bamfordsbeans

Common sense and RL do not go hand in hand these days. The game is on a downward spiral and nobody seems to be able to do anything about it.

Better still, lets try and get the gates at Wembley up so we can re-negotiate. 50,000 gates at regional grounds won't have the same effect or revenue.

Good old fashioned prop forward. RIP Ian.

Great memories. Managed to get a drink from the Challenge Cup that night sat on a juke box next to Graham Eadie. I still drink in the Plummet and watch the rugby on Friday nights,although as the article stated its not the pub it was in the 80's. The decline in numbers drinking there probably mirrors Fax's decline in attendances. Lets hope for a change in fortune for both starting tomorrow.

Another 4 players from Siddal.

I thought the idea was a good one. The fact that the game is going to take place after the main event seems to have put a dampener on it. However if the right teams get there,I still believe it will add an extra 5-10,000 onto the attendance. Of the numerous suggestions on this board to increase the Final crowd,I have seen none to better this one.

Before the ex Man Utd players got involved, Salford were in the 8th tier of the soccer pyramid playing in front of crowds of about 100. Most NCL clubs would get more than this on a Saturday. Soccer is always going to attract the money men,but it surprises me that there are more investors in the 5th tier of their game than in the premier one of ours.Clubs like Fylde and Solihull Moors that were once nothing much more than "pub teams" have attracted money that most RL teams can only dream of.

If the likes of London,Salford,Huddersfield and Wakefield are our "elite",the game is in a sorry state.

The main difference at the moment is that the game is now paying for two sets of administration. As things stand at present, I can't see many benefits to this extra cost.

You are probably right Parky-the apathy of the fans of the top clubs is still greater than the rest of the game. Sad times!

Great performance from Fax -done with 7 homegrown players. When you add a similar number of Halifax born players in the Huddersfield squad it is a credit to the local amateur scene. Anybody know if any other side has had so many local players in recent times. Going back in time,I know the Featherstone side of the early eighties was mainly from the local pit.

Its a long way from the 70's and 80's when gates were larger for the Challenge Cup than league games. Realistically twice as many clubs had ambitions for Wembley than the present.

Last week the Hull players didn't turn up -this week it was the fans.

The only difference between the lesser SL and the top Championship clubs is the funding. Swop that over and Huddersfield,Wakefield and Salford would be in dire financial situation as Leigh,Widnes etc. It seems that to sustain a thriving SL set up requires crowds of 8,000 plus and at the moment only around 6 clubs can offer that.

Also would like to add that the pre-match meal was baked beans. At a Dave Callon testimonial event,my brother asked a question via Keith Macklin to Dave-what did it smell like in the scrums?