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Very silly thing to post on here if you're trying to fly under the radar. Bye bye, before you kick off again.

The amount of people claiming IMG has added nothing to the sport is embarrassing, the sport has never been as visible on social media and "old" media, its been in the headlines for the right things for once (mostly), theres several clubs using the framework as it was intended to progress and raise standards etc.

I'm leaving it in. I think it's the only contraceptive approved by the Catholic church

That is a magnificent final typo.

Free speech doesnt mean freedom from consequences...

https://intrl.sport/article/407/canada-to-host-historic-irl-womens-world-series What a pleasant surprise! Toronto to host the women's World Series.

There are some people who find making monkey noises at black sportsmen to be acceptable (because this sort of thing still happens across the world). Should their view be protected, too? It is absolutely hammered into pro and semi-pro sportsmen by their clubs what is and isn't acceptable for them to be putting on social media, and that if in doubt they should leave it out. The RFL social media code of conduct is quite clear about what it considers to be unacceptable language (see below from the Operational Rules Manual), and RL players have to adhere to that code if they wish to play the game at a pro or semi-pro level. Don’t use Unacceptable Language or portray behaviour that would qualify as Unacceptable Behaviour online – this includes in particular anything which could be considered racist, homophobic, transphobic, ageist or sexist or anything which shows prejudice or disrespect to anyone with a disability or against someone’s religion or nationality. Any cases of Unacceptable Language and/or Behaviour will be dealt with, with a Zero Tolerance approach by the RFL

Widnes' statement referring to "dating back to 2012" was deliberately misleading. The behaviour continued as he got older, right up to last year. All of us are responsible for our actions, and risk being held accountable if we are in a position where it can be damaging to the interests of our employers or other organisation. In my own firm's contracts I have "reputational" clauses, including my own. This is normal.

I wonder how different the new "transparent strategic business plan that will make the sport an investable, sustainable and economically viable sporting competition" will differ form the "transparent strategic business plan that will make the sport an investable, sustainable and economically viable sporting competition" we are currently going through that everyone agreed to?

Does that "journalist" have strong opinions on Ralph Rimmer and Karen Moorhouse?

They don't have any hands.

I’m denying it.

I remember someone (possibly his wife) sharing when goldcard passed away. That was a sad read. RIP.

Within reason yes, like in the United States.

It looks like it was the Widnes twitter account that added in the 2012 thing, muddying the waters unnecessarily.

Swinton are one of the most iconic clubs in sport. Founded in 1866 when most clubs weren’t even a thought. The aim is to go home, not change their name to Manchester. To go home, they need Salford council to back that and if they become Manchester, that will never happen.

I genuinely don't have an issue with the clubs deciding that IMG aren't doing a good enough job and they want to challenge them to do better. That's perfectly healthy, and should be part of ongoing discussions/reviews etc - and if they decided that Simon Johnson wasn't the person to act strongly enough in this space, so be it, he's big enough to take care of himself and I do agree that we should have accountability, but another review makes little sense. This is why I come to the conclusion that this is all pre-amble to an ending of the relationship with IMG. Just trying to end it looks short-sighted, however if it's on the back of a review it has some credibility of sorts. But when those carrying out the reviews are people who have been involved in the sport for decades and little new blood, then it does look like a hit-job with an agenda.

Of course it's speculation because you don't know what evidence the tribunal looked at and as I've already said your own personal views are irrelevant. This isn't a societal issue, the tribunal decided he breached a code of conduct. You can choose to make more of it you want but it is absolutely normal in most industries now that employees are held to account for what they say on social media. Again whether or not you agree with that is irrelevant to this case.

People can post what they like online but shouldn't be surprised if their employer doesn't like what they've posted particularly if they represent a sport which is trying to be inclusive.

What's frustrating here is that despite much of the bluster, actions are actually being taken. Despite the nonsense mocking, clubs are presenting the events better, talking to customers more, and it does look like we are seeing green shoots.

Shall I just put up an auto prompt that says: the tweets include some from last year. But the reporting would like you to be livid that a nudging 30 year old is being banned for something he did when he couldn't legally drive.

Some other names from back in the day that were frequent posters and who I liked for different reasons - voteronniegibbs, Steve May, Johnoco, Chapatti Pants. There were also some lunatics such as Wendall, a Wire fan who was 35 going on 13 and wanted to fight everybody as the self-proclaimed leader of the “Warrington Casuals”

Mate, you don't get to squawk, "DEI bull poop" over and over whilst making up what went on in the LSV hospitality, so I think you're going to need to sit this one out. Oh, and, as ever, you've gone American not English. Embarrassing for you. It's "rubbish" not "garbage".

