WHAT IF ALL / SOME OF THE MERGERS HAD GONE AHEAD IN 95

[Poower Lad]

WHAT IF ALL / SOME OF THE MERGERS HAD GONE AHEAD IN 95

[Futtocks]

Stop shouting!

[Man of Kent]

If all had gone through the rugby league fanbase would have been decimated in its heartland. 

With the benefit of hindsight, the only proposed merger with any merit in my view is Cumbria. And they should have included Toulouse from the start, as was also proposed, instead of Paris.

[barnyia]

Gateshead and hull would have become just hull, hudersfield and sheffield would have become just hudersfield, 

[Oxford]

17 minutes ago, barnyia said:

Gateshead and hull would have become just hull, hudersfield and sheffield would have become just hudersfield, 

Confusing real mergers with take overs and downsizing is one of the Tragedies of all this.

The real ones that could have gone ahead if tribalism wasn't more important would've made far more sense though I'm not entirely certain of their success though.

 

 

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

I never understood at the time why the RFL were trying to force clubs to merge instead of just aiming to have X teams in X regions and then putting it out to tender. It probably would have resulted in the same amount of discontent though.

[GUBRATS]

6 minutes ago, RugbyLeagueGeek said:

I never understood at the time why the RFL were trying to force clubs to merge instead of just aiming to have X teams in X regions and then putting it out to tender. It probably would have resulted in the same amount of discontent though.

Go on , I'm having a bite to eat between gardening , I'm interested to here this ?

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

1 minute ago, GUBRATS said:

Go on , I'm having a bite to eat between gardening , I'm interested to here this ?

Hear what?

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, RugbyLeagueGeek said:

Hear what?

How many in which regions ?

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

Just now, GUBRATS said:

How many in which regions ?

I don't know how many or in what regions - I've never worked for the RFL so have little idea what Maurice Lindsay's plans were. But it would've made more sense to me that, once they decided what structure they wanted, to put it out to tender and invite applications rather than trying to force clubs to merge against their wishes.

[bobbruce]

10 minutes ago, RugbyLeagueGeek said:

I never understood at the time why the RFL were trying to force clubs to merge instead of just aiming to have X teams in X regions and then putting it out to tender. It probably would have resulted in the same amount of discontent though.

I like this idea so 

East Yorkshire Hull

Yorkshire Leeds

Merseyside St. Helens

Cheshire Warrington

Cumbria Workington

Greater Manchester Salford

Northeast Newcastle

London Broncos

France Catalan and Toulouse

Canada Toronto 

Midlands Coventry. 
 

what’s not to like. 

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

3 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

I like this idea so 

East Yorkshire Hull

Yorkshire Leeds

Merseyside St. Helens

Cheshire Warrington

Cumbria Workington

Greater Manchester Salford

Northeast Newcastle

London Broncos

France Catalan and Toulouse

Canada Toronto 

Midlands Coventry. 
 

what’s not to like. 

But you wouldn't have anybody to hate!

[bobbruce]

Hates over rated. Anyway Warrington are in there I could hate them once they win the league. 

[bobbruce]

Just now, bobbruce said:

Hates over rated. Anyway Warrington are in there I could hate them once they win the league. 

Ok thinking about it I may need a plan b. 

[Big Picture]

40 minutes ago, RugbyLeagueGeek said:

I don't know how many or in what regions - I've never worked for the RFL so have little idea what Maurice Lindsay's plans were. But it would've made more sense to me that, once they decided what structure they wanted, to put it out to tender and invite applications rather than trying to force clubs to merge against their wishes.

Unless I'm mistaken they weren't Lindsay's plans, they were a plan put to the RFL by News Ltd. when they came in with their offer.  I distinctly remember reading something to that effect in Open Rugby around that time.  The idea that creating Calder, South Yorkshire and Cumbra by merging a bunch of small clubs like that would create something Super was obviously the product of some outsider with no real knowledge of English RL.

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

5 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Unless I'm mistaken they weren't Lindsay's plans, they were a plan put to the RFL by News Ltd. when they came in with their offer.  I distinctly remember reading something to that effect in Open Rugby around that time.  The idea that creating Calder, South Yorkshire and Cumbra by merging a bunch of small clubs like that would create something Super was obviously the product of some outsider with no real knowledge of English RL.

Ah righto - wasn't aware of that. Surely some noises were made by the RFL to that effect though? Otherwise, there presumably wouldn't have been the uproar that resulted.

[Tommygilf]

50 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

I like this idea so 

East Yorkshire Hull

Yorkshire Leeds

Merseyside St. Helens

Cheshire Warrington

Cumbria Workington

Greater Manchester Salford

Northeast Newcastle

London Broncos

France Catalan and Toulouse

Canada Toronto 

Midlands Coventry. 
 

what’s not to like. 

To be fair, add Bradford, Wigan and 1 of Cas, Fev or Wakefield and that's essentially what they were going for with mergers. Mergers intended, rather naively, to give fans a stake in a new club. 

[Poower Lad]

1 hour ago, bobbruce said:

I like this idea so 

East Yorkshire Hull

Yorkshire Leeds

Merseyside St. Helens

Cheshire Warrington

Cumbria Workington

Greater Manchester Salford

Northeast Newcastle

London Broncos

France Catalan and Toulouse

Canada Toronto 

Midlands Coventry. 
 

what’s not to like. 

South Yorkshire were proposed 

 

[Poower Lad]

Would Cumbria and South Yorkshire not been better than the current situation 

 

[Plan of Attack]

1 hour ago, Poower Lad said:

Would Cumbria and South Yorkshire not been better than the current situation 

 

NO definitely not I suggest looking at a map of Cumbria and it's road links to realise the far north and  south of the county would be rugby league wastelandc. Its 1 3/4 hr Barrow to Workington and the same again to Carlisle and the roads in the south are a nightmare for coaches

 

[thebrewxi]

I don't think the plan was ever really to create Calder Cats and Cheshire RL. Think that was just a distraction so the real thing that they wanted, Summer Rugby, would slip though with no one looking.

[Oxford]

23 minutes ago, thebrewxi said:

I don't think the plan was ever really to create Calder Cats and Cheshire RL. Think that was just a distraction so the real thing that they wanted, Summer Rugby, would slip though with no one looking.

No I don't think that was it but we could always ask Mo couldn't we?

The biggest hypocrisy was but Wigan will be er Wigan  ..... really Mo?

[Angelic Cynic]

5 hours ago, barnyia said:

Gateshead and hull would have become just hull, hudersfield and sheffield would have become just hudersfield, 

  Those 2 mergers were 1999 - therefore after Super League got underway.

  The pre-Super League mergers,as suggested by Maurice Lindsay et al were not undertaken.

[Wollongong]

As a Trinity fan (exiled in Derbyshire) at the time ... I watched the preparation for merger with anguish and loathing... the team I loved from being a kid was being exterminated and the remains allocated to another franchise... it would have meant an end to the focus of my passion for the game and te end to my reason for being a fan... 

 

in short I would have been lost to rugby league as would almost everyone else I know who was involved with the club as a fan and or sponsor 

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, Wollongong said:

As a Trinity fan (exiled in Derbyshire) at the time ... I watched the preparation for merger with anguish and loathing... the team I loved from being a kid was being exterminated and the remains allocated to another franchise... it would have meant an end to the focus of my passion for the game and te end to my reason for being a fan... 

 

in short I would have been lost to rugby league as would almost everyone else I know who was involved with the club as a fan and or sponsor 

Yep