102 replies to this topic

[Ackydave]

Just think what a merged Hull team playing out of the KC could do for SL with an FC and KR team playing the the championship.

You are 'avin a larf; aint ya?

[getdownmonkeyman]

What does this mean in respect of Crossland and Hudgell?

[Old Frightful]

What does this mean in respect of Crossland and Hudgell?

An end to their wives moaning "How much more money are you going to pour down the bloody drain?"

[The Parksider]

I'm a big believer of P&R always have been always will be. I think whoever wins the league or GF as it now stands should get promoted no matter what.

Anyone who wants P & R for whatever reason will of course support the argument that the top four CC teams (semi-pro players, wage limit £300k) are now as good as the bottom four SL teams (fully pro players, wage limit £1,650,00) both Fev’s victory over Cas and their taking of Wigan close is proof enough of this “fact”.

However Gaz the first problem is you can’t put a semi pro team in a fully pro league. Players with jobs and careers cannot risk their livelihoods for a year in the sun only to be relegated. Plenty will want out. You also have to strengthen anyway and so you need to be offering some very big contracts to available pro players, and what few there are don’t want one year of struggle.

The idea the players who win promotion should get it because they deserve it and have earnt it isn’t real Rugby League life, half don’t want it and the other half may get replaced by reluctant professionals.

How well a promoted club will go will affect their business. Leigh were the last semi pro promoted club (Cas stayed pro up to a point) to attempt to continue their winning ways in the Superleague with many of the players who won the Championship and it flopped pretty quickly, by the time London visited them in late may the club had been in last place for 7 weeks and only 3,200 turned up for the game.

Being relegated also affect other clubs business’s and if Fev had gone up this year Widnes would have gone down and faced the problems of what to do about their wage bill and all the professionals on it. Swingeing cuts would be the order of the day and even if O’Connor wanted to stay and fight back to the Superleague then it would be back to square one, as it probably would be back to square one for Featherstone. Don’t quote me HKR, they bought Australians to stay up, can’t be done like that anymore.

The reality of P & R could be Fev and Widnes “changing places” year on year with the Superleague clubs all having a wry smile and making sure all the best pro’s are all swallowed up before the new boys arrive. That was the joke that P & R was and that’s what we’ll probably get if it returns.

Edited by The Parksider, 27 December 2012 - 09:56 AM.

[thundergaz]

Anyone who wants P & R for whatever reason will of course support the argument that the top four CC teams (semi-pro players, wage limit £300k) are now as good as the bottom four SL teams (fully pro players, wage limit £1,650,00) both Fev’s victory over Cas and their taking of Wigan close is proof enough of this “fact”.

However Gaz the first problem is you can’t put a semi pro team in a fully pro league. Players with jobs and careers cannot risk their livelihoods for a year in the sun only to be relegated. Plenty will want out. You also have to strengthen anyway and so you need to be offering some very big contracts to available pro players, and what few there are don’t want one year of struggle.

The idea the players who win promotion should get it because they deserve it and have earnt it isn’t real Rugby League life, half don’t want it and the other half may get replaced by reluctant professionals.

How well a promoted club will go will affect their business. Leigh were the last semi pro promoted club (Cas stayed pro up to a point) to attempt to continue their winning ways in the Superleague with many of the players who won the Championship and it flopped pretty quickly, by the time London visited them in late may the club had been in last place for 7 weeks and only 3,200 turned up for the game.

Being relegated also affect other clubs business’s and if Fev had gone up this year Widnes would have gone down and faced the problems of what to do about their wage bill and all the professionals on it. Swingeing cuts would be the order of the day and even if O’Connor wanted to stay and fight back to the Superleague then it would be back to square one, as it probably would be back to square one for Featherstone. Don’t quote me HKR, they bought Australians to stay up, can’t be done like that anymore.

The reality of P & R could be Fev and Widnes “changing places” year on year with the Superleague clubs all having a wry smile and making sure all the best pro’s are all swallowed up before the new boys arrive. That was the joke that P & R was and that’s what we’ll probably get if it returns.

I agree but DP is no mug of a coach and he as said if our squad at the minute were professional we would stay up he said our squad would challenge at the minute for a top 8 spot. I don't know if I agree but I do agree we would stay up if the squad we have now were full time and not part time.

[Padge]

I agree but DP is no mug of a coach and he as said if our squad at the minute were professional we would stay up he said our squad would challenge at the minute for a top 8 spot. I don't know if I agree but I do agree we would stay up if the squad we have now were full time and not part time.

Why di these professional players lose to Sheffield in the Grand Final then, surely they should have been far better than second division amateurs?

