The General 'Toronto Wolfpack' Discussion Thread

[Robin Evans]

1 hour ago, Oxford said:

Despite the interuption there SL without TWP is much the same as Salford without Watson all the poorer. And very few of the candidates for being accepted into SL even come close to replacing them in that way. Even Toulouse can't bridge that loss fully.

Why can't they?

[tms]

4 hours ago, Oxford said:

It wouldn't matter if there is a perfectly reasonable and logical explanation, it will still be deemed unfair and seen as a pattern by those who like that sort of forum stuff.

please enlighten me what would in your opinion be a  perfectly reasonable and logical explanation,

[Oxford]

52 minutes ago, POR said:

please enlighten me what would in your opinion be a  perfectly reasonable and logical explanation,

I thought I had!

[binosh]

No no no haven’t you heard? The Wolfpack have just announced Pepsi as a major sponsor after fighting off a 10 million dollar offer from Coca Cola.  Budweiser have bought the naming rights to the Lamport for 5 million per season for the next 3 years and CTV have just offered SL 100 million for a 5 year broadcasting licence for SL........ 
 

 

 

 

 

 

no, hang on, news just in all the above is infact a load of nonsense much like Livolsi’s proposal and Toronto are infact just a major drain on the finances of a tinpot sport played in the north of England that I love very much.

[tms]

20 minutes ago, Oxford said:

I thought I had!

I must have missed that could you kindly tell me again

[Oxford]

4 minutes ago, POR said:

I must have missed that could you kindly tell me again

Ask Gubrats he knows everything!

[tms]

Just now, Oxford said:

Ask Gubrats he knows everything!

but I;m asking you with all your knowledge of rugby league

[Oxford]

3 minutes ago, POR said:

but I;m asking you with all your knowledge of rugby league

The only thing I know is how little I know!

What question exactly, woud you like me to try though?

[GeordieSaint]

15 minutes ago, binosh said:

Toronto are infact just a major drain on the finances of a tinpot sport played in the north of England that I love very much.

Attitudes like this are a key reason why the sport is tin pot in England.

[tms]

1 minute ago, Oxford said:

The only thing I know is how little I know!

What question exactly, woud you like me to try though?

perfectly reasonable and logical explanation,?

[Oxford]

Just now, POR said:

perfectly reasonable and logical explanation,?

That's a phrase not a question so I'm still at a loss.

It referred to the rejection of ideas we don't like or agree with, the denial of alternatives, a very common outcome these days.

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, Oxford said:

That's a phrase not a question so I'm still at a loss.

It referred to the rejection of ideas we don't like or agree with, the denial of alternatives, a very common outcome these days.

But you said " IF there was " , which suggests there isn't , so it's not unreasonable to be asked to provide one

[Michael1812]

25 minutes ago, binosh said:

no, hang on, news just in all the above is infact a load of nonsense much like Livolsi’s proposal and Toronto are infact just a major drain on the finances of a tinpot sport played in the north of England that I love very much.

I can’t speak to Livolsi’s plan as I didn’t see or hear his presentation so it may have been  but how were they a major drain on finances when they put over £5 million and tons of free publicity into English rugby league without taking a cent out of it? 

[Michael1812]

I know no one is willing to admit it but could it be that Toronto were not great but not totally ###### either? They were like most other clubs that make up super league, somewhere in the middle. 

Throughout the past 4 years I’ve been amazed to see people who won’t give them an ounce of credit. 
 

 

[binosh]

17 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

Attitudes like this are a key reason why the sport is tin pot in England.

I wonder if the Toronto players will take 8 months backdated “attitude” instead of money?

[Manx RL]

1 minute ago, Michael1812 said:

I know no one is willing to admit it but could it be that Toronto were not great but not totally ###### either? They were like most other clubs that make up super league, somewhere in the middle. 

Throughout the past 4 years I’ve been amazed to see people who won’t give them an ounce of credit. 
 

 

Unfortunately too many suppliers gave them too much credit. 

[Oxford]

9 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

But you said " IF there was " , which suggests there isn't , so it's not unreasonable to be asked to provide one

I think if is the key word there. It means that nothing would be good enough.The point is for far too many things the dialogue & narrative is :

" It's a ######"

"But it hasn't come out of any animals orifice!"

"No Matter how you polish it up, it's feces,"

And where does it get us?

 

 

[dkw]

4 hours ago, Oxford said:

I'm not sure what your point is dkw.

Social media  as a focus, & people's views generally come to that, tend to gravitate to the opposite despite all evidence to the contrary. This means that even when things seem straight forward, reasonable and clear people still find them wanting. The U S elections are a prime example right now. Referees, expansion & Elstone the same on here.

Or the short answer is "Yes I do, actually!"

I meant the response of cutting the 12th clubs money is fine because they were able to furlough players, nothing to do with social media.

[Oxford]

Just now, dkw said:

I meant the response of cutting the 12th clubs money is fine because they were able to furlough players, nothing to do with social media.

This is only a matter of direction dkw, stay well.

[dkw]

1 minute ago, Oxford said:

This is only a matter of direction dkw, stay well.

What? Answer the question. 

[Oxford]

Just now, dkw said:

What? Answer the question. 

Did you ask one?

 

[dkw]

6 minutes ago, Oxford said:

Did you ask one?

 

Do you think its a perfectly reasonable and logical explanation that cutting the 12th clubs money is fine because they were able to furlough players.

[Oxford]

18 minutes ago, dkw said:

Do you think its a perfectly reasonable and logical explanation that cutting the 12th clubs money is fine because they were able to furlough players.

So that's what's bothering you, I didn't say which side I'm on?

Well, the SL clubs are all self-serving and wouldn't ask for water if they were thirsty! Does that help?

[Man of Kent]

Good interview. Clearly Hunter is frustrated by the vote but you also get the feeling he understands it given how much David Argyle jerked people around. 

[westlondonfan]

2 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Good interview. Clearly Hunter is frustrated by the vote but you also get the feeling he understands it given how much David Argyle jerked people around. 

I agree that is a really good interview.  I thought that the vote was about Carlo LiVolsi’s bid though and not Dvid Argyle.

He also says that some of the voting clubs were intimidated by the potential size of a successful Toronto Wolfpack , that some of the documents supplied had not been read by the people that were making the decisions, that that Carlo LiVolsi did have the necessary funds long term and that professional rugby league in Toronto is now dead.

One fact I found particularly interesting which I was not aware off before was that the hard-core season seat holders in Toronto  ( who comprised nearly 2500 people according to Bob Hunter ) were made up of existing rugby league fans from the UK, Australia and New Zealand. ( On top of that were the 5000 new Canadian fans. ) That suggests to me that this club had a good chance of success as a long-term project. It also probably put them in a stronger position in terms of fan base than some of the clubs that are likely to take their place next season. 
 

I was at the match where the Wolfpack played Halifax at the London  Skolars ground on 28th April 2018. I accept that Halifax supplied a decent turnout of away fans but nevertheless the total crowd was bigger than some matches that I have seen between two northern clubs with one playing at home. We played Dewsbury the same day earlier in the afternoon and the crowd was smaller at Trailfinders according to my memory.

I can’t help thinking that this is an opportunity that may never be repeated. So do we have to accept now that real prospects of expansion in the northern hemisphere are now dead?