This is true. Whether it's State of Origin or the Pennine League Div 4, if it's two even teams it's usually a great game.

Prop: Gorilla. Hooker: Honey badger. Prop: Rhino. 2nd row: Lion. 2nd row: Leopard. Loose: Tiger. SH: Wolverine. SO: Chimpanzee. Centre: Timberwolf. Centre: Wildebeest. Wing: Ostrich. Wing: Lurcher. FB: Meerkat. Interchange. Hippo. Grizzly Bear. Cougar. Badger.

Have a sloth as the video ref.

It is possible to ascribe to IMG anything you like, given that they have some nebulous brief. There were initiatives taken to drive the game forward in the 100 years plus before they came on board. We will never know what might have been, but I suspect that the clubs could have sussed the desirability of increasing our social media presence themselves. The crowds this year, if you take Wigan out of the mix, are nothing to get excited about. Go back and look at Super League crowds over the years, and we have had far stronger crowd figures. Trinity’s “success” amounts to shrinking their ground until its maximum crowd fills it (a route being adopted by the Giants, seemingly). HKR’s growth was given vital impetus and was anchored by a one off legal event. There have been 3 big stories this year: first, Salford - within weeks of being assessed by IMG - discovering players needing paying in actual money. Second, the boost given to the profile of the competiton by the Vegas match: which was entirely Wigan and Warrington’s project, and nothing to do with IMG. Third is this putsch which might or might not lead somewhere, but which seems at some level to reflect a dissatisfaction from the people paying IMG’s bills with the results. You can get as cross with them as you like, and defend IMG all day every day, but if your client who sees what you do and who pays your bills is so unimpressed they act in this way then that’s a clear failure of the service provider to instil confidence. Which leaves us with a choice between believing that IMG - whose job it is to drive up value and standards - is doing a fantastic job, and the people who would directly benefit are unhappy because [fill in the gap because I honestly can’t think of a reason] or they have failed to carry with them the people paying their bills who see first hand, rather than through an online fans forum, what they have done. My money is on the latter.

Indeed it was. I think Goldcard’s name was Bill and his wife started posting under “Heart of Gold” after he passed.

For anyone with access to his Patreon John Davidson has a great piece on the parallels between Beaumont and Trump. Brilliantly describes how the former's Trumpian narcissism and the media's desperate desire to leap on any opinion that generates clicks (whatever their merit) are acting as a self-reinforcing flywheel making the Brian Potter of rugby league Derek Beaumont project far more power than he deserves. There's an argument for the quiet, competent leadership of people like Radlinski and Lakin. But on the flipside if it leaves the field clear for blowhards to persuade enough other people that their populist, "magic wand" nonsense is better than actual hard work then it may be a mistake. I think I may well say that to Paul or someone else at Rovers at the weekend... in fact I might even do it in front of the leopard print narcisus himself if he comes over in his ridiculous car https://www.patreon.com/posts/will-we-see-end-124689435

There’s not much free speech in the states. It’s quite notable. But there is an odd segment of the UK population who believe that we live under the jackboot of a basically totalitarian government whereas the US has a freedom we can only dream about.

To me this makes it all the more disappointing that the men's equivalent wasn't considered viable (or according to the rumour, the Cook Islands kicked up a fuss about it).

You cited a word that is unmistakeably used as a homophobic insult - there's no other context for it other than as a perjorative word used about homosexual people - and said it wasn't being used as a homophobic insult. Once something is unambiguously discriminatory/perjorative, we've crossed the line, but you seem to want to move that line.

I am not an IMG enthusiast for the most part but it's just odd to deny that SL clubs aren't presenting themselves better, that big games are now selling out, and that there are more eyes on the comp. SL metrics are tracking upwards as it comes to negotiate its next TV deal. I can definitely see the need for a dull but worthy governance review but a slew of board resignations followed by a whole game review paints a picture of a game in crisis. An odd way to enter TV negotiations. I guess we have to trust that someone knows what they're doing.

