289 replies to this topic

[Robin Evans]

John. I dont know you but you seem to enjoy your rugby. Brilliant. I hope you enjoy your rugby wherever and whenever you choose to watch it. I hope the game is all you want it to be.
I may have a very different opinion to you on the direction the game is being taken. I wont abuse you. Take the rise out of you or rebuke you for holding those views and I wont ever try and elecit others to follow my views - tho its clesr some do!
I dont think I can get it across any clearer.
I just cant bring myself to support beyond the championship.

Edited by Robin Evans, 01 January 2013 - 05:59 PM.

[Johnoco]

I hope you enjoy it too. That's the main thing.

[dhw]

The RFL are the most inept administrators in any sport i have ever known,

More inept than Football, RU, Tennis?

they want all the amateur clubs and pro clubs to treat everyone the same regardless of colour, creed, religion, sexual orientation and yes we all buy into it,

What a geneous spirit you have.

but they dont practise what they preach, they dont treat all there member clubs the same and that is all we want. I have nothing against teams in far off places i have even played at Hemel what i do have a problem with is the way Crusaders were disgracefully put in super league.

How were they admitted into SL in a disgraceful manner?

The thing is it was obvious the RFL didnt even follow there own criteria if they had they wouldnt of been put in.

Please explain.

We all know Salford will not get the same treatment as Bradford

Well they bring a lot less to RL than Bradford, but the situation with Brdford is very different. So the help they get is going to be different.

we all know Crusaders would of been in had they not pulled out so who went through there finances,

The reason they pulled out was because they would not haves the audit, more a case of Crusaders saving face because it seems that the RFL knew they were not going to be in a position financially to support a 3 year licence.

[Kenilworth Tiger]

But you don't love it enough to travel for it. So just really an arm chair fan really. Oh well. You are no more of a fan than the other people posting on here.

Oh dear God - great argument that mate - great argument.

[a.n Other]

Oh dear God - great argument that mate - great argument.

It not an argument. It's just my opinion based on the facts you provided.

[tonyXIII]

Disagree, the sport is Rugby League. The contest should be the the game and not how well you can kiss the RFLs but.

Deary me! More semantics. Tell you what, forget it.

[Ian (Pencil) Elliott]

They can't without *more* money than Man City. What is sport about that? What is 'on the pitch' about it? It all hinges on money.....so where is the difference?

Blackpool got pomoted to the elite league without spending anywhere near what Man City has. To compete with Man City for the league then yes they would need to spend big but in order to play in the same League they finished in a promotion position and were rewarded. So there is the difference.

Edited by Ian (Pencil) Elliott, 01 January 2013 - 06:53 PM.

[tonyXIII]

Nice attitude, very similar to the RFLs.

In the response to your 2nd question, you obviousley know very little about my clubs current state.

Maybe we don't know anything about your club's current state. But I have certainly got the picture with regard to your club's fans' current state of mind.

[CANETMAN]

Guys with regards to the Crusaders lets deal with the information to hand.

1/The RFL/SL wanted a welsh franchise (Fair enough)

2/LS (Crusaders owner) threatened to pull out of RL if they did not get one.

3/Sadly LS business ran into problems when Woolworths collapsed (They were his largest client he supplied them with picture frames)

4/The RFL (RL and NW) persuaded Wrexham to take it on to save face (To this day the former owners of Wrexham claim they were sold a pup by the RFL)

5/Rod Finlay (Former RFL man and the persons in charge of licensing) was put in by the RFL to oversee the running of the club until the end of the license period (It was claimed to be a Crusaders appointment anyone that believes this is living in cloud cuckooville:)

6/Rod Finlay informed the RFL that the Crusaders would not be applying for SL which IMHO and most with half a brain was something that was pre-arranged anyway prior to him taking over the CEO position at the club.

7/SOC was informed by the RFL way prior to the Crusaders pulling out that Widnes would be in.

CM

[Mushy]

Ive said it before and ill say it again.

I love rugby league me!

Me too. I love every bit of our flawed but wonderful sport. And I was a shareholder at the Thunder too, before anyone thinks I must be a Super League lackey!

Back on topic, and Wood has a tough job on his hands for sure, and I too wish for clear honest leadership and long term thinking, especially given his salary. However, his job is made even more difficult by the incompetence and short sightedness of many of the clubs themselves, but 'twas ever thus.

