fighting irish
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Posts posted by fighting irish
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42 minutes ago, gingerjon said:
This is why working class areas famously had no brass bands, male voice choirs, pubs or midweek sporting events.
No the reason they had those things is because the didn't have a tele' and women used to complain about spending too much time looking at the ceiling.
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13 hours ago, Damien said:
I think the best response given the ''tightrope walking'' nature of all possibilities, would be to give a hearty, enthusiastic round of applause.
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21 hours ago, Dunbar said:
Sure, I just don't like it when they get to the point where they are pushing foreheads into each other. I think when they get to that point they have gone past mutual respect and into intimidation.
Just a personal opinion.
We should just agree that the teams cannot come closer than a metre (say) to the oppostion.
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22 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:
The sailors hornpipe gets my vote for our 'haka'.
Without our proud naval heritage we wouldn't ever have visited the lands of the teams we're now playing.
Some of those moves could be tricky with studs on a grass pitch, so I would recommend a change of footwear during the build up.
Thats almost as camp as the Monty Python one.
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On 28/10/2024 at 20:29, LeytherRob said:
Campaign to bring back this version of the Haka
Looks more like the Okey Cokey, with most of them looking for someone, who actually knows what he's supposed to be doing, to copy off.
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Here's something novel, for a thread like this.
I loved it. The game was great and I can't wait for next weeks match.
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4 hours ago, DI Keith Fowler said:
He has in effect spent an awful lot of his own money to slowly kill the club.
Yes indeed and more, he's gone a long way to demolish the esteem in which the whole game is held in London.
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41 minutes ago, The Daddy said:
How did he leave in the most damaging way possible when the club is debt free?
Those liabilities were created by him.
They are his debts.
If he hadn't paid them off, his personal financial ''reputation'' would be tarnished by default.
That is the very least he could possibly do, but he's done nothing else, when he could have done so very much more.
I'll say it again, he's withdrawn with the deliberate intention to do as much damage to the club, cause as much disruption to the league and the maximum embarrassment to the RFL/IMG as possible.
He couldn't have done this carelessly, its not some random misfortune, it's deliberately contrived with the intention to cause the maximum harm possible.
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17 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:
You have said this before but that makes no sense. So nothing was planned before 2 weeks ago? Ink on contracts for next season should have long since dried before then. Either that or he has lead them sleepwalking in to a disaster.
I'm not going to chastise you, for your lack of sympathy but surely from all the ''evidence'' we've had presented on this forum over the years, it's clear to see that Hughes had complete control of everything.
The fact that he wasn't sanctioning signing new players for next season is an ominous sign that he was going to withdraw but he's withdrawn in the most damaging way possible.
Perhaps those left behind suspected he was going to do it but were unable to prepare for life after him (Hughes) without his approval. They may also, have been paralysed with fear of the consequences, if their suspicions proved to be well founded.
I suggest that no-one else at the club, had any license to act (in recruitment) without his permission or had any idea he was going to completely eviscerate the club on his withdrawal rather than make reasonable provision for the continuation of the club. I think ''they'' are just as shocked and upset as we are and as such are completely blameless with regard to your accusations.
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9 minutes ago, corkonian77 said:
Federations should exist primarily to promote the Sport in their own country.
The difference between Ireland and Scotland and Samoa and Tonga is that one group will play in front of 500 people and the other a multiple of that. While Samoa and Tonga raise funds Ireland and Scotland barely cover costs at best.
Bang on mate. I'm just saying it should also apply to BARLA!
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I haven't watched it all yet but enjoyed what I've seen.
I'm pleased to see that the Jamaican home grown players put on a very good show, absent all the heritage players on show in Neath a few days ago.
Both the Canadians and the Jamaicans seem to be very credible Rugby League teams, very athletic, highly skilled and very entertaining, for partisan fans and neutrals alike.
If only it can be financed, I'd like to see them (and the USA) drawn into a NH trans-Atlantic International competition. It can only lead to more growth in both participation numbers and commercial backing.