Folly Lane are Swinton's nearest amateur club but in the same catchment area are Langworthy Reds, Salford City Roosters (formerly Eccles ARLFC) & Cadishead Rhinos. there have been many more in the years I have been involved in the game but sadly, they have disappeared. Irlam Hornets (double NWCL premier division champions early 90's) and Salford Juniors (3 times Lancashire cup finalists in the 50's) are the biggest losses. Langworthy (who beat leigh Miners in a Lancashire cup final) have fallen down the pecking order at open age but continue to produce youth teams). Folly Lane consistently produce top youth teams and have provided the game with the likes of Kallum Watkins. Eccles/Salford City Roosters are arguably the area's most successful club, providing the likes of Adrian Morley, Ian Watson and Nathan McAvoy, having spent 20 years in the NCL. They suffered for a lack of youth teams below the open age but, with a new clubhouse, new committee and improved facilities they are strong at youth level again and appear to be on their way back. Swinton can sign players from any area though and have been served well by Leigh Miners, Thatto Heath and Leigh East. All amateur leagues have less clubs than they used to have, but the clubs that are left run thriving youth sections. Amateur RL peaked in the mid 80's when, at one time, there were as many clubs in London as there were in Wigan. It's generally been in decline since then. Amateur RL used to be my real passion up to about 2 years ago.

Every action taken at a 'strategic' level is always in the belief that we are a quick fix away from solving everything. It was said, by me and others, at the time of the IMG launch that the absolute obsession over structure meant that everything else would either be overlooked or played down. And so it is. Despite decades of evidence that the structure itself really plays quite a minimal part, it is almost certainly what the fanfare announcements to come from this review will be about.

To be fair, it's distinctly possible that the RFL investigation into this did actually start in 2012.

Glad that Salford have had a good game albeit against a poor Huddersfield. The fans deserve a bit of good feeling !!

Halsall has received some disgraceful passes in this half, he's well within his rights to tell them all to sod off at half time.

Robin Evans, think he worked as a nurse somewhere ?

It seems like the Widnes tweet is where other news outlets got their wording from too. I saw the report on the BBC Sport website and said earlier in the thread that if there were more recent tweets then it was very badly worded. I don't see the point in them being ambiguous on purpose, as the full details were always likely to come out eventually.

I spent half my childhood – or more precisely, the 1st and 3rd quarters of it – in Hull. I went to my first RL game last September. This will be my first game at KR. Nice close game, please, with Leigh gallantly losing in the final minutes. Cheers.

Just on a point of accuracy, because this keeps getting repeated: IMG did not assess Salford's finances, the RFL did. That's their role. I agree with you on Vegas. But the point on Vegas that's relevant is it emphasises - IMG or not - how the game was in a relatively positive place a few weeks ago, specifically a greatly improved place in terms of our relationship with our key media partner. Our #1 investor. The genius that is Beaumont can't see that throwing a load of "restructure" and "review" grenades into the sport at this precise moment is the exact opposite of what we should be doing from Sky's perspective. And let's face it, Sky's perspective is an important one for the future of our sport. The only way rugby league in the UK gets a step-change in revenues in the near term is from an enhanced TV contract. We should be relentlessly focused on doing nothing at all that might have a negative impact on that. The events of the last week are in direct contradiction of that objective. Where did Beaumont think "more revenue" was going to come from by now? The contract renewal date is the contract renewal date.

interestingly i googled the RFL Social Media policy as I was interested to see when it came in... havent found it yet.. but the first 4 of the top 10 google responses, and all of the responses that were directly back to the RFL website were to amateur teams; Thato Heath, Shevington Sharks, Stanley Rangers and Wyke all of which had variations of the below on their website and also the safeguarding style rules around under 18s and parents etc. So its pretty well out there and reading the below set of rules it makes an awful lot of sense for everybody in life really. Frankly if people stuck to these rules it would be a much nicer place to inhabit. https://thattoheathcrusaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Social-Media-Code-of-Conduct.pdf

I joined in 2013. Im not a frequent poster but do log on a few times a week to catch up. I find it very interesting with some really good blokes posting. There’s the occasional idiot like Parky but overall first class comments. One bloke who I thought spoke sense I haven’t seen on here for a while was Rotherham fev fan who I think was called Robin. Is he still about?

You’d want the Elephant, Rhino and Hippo as front row in your pack. Probably Lion, Tiger, Buffalo as second rowers. Maybe Gorilla at hooker. Can’t decide whether I want Chimpanzee and those monkeys from Gibraltar that nick people’s sunglasses to mix things up in the halves. Cheetah and Greyhound on the wings. Centres and Loose Forward I’m not sure about but Flipper the Dolphin at fullback to jump and diffuse the high ball. Coach: Dr Doolittle Trainer: Geoff Nutkins Stadium Announcer: David Attenborough

What still hasn't been explained is why that job is Simon Johnson's and not the actual CEO who does the day-to-day work.

Is the half sized pitch to prepare for when they might face Bradford at Odsal? Brilliant foresight