21 replies to this topic

[Hate the rec]

Says on the Town site we are to link up with the Vikings, whats peoples thoughts?

[donald]

you where told that 2 weeks ago

[The Voodooguru]

you where told that 2 weeks ago

Is that your thoughts - I told you so?? Why bother taking the time to respond with that?

I have very mixed emotions on this, we may benefit in some ways but I cant help thinking it's all weighted in the SL clubs favour. I suppose we can only wait and see. I'm sure our BOD won't have gone into this blind so we have to back their judgement.

[donald]

no it wasn,t me who said it was another haven fan you wont do badly out of it get a few 1st teamers every week

[town4me]

i dont think it will be a good thing however i suppose you cant knock it until you've tried it.

[wonky]

We will have to wait and see I suppose but it's a concept at this time I'm really against. Watching both teams last season we will be loaning them more men than the other way around

[The Voodooguru]

no it wasn,t me who said it was another haven fan you wont do badly out of it get a few 1st teamers every week

I know you never posted it originally, my point was that Hate the Rec asked for peoples thoughts and all you could muster that we were told 2 weeks ago.

I realise we will benefit from a couple of players that are a bit closer than HKR and I suppose maybe an odd session on the ipitch in noticable terms. I hope that Widnes are very slick behind the scenes and we can maybe benefit from picking up a few marketing, training tips etc.
Does this mean our HKR link is now dead??

[donald]

We will have to wait and see I suppose but it's a concept at this time I'm really against. Watching both teams last season we will be loaning them more men than the other way around

You never know know they,re not the best team in SL matty stack and thackray might actually improve widnes

[gillmeister]

If Town get good quality fringe players from Widnes, gain good ideas for growing the clubs commercial streams and improving business practices from Steve O'Connor and can get Widnes to commit some resource into the local community to help boost the games profile and participation numbers at local amateur clubs then it will be a very worthwhile partnership but it needs to be used as Whitehavens tie up does also to give the game a shot in the arm not just a short term quick fix for both clubs

[morty]

Its a cost cutting excercise for the SL teams nothing more nothing less........

[GeordieTownie]

Personally I don't like it but I can understand the club doing it as if we struggle next season and haven't tried it the supporters would be on the boards back for not doing it like they were with the dual Reg that came and bit us on the bum last season

[GeordieTownie]

Personally I don't like it but I can understand the club doing it as if we struggle next season and haven't tried it the supporters would be on the boards back for not doing it like they were with the dual Reg that came and bit us on the bum last season

[dkw]

If we get players on a 1/2 season or season loan, then thats ok. If we dont know until thursday every week who we will have then its a complete load of ###### that only serves Widnes and causes us problems.

[dkw]

We will have to wait and see I suppose but it's a concept at this time I'm really against. Watching both teams last season we will be loaning them more men than the other way around

We can send them Cotter to give them a bit of aggression....

[gillmeister]

I think that on this one we have to look it from the point of view of would our board accept it if it wasnt good for the club and the whole area? I would say the answer to that is no as our board consists of very shrewd operators, so Im excited by the link up!

As a point of note my dad has been to most clubs over the last few years and the one that impressed him the most in terms of how they are run was Widnes. Dig a little deeper into what Steve O'Connor does in the community and I can only see it as a plus

[Baaarrow]

^{I don't think these link ups are a good thing.
I'm glad Barrow have decided not to go down that route, however tine will tell.}

[town4me]

if good fringe players are comimg on a fixed term then that could be good but to have players here one week then gone for two weeks then back for a week would unsettle a squad. on the other hand clubs that dont do it may regret it. i suppose we should see how it goes.

[DavidM]

I know we have a little taste in the mouth about the general concept , and some of us have registered our concerns
at the motives etc , but with the tide of link ups flooding our league I honestly think we had no choice if we want to
compete . You were pulled along by that flood im afraid and i back and support the BOD here fully. Widnes and us
are historic clubs with many ties, and i really liked the statements from Betts and Rule. We're a a good fit , and whatever
comments naysayers may make , as ive said before , SL clubs dont hand contracts out to rubbish , and whoever plays
here will have a pedigree and talent , as Widnes are investing in them. We may also see established players not in the first
team, so i think weve got to see this as a positive for our club and squad and all the best to both

[Keith T]

I'll have to go away for the day more often!!!!! I think most people knew that this was coming in one form or another once Hunslet and Leeds announced their partnership and others soon followed. There is now only Fev, Fax and Barrow that are not in a partnership of some sort from the Championship clubs so I don't think there was much doubt that we would follow suit. I have to say that I am not a believer of the system as I think it is the start of what was Hetherington's plan several years ago of having "feeder" teams for SL clubs. At a public fans forum in Bradford the CEO of Bradford referred to their partnership with Dewsbury as a "feeder" system. There will be plusses no doubt for Town but on the otherhand I cannot see us getting as many benefits as some other Championship clubs will get from being closer in distance to their partner SL club. We shall see!!!

[OttO]

Perhaps the link-up with Widnes might encourage Eddie Stobart's to sponsor Town in some way, after all they are a Cumbrian company.