Top of the Table

[PECETTO]

4 hours ago, Saint Toppy said:

But history has shown in to be true !  No matter how well they play during the regular rounds, Catalans crumble come the play-off's

For exemple when they won the challenge cup ?

[Manfred Mann]

42 minutes ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

I think it is entirely legitimate for a supporter based over here to ask what are the reasons the French clubs are in the RFL pyramid. Even if they don’t receive RFL/SL money directly, they do require other UK resources to be spent on them. What is the rationale? I see teams fielded by Catalans with virtually no French players in....

Seeing half a dozen ex Wiganers and even more NRLers playing everybody week for Catalans

You are exaggerating massively.

The Catalans teams are not consisting of “virtually no French players.”

Last weekend 9 of the 17 Catalans players were French.

Catalans are not fielding “half a dozen ex Wiganers.”

There are four ex Wiganers in the team when all are fit and not suspended:  Sam Tomkins, Joel Tomkins, Mickey McIlorum, and Tom Davies.

[Cardypaul]

1 hour ago, Manfred Mann said:

You are right on one thing. You are a bad person.

Try reading the responses to your comments, and perhaps you might be able to correct your mistakes, and in that way become a better person.

Pathetic answer as usual 

[Exiled Wiganer]

1 hour ago, Manfred Mann said:

You are exaggerating massively.

The Catalans teams are not consisting of “virtually no French players.”

Last weekend 9 of the 17 Catalans players were French.

Catalans are not fielding “half a dozen ex Wiganers.”

There are four ex Wiganers in the team when all are fit and not suspended:  Sam Tomkins, Joel Tomkins, Mickey McIlorum, and Tom Davies.

They had 6 French players against us. 1/3 of the match day squad, and none in a key role. After so long, that is pathetique, as I am guessing they say over there. 

Of course, my main question remains - what is their purpose? 

[meast]

6 hours ago, Robin Evans said:

Just interested

Right

[meast]

4 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Yes I do, but on the same terms and conditions with regards to P&R as all the other clubs are subject to, why is it that some say they should be protected Meast? 

I do realise you may have some sympathy with such a ruling being from a club who previously benefited from it, what is your interpretation of the suggestion.

What have my club benefitted from?

Where have I said any clubs should be protected?

whatever, It doesn't address how the French teams and French game becoming stronger benefits the sport as a whole?

[meast]

4 hours ago, sentoffagain2 said:

   The same Huddersfield who merged with Sheffield to get into S.L.They would still be in the Championship without that how many years did they try without success?.

And that has what to do with Catalans and Toulouse?

By the way, Huddersfield were a already a super league club, they were promoted in 1997/98 when Paris withdrew,  when the merger happened, at least get your facts correct if you're going to try and be a clever points scorer

[DimmestStar]

Catalans have the pick of the entire French RL player pool yet after 15 years in Super League there are only a few French players in their best 17.

It's time they were limited to 7 overseas players and the rest should be French. Also the quota of 7 for English clubs should include any French players.

This is the only way to move things forward because Catalans prefer spending big money on NRL & UK players sometimes of dubious repute.

Also there should come a time when Catalans pay their own way instead of taking a cut of the UK TV money. There isn't a single SKY SPORTS subscriber in France so they are not contributing at all. They can keep anything they can get from a French TV deal.

Toulouse are a club with very few supporters playing in a massive Rugby Union city. They have a rich benefactor but there is no way they can ever be self sufficient. No doubt like Catalans they will want a cut of the UK TV money if they get into Super League.

Catalans and Toulouse should have aspirations to playing in a strong French league and improving the game in France. Piggybacking on the UK league will never achieve that.

[Harry Stottle]

22 minutes ago, meast said:

What have my club benefitted from?

Where have I said any clubs should be protected?

whatever, It doesn't address how the French teams and French game becoming stronger benefits the sport as a whole?

Firstly, your club benefitted from being protected from relegation.

Secondly, I didn't say you have said any clubs should be protected, I asked you your opinion on any club being protected from relegation.

Lastly, I am not fully understanding your last paragraph.

[Smudger06]

We need to cast the net wider, there's a lack of UK Clubs with benefactors and / or enough fan generated revenue to pay players a decent wage, whether part time or full time, this issue is going to be amplified when the current revenue sharing system comes to an end. So if French clubs want a crack, can afford the travel and to pay players a decent rate for whichever tier they end up in from season to season, let em in. 

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

2 hours ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

They had 6 French players against us. 1/3 of the match day squad, and none in a key role. After so long, that is pathetique, as I am guessing they say over there. 

Of course, my main question remains - what is their purpose? 

6/17 is more than 1/3 and they normally have more than 6.

Catalans purpose is exactly the same as every other club, to compete in and try to win the Super League. How bizarre that you are questioning the purpose of the club currently sitting at the top of the Super League table.

[Scubby]

3 hours ago, DimmestStar said:

Catalans have the pick of the entire French RL player pool yet after 15 years in Super League there are only a few French players in their best 17.

It's time they were limited to 7 overseas players and the rest should be French. Also the quota of 7 for English clubs should include any French players.

