CATALAN DRAGONS

[Scubby]

29 minutes ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

So, under licencing everything was rosey in the financial worlds of Crusaders, London, Cas, Wakey, Bradford............

I didn't say licensing was the future (or done very well for that matter) I said clubs outside didn't wither and die during this period. Now under 3x8s they are chasing the golden goose and at least 5 clubs in the Championship have been in financial trouble since the system started.

On another note, it could be argued that a club like Featherstone may not have been the vibrant club it is today without having to work to the strict guidelines of the licensing era. It made massive changes off the field, set up links with the community, redeveloped the stadium  and still had success on the field (and run an academy team). In fact, Featherstone would have been hot favourites to replace Wakefield had it gone around again. Imagine 3-years to build a strong club in SL with a decent stadium as opposed to the car crash boom and bust model Fev are faced with now.

 

[Mattrhino]

Catalan have had relativly tough fixtures to start. They still have Fev and Halifax to play which should be 4 points.

[Vladman]

6 hours ago, Lowdesert said:

Which coach would have turned the club around, based on their recruitment, bans, management over this last 3 years?  To blame the coach is stupid.

I am not blaming the coach banana though is NOT the right choice.

 

Only Mick Potter ever stood up to the board who are sadly clueless and operate the business and club on a total  knee jerk reaction policy:(((((

[Bartholemew Smythe]

6 hours ago, Scubby said:

I didn't say licensing was the future (or done very well for that matter) I said clubs outside didn't wither and die during this period. Now under 3x8s they are chasing the golden goose and at least 5 clubs in the Championship have been in financial trouble since the system started.

 

 

I`m fairly sure Bradford were in financial problems prior to their fall from SL.

[Southerner80]

10 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

Many Championship clubs would support this as, being realistic, they could never hack it as either clubs or teams in SL. An even better change, in my opinion, would be for the Championship clubs to switch to winter RL. Without promotion the arguments for summer RL diminish; Championship attendances are affected even more than most by the summer holiday periods; and they might offer a "RL fix" for some SL fans out of their season.

I would be up for this. Winter RL for below SL makes a lot of sense. 

The Aussie model of NRL then QL cup and NSW cup is a good one.

RL is not soccer. 

[Southerner80]

10 hours ago, JDINTHEHIZZOUSE said:

What nonsense,without teams like batley,fev and fax this sport would lose a huge amounts of spectators. These teams have more passionate fans than any others, you only have to look at how many posts batley fans have on this forum compared to others and that includes my team. As for keeping a team in super league because they are "exotic"??? Is ludicrous. If you want exotic rugby then start a team made up of Brazilian models,bejesus!

Realism is not many people who watch on Sky care about the minor Yorkshire Teams. Cats, Leeds, Wigan, Wire, Saints, Hull, Cas, Bradford etc...people want to see big teams.  

No Sky = no pro RL. It would go back to the 80s in terms of the game.

As for spectators, add up Batley, Fev and Fax average home gates....all together its still going to be way less than the Dragons.

No Cats, French RL takes a big hit.

France is the only RL nation out there with a Pro league outside of OZ/NZ and the UK. This should be remembered. 

Teams like Batley would do much better in a proper salary cap comp say 500k max championship where the likes of Leigh and Toronto next year cant just buy promotion.   The Championship would be a good Stand alone competition. 

SL would be like the NRL. On application only, and criteria will need to be harder. 

[Tongs ya bas]

On 8/19/2017 at 8:48 PM, snapski said:

The table is what it is at the end. Please don't give us, we must save Catalans if they are relegated. 

No let's look towards the golden days ahead: of the top competition of the game being played by teams entirely from its northern enclave again eh? An enclave where it isn't even the most important sport. Knurr and spell anyone? 

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

I suppose that should Catalans be relegated (although I very much doubt they will) the catastrophe that will follow for RL in this country will be on the same scale as that that followed the relegation of London.... 

[Scubby]

6 minutes ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

I suppose that should Catalans be relegated (although I very much doubt they will) the catastrophe that will follow for RL in this country will be on the same scale as that that followed the relegation of London.... 

It will be that you can throw a virtual blanket over the competing clubs along the M62.

[Charlie RL]

Can CAts somehow turn this around?  Some  SL  teams have had big result swings week to week.  Cats dip is pronounced over several weeks but there is something appealing about them ... Most feedback suggests they have become really poor quickly with no obvious scope to improve, will fixtures help?

[JohnM]

14 hours ago, Vladman said:

I am not blaming the coach banana though is NOT the right choice.

 

Only Mick Potter ever stood up to the board who are sadly clueless and operate the business and club on a total  knee jerk reaction policy:(((((

I think you'll find his surname is McNamara.

