55 replies to this topic

[class of 63]

In my youth our "traditional derby" games at holiday times of the season were...

Swinton v Oldham - Christmas Day (later Boxing Day) and Good Friday
Swinton v Salford - New Year's Day and Easter Saturday
Swinton v St Helens - Easter Monday

The Easter weekend had THREE games in 4 days. Imagine today's prima donnas having that on their plates eh?

As usual you are spot on there Blue Monkey - the reason we did not play Salford in the 1963 Easter fixture was simply they were in the 2nd Division.
I remember visits to the old Watersheddings on snowy Christmas Days - I think the last one was 1959 before it was changed to Boxing Day - never seemed to cause any family issues (sport on Christmas Day) but then I was just a teenager living with Mum and Dad.

[Blue Monkey]

Incredible. Is there anything Rugby League fans won't moan about?

Fans (I'm one of them) will have a 'moan' when there's something to moan about as in any aspect of modern life.
You strike me as a bit of a lad, under 25? A lad who has not had the wonderful privilege of witnessing rugby league at it very best, i.e. before it was hijacked by the "let's-do-everything-the-Aussies-do" crowd who are largely to blame for the 'robotic' style of play we have today. I'm now going to quit 'moaning' before I really let rip.

The "powers-that-be" have sold us all down the river in their sickening pursuit of boring the lot of us just to satisfy their own pathetic egos.
Nuffsed.

[Barnie]

Fans (I'm one of them) will have a 'moan' when there's something to moan about as in any aspect of modern life.
You strike me as a bit of a lad, under 25? A lad who has not had the wonderful privilege of witnessing rugby league at it very best, i.e. before it was hijacked by the "let's-do-everything-the-Aussies-do" crowd who are largely to blame for the 'robotic' style of play we have today. I'm now going to quit 'moaning' before I really let rip.

The "powers-that-be" have sold us all down the river in their sickening pursuit of boring the lot of us just to satisfy their own pathetic egos.
Nuffsed.

all these stupid 'rugby league is a family sport' announcements and the millions of power crazed little Hitlers dressed in high vis jackets have also ruined the sport.

[Spelly]

Fans (I'm one of them) will have a 'moan' when there's something to moan about as in any aspect of modern life.
You strike me as a bit of a lad, under 25? A lad who has not had the wonderful privilege of witnessing rugby league at it very best, i.e. before it was hijacked by the "let's-do-everything-the-Aussies-do" crowd who are largely to blame for the 'robotic' style of play we have today. I'm now going to quit 'moaning' before I really let rip.

The "powers-that-be" have sold us all down the river in their sickening pursuit of boring the lot of us just to satisfy their own pathetic egos.
Nuffsed.

Keith,

When we were a top team in the 60s, do you reckon the old guard of fan was saying "This team isn't as good as the one that won the five cups in 1928!" And maybe the wrinklies in 1928 were lamenting "This is **** compared to when we broke away in 1895!"

Time marches on, and like it or not, so does the Greatest Game on the Planet. The pace of today's game is way beyond that of our glory days, and (although it'll never be proved one way or another) I reckon a top side of today would totally destroy one of yesteryear.

Let's look at other sports, and how they've improved. Athetics - Usain Bolt is over half a second faster over 100 metres than when Linford Christie took the gold medal at that event. A mile now can be done in a time where Roger Bannister wasn't even round the last bend.

In the water, Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in Munich, and all were world records, yet he could only of dreamt of the times that are done on a regular basis today.

Snooker - Joe Davis dominated the game for yonks, yet only ever managed one maximum break in competition play. Ronnie O'Sullivan has done eleven.

Darts - Phil Taylor and his entourage have put summat like 15 points on the average for three arrows since the Crafty Cockney and the like were top chuckers.

Rugby League today is far more entertaining than it used to be. Do you really want to return to unlimited tackles? Do you really want contested scrums brought back, when the likes of Lindop and Clay weren't happy till there'd been half a dozen attempt to get the ball in and out?

So if other sports have improved, why should ours (in your opinion) not have?

