Hornetto

We're a supporter-owned co-operative with a community remit. Merging does not work to the benefit of the community we represent. Our rules dictate that we exist to benefit the sporting public and wider community of Rochdale So it's never, ever - ever - going to happen. The sooner people get their heads round the fact that success doesn't have to = being in superleague, the less complicated life becomes. You think that life at our level is 'in the weeds'? I don't care - it's not a bad place to be, just a different place to the perfectly manicured perfumed garden of Murdoch-ball. And I - for one - quite like it.

Wests Tigers is a JV, not a merger. There's a big difference. And there were rumblings a couple of months ago that Balmain wanted out. And we all know what happened at Northern Eagles. Illawarra St George Dragons is a top-down, straight-through, bottom-up merger - but you don't see many Steelers shirts there these days...

Yes, a couple of us heading over. Twas a good weekend last year, but the weather helped a lot. If it rains tomorrow, it'll be a disaster. And if there is a double booking on the club-house, someone at Fylde wants pulling thru' with a pineapple.

1. Wayne English 2. Henderson Gill 3. Steve McGiffen 4. Mark Lord 5. John Higgins 6. Phil Bancroft 7. Bobbie Goulding 8. Danny Sculthorpe 9. Phil McKenzie 10. Keith England 11. Mike Kuiti 12. Kel Coslett 13. Dave Watson 14. Alan Hodkinson 15. Martin Hall 16. Neil Cowie 17. Tony Austin

Oh, I agree entirely. I have no complaints with the outcome whatsoever. I'd take an ugly win over a pretty defeat any day of the week. But ugly defeat is... well... er... ugly. Had we won, I'd've come away saying "That was the worst game of RL I've seen in years, but we won". As it was, it was just the worst game of RL I've seen in years. I've seen us lose a lot of times since August 1971 - to good sides and very bad sides. But seldom in such unedifying circumstances. Even at our level, the standard of every aspect of the game yesterday was significantly more disappointing than the outcome.

Eight*. But seriously, the publication details from our media database are: URL: http://www.totalrl.com Established 1976 Editorial Profile: Specialises in Rugby League football. Worldwide coverage of a sport and the people who play it Target Readership: Rugby League fans, players and administrators nationwide, with special emphasis in Northern England. Also selling to the same audience in Rugby League playing countries worldwide. Male 55%, Female 45% aged 8 to 80 Frequency: Monthly Circulation Publisher's Statement 01 Mar 2010 25,000 I'm slightly concerned about the phrase "... with special emphasis in Northern England..." Could be worth an email to BRAD, webby, to put 'em right.

Absolutely. The best side won. But the game was sh!te and the officials were sh!te. It was sh!te. Did I mention that?

As if Steve Ganson even knows where the New River Stadium is. It was some bloke called Leatherbarrow. You'd've thought it impossible to ruin a game this bad, but he and his idiot touchies achieved just that. ##### awful from first whistle to last. A great advert for going to the Trafford Centre/B&Q/dentist on a sunday afternoon. Utter rubbish.

Skolars were sh!t and we were much sh1tter. The worst all-round game of RL I've seen at any grade in a very long time. Two awful teams officiated by three retards on some sort of sport in the community scheme. Three points deserved as the Skolars looked most able to run and pass like people who've seen a rugby ball before. Attendance? God knows - three dozen? Fifty? All the atmosphere of an asteroid. Enjoyed the kids with the vuvuzelas, though. I'm off for a lie down...

I wouldn't. He doesn't even know which clubs attended the meeting at the George Hotel. If he gets that fundament wrong, who knows what else is incorrect in there? I gave up reading it at that point.

At the mo, I'm mostly getting my ears around I Am Kloot - Manchester three piece with a natty line in ascerbic bitterness - and China Shop Bull from Leeds - an 7 piece thrash-ska juggernaut of a band that sounds like a jumbo-jet sh@gging a fire engine. Both awesome live.

Littleborough (on the edge of the hills t'other side of Rochdale) is like bleedin' Ice Station Zebra There's four or five inches of the white stuff and our council hasn't gritted a single road. It took 90 mins to get to work today (Salford Quays) - mostly sideways. Here, it's just ice - girding myself for a lovely drive to Stockport later.

Burial. Try it in the dark thru' headphones. Cinematic headscapes for the 21st century's blank generation. Kinda thing. Mesmerising.

Coles Corner, Richard Hawley. Smooth as an oiled mole. That's been shaved.

Aqualung - If I fall. Sublime.

Current 'newbies' are the Wombats (Sounds refreshingly like a crashed-out debut album - what it lacks in melody/finesse it makes up for in excitement/energy) and The Ting-Tings (three great tracks, loads of great sonic ideas and a ton of potential. And would'ya lads, would'ya?). On 'Oldie-rewind' I was listening to the Chameleons 'What does anything mean, basically?' last night. Fan-bstard-tastic.

Pie-ous surely?