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Championship clubs still in deadlock


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2 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Featherstone have bought testing equipment, I know this for a fact. 

A big box of cotton buds doesn't count.

Sport, amongst other things, is a dream-world offering escape from harsh reality and the disturbing prospect of change.

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1 hour ago, Hela Wigmen said:

They’ve been used quite extensively across Europe from what I’ve seen and even in Australia, where NRL players have used them. They also don’t cost pennies. 

We paid 7 Kuwaiti dinars each - approx £17.50 per item. 

They are indicative only and what the government want us to use, but not recognised alone as an accurate symptom of Covid.

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4 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Its not game over if you're independently testing as all other professional sporting organisations have done. 

If the Championship want to do it on the cheap, then they're at the mercy of the consequences of that decision.

but you are all telling me thats too expensive for pub teams to do, so if we get another spike after Xmas 2021 and 2021 season is postponed also do we just end pro RL.

We have the government testing stations under used and on our doorsteps, thinks its 300k tests a day capacity and something like 100k a day take up. HAVE WE EVEN ASKED?

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13 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

but you are all telling me thats too expensive for pub teams to do, so if we get another spike after Xmas 2021 and 2021 season is postponed also do we just end pro RL.

We have the government testing stations under used and on our doorsteps, thinks its 300k tests a day capacity and something like 100k a day take up. HAVE WE EVEN ASKED?

I don't know, have you?

Sport, amongst other things, is a dream-world offering escape from harsh reality and the disturbing prospect of change.

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1 hour ago, sweaty craiq said:

but you are all telling me thats too expensive for pub teams to do, so if we get another spike after Xmas 2021 and 2021 season is postponed also do we just end pro RL.

We have the government testing stations under used and on our doorsteps, thinks its 300k tests a day capacity and something like 100k a day take up. HAVE WE EVEN ASKED?

 think so

 

featherstone Rovers Chairman Mark Campbell

Championship and League One clubs have made some positive steps by contacting their local NHS testing centres, who may be able to provide the weekly tests for essential staff.

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3 hours ago, sweaty craiq said:

but you are all telling me thats too expensive for pub teams to do, so if we get another spike after Xmas 2021 and 2021 season is postponed also do we just end pro RL.

We have the government testing stations under used and on our doorsteps, thinks its 300k tests a day capacity and something like 100k a day take up. HAVE WE EVEN ASKED?

Are they underused? Do you know that for a fact? Seems a bit presumptuous.

I hold to the belief that wherever private organisations can they should be using their own resources to fund their own restart. Sponging the NHS to restart a pro comp shouldn't be the way to go.

They can't say "is there availability in the local NHS testing centres" because that is not a reliable or consistent source is it?

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13 hours ago, sweaty craiq said:

but you are all telling me thats too expensive for pub teams to do, so if we get another spike after Xmas 2021 and 2021 season is postponed also do we just end pro RL.

We have the government testing stations under used and on our doorsteps, thinks its 300k tests a day capacity and something like 100k a day take up. HAVE WE EVEN ASKED?

Do you have a link to prove this?

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Forget about the sports angle for a minute and look at it from the taxpayer's point of view - If someone had to be tested twice a week so they could work and pay tax, would it be cheaper to give them free or relatively cheap testing, or to keep them on furlough?

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6 minutes ago, Steve Slater said:

Forget about the sports angle for a minute and look at it from the taxpayer's point of view - If someone had to be tested twice a week so they could work and pay tax, would it be cheaper to give them free or relatively cheap testing, or to keep them on furlough?

Or, would it be better to give those tests to vulnerable people, or the NHS workers, or other workers who are constantly in contact with the public?

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20 minutes ago, dkw said:

Or, would it be better to give those tests to vulnerable people, or the NHS workers, or other workers who are constantly in contact with the public?

Definitely, but if they could get more people off furlough it would be cost effective to provide more testing facilities and take up the spare capacity.

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19 minutes ago, dkw said:

Or, would it be better to give those tests to vulnerable people, or the NHS workers, or other workers who are constantly in contact with the public?

Good point but Steve's suggestion is also very relevant, all the 'easing' of lockdown measures is just a calculated risk to kickstart the economy,  if the country was rich enough it would still have us in an isolation situation but it ain't, Steve it seems to me is trading of a cost of testing against the much more expensive route of furlough money, which as you say should apply to the vulnerable.

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I think there's a case for giving NHS tests to the core playing and coaching staff at pro rugby clubs IF it's clear that every health and social care staff that needs a test gets one first. We seem to be approaching that point, if not quite there yet. 

A lot of other jobs such a media, admin and hospitality are connected to rugby clubs, and can continue with social distancing. But these jobs are dead if the players can't play, and as players can't distance they need tests.

