fighting irish

Great to see these European lads playing.

Great!

I agree with you. He is far too diplomatic to say anything so damaging. I'm sure he was being honest when he said he had a great deal of affection and respect for the playing group and I don't think he would want to say anything disparaging about them or to hurt them personally. Something happened there though, which so far, has not been revealed and I believe he was hurt by it. Privately, I think he will want to show them (Hudgell et al) that they were wrong to treat him that way and the comment from his brother (that he'd finally found the right Hull side) is, I think, a glimpse behind the veil, into his psyche, a freudian slip perhaps.

It sounds as if he's revelling in the opportunity to show Neil Hudgell what a mistake he made by clipping his (TS's) wings. There's no doubt that he left abruptly after having his ambitions curtailed by ''someone'' at HKR All this suggests he's still smarting about it. If you were hell bent on revenge, where better to exact it than Hull FC?

The difference between you and I Mr Big, is that I know what I'm talking about and you read something in a bio. I was a personal friend of Mick Hogan and worked as a development officer with him for the RFL. He is responsible for setting in motion the development programme that continues today. He is responsible for the recognition of the fact that to sustain an elite club, the pyramid has to have a broad and wide base. He set about creating that base and the systems required to ensure the ongoing commitment to and perserverance toward a long term goal. Despite his varied career he has always maintained an interest in and contributed to the development of RL in the North East. No B.S. from me Mr Big but as usual, heaps and heaps from you.

Rubbish!

The developments in Newcastle were begun by Mick Hogan about 30 to 40 years ago when he was a RL development officer. I know this because we worked together at the time. Everything else, including the professional clubs that have come and gone since, were products of his efforts and of the efforts of the contacts he created and nurtured along the way. The programme is a remarkable success and can and should be replicated right across the country. It's also an ongoing programme of work which will never be completed because they know, that as participants age and die or are tempted away, they need to be continually replaced (at least) for the game to continue to grow and prosper. It is a very real piece of work and there is nothing of the nature of a fantasy about it. It works and works well and is an essential part of any hope our game might have of a sustainable and growing future. For the record, there was no ''award of a franchise in the game's top tear, responsible for stimulating the interest which led to these developments''. They happened because Mick Hogan decided to make it happen. So yet again, your simplistic facile arguments bear no relation to reality. You are the epitome of a glib, grandiose fantasist and your laughable proposals are at best, an unhelpful waste of time and at worst a gross insult to the tireless work being done by real, lifelong enthusiasts far and wide. You have the effrontery to speak of a ''litany of bottom up failures'', how dare you? You who have done nothing, nothing at all to contribute to or to support the game, but have the bare faced cheek to stand aside and hurl insults. I'll reiterate, if this programme had been introduced right across the country, when Mick began work, instead of being confined to Newcastle we could have seen exponential growth and now 30 odd years later, the game would be in a much better place than it is.

Love it.

I'm not entirely sure, but I think we are agreeing with each other here. My point of view is that every area in the country (and the world) no matter whether there is a pro club nearby, or whether supported by the RFL or not, should be engaged in development work. The reality is, hardly any are. It's just not good enough (in my opinion) to say ''we need the RFL to do it for us'', or ''give us the money we need to do it''. What I'm inclined to ask, in response is, how are they doing it in Jamaica, or in the USA, or Serbia or Greece? What about Nigeria and the Gambia? The answer is, it's done by amateurs, lovers of the game, who move heaven and earth, just to be involved. Don't forget they may be amateurs at playing RL but it doesn't mean they are amateurs at life, or business, or have poor organisational abilities. The world is full of capable people unwilling to wait for permission, or help, or money. If they are sufficiently motivated nothing can stop them. In this country, in our game sadly, we have the entirely opposite attitude. We are incompetent, or feel an unearned sense of entitlement or are just content to live ''off the fat of the land''. Someone else has to do it for us and this is why I believe our progress is pitifully slow. Newcastle have proved what can be done, with largely amateur enthusiasts. They have produced a template, which works, so anyone with enough enthusiasm, doesn't need to re-invent the wheel, just replicate what they have done and are doing up there. To me, this is the natural domain of BARLA or the Welsh RL at home. BARLA and the local area committees, seem to be a spent force, involved in nothing more than creating fixture lists for the local leagues. Wow! big deal. Lazy, lazy lazy. Development should be high on the agenda at every local league meeting. Any business activity can be divided into two broad categories, Maintenance (of the existing structure) and Forward Movement (where do we want to go and how are we going to get there?). The second part is almost entirely absent from our amateur game. If this activity is missing, then what remains is tantamount to managed decline.

Where will the players come from? Look how long its taken Newcastle to grow their community game. Newcastle are making all the necessary efforts and their growth is an example to everyone else. There's no short cut, it's got to be done.

Tell it then?

Where's the tribute video? Showing his highlights, his great passing and kicking game, strong running, deadly tackles and of course his longevity. What about his loyalty to the game, his club and his International team? There should be one in production as we speak. If not, it's just another lost opportunity to say a huge thank you (and promote this great game).

Hiya John, I'm not sure I understand the point you are making here but I want to be clear that I wasn't making a joke, being sarcastic, or condescending towards Soccer. The skills required to trap and control a soccer ball, dribble it up field, let alone beat an opposition player and pass to a team mate are difficult to acquire and master. By comparison, catching and running with a rugby ball is easy. I was just saying that the statement that soccer is easier to play than Rugby League is a myth, a sop which some people accept and use as an excuse for why our game is not more popular. It's just not true. The reason our game is not more popular is because we are just not doing enough to promote it.

Come on Johnny, surely your not saying it's easier to dribble a round ball up the field that it is to carry a Steeden? That's another myth which creates inertia, when it comes to development. Soccer is like Tennis, you've got to be highly skilled even for a knock about game or it's just chaos. Anyone can catch and carry (and short pass) a rugby ball.

Every time development is mentioned someone brings up ''Ah but, football..... or RaRa....blah ...blah ....blah'' None of that makes any difference to our ability to unearth people (like me) who would prefer Rugby League over everything else. Why do some of our so-called supporters/fans find it so difficult to believe that for a certain percentage of the general population, Rugby League would/can become their favourite sport? What's missing, is the mechanism to find them, expose them to the game, persist long enough for the kids to realise they love it and then provide the opportunities to continue to play, for the rest of their active lives. I believe that SL, RFL, and BARLA, as so called ''governing bodies'' have been shamefully, woefully remiss in not continually (for as far back as you like) creating, maintaining and expanding that mechanism. It can be done, it does work, it's not magic but you've got to man-up, accept the responsibility as the games custodians, stop whining and get on with it. As far as I can see, BARLA play no part in the development of our sport. I sense a wide rift between the RFL and BARLA and I believe it badly damages our games prospects and has done for decades.

What a lovely stadium. I'm utterly envious in the best possible sense. Why can't we generate the business sponsorship, media coverage, fan engagement and government backing to build stadia like this here?

This just makes me want to weep.

Loathsome creature.

Who is Oily John?

Good luck with this. Great news.

You'll have to tell me what he said? I've missed that obviously. Hang on, do you mean Andy Farrell or Eddie Jones?

He'll be the England RaRa Coach once that obnoxious Australian bloke bug gers off back to the desert.

It wouldn't surprise me, if the instigators, were RaRa sympathisers/spies (fifth columnists) who made themselves available for selection in order to bring about the shocking scandal.

Genius!

Poor Dennis, seems his long term plan, didn't bear fruit quick enough. Or more accurately, the vines weren't mature enough to make good wine this season.