This is the only way to move things forward because Catalans prefer spending big money on NRL & UK players sometimes of dubious repute.

Also there should come a time when Catalans pay their own way instead of taking a cut of the UK TV money. There isn't a single SKY SPORTS subscriber in France so they are not contributing at all. They can keep anything they can get from a French TV deal.

Toulouse are a club with very few supporters playing in a massive Rugby Union city. They have a rich benefactor but there is no way they can ever be self sufficient. No doubt like Catalans they will want a cut of the UK TV money if they get into Super League.

Catalans and Toulouse should have aspirations to playing in a strong French league and improving the game in France. Piggybacking on the UK league will never achieve that.

Would you make them permanently exempt from relegation so they can play their 10 French players each week? You would also make English players overseas quota players in the UK Super League?  

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

If Catalans have the pick of the entire French RL player why is Theo Fages playing for Saints? 

[Exiled Wiganer]

2 hours ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

6/17 is more than 1/3 and they normally have more than 6.

Catalans purpose is exactly the same as every other club, to compete in and try to win the Super League. How bizarre that you are questioning the purpose of the club currently sitting at the top of the Super League table.

It is slightly more than 1/3, but only slightly. You misunderstand me, I am not asking what a team is trying to do within a league in which it plays, as I have grasped that they will try and win games and, who knows, maybe finish top. My point is of course a wider one - what is the point of a FRENCH team playing in the otherwise English Super League? To answer my own question, I would have made it clearer that they were there to advance FRENCH rugby league, and develop FRENCH players. I agree with the poster further up the thread who suggests a far more stringent non French quota. 

How bizarre not to grasp something so simple. 

[Smudger06]

Who doesn't like a long weekend on the Med though.

Purpose solved.

Happy days. 

[Robin Evans]

10 minutes ago, Smudger06 said:

Who doesn't like a long weekend on the Med though.

Purpose solved.

Happy days. 

Oooo absolutely. Being a massive francophile spending as many hols as possible in France for the last 40 years, a weekend watching fev in Toulouse is the poodles swingers for me mate.

[Manfred Mann]

3 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

Oooo absolutely. Being a massive francophile spending as many hols as possible in France for the last 40 years, a weekend watching fev in Toulouse is the poodles swingers for me mate.

Robin, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you a man or a woman?

[Robin Evans]

1 minute ago, Manfred Mann said:

Robin, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you a man or a woman?

Eh? Ffs....

[Manfred Mann]

19 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

Oooo absolutely. Being a massive francophile spending as many hols as possible in France for the last 40 years, a weekend watching fev in Toulouse is the poodles swingers for me mate.

Robin, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you a man or a woman?

Robin can be a man’s name, but it is more commonly a woman’s name.

[Robin Evans]

2 minutes ago, Manfred Mann said:

Robin, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you a man or a woman?

Robin can be a man’s name, but it is more commonly a woman’s name.

Much more often Robyn is female. Robin is male.

[Manfred Mann]

1 minute ago, Robin Evans said:

Much more often Robyn is female. Robin is male.

So you are claiming to be part of the tradition of Robin Gibb?

[Robin Evans]

2 minutes ago, Manfred Mann said:

So you are claiming to be part of the tradition of Robin Gibb?

I have no idea what you're on about cocker

[meast]

5 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Firstly, your club benefitted from being protected from relegation.

Secondly, I didn't say you have said any clubs should be protected, I asked you your opinion on any club being protected from relegation.

Lastly, I am not fully understanding your last paragraph.

Firstly, how were we protected from relegation? The clubs who won the first division didn't meet the necessary criteria for promotion, that wasn't protecting Huddersfield from relegation.

Secondly it what way did we benefit? We lost out on thousands of potential new supporters as well as losing existing fans, not to mention sponsorships because people didn't want to be associated with a club that finished bottom, the best thing to happen to Huddersfield, apart from Ken and Jennifer Davy, was relegation in 2001, it allowed us to regroup and to rebuild with a good, young coach in Tony Smith.

As for protecting clubs, then no I don't agree, if a club is in super league then it should be there on merit due it's performance on the field, if it needs protecting from relegation then it clearly isn't strong enough to be in super league.

My last paragraph is thus, how does Huddersfield not getting relegated in 1998, 1999 and 2000 relate to 2 French sides being top of their respective leagues?

[Saint Toppy]

18 hours ago, PECETTO said:

For exemple when they won the challenge cup ?

Who said anything about the CC ? This was about the league, the play-off's and the GF when Catalans always fall short.

[Saint Toppy]

18 hours ago, Manfred Mann said:

You are exaggerating massively.

The Catalans teams are not consisting of “virtually no French players.”

Last weekend 9 of the 17 Catalans players were French.

 

They had 9 French players in the team that just about scraped a win against bottom of the table Leigh but the game before they had a sum total of 4 French players starting and 6 in total against Wigan. To have just 35% French players is pi$$ poor considering one of the supposed reasons for admitting Catalans into SL in the first place was to increase French playing numbers and improved their National team. How's that gong to happen when 65% of their team is made up of Brits & Antipodeans ?