of the game,so we`ll just see what happens. Thing is,these Aussies have a reputation for not believing everything the powers that be say,so the new regime had better be good,or they`ll have to come up with something else. The game here is currently experiencing somewhat of a resurgence,head man,David Gallop,announcing a big increase in TV funding in the next couple of years and the chance that there`ll be one or two new franchises (clubs) entering the competition soon,but hopefully they`ll be in well established Rugby League areas as "taking the game" to Adelaide and Perth a few years ago was an abject failure,though it must be said,the Melbourne experiment has worked out well. Having teams in Wales,France,Geordieland and London under the guise of "expanding the game" is absolute garbage when old established clubs struggle to keep their heads above water and to me,that`s the sad part of all this. What sort of a game is it where use by date Aussies and Kiwis go over to keep propping the game up and the Willie Mason thing is a prime example of that;he`s only over there because nobody here wants him. There`s no doubt that your heirachy only thinks about the "big clubs",a ridiculous heads-in-the-sand attitude that does nowt in promoting the game at grass roots level and without that,the game has no future. I don`t know what the solution is,but you don`t have to be a genius to work out that clubs will definitely fold if the present bumbling goes on,the stalwarts can only do so much. But then again,maybe that`s what the powers that be want. Less clubs,less problems!

[Bedford Roughyed]

So a post saying how great the Aussie system/management is, whist saying the rfl only care about the SL? Much promotion in the NRL?