Mr Plow Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 On 06/04/2021 at 01:15, Oldbear said: In my opinion Kent could easily support a Coventry Bears type set up, but they need patient backers who know how finances work at L1 level and a stable, long term home. At this time I see neither. I think Nottingham would be better and if done like the Bears could help grow the game in the Midlands. You’d have a rivalry with Coventry and the Outlaws play in the Yorkshire League Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronicler of Chiswick Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 2 hours ago, ATLANTISMAN said: Jim Thompson (The late chairman of Maidstone United) promised that the board would inject a considerable amount of cash into Kent Invicta (In return for investment a year earlier in Maidstone United) The cash from Maidstone United was never forthcoming costing the main shareholders a fortune and leaving JT to hijack the taking over of the club and then selling it for a six figure sum to Southend United. These funds were partly used to fund Maidstone United into the football league the ground was then sold off to B and Q and they moved to Dartford and then went bust a few months later. Before going bust JT sold the club to some business associates in Newcastle to relocate the club there under the name of Newcastle Blue Star (White Star) I forget however they immediately put the club into liquidation. The problem is these situations are all based on rumours and second hand evidence the above is what actually happened. Thanks. It's nice to know what was really going on. The problem with that in relation to the Fulham club of that era is that we'll have to wait until someone pops their clogs before some things can see the light of day and as they're younger than me (68 as you didn't ask) I suspect that no-one around then will be at all interested! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldbear Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Mr Plow said: I think Nottingham would be better and if done like the Bears Key point, use the Bears template, no more 5 minute wonders please. Remember sufficient finance to cover all eventualities, patience for a long term commitment and a stable long term home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 43 minutes ago, Oldbear said: Key point, use the Bears template, no more 5 minute wonders please. Remember sufficient finance to cover all eventualities, patience for a long term commitment and a stable long term home. Do you know who owns Butts Park? Not sure if it’s the council, Union club or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz39 Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 On 05/04/2021 at 21:32, Gooleboy said: Correct, The Spaniard was a Mansfield Brewery Managed House. We used to goin there after going in The Graziers and the Black Rock first! Black Rock !!! those were some steps to negotiate after a few to go and have a pee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerjon Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 40 minutes ago, Eddie said: Do you know who owns Butts Park? Not sure if it’s the council, Union club or what? It's owned by Coventry RU. Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WakefieldCityLoyal Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 1 hour ago, daz39 said: Black Rock !!! those were some steps to negotiate after a few to go and have a pee. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooleboy Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 2 hours ago, daz39 said: Black Rock !!! those were some steps to negotiate after a few to go and have a pee. Yes, they are still the same and still a good Pub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meast Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 On 06/04/2021 at 00:20, moorside roughyed said: Out of curiosity, what were their crowd attendances like? 1983/84- 731 1984/84 - 216 Huddersfield Giants Supporters Association Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorside roughyed Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 3 minutes ago, meast said: 1983/84- 731 1984/84 - 216 Wow 216,quite a drop. Out of curiosity did Adrian Alexander play for them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meast Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 3 minutes ago, moorside roughyed said: Wow 216,quite a drop. Out of curiosity did Adrian Alexander play for them? I suspect the novelty wore off pretty quickly? And not according to this he didn't Huddersfield Giants Supporters Association Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorside roughyed Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 3 minutes ago, meast said: I suspect the novelty wore off pretty quickly? And not according to this he didn't Read on a site called bygonekent that he did. He was signed from Oldham. Oldham signed him form union club Harlequins. He's one of my neighbours. A shame about the Kent club, they didn't realise what they were missing. It's a great game to watch. Can't really have ago at Union as I've played and like both codes. I am aware of the politics of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATLANTISMAN Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 1 hour ago, moorside roughyed said: Read on a site called bygonekent that he did. He was signed from Oldham. Oldham signed him form union club Harlequins. He's one of my neighbours. A shame about the Kent club, they didn't realise what they were missing. It's a great game to watch. Can't really have ago at Union as I've played and like both codes. I am aware of the politics of it. Adrian wasn't your typical RU type of that time he liked rugby for the aggression and to get rid of some of his, his second passion was a good old punch up behind the goal at a Spurs match LOL:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorside roughyed Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 27 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said: Adrian wasn't your typical RU type of that time he liked rugby for the aggression and to get rid of some of his, his second passion was a good old punch up behind the goal at a Spurs match LOL:) He played for Oldham before I started watching them. I started watching them in 1988. I take it you know him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldbear Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 2 hours ago, meast said: I suspect the novelty wore off pretty quickly The year 2 figures were for Southend, showing what a disastrous move it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderer Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 It would be good to see Trafford Borough flying the flag for South Manchester again as there seems to be such an appetite for the game in that great city