Funding cuts could mean the end for Coventry Bears

[theswanmcr]

20 hours ago, OriginalMrC said:

Unbelievably this proposal was put forward by fellow league 1 club Keighley. I've always had a lot of time for the Cougars so very disappointing that they were eager to get rid of their fellow clubs so readily. Very short memories at Cougar Park considering they went out of business 3 years ago and are lucky to be still in league 1 at all. Thankfully not all clubs in league 1 feel the same. 

They finished four places above Coventry in the league and so decide that they have the right to effectively kill off another professional club(s). And after all their history of the ‘drawbridge’ being pulled up in them for Super League. You couldn’t make it up.

[RigbyLuger]

45 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

Quite, though regardless I'd have wanted Doncaster to win mainly because Carl Hall is such a great guy with his heart in the right place. 

Shame he signed Cockayne despite all his "baggage"

[EssexRL]

Does anyone know when we will actually know what the future structure is? Whatever else all is uncertainty cannot be good for anyone. 

[Angelic Cynic]

1 hour ago, OriginalMrC said:

Agree 100%. However, the proposal was put forward by Keighley and shared with all clubs pretty sure the owners/directors of Coventry/WWR/Skolars were delighted when they saw it! 

You seem to be reacting to a reaction from Keighley Cougars.

You haven't made it known what the original proposal was that club was reacting to.

It would seem to me,in blissful ignorance,based on common knowledge only - that Wigan,St Helen's,and Warrington,want to defund League 1 clubs.

It is the RFL who permit,after their wholly inadequate Fit and Proper Person Test, individuals who have caused clubs financial issues.

Rather than have trial,judge and execution of a club,via social media and online, which won't defend itself,other than try to exist in the future,perhaps you could direct your ire in the direction of the RFL,and more significantly towards Lenagan,McManus and Moran.

Where would Keighley Cougars be now if they weren't a victim of history?

 

[OriginalMrC]

56 minutes ago, Angelic Cynic said:

You seem to be reacting to a reaction from Keighley Cougars.

You haven't made it known what the original proposal was that club was reacting to.

It would seem to me,in blissful ignorance,based on common knowledge only - that Wigan,St Helen's,and Warrington,want to defund League 1 clubs.

It is the RFL who permit,after their wholly inadequate Fit and Proper Person Test, individuals who have caused clubs financial issues.

Rather than have trial,judge and execution of a club,via social media and online, which won't defend itself,other than try to exist in the future,perhaps you could direct your ire in the direction of the RFL,and more significantly towards Lenagan,McManus and Moran.

Where would Keighley Cougars be now if they weren't a victim of history?

 

Agree with everything you say but that also doesn't mean that they have any more right to exist in the pyramid than any other clubs. The fact 3 'expansion' clubs were singled out says it all. 

[Jeff Stein]

1 hour ago, Angelic Cynic said:

You seem to be reacting to a reaction from Keighley Cougars.

You haven't made it known what the original proposal was that club was reacting to.

It would seem to me,in blissful ignorance,based on common knowledge only - that Wigan,St Helen's,and Warrington,want to defund League 1 clubs.

It is the RFL who permit,after their wholly inadequate Fit and Proper Person Test, individuals who have caused clubs financial issues.

Rather than have trial,judge and execution of a club,via social media and online, which won't defend itself,other than try to exist in the future,perhaps you could direct your ire in the direction of the RFL,and more significantly towards Lenagan,McManus and Moran.

Where would Keighley Cougars be now if they weren't a victim of history?

 

No one forced Keighley to put forward a proposal to expel Coventry, WWR and Skolars. Perhaps they should have shown a bit more solidarity to clubs in the same position as themselves Instead of deciding other clubs could be sacrificed?

[Robthegasman]

What exactly did Keighley propose?

[RigbyLuger]

Have Cov or Skolars, for example, ever gone bust and owed people and companies money?

[EssexRL]

15 hours ago, RigbyLuger said:

Have Cov or Skolars, for example, ever gone bust and owed people and companies money?

I think one of the major achievements of Skolars and I am sure Bears, is that they have remained viable and lived within their means. This has required a lot of hard work and innovation (like Capital Challenge). I do wonder with a bit more resource how much more the club could achieve locally given its links with local businesses, MPs, councillors, colleges and schools but we may never find out.....

[Scubby]

17 hours ago, Robthegasman said:

What exactly did Keighley propose?

The Purge!

Between 6pm and 6am any traditional northern club can kill an expansion club without any consequences.

[OriginalMrC]

19 hours ago, Robthegasman said:

What exactly did Keighley propose?

There was a suggestion that Coventry, Skolars and WWR are made to go amateur to reduce the number of clubs. Not sure why they picked out those 3 clubs but I'd hazard a guess  

[bowes]

20 hours ago, Robthegasman said:

What exactly did Keighley propose?