The players of today have supreme fitness levels, and are highly tuned athletes.

Rugby League of today? It's the tops, and I'm proud to be its biggest fan!

See you at the shirt launch mate!

Spelly

Edited by Spelly, 29 November 2012 - 10:46 PM.

[marshy1]

Have to agree Spelly, in fairness to Keith we can have all that but without the Australianisms which he refers to, like rounds.

[lionsfanusa]

To quote my friend Spelly: Rugby League today is far more entertaining than it used to be. Do you really want to return to unlimited tackles? Do you really want contested scrums brought back, when the likes of Lindop and Clay weren't happy till there'd been half a dozen attempt to get the ball in and out?
Sorry Spelly, Keith and I may disagree on who is responsible for the Ozification of RL, but we can totally agree that the game we watched in the 60s was dramatically more intense and exciting and creative than what we see today. Emphasis on creative. I know you have seen far more matches than me in the last 20-30 years but I challenge you to compare the moves we saw from the scrum from the Daz Davies's of the world with the five rushes and a kick of today. The problem with RL, in my humble opinion, is the inability of the RL establishment to enforce its rules. Scrums are gone because referees weren't prepared to send players off for persistent offenses. How come RU can manage scrums?
In all of the matches I have seen in the last 5+ years, the play the ball rule and the forward pass rule have been blatantly ignored. Does that mean that forward passes will become allowed at some point? There are lots of retired NFL players who could really take advantage of that! And let's forget play the ball, just roll it back or leave it there for someone to pick up? Or maybe we should allow rucks, Spelly?
How about this thought? There was football until somebody at Rugby School decided to pick up the ball and run. There was rugby until somebody at a University in Canada decided to pass forward and "American football" was born. But the basic sports these new games morphed out of still remain. RL has bastardized itself for money and is a shadow of what it should be. And there is nothing left of its real self except the memories those of us lucky enough, and old enough (excuse me Keith!) to have seen it in all its glory.
That doesn't mean I'm not just as big a fan of the Lions as I was in the 60s, It just means that what I saw and remember will probably never be seen again, and there will never be a fitter, faster, Daz Davies to compare with the original.
To use your Boult comparison, the 100 metres is still the same race, the swimming events are still the same races. The basic rules have not changed.
I have a Tee shirt I last wore at a recent Joe Cocker concert. It says "I may be old but I saw all the cool bands"! To that I add,I may be old but I got to see the best of Rugby League!
Just my personal opinion!

[Blue Monkey]

Keith,

When we were a top team in the 60s, do you reckon the old guard of fan was saying "This team isn't as good as the one that won the five cups in 1928!" And maybe the wrinklies in 1928 were lamenting "This is **** compared to when we broke away in 1895!"

Time marches on, and like it or not, so does the Greatest Game on the Planet. The pace of today's game is way beyond that of our glory days, and (although it'll never be proved one way or another) I reckon a top side of today would totally destroy one of yesteryear.

Let's look at other sports, and how they've improved. Athetics - Usain Bolt is over half a second faster over 100 metres than when Linford Christie took the gold medal at that event. A mile now can be done in a time where Roger Bannister wasn't even round the last bend.

In the water, Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in Munich, and all were world records, yet he could only of dreamt of the times that are done on a regular basis today.

Snooker - Joe Davis dominated the game for yonks, yet only ever managed one maximum break in competition play. Ronnie O'Sullivan has done eleven.

Darts - Phil Taylor and his entourage have put summat like 15 points on the average for three arrows since the Crafty Cockney and the like were top chuckers.

Rugby League today is far more entertaining than it used to be. Do you really want to return to unlimited tackles? Do you really want contested scrums brought back, when the likes of Lindop and Clay weren't happy till there'd been half a dozen attempt to get the ball in and out?

So if other sports have improved, why should ours (in your opinion) not have?

The players of today have supreme fitness levels, and are highly tuned athletes.

Rugby League of today? It's the tops, and I'm proud to be its biggest fan!

See you at the shirt launch mate!