Thank you for posting the link to the game, let's hope there's lots more to come.
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1 hour ago, Worzel said:
You're not wrong. This article gives a decent insight into the firm... supplying oil to Libyan rebels and Milosevic's regime (via Arkan of all people!), and buying it off an under-international-sanctions Iran!
I didn't know any of that but it all makes sense now. Thanks.
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15 hours ago, Tommygilf said:
This sort of situation is a massive dereliction of duty by both David Hughes and the RFL.
The former has hollowed out the club to nothing, no assets, less supporters, less success*. He's burned bridges with places where others could have ran it sustainably (Ealing etc), and burned bridges with a lot of fans. Going part time for a daft move to Wimbledon even decimated the only other semi pro RL club nearby which was holding on by a thread. He's made the club more dependent on him as time went on, not less. And in this final season in which I have no doubt he should have known was likely going to be his last, he has made zero succession planning before the last week. No networking, no bringing potentially interested parties to the club, no proper forewarning to fans or the wider game. It's a complete dereliction of duty as a responsible owner.
The latter have sat by and allowed this to happen to what, under every regime and structure, has been deemed an area of strategic importance to the game.
*Hughes is a fan of saying that the Broncos have been in SL for 20 of 27 years iirc. Since his sole ownership and control of the club though that record must be much worse?
I think he did it deliberately.
He's treated us all, including the RFL just like he's treated everybody else with an interest in the club. ''I'm doing it my way and if you don't like it, you can lump it!''. The sheer effrontery of the RFL/IMG trying to impose ''standards'' on him, something he failed spectacularly to establish, on his own. ''How dare they?''.
So knowing (for at least 12 months), that they weren't going to be in Super League, he's pulled the plug in a way which he's carefully contrived to cause the maximum damage to the club, disruption to the league and embarrassment to the RFL.
Thanks Dave, thanks for nothing. Good Riddance.
I just hope we can find someone with a little more humility, some genuine love of the game and more than a mere modicum of business acumen.
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2 hours ago, JohnM said:
Why don't we have a ''self help'' information exchange programme amongst the RFL clubs?
With as much supporting evidence as many other claims on this thread, I expect such an exchange exists. I think the bigger clubs have management structures headed by CEOs and MDs , with the owners working in a similar way to Premier League club owners. Again, with no supporting evidence, I'd be surprised if Beaumont isn't active in trying to promote his views to other owners, where he might be better off aiming at one level of organogram lower.
Forgive me but I don't really understand what you are saying? Would you care to elaborate?
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20 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:
There's no such thing as bad publicity, so it's said
Harry, we all know your loyalty to Derek is unquestionable and a lot of these posters relish the opportunity to knock him and by extension have a pop at you. I say it's a great pity some of the other clubs don't have someone so committed and so willing to invest their own time and money testing the market, to glean what might work and what doesn't. So I'm not going to knock him or you, my old chum.
I found myself wishing recently, that London had had him for the last 20 years.
Anyway to the point - I can't understand why the league clubs (all of them) don't pool their knowledge (as you suggest). If Derek's got something that works, would he be willing to share his successful methods with others to help them prosper? Similarly, Leeds, Wigan, et al. Why don't we have a ''self help'' information exchange programme amongst the RFL clubs? We do have pockets of expertise within the organisations member clubs. Why don't we, in a spirit of fraternal bonhomie, make that information available to everyone?
(It's ok Harry, I know the answer but what a short term, small minded, insular sh..thouse, answer it is)
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C'mon Wales!
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On 12/10/2024 at 09:32, Gav Wilson said:
Again, Toronto built up a rugby league fanbase of several thousands as recently as 2017.
***If you have enough money***, you can start a successful club anywhere.
If you have a ball and a field, (and the will) you can start a successful amateur club anywhere.
Ask Bob Brown.
It's happening all over the world.
Our ''so called'' administrators just wont accept the challenge.
Preferring to blame the RFL.
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On 11/10/2024 at 18:04, Agbrigg said:
Looking further down the facts about Welsh RL are not good reading either.