Other countries have the public testing capacity to do this, so when we finally get our act together with English testing capacity then I have no moral objection to rugby clubs using it. 

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35 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Good point but Steve's suggestion is also very relevant, all the 'easing' of lockdown measures is just a calculated risk to kickstart the economy,  if the country was rich enough it would still have us in an isolation situation but it ain't, Steve it seems to me is trading of a cost of testing against the much more expensive route of furlough money, which as you say should apply to the vulnerable.

Besides all that Harry, I was trying to put the argument across from the point of view of a tax paying RL fan, and also a RL journalist who isn't paying tax at the moment. It seems that some clubs just want to carry on taking the furlough money out of the taxpayer's pocket right up until the end of October while not giving anything back in return, either in terms of providing much needed entertainment or getting the economy moving again?

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3 minutes ago, SL17 said:

You’ll get comments back. Such as we can’t play without crowds.! The clubs that want to play are selfish, ignorant bastions.

Be prepared...

 

4 minutes ago, SL17 said:

You’ll get comments back. Such as we can’t play without crowds.! The clubs that want to play are selfish, ignorant bastions.

Be prepared...

Hopefully reduced capacity crowds will be allowed back soon? Some folk who are vulnerable may stay away, but maybe that could be partially supplemented by pay-per-view live streaming? Maybe live streaming could also be used to provide a service for away fans who can't travel and an alternative for those who can, hence reducing footfall on public transport and other forms of travel? I know we would need permission from Sky, who hold the rights, but surely at extraordinary times like this?????

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2 hours ago, SL17 said:

Well the RFL have live streaming in the form of “OurLeague” which seems to get around Sky’s control.
Not sure Sky would agree if profits where being made without a cut.

Although if you don’t try, you’ll never know.

With the Sky contract about to end it would be great to trial pay-per-view by live streaming, in case the Championship don't get anything out of the next contract? With advancing technology it would be unwise to sign all rights away to Sky anyhow, especially if away fans and those living abroad or on holiday could watch live games on pay-per-view? Mark Las Palmas would be in his element!

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4 hours ago, Steve Slater said:

Besides all that Harry, I was trying to put the argument across from the point of view of a tax paying RL fan, and also a RL journalist who isn't paying tax at the moment. It seems that some clubs just want to carry on taking the furlough money out of the taxpayer's pocket right up until the end of October while not giving anything back in return, either in terms of providing much needed entertainment or getting the economy moving again?

Unusually for you Steve to take a leap from the testing element to accusing "some clubs" of something for which you have no evidence, or do you?

If the government won't allow spactators back then the technical issues are all moot.

Sport, amongst other things, is a dream-world offering escape from harsh reality and the disturbing prospect of change.

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23 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

Unusually for you Steve to take a leap from the testing element to accusing "some clubs" of something for which you have no evidence, or do you?

If the government won't allow spactators back then the technical issues are all moot.

The sentence ended with a question mark, Johnny.

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5 hours ago, Steve Slater said:

Besides all that Harry, I was trying to put the argument across from the point of view of a tax paying RL fan, and also a RL journalist who isn't paying tax at the moment. It seems that some clubs just want to carry on taking the furlough money out of the taxpayer's pocket right up until the end of October while not giving anything back in return, either in terms of providing much needed entertainment or getting the economy moving again?

That stikes me as an unfair representation of what the furlough scheme is supposed to be and how clubs are using it. 

The furlough scheme was created to protect jobs that weren't viable during an enforced period of commercial inactivity. For all intents and purposes, lower-league RL is still commercially inactive and unviable. The business model relies on physical crowds and government regulations don't allow that. This is the very definition of what the furlough scheme is there for and to suggest that clubs are simply "taking money and offering nothing in return" is grossly unfair (and I say that as someone who has no dog in this particular hunt). It isn't viable for the clubs to offer anything in return because it isn't viable to reassume those costs. 

Should the business plan change? Absolutely, but that was the case well before COVID and the simple fact is that the sport in general, not just at the lower end of the pyramid, has failed to diversify its revenue streams for over 125 years, so let's not pretend that the game can do it in three months.  

5 hours ago, SL17 said:

You’ll get comments back. Such as we can’t play without crowds.! The clubs that want to play are selfish, ignorant bastions.

Be prepared...

Why can't both be true? Clubs on both sides of debate are acting out of self-interest.

My personal view (and it is just that) is that ensuring that clubs are only taking on costs and salaries when they are viable (the very thing the furlough scheme was designed to do) is a greater interest than letting a decking salesman play with his toys. The sport has greater obligations than simply appeasing the problem child at the back of the class. 

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