of the North West Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Frying Scotsman Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 11 hours ago, Wanderer said: It would be good to see Trafford Borough flying the flag for South Manchester again as there seems to be such an appetite for the game in that great city of the North West What makes you say that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wigan Riversider Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Used to love going to Chorley Lynx games at Victory Park. Looking forward to hopefully watching Chorley Panthers soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usera Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 On 07/04/2021 at 00:30, Oldbear said: Great read, I remember Tony Cooper ending up at Fulham along with Frank Feighan. Those guys must truly have loved RL, given the number of times their actual pay checks must have been in doubt. I recall one story when it looked like Fulham were about to get their last rights and possibly fold. They had a game at Huddersfield I think, up at Fartown and I’m sure it was Frank Feighan who said he would have walked up there so determined he was to play. Now those were some real dark days but the club survived (like CoC said best draw a veil over the Fulham Bears episode), 2 years later my work brought me back to the North East, where I learned the true roller coaster ride of following an expansion club (first Carlisle, then Gateshead). I have never had the joy of following a winning team (except for one short lived Gateshead promotion under the charismatic Dave Woods), joy for me was would I have a team next season. This is why it’s so important for any expansion side to have 1. Money, obviously, and always expect the unexpected 2. Time and patience, don’t pull the plug partway through year 2 3. A stable home. I had forgotten about Kent Invictas pitch issues. The Frank Feighan try against Castleford is on YouTube after all, min 26:24: 101 Great Rugby League Tries Frank Feighan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owls Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 Nottingham and Carlisle for me, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE RED ROOSTER Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 On 06/04/2021 at 01:11, Oldbear said: The problem was that expansion at that time was often driven by soccer club chairmen looking to use RL revenue to share the stadium expenses for the soccer club, then eventually for RL to turn a profit to subsidize the soccer. Still very much the case, in the 21st Century just substitute Supporters Trust for Chairman. On 06/04/2021 at 01:15, Oldbear said: In my opinion Kent could easily support a Coventry Bears type set up, but they need patient backers who know how finances work at L1 level and a stable, long term home. At this time I see neither. I live in Kent and the County is a bit of a sporting wasteland, The only professional soccer club is Gillingham FC - One of the London Broncos ground options and of course Kent County Cricket which used to have a lot of grounds dotted around the county but now centres itself on Canterbury (East Kent CCC). There is no Rugby Union club of any note in the County. The lack of a rugby culture is a plus and a minus for any league side, but there are logistical drawbacks (i.e where to play. there are non-league soccer grounds and lower level union grounds that are BARLA standard. Then you have the problem of getting players of sufficient quality to move south. You would need a lot of money to set a club upand start junior development but also one of the key problems of being an outpost club is developing a rivalry, Rivalries are the lifeblood of sport, and its difficult to build a rivalry with clubs located on the other side of the country, Skolars excepted though from the centre of Kent. Skolars is a good couple of hours away. You also have to consider that the profile of Rugby League down here and outside the M62 is at its lowest ever point since Super League began. If the game was seen as a vibrant televised entity then you would see local clubs develop as was the case with American Football in the 1980's. But the only real interest comes from exiled northerners and transiting antipodeans doing the OE. Quote When the pinch comes the common people will turn out to be more intelligent than the clever ones. I certainly hope so. George Orwell You either own NFTs or women’s phone numbers but not both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve oates Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 On 07/04/2021 at 15:11, Dr Tim Whatley said: At the time, Southend United were in dire straits too - we nearly went to the wall ourselves at the time - and support for the RL venture was even less than the bare minimum. I'm not saying it would work now but the conditions for success were certainly not there in 1984/85. Hi Tim, Just what are the conditions for success, do you (or anyone else ) think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopping Mad Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 On 05/04/2021 at 11:19, Gerrumonside ref said: I still think we should maintain focus on the north east development and Newcastle Thunder in particular. Backing up the progress there through England matches and Magic until hopefully we have a strengthened amateur set up at various age levels and a top flight team to take advantage of it. The danger of a scattergun approach to expansion in all parts is that you end up being weak everywhere. I would stay concentrated on one objective. Be nice to see a semi-pro RL club in Hartlepool (if I dare mention that place today). An RU stronghold, yes, but since West Hartlepool RUFC's implosion (and 'rebirth' way down the pyramid), none of the town's clubs play at a decent level. At least two ARL clubs in Hartlepool now, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrtbps Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 On 05/04/2021 at 10:27, Cumbrian Mackem said: Which clubs would you like to see come back? Which clubs could potentially comeback? carlisle prescot blackpool belle vue chorley Scarborough kent nottingham Toronto FEATHERSTONE ROVERS, A GENERATIONAL LOVE AFFAIR, AND THE CALL OF HISTORY A SECOND TIME AROUND Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopping Mad Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 1 hour ago, steve oates said: Hi Tim, Just what are the conditions for success, do you (or anyone else ) think? I'd say some sort of existing amateur RL activity would be useful, at the very least. It's why, I believe, there's a reasonable chance another semi-pro club could be developed in the North East region, mostly likely between Newcastle and York. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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