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fcl

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Posts posted by fcl

  2. Posted · Report reply

    5 hours ago, Oldbear said:

    Davidson was also the only guy to raise the sketchy practices with regards to player visas and of course the shameful treatment of suppliers.

    He would deserve a journalistic award for his work. He was the only one who really did his job. The other journalists were content to relay the information from Canada without ever seeking to investigate, and taking everything at face value.

    this is our first whistleblower! I hope that the lesson is retained and that we will have the right to real journalistic investigations on the new owner and his entourage as well as his links with David Argyle.

    • Like 2

  4. Posted · Edited by fcl · Report reply

    I don't know if you've followed the news in France a bit. During the general assembly of the French rugby league federation, the clubs voted for the creation of a national center (field, gymnasium, place of accommodation, etc.) which will be managed by the federation with employees (technical employee , physical trainer, cook etc) Construction should and soon begin, it will be located in Alzonne in the suburb of Carcassonne and can be used by French teams, clubs, but can also be rented to other (English) teams who request it . The cost of this project is 6 million euros.
    If at the beginning the financing scared many French Treizists, they were reassured during the assembly by a financial package with a lot of help from French local authorities (State, Region, Department etc.)

    • Like 13
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  7. Posted · Report reply

    16 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

    John Davidson is reporting some cannabis oil tycoon (though no billionaire) called Dustin Koffler could be the mystery buyer. Any of our Canadian cousins know anything about him?

    his profile on a social network : 

    Quote

    "In 2016, I founded Green Tank Technologies, a global leader in vaporizing hardware and product design. Prior to Green Tank, I spent several years in the electronic cigarette industry. I am an avid skier and rugby fan and a Founder of the Toronto Wolfpack, Canada's first professional rugby team. I am passionate about creating a better vape experience for users in the cannabis industry in both the recreational and medical markets."

    https://www.wecannect.com/profiles/dustin-koffler-2319

  9. Posted · Edited by fcl · Report reply

    these remarks between solidarity and expansion are correct, however the RFL and its clubs must define a real policy with guidelines. Development in America is sporting, economic and of course ecological nonsense. In addition, tactically opening a second expansionist front without having reaped the fruits of the first is illogical and dangerous.
    Whether we like it or not Toronto and Toulouse are direct competitors, and I think having a nation like France competitive is more important for our sport than having a possible prospect of development in North America.

    • Like 2
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  10. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, Kayakman said:

    He can't be taken seriously...this is the same guy who refuses to admit that more than 5 000 fans attended a game in Toronto.  I was at those games (as were many others) and it is clear balderdash.

    North American projects if you prefer.
    I never said toronto didn't go past 5,000, just that the average was around 5,000 more than 8,000. I watched a few games and highlights from Toronto. There were clearly instructions not to take a wide shot. The photos used for communication were carefully chosen. This is not a critique of this perfect communication just an analysis. You defend your club, that's fine, but you also have to accept that other, more neutral spectators will move the debate forward.

    I am also awaiting your point of view on the statements of Kallum Watkins' wife." is currently facing a lawsuit in Canada over alleged unpaid bills and has previously faced legal action over moneys owed and claims from other creditors."

    Last year the club also had money problems. Personally I think that the economic model of this club was too fragile and dependent on a single person whose financial means we do not really know.

    • Like 2

  11. Posted · Report reply

    7 minutes ago, Click said:

    Just reading some of your posts on this thread, it almost comes across that you view Toronto as an attack on French RL in some form.

    Journalists have been asking questions about TW from the beginning, I am unsure if you've missed all the articles over the last 4 years? You could  probably start at the beginning of this thread.

    I mainly bring a different point of view. Toronto was in direct competition with Toulouse but also other clubs like London Featherstone, Leigh which represented more guarantee. personally I preferred to see a Super League with two French clubs, a club from Cumbria etc rather than American clubs whose projects are not realistic. I maintain that other than a few bits of information here and there, there was no serious journalistic investigation into Toronto.

    • Like 4

  13. Posted · Report reply

    53 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

    A real audience? We’re the 8000 Lamport regulars cardboard cut out? 