2013 will be brilliant, and I can't wait to see Gloucester play Gateshead, watch Sam being both hero and villain simultaneously, and watch the best players on the planet strut their stuff in the World Cup. And I am guessing I am not alone, despite what you read on here!

Edited by Mushy, 01 January 2013 - 06:38 PM.

[Ian (Pencil) Elliott]

Maybe we don't know anything about your club's current state. But I have certainly got the picture with regard to your club's fans' current state of mind.

Good, as long as you know where we stand.

[West Country Eagle]

Soon, the RFL will have a new Executive Chairman (Richard Lewis' old position) - albeit on a part time basis. This is a crucial appointment with regards to the immediate future of the sport. Someone coming in from outside the game with no baggage, fresh ideas and a great deal of impetus would really help right now. I have to admit I've not been impressed with some of the ways the RFL has been governing the sport in recent years, but they're not all bad. Some departments are actually quite good; others are hopeless (see the performance department who put so many obstacles in the way of Fev and Sheffield running Academy sides).

Still, I find the attitude of certain Championship fans towards the World Cup incredibly worrying. Not supporting Super League because you hate the current have/have nots divide and lack of automatic P&R is understandable in some ways (even though I don't agree with this attitude myself), but not supporting the World Cup because you don't like the RFL, Nigel Wood and co is both hugely depressing and utterly bizarre. International competition is the pinnacle of any sport, and ours should be no different. What's not to like about seeing the best players in the World, from many different competing nations, going head to head on our shores? This World Cup is a rare opportunity to sell the sport to a new audience - as followers of Rugby League, surely we want to see the game expand its fanbase and win new "customers" (as the clubs and RFL call them)?

Back in 2008, I went down to Australia to take in the World Cup, not for work but as a fan. It was great fun. That World Cup also had its problems, and England were dreadful, but that didn't stop me enjoying it for what it was - a celebration of The Greatest Game of all.

The 2013 World Cup should be similarly celebratory, but it only will be if people support it. If Rugby League fans don't support it, how can we expect newcomers and casual sports fans to support it? At least the RLWC marketing team have the right idea in trying to target casual sports fans, families and those who go to watch sporting "occasions" - that way they might attract some people to the tournament and sport that enjoy it for what it is, rather than finding excuses not to turn up or doing it down before the first match has even kicked off.

Rugby League as a sport in the UK has problems, but they're not terminal. There are things I worry about and things the RFL have seriously got wrong. The biggest worry, though, is the negative attitude of so many fans. Others on this thread have mentioned this and been told "well, you don't count because you're a Super League fan". I support a club in the Championship, and one that may be destined to be a lower league club forever (who knows!). If they never get back into Super League, so what? It's not the be all and end all. As long as they exist, continue to work hard getting kids into League and do things the right way, I'll be happy. I guess that makes me a bit odd. Then again, my club briefly ceased to exist in 1999. When that happens - when your club is taken away from you by, yes, SLE, the RFL and the directors of two different clubs - you get a different perspective on things.

Oh, and living outside of the "heartlands" makes you appreciate the game even more. Those of you who live in the "heartlands", with access to pro and amateur RL on your doorstep, don't know how lucky you are. Please, let's have a little positivity occasionally!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

This could be a really good discussion about some valid issues in the game. However, one isn't happening due to the sheer number of people that have decided to do the following:
1) Stereotype people simply for supporting a SL club - something that apparently means they don't care about any other part of the game. Last time I checked, the vast majority of people who play, coach, volunteer and watch the amateur game in Hull are fans of a SL club. But clearly they're only bothered about SL...
It's a non-argument used by desperate people that can't argue their point properly, so if you use it, you admit you don't have a strong enough point to support your own opinion.

2) Attempting to counter-argue by using extremes. It's just silly, and again shows you don't have a good argument.

3) Making up your own facts and exaggerating.

4) Name calling.

If anyone would like to engage in an honest and genuine discussion about the state of the game, I'll be happy to join in. But I seriously can't be bothered with yet another b*tchfest to see who can whinge and lie the most to prove why they're the most miserable sod in the world! I'm not asking you to pretend to be positive about everything, just to accept that not everything is negative!

