GeordieSaint

When did he sign for Toulouse?

Toulouse are learning they can’t play for 40mins and expect to beat the best teams in SL. They often start slow and then comeback. But against the better sides, you can’t do that - they leave themselves too much to do. But there’s the makings of a good side and really solid SL club at Toulouse.

Is he homesick?

Even the corner flag goes past him With ease…

Well done TO. Good win.

Yep - the bounce is shocking. The ball they got Bethell out shouldn’t be happening at all. Horrific for a batsman on any day, never mind day 2. Vaughan has a view: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c4g8g8pp3vgo

This pitch is a disgrace.

Rotate the venues. There are about 15 stadiums across the country with capacities over 50k. I’d go with host cities of: - Liverpool (Hill Dickinson) - Manchester (Eithad) - Newcastle - Cardiff - London (Spurs) Rotate every year. Possibly add Leeds in future if Elland Road ever goes above 50k.

That’s why I used “as an example”. All that activity you describe is great. However, it makes very little difference in a short, concentrated burst the week before the game. The neutral event goer market will have nailed down their 29 May 26 social calendar months ago. If you are looking to attract neutrals, that messaging needs to be done consistently and months in advance to have any chance of any success. We don’t have the budget, appeal, partners, nor foresight to enact such a campaign - especially for one game when there are internal competing demands like the Grand Final, Magic, Paris, Vegas et al.

I don’t think ‘solely’ branding marketing as the issue would solve any underlining problems we have selling the final either. Whacking some posters up or stands on the South Bank (as an example) would do very little to sell 30k seats each year. It’s not the underlying issue IMO. The issue is the audience. It’s a small niche fan base primarily located in deprived M62 towns and cities (less Leeds) - which is continually targeted by multiple marquee events every year. It’s a hugely complex problem that ‘marketing’ alone won’t fix. It will also take multiple years to solve, if at all.

We have this debate about Wembley every year. It’s absolutely massive to try and fill when your target audience is the same small niche fan base - and it is small and niche (we shouldn’t forget that). So this is a good post above. Even more so when you take into account the ‘choice’ supporters of Hull KR and Wigan have this season. KR were in Vegas - very expensive. Wigan are in Paris. Both are at Magic; and possibly one (maybe both) will be in Manchester in October. The point is the same small niche fan base - not the most economically rich base - is getting hammered with marquee events every year. Every year. We shouldn’t be surprised if that fan base don’t turn up in their multiple thousands to every single event.

PSG 75% possession… wow!

Other than the goal, did Arsenal actually have a shot in the 90mins? Watching MotD and they haven’t shown one… #boringArsenal

Gabriel missing the critical penalty definitely one for the masses.