198 replies to this topic

[oldrover]

Fair play to you mate and I'm sorry to hear you feel as you do. Why not go to a game at next years WC? You never know...

actually my grandson is signed on full time with a superleague club, and i took him to the 4 nations final at elland road, because i wanted him to see the great Darren Lockyer play. tbh it hasn't inspired me to watch any future games. as i watched it, the inevibility of it spoiled it for me.and as a supporter of a championship club who doesn't have sky, the players were more or less strangers to me, it's hard to describe, but i didn't feel passionate about the result.

[JohnM]

The excitement of pre season, seeing your squad take shape, the dream of winning promotion or turning over the big boys, the fear of losing your place in the division, the dream of a CC run, the Aussie Test Series, the pubs/clubs Wembley weekend are what the RFL need to rekindle - and its easy to do.

why hasn't it been done then, if it is easy to do?

[Johnoco]

actually my grandson is signed on full time with a superleague club, and i took him to the 4 nations final at elland road, because i wanted him to see the great Darren Lockyer play. tbh it hasn't inspired me to watch any future games. as i watched it, the inevibility of it spoiled it for me.and as a supporter of a championship club who doesn't have sky, the players were more or less strangers to me, it's hard to describe, but i didn't feel passionate about the result.

Fair enough if that's how you feel. I don't agree mind but that's another argument.

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

The way the game has gone has left me feeling detached from the game. I used to follow GB all over the place and have seen some memorable performances in an almost full wembley.Now I don't not support anything other than my club. So I too take full responsibility.... it's all my fault!

Understand exactly were your coming from.

I've attended plenty of GB games in the past.

But not only that, I'd go and watch just about anyone,

Watched Tiraspol at Wigan, Locomotive at Chorley.

Was at Wigan when Offiah scored 10 against Leeds.

At Saints when Cooper scored 5 against Hull.

Watched Gateshead plenty of times.

These days I just watch Widnes because I have the same bee in my bonnet with the RFL as you have with Fev.

Someone else can do the forking out.

Thing is, certainly were this boards concerned, most of them seem to be otherwise engaged when these games come round.

[sweaty craiq]

why hasn't it been done then, if it is easy to do?

If there isn't a will there will never be a way, and our glorious leaders have the vision of a mole

[Marauder]

why hasn't it been done then, if it is easy to do?

Blinkered stumbling leaders in a maze without a reverse gear.

[Keith T]

There will be two World Cup games at Workington next year. I hope you go and have a great day.

Thank you keighley and I can assure you I will be attending both games. As for the rest it will be via the TV I'm afraid.

[Johnoco]

Thank you keighley and I can assure you I will be attending both games. As for the rest it will be via the TV I'm afraid.

I reckon if every RL fan attended 2 games, we'd have a pretty successful tournament!

[Marauder]

It's your choice mate, there are plenty of people who are simply interested in their home town club, always has been and always will be.

One thing I do wonder - if Featherstone do make it into SL as is their plan - how are they going to build their club, when a hardcore of the fans hate SL, Murdoch and so on with a passion?

That abouts sums up why Fev fans must hate Murdoch.Sky

[Robin Evans]

That abouts sums up why Fev fans must hate Murdoch.Sky

I can't speak for every fev fan but it doesn't sum me up cocker!

[JohnM]

Blinkered stumbling leaders in a maze without a reverse gear.

I really don't understand this conditioned reflex: everything they do is wrong, every time, all the time. If that really were the case, how come they are in charge? They do have the authority of all the clubs behind them or else they would be kicked out.

Edited by JohnM, 19 December 2012 - 11:06 PM.

[oldrover]

I really don't understand this conditioned reflex: everything they do is wrong, every time, all the time. If that really were the case, how come they are in charge? They do have the authority of all the clubs behind them or else they would be kicked out.

kicked out by who?

[RP London]

Blinkered stumbling leaders in a maze without a reverse gear.

But it wasnt all rosey in the days of P&R and GB... far from it.. sometimes it takes time for things to work and you have to give it time.. this may never work but what we do already know is that 5 years ago very similar debates were being had and 10 years ago... they have tried to change things.. you cant ask for more than that when people were saying 5-10 years ago that there were issues that needed addressing..