[Robin Evans]

Dont thonk I do q, 2, 3 or 4 tho do concede I can whinge my ar se off regards how the game is managed.
That why I choose the path I take. Like I saod to john, if you enjoy it, brilliant. I hope you have a great time.
I'll do something else to support rugby.
Miserable b'stard??? Aye, perhaps!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

So, I'll give a go at getting my points out there.

Do I think licensing is a farce? No. Why? Because over the last few years it has seen clubs HAVE to improve off the field. There has been more process in club development than ever.
Licensing is not the reason why clubs are going getting into trouble. The recession is biting everyone and most business are feeling the pinch. Is that due to licensing?
The sooner people can accept that their own club's problems are the result of their own club's management, the sooner they can help.

Would I prefer to see P&R come back? Yes, in time. I see licensing as a catalyst to improve standards across the board, and so far it's happening. The strong are surviving and the pretenders are struggling. That's the way it is in pro sport. There are winners and losers both on and off the pitch.
The ironic thing is that many of the people I've seen argue for the return of P&R have also said at some point that their team probably isn't ready for SL.

The game isn't perfect. There are loads of issues. But not everything the RFL do is bad or evil. I just don't see how anything can make you happy if you have that attitude. The RFL will (rightly) not waste time on people that cannot be made happy. It's a waste of resources!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Dont thonk I do q, 2, 3 or 4 tho do concede I can whinge my ar se off regards how the game is managed.
That why I choose the path I take. Like I saod to john, if you enjoy it, brilliant. I hope you have a great time.
I'll do something else to support rugby.
Miserable b'stard??? Aye, perhaps!

In fairness, you've been fair in your opinion. I don't agree with it, but that's your choice.

One thing I don't understand though is how you feel P&R would make a difference in making the fans happy, yet also state you've been disillusioned with the game for over 20 years (when there were periods of P&R)? What would make you less disillusioned?

[Robin Evans]

Fairness. Equal opportunity.
Like I said in an earlier post. Clubs in sl have repeatedly gone ar se upperds. Sl have bent over to support, back, help these clubs - nowt wrong with that like.
Sametime clubs below sl have to overcome a whole host of obstacles to be even considered. There is no parity there in my opinion.
Then p&r. Again sl can go down the gary glitter but rest easy knowing their licence is all but untouchable. I coild win the euromillions tonight and pledge it all to fev. We still wouldn't be allowed in even if we win the gf.
There's more bit I woukd come across even more ar sey and im not really!!

[Viking Warrior]

i think wood, rimmer and co laid their cards firmly on the table during the bradford melt down. one quote i read was that "they have been world club champions" yet they stood by and watched the FIRST ever world club champions sliding to oblivion and they only thing they did was to deduct us 9 points. fast forward to 2011 and another club did go down the pan, RIP blackpool, and now we have salford, an average super league club who don't win trophies so guess what the support from red hall is deafeningly silent!!! every professional rugby league club in the country needs the same rights not just the chosen few..........

[Johnoco]

Blackpool got pomoted to the elite league without spending anywhere near what Man City has. To compete with Man City for the league then yes they would need to spend big but in order to play in the same League they finished in a promotion position and were rewarded. So there is the difference.

What was the point in Blackpool being in the PL? For the experience? Fair enough but why enter a division you have absolutely zero chance of winning without spending approx £1Billion?

I can understand the 'thrill of the ride' angle but effectively every club apart from 3 or 4 have been prevented from winning the PL by money....yet this is a model that RL should copy?

[Dave T]

i think wood, rimmer and co laid their cards firmly on the table during the bradford melt down. one quote i read was that "they have been world club champions" yet they stood by and watched the FIRST ever world club champions sliding to oblivion and they only thing they did was to deduct us 9 points. fast forward to 2011 and another club did go down the pan, RIP blackpool, and now we have salford, an average super league club who don't win trophies so guess what the support from red hall is deafeningly silent!!! every professional rugby league club in the country needs the same rights not just the chosen few..........

you keep banging on about this - until you can show they are being treated fundamentally different ie. Bulls being helped and Reds not, then your ramblings mean nothing.
There have been various mentions here and elsewhere of the RFL helping with investors.
What exactly do you want?