They wanted to send Coventry Bears, London Skolars and West Wales Raiders back in time 10 years to play in the Rugby League Conference

[Robthegasman]

It is possible that West Wales Raiders might be better off becoming an amateur club as the results suggest that even League 1 is out of their reach.

 

[Scubby]

18 minutes ago, Robthegasman said:

It is possible that West Wales Raiders might be better off becoming an amateur club as the results suggest that even League 1 is out of their reach.

 

Why write them off? They drew with Doncaster who are in the promotion final.

They have improved a lot from their debut year.

[OriginalMrC]

21 minutes ago, Robthegasman said:

It is possible that West Wales Raiders might be better off becoming an amateur club as the results suggest that even League 1 is out of their reach.

 

They've improved a lot from where they were but they need to still improve the squad. Surprised they sacked their coach who did a good job under the circumstances as the improvement from the season before was obvious. They seem to be pretty cash rich to be honest and as long as the money is there they will stay in the league. 

[Angelic Cynic]

1 hour ago, OriginalMrC said:

They've improved a lot from where they were but they need to still improve the squad. Surprised they sacked their coach who did a good job under the circumstances as the improvement from the season before was obvious. They seem to be pretty cash rich to be honest and as long as the money is there they will stay in the league. 

I think their coach left by mutual consent - should the information be true.

He hadn't seen his family,who were in France,since prior to Covid.

I wouldn't think he would have made the signings of Chase and Henson,either.

Will League 1 be staying ,then?

[thebrewxi]

1 minute ago, Angelic Cynic said:

 

Will League 1 be staying ,then?

Not by the sound of it, no. So west wales wont be able to pay their players, and cash will league, and the club will vanish I guess. Very sad.

[Bearman]

31 minutes ago, Angelic Cynic said:

 

Will League 1 be staying ,then?

Definitely.

The question is how many teams will there be on the starting line.

[clwydianrange]

2 minutes ago, Bearman said:

Definitely.

The question is how many teams will there be on the starting line.

Hopefully the same as this season, it’s a very competitive and entertaining league that’s derided by people who don’t watch it.

[PhilCarrington]

On 03/10/2021 at 01:06, OriginalMrC said:

Exactly once a club is gone its gone and the pathways that come with it. Joe Batchelor got his first chance at Coventry. Jason Bass at York got his first chance at Coventry and more recently Elliot Hall at Batley who scored a cracker of a try in the playoffs was very clear that he got his chance at Coventry to progress in the game. Who knows in a few years time what other players will get an opportunity at the Bears, Skolars or WWR. These pathways need to be there. 

Hall started off at Skolars, then moved to Coventry. If Keighley had their way both would go.

[Bearman]

3 minutes ago, clwydianrange said:

Hopefully the same as this season, it’s a very competitive and entertaining league that’s derided by people who don’t watch it.

But will they still be competitive after a 80% cut in funding?

[clwydianrange]

10 minutes ago, Bearman said:

But will they still be competitive after a 80% cut in funding?

Depends on the players. Would you do the same job for 80% wages. After all they’re paid next to bug ger as it is. They need some recompense for the effort they give to entertain us every week.

[Bearman]

1 minute ago, clwydianrange said:

Depends on the players. Would you do the same job for 80% wages. After all they’re paid next to bug ger as it is. They need some recompense for the effort they give to entertain us every week.

Exactly.

So I repeat, will they still be competitive. Or would they have to rely on amateurs?

[Dan Taye-Sinferno]

Unlike 6 of this last season's League 1 teams West Wales own their own ground and have other income streams to supplement their modest gate receipts. They also played all 18 of their league games,albeit sometimes without a full complement of players - the last game away at Barrow was particularly challenging.

The main problem seems to be recruitment - the Welsh community game is nowhere near as strong as the north,there is a world famous Rugby Union club in the town and the Raiders geographical isolation must make it very difficult to get loan players in.

It would take a few seasons to turn this around but to lose a toehold in South Wales would be very sad. We don't seem to learn from history - in the late Edwardian period for a short time there were 6 teams in South Wales playing Northern Union but among other factors the parochialism and lack of support by the Northern Union and its clubs meant one by one they threw in the towel and a great opportunity to expand our game was lost.

[Robthegasman]

Or maybe what might be better where the two Welsh clubs are concerned is for both West Wales and North Wales to merge and  form a new club for Wales like NZ Warriors did in the NRL.Call it something like Wales or Welsh Warriors and base them somewhere like Cardiff or Newport.Yes I did initially say keep it in North Wales but maybe upon reflection it would be better in say Cardiff or Newport as you have a very good catchment area.