[JoneslessBishop]

Like MattRhino said, tough start to Super8s, but with two home games against the worst teams, and a final home game against Widnes to at least try and secure home advatage in the MPG, its very much in their own hands. Even if they  do go down, Leigh and now probably HKR have shown that promotion is possible from the Super8s, so it's not all doom and gloom. Derbies versus Toulouse, and Toronto in the Championship could make it a very vibrant competition should Catalan go down.

[GaryO]

20 hours ago, Lowdesert said:

If Cats get through this and the coach stays, quite easily we could see 7/8 players leave.  Difficult to recruit and gel such a group of incoming newcomers but the problem is, they need another 2 or 3 on top.  Talk of a decent young NRL halfback to coming in, maybe to tie in with Albert, if he's deemed good enough.  Guasch could offer an olive branch to Pellissier but to recapture some of the French who are plying their trade in England will be extremely difficult.  They are doing ok..

This actually falls perfectly in line with my discussion on available players of SL quality to grace the competition, you want 7/8 players, even with your 85 year history from 1932 of the game in France, Catalan will need to go overseas to supplement at least half of the squad - deemed capable enough - to compete, my own club Leigh need as many "fresh bodies" as will most probably Widnes as will any other club should they be promoted.

The same has to said about Tolouse and will apply to Toronto more drastically in their requirement of 100% of an overseas playing roster should they make SL, then we have the fantasy of the other Canadian and N. American clubs being brought into being, but we are told by the expansionists that everything will be OK there are plenty of antipodeans available and no untold numbers of converts from Union will supplement our requirements, the task ahead for a number of clubs is not an easy one in recruitment.

Also may I congratulate you on your recognition that it is within the club that your problems stem, and unlike many others you seem prepared to take your medicine should the unspeakable relegation happen to Catalan, and not requesting an easy way out.

PS for what it's worth, I do not consider for one minute that fate will fall on your club, I really expect you to win your remaining games, and secure SL status by the proper channel.

[GaryO]

12 hours ago, Scubby said:

It will be that you can throw a virtual blanket over the competing clubs along the M62.

And those would be the clubs that performed the best over 30 or 31 games the previous season under this present format (and before which you tell me it should not be so) they were the rules at the start of the season which every club knew they would be competing in, so finishing above 5th spot including the MPG should it not carry some reward, or is mediocrity to be rewarded.

Funnily enough for the last 2 seasons there are those who have berated the MPG, this year I suspect that it may be OK in the minds of some that it may offer one particular club a lifeline, how very "contraire" things can turn out.

[Tongs ya bas]

8 minutes ago, GaryO said:

And those would be the clubs that performed the best over 30 or 31 games the previous season under this present format (and before which you tell me it should not be so) they were the rules at the start of the season which every club knew they would be competing in, so finishing above 5th spot including the MPG should it not carry some reward, or is mediocrity to be rewarded.

Funnily enough for the last 2 seasons there are those who have berated the MPG, this year I suspect that it may be OK in the minds of some that it may offer one particular club a lifeline, how very "contraire" things can turn out.

1. And you think that is good for the progress of rugby league?

 

2. No.

 

 

[GaryO]

50 minutes ago, Tongs ya bas said:

1. And you think that is good for the progress of rugby league?

 

2. No.

 

 

Probably it's my nature, in business (and including the factory that I owned in Leeds, see no animosity from a Lancashire lad) I always rewarded those who performed better moreso than those who did not do quite as well, and I did it by formulating very achievable set targets, the carrot was in easy reach it was not dangled to far away so it could not be attained. Not so very different to the Rugby League structure(s) and the qualifying eight's, and may I add most definitely weighted in favour of the SL clubs, not maintaing SL status is unforgivable and whatever the circumstances should be devoid of reward, not pampered to because of so called status as some would prefer, it is a competition, albeit a competition with a trap door which is far better in my opinion having that jeopardy than not and having a meaningless end to the season, unfortunately all the clubs have to adhere to the rules, no exceptions.

FWIW, I do not think that Catalan will be relegated, I believe that the SL clubs will retain their status, but again that will be a controversial statement, it could affect another status club.

Just my opinion.