[Wellsy4HullFC]

I agree but DP is no mug of a coach and he as said if our squad at the minute were professional we would stay up he said our squad would challenge at the minute for a top 8 spot. I don't know if I agree but I do agree we would stay up if the squad we have now were full time and not part time.

Would every one of those players switched to full time?
I think Fev fans think they're a bit better then they are sometimes. They've only won one GF.

[thundergaz]

Why di these professional players lose to Sheffield in the Grand Final then, surely they should have been far better than second division amateurs?

Our players are not on full time contracts yet Padge they are part time like the rest of our league. It was one game too many for us we looked knackered in the final. We played in every game possible last season and with the good CC run too it was just too many games for a part time squad.

[thundergaz]

Would every one of those players switched to full time?
I think Fev fans think they're a bit better then they are sometimes. They've only won one GF.

The comment didn't come from any fev fan it came from our coach. I personally think SL would be hard for us but I would be confident of staying in it if we got the chance. I don't think the bottom of SL is much better than the top of the champ if any better.

[Padge]

Our players are not on full time contracts yet Padge they are part time like the rest of our league. It was one game too many for us we looked knackered in the final. We played in every game possible last season and with the good CC run too it was just too many games for a part time squad.

But your squad may not want to be professionals, they may not even all be good enough to be professionals. How many of your squad, should you be promoted at some time in the future, would start your first SL season?

[Padge]

The comment didn't come from any fev fan it came from our coach. I personally think SL would be hard for us but I would be confident of staying in it if we got the chance. I don't think the bottom of SL is much better than the top of the champ if any better.

If Fev go up you are in for a very rude awakening.

[thundergaz]

But your squad may not want to be professionals, they may not even all be good enough to be professionals. How many of your squad, should you be promoted at some time in the future, would start your first SL season?

I think we would keep the core. I think we would take at least half of our 17 man squad up with us. But I would be very confident of DP and our BOD to put a team together that would be good enough to stay up and be competitive.

[thundergaz]

If Fev go up you are in for a very rude awakening.

I personally don't think I would be. I would back fax,us and Leigh to get within 10 points of the bottom 4 SL clubs every time the clubs played them.

[Padge]

I think we would keep the core. I think we would take at least half of our 17 man squad up with us. But I would be very confident of DP and our BOD to put a team together that would be good enough to stay up and be competitive.

I personally don't think I would be. I would back fax,us and Leigh to get within 10 points of the bottom 4 SL clubs every time the clubs played them.

And if you get your wish and auto, no restrictions P&R return what then

[The Parksider]

I think we would keep the core. I think we would take at least half of our 17 man squad up with us. But I would be very confident of DP and our BOD to put a team together that would be good enough to stay up and be competitive.

Gaz,

Powell has to talk the talk otherwise he shatters the dreams of fans who currently believe all Fev Rovers need is a bit of strengthening and they'll be in the mix once in Superleague, watch out Widnes. London, and Cas.

These latter three clubs got some notable scalps too in 2012. Widnes did Wigan scoring 37, London smashed Warrington scoring over 60, and Castleford put 52 points on Huddersfield.

You cannot have it both ways, you can't point to one good Fev result in the cup, and use that as proof you can see off Superleague Widnes, London and Cas. You cannot argue Featherstone are the outstanding team of the Championship when Sheffield put 60 past you, when they drew with you in the return and saw you off in the Grand Final.

On those results if anyone was deserving to go up on what happened on the field it's Sheffield.

And why do you believe Featherstone are such a great side when you look at how that team has been assembled? The core that you say Powell will keep is such as Hardman, Saxton, Finn, Kaye, Hepworth, Briggs, Dale, Haley, Spears Netherton etc.

These are great RL players but all tried hard and failed to secure Superleague contracts. They all had their chances, some several chances but the Superleague coaches didn't want them in the end so they have stepped down to semi pro. These are not lads who are "on the up" career wise. Yes that "core" is good enough to tot up win after win against semi pro clubs, but where would that confidence go once Leeds, Saints or Wigan got hold of them.

I think Rovers had a run out against Leeds last pre-season, it was 60-0 to Leeds, and yes of course friendlies mean nothing.

It's easy to dream that the gap between SL and CC is narrow because Featherstone won 15 of 18 games and Widnes only 6 out of 27, but these results are from worlds apart. Superleague is where the best players play and in any league someone has to come bottom - but that doesn't make London, Widnes or Cas mugs. How many of their players does Powell really wish he had in reality?

The Championship is where failed SL players step down to. Someone has to win it and it wasn't Featherstone and they weren't robbed - they failed three times to beat the Eagles. It's nice to dream and Powell and his board will sell you the dream all day long, but sadly if you bring your dream on here it will invite the scrutiny of some miserable old pessimists who have seen it all before...

