thecoffeeman

Right @Martyn Sadler we were reading the same doc, which is publicly accessible HERE I found that in two clicks after I read your post about 'virtually no Govt Support' - I'd argue quite strongly that a Million quid plus an uplift in Sport England funding is quite a substantial investment, not 'Virtually no support'.

Calm down, I am doing some work Got calls all morning

Make your mind up Is it virtually no support or there was some support?

I agree with that. He has the game at heart, but thats the issue - he has very little real world experience other than rugby league.

@Martyn Sadler You need to do more homework. Whilst it is true that HM Govt didn't contribute specifically for the World Cup event, Sport England grant income rose by around 13% in that year to cover extra world cup related activity. You should know that Sport England funds come from the government by now, surely...

I think we may move in different circles, but there is plenty of evidence that there is interest. The issue is that the people who matter, ie those mentioned in the post I linked to above, have had their fingers burnt a few times now with rugby league. From memory I think I said that there wasn't likely to be much rugby league in MCR for a generation to come as a result of recent going on, and I'll stand by that.

You should probably click the arrow above which takes you to my post from last year. It's exactly the opposite actually - there is a lot of interest.

This subject pops up every so on, and I come back to say my piece but this time I've worked out how to link from my last post which pretty much nails why there isn't much/ any rugby league in Manchester: Read it and weep:

Yes, despite the cubs agreeing it, and Tanker lauding it, it was Dickie Lewis' fault. Most definitely.

I won't do, I was correcting Martyn's attempt to Gaslight us again.

Come on, now. Don't let the truth get in the way of Martyn's story...

For accuracy @Martyn Sadler Nigel became CEO in 2007 until 2018. Stobart became a partner in the 2012 season. Richard was Executive Chairman from 2002 to 2009 and Chairman from 2009 to 2012. They weren't given away. It was a contra-deal which was proposed by the then commercial director, Andy Hewitt, then agreed by the clubs. Contras are commonplace in sport - the club or governing body have something of value and the commercial partner also have something of value, so they swap or 'contra it'. For the record, I always thought it a bit odd to contra the title partnership rights, but then this is rugby league we're talking about.

I have a contact at Lezignan Corbieres if you are interested. They are lovely people and would welcome you. You can fly to Carcassonne quite easily. Having been through the wringer with this a few times I'd suggest that RL is probably the most difficult and price sensitive sport to work in, so it's no surprise that there isn't an active travel scene. On one occasion I remember vividly setting up a tour several years ago for a decent sized league club junior team. Flights, accommodation, game, excursions, lots of nice stuff. I discovered that the team involved had tried to go round me and had gone directly to the hotel and the host cub just to try to save a few quid. Needless to say the relationship ended there and then. The trip didn't happen in the end.

Theres a very simple rule to apply when Dan Roan wants to talk to you - that's do your homework. Having spoken to him a few times over the years, he's a very thorough and professional journalist. From jiffy bags being delivered to buses during the Tour de France to scoops on Man Utd he can get words out of you that you didn't know you could mutter - he is one of the best broadcast journalists around. The issue with Tanker is that he is not used to being challenged, and will not allow people around him to challenge him, so will have brushed away any offer from the PR team of support, with the resulting word salad when challenged by Dan Roan. Better leaders would welcome input from the team around them, but Nigel would never do that.

I second that. I spend a lot of time in Girona and it's 40 mins on the train from Perpignan. Plus, if you have any interest in bikes, then Girona is a fabulous place. Full of pro riders and cycling tourists from around the globe.