Is Nigel happy with what he left behind?

[iangidds]

Reading about RL is often a hardship rather than a joy and I often despair at the situation we are in ; this generally leads to middle age anger and sadness as I look back through the Rose tinted glasses!

I come back to the main man in charge who appears to have walked away from the game after collecting a huge wage for 10 years as well as a handsome payoff and a new job probably very highly paid again! Did Nigel achieve any real good things? Or are we just focusing on the negative aspects of his regime?? (there are a lot)

I know Nigel is for expansion of the game but can anyone place a positive spin on his tenure? I would like to place my grumpy old man syndrome somewhere else !!

[Scarey71]

No-one gets a juicy payoff for walking.  

He was removed.  He knows what the new structure means for CH and L1 and was totally against it.  He's more or less said it's the end for many lower league clubs with SL planning to pull up the drawbridge.

The SL boys didn't like him trying to block their plans so he had to go.

[JohnM]

He didn't have many fans on here in the first place, with lots of posters calling for his head for many years. Now hes gone, is he now a hero?

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

As I said at the time 'be careful what you wish for.'

[Lewis]

I was never a fan of him at all. If I was looking to name some of the positives then maybe the total figure from Sky for the current deal was a good amount of cash to secure? 

Getting the financial commitment from the UK Government for 2021 World Cup. 

[Oliver Clothesoff]

Would he care what he’s left behind?

[Damien]

What did he leave behind apart from not much money after paying himself a fat salary for years and then then a big fat payoff too. The game, and leadership of the game, deteriorated badly under his watch.

[Dave T]

Expansion via Catalans. 

Magic Weekend.

RLWC 2013

Huge investment for RLWC 2021

Admission of TWP

Some decent stuff there, could easily be balanced with negatives. Depends on how happy you are overall, and it will be interesting to see how the next 5 years go.

[Colin James]

An empty buffet and a financial hole.

[Damien]

13 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Expansion via Catalans. 

Magic Weekend.

RLWC 2013

Huge investment for RLWC 2021

Admission of TWP

Some decent stuff there, could easily be balanced with negatives. Depends on how happy you are overall, and it will be interesting to see how the next 5 years go.

Catalans was under Richard Lewis. Celtic Crusaders was under Wood's watch though.

The Magic Weekend isn't anything to shout about. It's a simple marketing gimmick that hasn't grown since Day 1 and still relies on the same fans that would go to watch their clubs at home anyway.

As for the rest it's pretty basic stuff in my book and any competent CEO would have achieved the same or better. Hopefully that would be without decimating the youth and amateur game and getting rid of development officers which happened with Wood.

[Dave T]

Just now, Damien said:

Catalans was under Richard Lewis. Celtic Crusaders was under Wood's watch though.

The Magic Weekend isn't anything to shout about. It's a simple marketing gimmick that hasn't grown since Day 1 and still relies on the same fans that would go to watch their clubs at home anyway.

As for the rest it's pretty basic stuff in my book and any competent CEO would have achieved the same or better. Hopefully that would be without decimating the youth and amateur game and getting rid of development officers which happened with Wood.

As I say, people will decide what they like and don't, but as we saw in 2017 and 2000 a successful World Cup isn't a given. He led that very well, and secured unprecedented government funding for 2021.

I meant to acknowledge the overlap with Richard Lewis, particularly on the Catalans point, but I remember a conversation I had with Lewis where he spoken very very highly of Wood, and indeed set Wood up to take over his role.

Magic is always up for debate, bu personally I think it has been a positive move for the game.

[Pulga]

Here's a positive spin:

While he was screwing the English game he wasn't screwing the global game.

 

[Colin James]

Toronto was a fluke. It's not like Wood went out looking for it. The Wolfpack project was self-driven and I don't particularly think anyone at the RFL deserves much credit on that front.

 

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, Colin James said:

Toronto was a fluke. It's not like Wood went out looking for it. The Wolfpack project was self-driven and I don't particularly think anyone at the RFL deserves much credit on that front.

 

It would have been extremely easy to just say no to them.

Plenty would have, it would appear.

[Damien]

1 minute ago, Colin James said:

Toronto was a fluke. It's not like Wood went out looking for it. The Wolfpack project was self-driven and I don't particularly think anyone at the RFL deserves much credit on that front.

 

That's a very pertinent point. Toronto has been a Godsend and certainly not of the RFL's making.

[Colin James]

Just now, Dave T said:

It would have been extremely easy to just say no to them.

Plenty would have, it would appear.

Perhaps but they had done all the work, secured the finances and solutions to lots of the potential issues. My view would be different if it was Wood/The RFL's idea. They merely signed it off.

[JohnM]

45 minutes ago, Colin James said:

An empty buffet and a financial hole.

He could always go on a diet. What could you do?

[Dave T]

33 minutes ago, Colin James said:

Perhaps but they had done all the work, secured the finances and solutions to lots of the potential issues. My view would be different if it was Wood/The RFL's idea. They merely signed it off.

I don't believe credit can only be given when an individual comes up with the idea personally. We have seen the amount of resistance to new things - 'they merely signed it off' is underplaying this quite a lot imho.

But I aint gonna spend too much time defending Nigel Wood on here, I think that is a thankless task!

[ghost crayfish]

I don't think Wood is the devil some paint him as, but I certainly do question whether he was any good at his job...I've got the same questions about Rimmer. The RFL inspire no confidence at all with these guys  Neither is particularly impressive, in the way Elstone comes across. I also question Wood's ethics, accepting such a big payout when he had another job in the sport to go to (in what is essentially a development and expansion body), while the RFL was having to shed development officers. Legally entitled he may have been, but it still irks me.

Edit: I realise I've probably gone on to contradict my first statement!

[Harry Stottle]

23 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I don't believe credit can only be given when an individual comes up with the idea personally. We have seen the amount of resistance to new things - 'they merely signed it off' is underplaying this quite a lot imho.

But I aint gonna spend too much time defending Nigel Wood on here, I think that is a thankless task!

Wasn't one his last nobs in the RL going and doing a feasibility study on Ney York? Whatever happened to that if I am correct

[Dave T]

Just now, Harry Stottle said:

Wasn't one his last nobs in the RL going and doing a feasibility study on Ney York? Whatever happened to that if I am correct

We haven't heard of him for yonks, maybe he is still there?!?!!

[Allora]

Some have said he was a Pig at the Trough that delivered the bare minimum.

I am not saying those are my thoughts but I have heard it said.

 

[bobbruce]

30 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Wasn't one his last nobs in the RL going and doing a feasibility study on Ney York? Whatever happened to that if I am correct

Maybe he’s said they aren’t ready. 

[Man of Kent]

1 hour ago, Colin James said:

An empty buffet and a financial hole.

True that. The RFL is becoming little more than an HR department for refs.

[Just Browny]

Some good things happened under Wood; plenty of bad things too. I wouldn't consider myself knowledgeable enough to say which ones he had the most influence in. The 2013 World Cup, and prep for the next one, are definitely good things that happened during his tenure.

Ten years ago, though, I was definitely one of those who would stand up for the RFL as not getting a fair deal. Over that period, there have been enough cock-ups and failures to erode my confidence quite significantly in them as an organisation - from Exiles and Stobarts, to the 8s and the loss of test matches in London.