[thundergaz]

Gaz,

Powell has to talk the talk otherwise he shatters the dreams of fans who currently believe all Fev Rovers need is a bit of strengthening and they'll be in the mix once in Superleague, watch out Widnes. London, and Cas.

These latter three clubs got some notable scalps too in 2012. Widnes did Wigan scoring 37, London smashed Warrington scoring over 60, and Castleford put 52 points on Huddersfield.

You cannot have it both ways, you can't point to one good Fev result in the cup, and use that as proof you can see off Superleague Widnes, London and Cas. You cannot argue Featherstone are the outstanding team of the Championship when Sheffield put 60 past you, when they drew with you in the return and saw you off in the Grand Final.

On those results if anyone was deserving to go up on what happened on the field it's Sheffield.

And why do you believe Featherstone are such a great side when you look at how that team has been assembled? The core that you say Powell will keep is such as Hardman, Saxton, Finn, Kaye, Hepworth, Briggs, Dale, Haley, Spears Netherton etc.

These are great RL players but all tried hard and failed to secure Superleague contracts. They all had their chances, some several chances but the Superleague coaches didn't want them in the end so they have stepped down to semi pro. These are not lads who are "on the up" career wise. Yes that "core" is good enough to tot up win after win against semi pro clubs, but where would that confidence go once Leeds, Saints or Wigan got hold of them.

I think Rovers had a run out against Leeds last pre-season, it was 60-0 to Leeds, and yes of course friendlies mean nothing.

It's easy to dream that the gap between SL and CC is narrow because Featherstone won 15 of 18 games and Widnes only 6 out of 27, but these results are from worlds apart. Superleague is where the best players play and in any league someone has to come bottom - but that doesn't make London, Widnes or Cas mugs. How many of their players does Powell really wish he had in reality?

The Championship is where failed SL players step down to. Someone has to win it and it wasn't Featherstone and they weren't robbed - they failed three times to beat the Eagles. It's nice to dream and Powell and his board will sell you the dream all day long, but sadly if you bring your dream on here it will invite the scrutiny of some miserable old pessimists who have seen it all before...

I totally agree with everything you have just said. I just believe in our BOD and coach that if we are aloud the chance of Top flight RL we wouldn't throw it away. I'm not saying we would win SL etc or anything like that. I just think once we got into SL we would sustain our inclusion.

Edited by thundergaz, 27 December 2012 - 11:52 AM.

[Padge]

I totally agree with everything you have just said. I just believe in our BOD and coach that if we are aloud the chance of Top flight RL we wouldn't throw it away. I'm not saying we would win SL etc or anything like that. I just think once we got into SL we would sustain our inclusion.

Not with auto P&R you won't.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Still waiting for a reply to this Gaz:

What have they done? How can they make the game suit "them"? What's in it for "them"?

[The Parksider]

I totally agree with everything you have just said. I just believe in our BOD and coach that if we are aloud the chance of Top flight RL we wouldn't throw it away. I'm not saying we would win SL etc or anything like that. I just think once we got into SL we would sustain our inclusion.

Well I therefore have no argument with you any more and respect your position.

My stance remains that Featherstone are making a big genuine effort to get into Superleague, the RFL promise a place to such a club, Rovers have never had their chance, all at Rovers want that chance, SL has places other clubs have who aren't living up to expectation can vacate, and on those points alone the RFL should start with Rovers first on the SL 2015 club sheet.

To get this back on track the elephant in the SL waiting room for Fev Rovers is the fact that such as Catalans will be running on a £6M budget next year, and HKR reportedly may be looking at a £15M injection. However all you will need to be 2015-2018 is better than the best club outside Superleague if licensing remains, or one spot off the bottom if P & R returns.

It's better than a dog's chance.

[thundergaz]

Still waiting for a reply to this Gaz:

Sorry wellsy did'nt see the post. We have improved our on field and off field dramatically in the last 3 seasons.Apart from full time contracts and the salary cap we run our club as if its a SL club.We are in the process of upgrading our stadium to SL level.We also have increased our fan base by 36% from the season before last.Our academy levels are outstanding and we have aquired 2 worldwide sponsors for this season {which one of them never sponsored a rugby team before so thats more money we have brought into the game}. Also we have a wealthy chairman and a good investor who as publicly said if we get into SL there are other rich investors who are willing to back the club. But all that said i personally do think we would be an asset to SL with our investors and youth set ups alone.Ive watched our kids and we have some very talented youngsters and im sure in the next 10 years there will be more players like zac coming through our youth system.

Edited by thundergaz, 27 December 2012 - 02:40 PM.