Spelly

I'm so surprised a man of your obvious intelligence has been fully taken by the modern day exponents of the game, or is it just that someone's paying you to spout their poison to us lesser mortals who haven't been 'inspired' enough to watch so many matches?

[Blue Monkey]

To quote my friend Spelly: Rugby League today is far more entertaining than it used to be. Do you really want to return to unlimited tackles? Do you really want contested scrums brought back, when the likes of Lindop and Clay weren't happy till there'd been half a dozen attempt to get the ball in and out?
Sorry Spelly, Keith and I may disagree on who is responsible for the Ozification of RL, but we can totally agree that the game we watched in the '60s was dramatically more intense and exciting and creative than what we see today. Emphasis on creative. I know you have seen far more matches than me in the last 20-30 years but I challenge you to compare the moves we saw from the scrum from the Daz Davies's of the world with the five rushes and a kick of today. The problem with RL, in my humble opinion, is the inability of the RL establishment to enforce its rules. Scrums are gone because referees weren't prepared to send players off for persistent offenses. How come RU can manage scrums?
In all of the matches I have seen in the last 5+ years, the play the ball rule and the forward pass rule have been blatantly ignored. Does that mean that forward passes will become allowed at some point? There are lots of retired NFL players who could really take advantage of that! And let's forget play the ball, just roll it back or leave it there for someone to pick up? Or maybe we should allow rucks, Spelly?
How about this thought? There was football until somebody at Rugby School decided to pick up the ball and run. There was rugby until somebody at a University in Canada decided to pass forward and "American football" was born. But the basic sports these new games morphed out of still remain. RL has bastardized itself for money and is a shadow of what it should be. And there is nothing left of its real self except the memories those of us lucky enough, and old enough (excuse me Keith!) to have seen it in all its glory.
That doesn't mean I'm not just as big a fan of the Lions as I was in the '60s, It just means that what I saw and remember will probably never be seen again, and there will never be a fitter, faster, Daz Davies to compare with the original.
To use your Boult comparison, the 100 metres is still the same race, the swimming events are still the same races. The basic rules have not changed.
I have a Tee shirt I last wore at a recent Joe Cocker concert. It says "I may be old but I saw all the cool bands"! To that I add,I may be old but I got to see the best of Rugby League!
Just my personal opinion!

Thanks Geoff! You're my favourite Yank. Reading your supportive posting is like a breath of fresh air.

[Blue Monkey]

... in fairness to Keith we can have all that but without the Australianisms which he refers to, like rounds.

Thanks Alan, I'm glad some of my views are valued and appreciated.

[mark richardson]

I think the game is less creative than it used to be. My favourite players are generally the Danny,Les,Harry Pinner,Brett Kenny Wally Lewis kind of player. The thing is how many of these can we name? We remember the good ones so vividly because they are so rare.
The game goes through phases of producing great wingers or great half backs or big props and Great Britain problem for years has been they never come along at the same time! (the same can be said at Swinton.)
I think Spellys point is valid too. Are our memories and nostalgia creating an illusion that the game was better then or was our appreciation better then?
I must admit that this last season I have switched off more games on TV than ever before because I was bored,but I have enjoyed more Swinton games in the last two years and get just as excited as I did in 1984/7!
Then again some of the super league games have been outstanding,for example Saints V Catalan with that fantastic last second winner for Catalan.
Its a conundrum!

So I will say this to Blue Monkey,if all things Australian are bad get yourself on YOU TUBE type in Ben Barba top ten tries and tell me that there isnt a new Daz Davies/John Stopford/Danny Wilson there. (I only saw Wilson play I have to rely on dad for stories of the others.)

The answer to me isn`t clear but the truth is in the main its all pretty good and much better than anything else we could watch.

[mark richardson]

I saved you the trouble Keith....enjoy.

[Bryce]

Why would you even bother going to games if you didn't like what you saw?

From what I can gather these Australianisms have been around for a fair while. Anyway, why it would matter so much what you call a shirt/Jersey/jumper or a round/gameweek etc? It's basically moaning for the sake of it.