I've scanned the article but didn't find much on the Welsh RL (being not good reading) can you direct me to the passages which prompted you to comment? My father was involved in the Welsh league formed in 1949.
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1 hour ago, 48C North Stand said:
Coach from E Hull at about 11 - should be there about 2ish then grub and beer to kick off. Then i'll be either consuming protein from my nails if it's close. Or sat back with my arms folded if Wigan are 3 scores up after 15 mins (which is possible)....
Should be home by about midnight - on-call from 0600 Sunday morning!
Oh ye of little faith! What if HKR are three scores up after 15 mins? What will you be doing then?
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Great news, can't wait for the Wales v Jamaica game in Neath next week.
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34 minutes ago, Jim from Oz said:
Wonderful story
That'll have them flocking to Las Vegas next Spring.
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13 minutes ago, RP London said:
to be fair, he did improve the road system and built some great amphitheatres..
Yes indeed, and he didn't put any speed bumps on the roads either!
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14 hours ago, John m said:
Can anyone tell if there’s a RL presence in Middleton Greater Manchester as if not it smacks me as being ideal expansion territory sandwiched into between Oldham, Rochdale, Salford and bury(broncos).
I've read with interest and a little amusement about all the suggestions of prime territory for expansion. All good stuff.
I'll call again, for the administrators of the local leagues to accept some responsibility for the development of the game in their locality.
As it is, (it seems to me) they are just presiding over whatever exists and that's nothing to be proud of, any fool can do that. This is how the ''self talk'' goes. Who wants to be involved? Eight teams (but we had 10 last year!). Ok no matter, here's the fixture list, see you next year. League secretary? Don't make me laugh.
How about recruiting a volunteer to consider how the game might be developed in the area? With a different narrative, ''Here's what we've got, now what we can do, to grow it''?
It's an agenda item, at each and every league meeting.
With all your suggestions, the resources to bring about such growth are absent from your plans. Well here's the resource. Furthermore, its the only resource we have (at the moment) but the starting point is accepting that those administrators ''ought'' to be be doing more. That a search for willing volunteers to focus only on development is the first step in the plan.
To all the nay-sayers, let me counter, how are the Greeks growing the game, the Jamaicans, the Maltese, etc. etc. etc.
Well their not hanging about, basking in former glories, their accepting the challenge and bl---dy getting on with it.
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3 hours ago, RP London said:
I get all that.. you know my stance on RL in London and the damage that has been done by people/organsiations etc.. its just that I wouldnt wish dementia on my worst enemy, equally to the horror for the person is the pain it causes those around them, which I am sure many of us have had experience of. I'm not trying to be holier than though or anything and know you arent saying that you wish it on him.. just dont personally believe its a comment that is worth throwing around or making a joke/point about.. That was the entire point and I dont want to derail the thread with it.
Fair enough mate.
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Revival of the European championship
in The General Rugby League Forum
Posted · Edited by fighting irish
It's a dilemma isn't it?
I agree with most peoples comments on this thread. The gap in ability between England and the others (even France) is a gulf. We do however need some international football to grow the supporter base.
My own opinion is that our best hope, in the near term, of finding credible opposition lies across the Atlantic.
I hope the Las Vegas initiative combined with some Australian hand-holding of the USARL will spur some consolidation and growth over there and then we should draw them into a Northern Hemisphere championships, of sorts.
My own preference would be a kind of ''squash ladder'' type comp where teams only play the team above and below themselves in the ladder. Climbing the ladder over time. The team at the top of the ladder (England) would only play one game, against the team immediately below them in the ladder, looking to the Southern Hemisphere for the stiffer tests they need.
This would give Shaun Wane one more game and an opportunity to blood some new squad members without risking the vital win/loss record success, they crave at international football. Maybe they should even field the England A team, without saying so.
Once the England team lose a game (to the N.H. champions/challengers) England can be subsumed into the competition.
It's a long road but having given this subject many hours thought, I can't see any real practical alternative.