    I maintain that the crowds were exaggerated to serve as an argument and legitimize the project.
    Oriented shots, choice of camera layout, well-orchestrated communication. Everything was done to give the impression that the club was breaking records ...
    It was very good attendance (probably around 5000) with free entries, shows around with the famous beer garden but we are far from the 8000 spectators on average.

    • Like 3
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  14. Posted · Report reply

    39 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

    There are lessons to be learnt. But why have Catalans survived and been a success whereas Toronto are on the brink?

    Catalans get a share of the sky tv money, Toronto do not.
    Catalans entered our league system in Super League, Toronto entered in League One. Catalans do not pay away teams travel costs, Toronto do pay away teams travel costs. Catalans were exempt from relegation for 3 years, Toronto were not given any exemption.

    Toronto can be saved if we recognise where we’ve gone wrong and correct it immediately. 

    the Dragons have a history, a viable economic model with many sponsors and the French public authorities with them, a real audience, French players, a rugby school, an identity etc etc. To believe that we can build a club with millions of dollars is a huge mistake. I hope that the leaders of the RFL will come back to reality and give Toulouse a chance, which is definitely the best candidate to develop the sport both in France and in England with a real derby and the possibility of having a deal with French TV.

    • Thanks 1

  15. Posted · Report reply

    I would like to be able to read an article with real journalistic work on Toronto: who is David Argyle, what financial means does he have? Who does he rely on to manage the club? why so much change at the head of the club? The real crowds, the number of paying spectators, the contracts with the players, the recruitment strategy, the financial difficulties already encountered. What links in Canada? In England ? etc etc there are so many questions never addressed ...

    • Like 3

  17. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, Kayakman said:

    This is simply a culmination of many other 'problems'.   Make Toronto (and Catalans) full members, co operate with them rather than putting up barriers, I know it won't be perfect but at least it would be a start.  Lets all work together to make things better...be reasonable.

    We can't compare Toronto and the Catalan Dragons!
    The Catalan team has a solid foundation, many supporters' partners really paying for their seats in the stadium, a real culture, etc.
    Since the beginning Toronto even if there is someone behind with a little money and a whimsical project, the business plan with the garden beer etc is not possible any more currently.
    Personally, I never believed in it and I find it a shame to have sacrificed the Toulouse project for such an unreliable project.

    Even without the Covid crisis, the Toronto project was not reliable ... even less now!

    • Like 1

  18. Posted · Report reply

    I find it hard to understand how such a competition could work.
    Without speaking of money, clubs like the French clubs have worked hard for years to maintain a competition of a more than adequate level with the support of institutions, rugby schools etc. (Besides, the Spanish team only exists through the presence of French players)
    How one could create a championship ex nihilo without any base.
    last element, the current crisis shows that the time is more for industrial relocation (and sports too) than to continue in this endless globalization.

    • Like 3

  19. Posted · Report reply

    22 hours ago, paulwalker71 said:

    1 Gary Cooper

    2 Gary Christie

    3 Gary Connolly

    4 Gary Wheeler

    5 Gary Mercer

    6 Gary Schofield

    7 Gary Freeman

    8 Gary Cocks

    9 Gary Hetherington

    10 Gary van Bellen

    11  Gary Price

    12 Gary Charlton

    13  Gary Divorty

     

    Might be one or two **slightly** out of position, as I doing some of it from memory of seeing them play

    Gary Lo ?

  20. Posted · Edited by fcl · Report reply

    Since 2017, I had put forward this idea of basing a French team in Nouméa and that the distance with Australia was less than that with Papua or Auckland. I had even sent a letter to this effect to the president of the federation and created topics on the forums to launch the idea. The new Caledonia is economically isolated and this team could be a link with the Australian continent nearby. Everyone could be a winner: rugby league, Australia, Caledonia, France, etc.

     

    • Like 5

  24. Posted · Report reply

    2 minutes ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

    TBH I'd rather have a dose sooner before the NHS is overwhelmed on the chance I get it bad but also to build up some immunity ready for when it inevitably returns when I'm older and at more risk.

    This is theory ... It means that you are going to sacrifice thousands of people while maybe by the second wave there will be a vaccine. You could at least have played these games without a crowd ... but as always the economy is privileged compared to humans.

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