Why have a fixture announcement? Because people are anxious to see the new set-up and to see who and when they're going to play next season. It's not an Australainism at all. A lot of people will plan holidays around next seasons fixtures, or look to see when they're going to be able to watch Swinton or their football team.

[GLENNGARY]

Sorry Spelly i have to agree with Keith on this one. The play in the sixties was far more entertaining and the moves far more creative. The one thing i will agree with you on is that they are a lot fitter today simply because they are now full time. But if the sixties players could have trained at todays fitness levels they would have destroyed todays cream. I watched the Wolves v rhinos match the other day what a bore, no give me the rugby from the lions in the early sixties anyday.

[Bleep1673]

No-one cares what I think, but I agree with Spelly on this one, but calling them "Rounds" does nothing to improve the game

[lionsfanusa]

I saved you the trouble Keith....enjoy.

Thanks! Great stuff! There is hope! But did I see several forward passes? And not one move from a scrum?

[lionsfanusa]

Why would you even bother going to games if you didn't like what you saw?

From what I can gather these Australianisms have been around for a fair while. Anyway, why it would matter so much what you call a shirt/Jersey/jumper or a round/gameweek etc? It's basically moaning for the sake of it.

Why have a fixture announcement? Because people are anxious to see the new set-up and to see who and when they're going to play next season. It's not an Australainism at all. A lot of people will plan holidays around next seasons fixtures, or look to see when they're going to be able to watch Swinton or their football team.

Why would I come all the way from the USA if I didn't like what I saw? I like what I see. I don't like it as much as I did in the 60s. No scrums means no moves from scrums, and in my opinion, that was an area the Lions excelled at, and it made it a more creative, skillful and exciting game. When competitive scrums went away and tackles were limited, the game changed into a lesser but still watchable game. And I'll always be a big Lions fan even if they switched to RU!

[Bryce]

Why would I come all the way from the USA if I didn't like what I saw? I like what I see. I don't like it as much as I did in the 60s. No scrums means no moves from scrums, and in my opinion, that was an area the Lions excelled at, and it made it a more creative, skillful and exciting game. When competitive scrums went away and tackles were limited, the game changed into a lesser but still watchable game. And I'll always be a big Lions fan even if they switched to RU!

Fair Enough Geoff. I like today's rugby better than the 60's, as I wasn't there...and you couldn't get live score updates on your phone. The RU bit might be a bit far!

It's a pointless argument that's been brought about by our fixtures being announced for the 2013 season.

[lionsfanusa]

Fair Enough Geoff. I like today's rugby better than the 60's, as I wasn't there...and you couldn't get live score updates on your phone. The RU bit might be a bit far!

It's a pointless argument that's been brought about by our fixtures being announced for the 2013 season.

I only quote RU to tickle Spelly's ribs!

[Bleep1673]

The 60's unlimited tackle era must have been wonderful to watch! Big Blokes sticking the ball "up-their-jumpers" to make 2 feet before being tackled, & only being given 15 feet rather than 30, playing 50-60 games a season, players knackered from work, even before kick-off. Rubbish wages & heavy leather balls (Not the players) to lug around.

I am a big fan of summer rugby, warm weather (admittidly not at the start of the season), (Superleague) fully professional players & officials, better pitches (Who remembers the Willows after it had been raining? or Crown Flatt?), I love the new rule changes, unopposed scrums gets the kids involved & gives the backs loads of room, 40-20 gives options for attacking kicking that I would have loved when I was playing, Interchange gives a chance for tactical breathers for the players, greater TV coverage for SL & our leagues (all we have to do now is encourage PS to show RL Conference games during the winter months).

Edited by Bleep1673, 30 November 2012 - 06:47 PM.

[Blue Monkey]

Sorry Spelly i have to agree with Keith on this one. The play in the sixties was far more entertaining and the moves far more creative. The one thing i will agree with you on is that they are a lot fitter today simply because they are now full time. But if the sixties players could have trained at todays fitness levels they would have destroyed todays cream. I watched the Wolves v rhinos match the other day what a bore, no give me the rugby from the lions in the early sixties anyday.

Cheers Glenn, you'll do for me Tommy!