 

 

 

[Tongs ya bas]

14 minutes ago, GaryO said:

Probably it's my nature, in business (and including the factory that I owned in Leeds, see no animosity from a Lancashire lad) I always rewarded those who performed better moreso than those who did not do quite as well, and I did it by formulating very achievable set targets, the carrot was in easy reach it was not dangled to far away so it could not be attained. Not so very different to the Rugby League structure(s) and the qualifying eight's, and may I add most definitely weighted in favour of the SL clubs, not maintaing SL status is unforgivable and whatever the circumstances should be devoid of reward, not pampered to because of so called status as some would prefer, it is a competition, albeit a competition with a trap door which is far better in my opinion having that jeopardy than not and having a meaningless end to the season, unfortunately all the clubs have to adhere to the rules, no exceptions.

FWIW, I do not think that Catalan will be relegated, I believe that the SL clubs will retain their status, but again that will be a controversial statement, it could affect another status club.

Just my opinion.

 

 

 

im not sure why you feel the need to point out the fact that you owned a factory; or that it is relevant. there is no parallel whatsoever.but hey we now know you owned a factory.  The loss of catalans would signal yet another retreat into the so called heartlands, another loss of a club that added a dimension to the competition. I'm not happy about it. i want rugby league at top level to grow in terms of its profile, and not regress to the bad old days of the 70s and 80s. 

[Scubby]

2 hours ago, GaryO said:

And those would be the clubs that performed the best over 30 or 31 games the previous season under this present format (and before which you tell me it should not be so) they were the rules at the start of the season which every club knew they would be competing in, so finishing above 5th spot including the MPG should it not carry some reward, or is mediocrity to be rewarded.

Funnily enough for the last 2 seasons there are those who have berated the MPG, this year I suspect that it may be OK in the minds of some that it may offer one particular club a lifeline, how very "contraire" things can turn out.

If the MPG didn't exist then Catalans in 10th would have been nowhere near the relegation places and Widnes would have gone as bottom club. Hey but let's keep rolling it around until we eventually beat vibrant clubs like Hull KR (11th in 2016) and Catalans (10th in 2017) into submission.

[GaryO]

8 minutes ago, Tongs ya bas said:

im not sure why you feel the need to point out the fact that you owned a factory; or that it is relevant. there is no parallel whatsoever.but hey we now know you owned a factory.  The loss of catalans would signal yet another retreat into the so called heartlands, another loss of a club that added a dimension to the competition. I'm not happy about it. i want rugby league at top level to grow in terms of its profile, and not regress to the bad old days of the 70s and 80s. 

Not a factory, four in fact but hey, the relevance was using that as a comparison to the situation, the parralell was in set targets and a point in circumstance, but if you can't grasp that then.............. sigh!

Go on, don't keep beating about the bush ,admit it you would be quite happy to reward failure.

 

 

[GaryO]

1 minute ago, Scubby said:

If the MPG didn't exist then Catalans in 10th would have been nowhere near the relegation places and Widnes would have gone as bottom club. Hey but let's keep rolling it around until we eventually beat vibrant clubs like Hull KR (11th in 2016) and Catalans (10th in 2017) into submission.

The same question as to your compadre Tongs as above.

PS still awaiting your response to my question re my concern about future players, if you consider it irrelevant, so be it, I understand completely.

[Scubby]

Just now, GaryO said:

The same question as to your compadre Tongs as above.

PS still awaiting your response to my question re my concern about future players, if you consider it irrelevant, so be it, I understand completely.

Sorry I can't remember the question but if you ask it again now I will try and answer it.

[Lowdesert]

17 hours ago, Vladman said:

I am not blaming the coach banana though is NOT the right choice.

 

Only Mick Potter ever stood up to the board who are sadly clueless and operate the business and club on a total  knee jerk reaction policy:(((((

calling for the coach to be replaced by Mick potter is as big an insinuation.  And considering that his win ratio was less than circa 50% is isn't that well thought out.

[Jacko45]

19 hours ago, Mattrhino said:

Catalan have had relativly tough fixtures to start. They still have Fev and Halifax to play which should be 4 points.

We'll see pal.

[Jacko45]

4 hours ago, JohnM said:

I think you'll find his surname is McNamara.

I think your both wrong it's Mcbanana.

[DemonUK]

3 hours ago, JoneslessBishop said:

Like MattRhino said, tough start to Super8s, but with two home games against the worst teams, and a final home game against Widnes to at least try and secure home advatage in the MPG, its very much in their own hands. Even if they  do go down, Leigh and now probably HKR have shown that promotion is possible from the Super8s, so it's not all doom and gloom. Derbies versus Toulouse, and Toronto in the Championship could make it a very vibrant competition should Catalan go down.

Catalans v Toronto equals a derby???? Is that cos they speak French in Canada? As for a vibrant competition, I would reword that and say the Swintons and Oldhams of this world will only be able to afford to cycle to their away games in Toulouse, Catalans and Toronto (anyone asked Perez if they are covering costs next season?)