Angelic Cynic

They are still paying for the AJ Bell stadium. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-41930659 In January there was a suggestion that they would attempt to purchase the stadium - also talk of Sale Sharks taking the stadium over.

Within the last 24 hours the club has announced 6 new signings. 4 were announced last night,with a further 2 earlier this evening. They are from a rugby union and an armed forces background. I won't list the names,and the squad numbers are not yet disclosed. One or all could be in the squad for the game at Bootham Crescent.York on Sunday.

He wasn't available for the game at Whitehaven.He had to play in the halves due to the injury situation but we lost another to injury at that game. It's good experience for the players - some of whom must never have thought they would be playing so soon.They've got great heart and spirit.It's all good moving forward. They've never won on a football pitch before...

A continuation of the good passages of play which I have seen for small segments of the game,over a longer period. I have seen the odd try scored but the accumulation of injuries has been debilitating as well as the amount of defending they have had to do. Despite the spirited performances and the continuance of fair play we will be without the skipper on Sunday. 4 signings have been announced tonight but even Super League clubs would struggle with the injuries sustained to players in the spine of the side,and trying to get a new squad of players to gel,while part time is,understandably,very difficult. The experts reckon you can learn more from a defeat than from a victory. It's sport.It's great.Coaches are brilliant and the defeats will make the victories even better.

But over recent years the super League clubs have needed life support.Not just Bradford Bulls - with Licensing given advance warning to Super League clubs,some clubs still failed to spend money on stadia but spent money on players - a tad unfair on those who invested in stadia,just as it was unfair when some councils assisted some clubs but not others. Some clubs who struck lucky with success also gained with boosted attendances. Hull FC before that,were handed Gateshead Thunder - even in Wrexham some fans of the club there have benefited from a period of time in Super League. If the cut off point was right now,this minute,Bradford don't get the benefit of being in Super League again but still retain much of their fanbase from having their golden period. The new(ish) clubs,Hemel,Coventry,Skolars et al don't have that good fortune. What improvements have Super League clubs done with their portion of the money? Do they just rely on a television company to subsidise them?

It's a big task facing West Wales Raiders as they travel to face a side coached by the longest serving head coach of a club in League 1 since he was appointed with the club in the same division. I think Scott Naylor at Oldham has been with the Roughyeds for some time,but they have also been in The Championship. The same referee for this game as there was when the club only had 14 players for the schlep up to Workington,but despite the injuries I do hope for a full complement of players. With a lot of discussion about League 1 I am very surprised that those about whom Gary Hetherington speaks so highly,have not interviewed a man who has coached a side into Super League,and 2 sides from the 3rd tier into the 2nd tier. He was also the coach at York when James Ford was a player,and Chris Thorman was already there as a player,and coached Hendo,and signed him,before Hendo coached London Broncos. In League 1,he signed and coached the current Thunder head coach,Jason Payne,and took Carl Forster on dual reg from St Helens as a player,before CF became the youngest coach,at Whitehaven. Another player he coached,Robin Peers,went across and coached Boston in the US of A,and Kevin Neighbour,was coaching in Australia,and probably still is. Only 1 other man has coached a side from the lowest tier into what is now The Championship,and another into Super League. Brian Noble has coached Lee Radford,coach at Hull FC - and Scott Naylor,now coaching at Oldham. Not too sure of any other coaches who have had former players becoming head coaches.Anyone? Anyway,despite not knowing the squad for Sunday,I am optimistic of a good performance from The Raiders.

Luke Gale signed for Doncaster at 18 yrs of age - after being at Leeds. Good job there was a League 1 side for him to hone his skills at.....and some fella named Ellery Hanley coaching at the club,at the time.

It's a tad unfair,at this early point in the season,to use the spending power of 2 overseas clubs and then contrast it with a newly formed club undergoing a difficult time with a multitude of injuries in an effort to prove a futile point. When the Northern Union was formed/broke away in 1895 I am sure a side would have been at the bottom in the next few seasons.It didn't make the Northern Union an irrelevance. Without spending too much time attempting to disprove this point - Last years Steve Prescott Man of Steel was Luke Gale who spend his early career turning out for Doncaster,who were,and continue to be,in League 1 There also need to be a stage for future coaches to be developed.They are currently touting James ford,at York,in League 1 as a future super League coach.

I'm struggling to see exactly what Super League does in the 'value for money' stakes. On the playing of the sport side - since it's inception we still trail some way behind Australia - be it 'elite' international games,or club games. On the playing numbers side of things - some clubs don't run reserve sides;some clubs don't run academies. Attendances appear to have a glass ceiling. When players reach a certain age they are discarded. Seems to me things are getting worse as times progress when it comes to the top league.Even the international sides require players who ply their trade overseas. If Super League clubs do have young players being paid less than the minimum wage it would seem the whole game requires root and branch review.....but we know that.

More news out of Hull...? https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/6125297/rugby-adam-pearson-hull-sunderland-ellis-short/ Does that mean rugby union will not be caught up?

The Widnes Twitter feed could not have given more praise to the Coventry players and supporters. Nice touch with the photograph.

Excellent OP. If rugby league followers for many decades are put off the sport by watching it on television,then the idea of 'boosting' the sport by a viewing media ain't gonna work. Sorting out the problems and getting people to attend the games is the way ahead. It ain't gonna be an easy future...

If the death of his mother had such an impact on him,then people at the club,including his teammates,would,presumably have been aware. In that case,the club does have a player welfare officer,( I have checked the KR website and coincidentally,this person is female so,perhaps better than a male given the circumstances,though I accept both genders will,presumably,have the same training .) The club will also,presumably,have the services of a chaplain. On the KR Forum there is a posting suggesting that if the substance was taken on the day stated,then it should have 'cleared' by the Thursday night game. As we don't know what substance has been taken I couldn't possibly comment. There could be a lot of lessons to be learned from this...including further assistance offered to Thomas Minns.

Northampton never made the start because the individual,Cardoza,who owned the association football club mislaid 10 million pounds. I don't see how South Wales failed.The original Crusaders,who fielded some overseas players who did great work in the community,played their way through the divisions to Super League. The coach at South Wales Scorpions,Anthony Seibold,is now head coach of that fairly well-known club,south Sydney Rabbitohs. Former player Flowers is at Wigan and former player Gil Dudson was signed to Widnes by former England assistant head coach Denis Betts. Over on another thread,a supporter of heartland club Leigh,the one that flickers between administration and Super League,has written - The highlighted part must apply to West Wales.( Please remember how the heartlands fans disliked Crusaders winning games ) League 1 may also exist for the clubs in Super League that lose money,by whatever means,such as Bradford Bulls,and those clubs that seem quite happy to remain there,season after season,like Hunslet. One,or both of you,must be very sensible.

Super League games have the added decision making with the video referee.Those decisions are sometimes contentious. On Sunday,at Whitehaven,the West Wales Raiders player was red carded after contact with an opponents head.I saw the contact with the opponents head.No amount of report reading and understanding of procedures and guidelines will alter that fact. Later in the same game a Whitehaven player made contact with an opponents head.The referee saw this and did not need to discuss it with a touch judge.The only question about that second incident is why the player responsible was not red-carded. It is because I am aware,and have been for some time,that contact with the head is no automatic red-card.Player safety is apparently paramount - but only in some cases,it would seem. I understand fully that no 2 incidents are the same.These 2 on Sunday were certainly not.The second one being far worse,yet the player remains on the field.