I dont know the answer but i do know its not as simple as going back to how it was.. there may be a nice middle ground.. GB every 4 years etc which i would love personally... a 2 year liscnece/P&R etc but going full scale back aint going to work... and whose to say these things arent in the process we just havent heard about them as yet.

Edited by RP London, 20 December 2012 - 01:02 PM.

[Robin Evans]

Fair enough. A lot of people are happy with how things are. A lot of people do not have any problem whatsoever with how things are. And that's fair do's.

Alternatively, I do and thus will not offer my support to any other aspect of the game other than junior development, my club and some other clubs not in SL.
The original poster posed the question, "when are fans going to take some responsibility"? I affirmed ownership of that responsibility and my reasons for it.

I'm sure the wider game will get by without my support and initially it did feel like cutting my nose off to spite my face. But since that 1st season I've become so unchuffed with the game I really don't miss it now.

I'm not so sure p&r will ever return and I don't really go for middle ground solutions as you suggest. They usually just end up being half @r sed compromises that create more problems than they solve.

It's been too long for me now. New fans are in the game and my views will be in an ever increasing minority. If my club ever gets to play at the top level again I would be delighted. But for now at least, I've become quite fond of the small insular world of the championship. Partly for spite, largely for pleasure, that's the sole arena I choose for my rugby enjoyment.

Edited by Robin Evans, 20 December 2012 - 01:22 PM.

[Futtocks]

I have to say I also can't get why people have walked away from the international scene. I have no doubt the feelings are genuine and heartfelt but I just don't get it. Maybe it's a empathetic thing, I dunno.

Not just people who have walked away - there are plenty of fans of clubs from all divisions who have never taken to international Rugby and probably never will. Such people have, for most of RL's history, also included the those who ran the game.

I find this attitude hard to understand, and it does seem unique to our sport. We know about attendances at RU matches, but also when you look at the banners at England Football games, you see names of clubs that never have and probably never will play in the top flight or produce an international-class player.

[shaun mc]

The attendance drop-offs are too large for it to wholly be the Chsampionship clubs who's fans are disaffected by Sky/SL. The CC weekly attendance isn't high enough to make a significant difference one way or another over a 3 test series.
There are another chunk of fans who aren't attending.

As Keith T suggested earlier - there could be a ageing population who now don't go or are no longer with us. Keith also quoted pubs and clubs in the West Cumbria area who don't organise trips. I can concur with that in that any trip I've been on was a mixture of i) fans of Workington Town, ii) fans of the game in general who primarily watched the local amateur team with an odd Town game here and there (the largest proportion), iii) some friends of these fans and then iv) some who watched top level SL, Town and the amateur game with no real preference for either. I'd guess many of i), ii) and iii) have been lost for one reason or another.

[keighley]

It's been too long for me now. New fans are in the game and my views will be in an ever increasing minority. If my club ever gets to play at the top level again I would be delighted. But for now at least, I've become quite fond of the small insular world of the championship. Partly for spite, largely for pleasure, that's the sole arena I choose for my rugby enjoyment.

Depends what you mean by small, but as far as geographical spread goes, the Championship and Championship 1 have a massive geographical footprint in the UK compared to the insular completely Northern SL ( with the isolated, minor, unloved exception of the Broncos).

There is a wide variety of fixtures and locations to pique the interest as opposed to the smaller same old same old SL monotony.

[Robin Evans]

I meant 'small' as in status, business, marketability, etc. But I do agree with your point. The championship is definately not monotonous. There are some fairly fierce rivalries in there now, e.g. Fax/Fev etc. With ref to the OT I prefer to nurture those games than anything else nowadays

[JohnM]

kicked out by who?

the clubs that put them there in the first place.

[keighley]

I meant 'small' as in status, business, marketability, etc. But I do agree with your point. The championship is definately not monotonous. There are some fairly fierce rivalries in there now, e.g. Fax/Fev etc. With ref to the OT I prefer to nurture those games than anything else nowadays

I think I agree with you. I hope Fev or Fax or Leigh or any non 'A' team club win the league and CC 1 to strike a blow for independent, slef dependent organisations.