Clubs on the up vs clubs on the slippery slope

[The storm]

Clubs on the up

1 York- best young coach in british rugby league and momentum building with some strength added fir 2022. Could easily hit 2000 averages or more

2 Halifax Panthers- New branding and a feel good factor about the club. 

3 Newcastle thunder- Must be aiming for a top 4 with a full time squad and i think it could be close. 

4 North Wales Crusaders-if they can keep the momentum up at colwyn bay, they could have a fantastic future. 

5 Leigh Centurians - Despite going down leigh have made some top class signings and will be hards to beat at LSV. 

6 Bradford Bulls- seem to be getting it right off the field and cam again be a force 

7 Widnes Vikings- with significant investment from fans they have made some great signings for 2022.

8 Hull K R. Probably have the best CEO in rugby league and if they buy their own ground will have a massive advantage 

9 St helens-continue to set tge standards of rugby league in the UK 

10 Keighley Cougars. Lots of excitement surrounding the cougars and andrew Henderson will habe an impact. 

Barrow. - a vibrant club who along with whitehaven, workington and rochdale are my clubs on the up 

 

And now a few clubs who need to sort some things out 

1 Hull FC. The sacking of Lee Radford on sky was a big no no for me, and pearson has allowed Hull to go stale

2 London Broncos - Going part time could be the end of the broncos in the big time and mostly uninspiring signings for 2022. 

3 Wakefield Trinity. We all know they have a poor ground, but what can they do about it 

4 Coventry Bears. A silly and unnecessary rebranding 

5 West Wales Raiders - remain very much out on a limb with maybe the Badham brothers some light at the end of the tunnel

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by The storm

[ATLANTISMAN]

1 minute ago, The storm said:

Clubs on the up

1 York- best young coach in british rugby league and momentum building with some strength added fir 2022. Could easily hit 2000 averages or more

2 Halifax Panthers- New branding and a feel good factor about the club. 

3 Newcastle thunder- Must be aiming for a top 4 with a full time squad and i think it could be close. 

4 North Wales Crusaders-if they can keep the momentum up at colwyn bay, they could have a fantastic future. 

5 Leigh Centurians - Despite going down leigh have made some top class signings and will be hards to beat at LSV. 

6 Bradford Bulls- seem to be getting it right off the field and cam again be a force 

7 Widnes Vikings- with significant investment from fans they have made some great signings for 2022.

8 Hull K R. Probably have the best CEO in rugby league and if they buy their own ground will have a massive advantage 

9 St helens-continue to set tge standards of rugby league in the UK 

10 Keighley Cougars. Lots of excitement surrounding the cougars and andrew Henderson will habe an impact. 

Barrow. - a vibrant club who along with whitehaven, workington and rochdale are my clubs on the up 

 

And now a few clubs who need to sort some things out 

1 Hull FC. The sacking of Lee Radford on sky was a big no no for me, and pearson has allowed Hull to go stale

2 London Broncos - Going part time could be the end of the broncos in the big time and mostly uninspiring signings for 2022. 

3 Wakefield Trinity. We all know they have a poor ground, but what can they do about it 

4 Coventry Bears. A silly and unnecessary rebranding 

5 West Wales Raiders - remain very much our on a limb with maybe tge Badham brothers some light at the end of the tunnel

 

Can argue with that really not too sure about Widnes though but I stand to be corrected.

Would be nice to see West Wales do better this season.

 

P

[MZH]

3 hours ago, The storm said:

Clubs on the up

1 York- best young coach in british rugby league and momentum building with some strength added fir 2022. Could easily hit 2000 averages or more

2 Halifax Panthers- New branding and a feel good factor about the club. 

3 Newcastle thunder- Must be aiming for a top 4 with a full time squad and i think it could be close. 

4 North Wales Crusaders-if they can keep the momentum up at colwyn bay, they could have a fantastic future. 

5 Leigh Centurians - Despite going down leigh have made some top class signings and will be hards to beat at LSV. 

6 Bradford Bulls- seem to be getting it right off the field and cam again be a force 

7 Widnes Vikings- with significant investment from fans they have made some great signings for 2022.

8 Hull K R. Probably have the best CEO in rugby league and if they buy their own ground will have a massive advantage 

9 St helens-continue to set tge standards of rugby league in the UK 

10 Keighley Cougars. Lots of excitement surrounding the cougars and andrew Henderson will habe an impact. 

Barrow. - a vibrant club who along with whitehaven, workington and rochdale are my clubs on the up 

 

And now a few clubs who need to sort some things out 

1 Hull FC. The sacking of Lee Radford on sky was a big no no for me, and pearson has allowed Hull to go stale

2 London Broncos - Going part time could be the end of the broncos in the big time and mostly uninspiring signings for 2022. 

3 Wakefield Trinity. We all know they have a poor ground, but what can they do about it 

4 Coventry Bears. A silly and unnecessary rebranding 

5 West Wales Raiders - remain very much out on a limb with maybe the Badham brothers some light at the end of the tunnel

 

Agree with most of it, although I wouldn't really describe Saints as a club on the up, they are the bench mark and have been for a long time. They seem like the odd one out in your list.

Also, I know you don't really like Hull, and I don't dispute that we need to sort a few things out. But why select Hull over say, Wigan, who are underperforming on the pitch, looking for cheap options in their recruitment, and are barely getting half the crowds they were a few years ago? And Radford's sacking was over 18 months ago now. Hardly a recent development.

[DI Keith Fowler]

3 hours ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Can argue with that really not too sure about Widnes though but I stand to be corrected.

Would be nice to see West Wales do better this season.

 

P

We're definitely back on the up after a couple of lean seasons post administration. We've been run on a shoestring in that time and what's promising aside from 1st team signings is the backroom staff roles we're filling now, becoming a proper outfit again. 

[Eddie]

Very harsh on Coventry. 

[Eddie]

1 minute ago, DI Keith Fowler said:

We're definitely back on the up after a couple of lean seasons post administration. We've been run on a shoestring in that time and what's promising aside from 1st team signings is the backroom staff roles we're filling now, becoming a proper outfit again. 

Good, the sooner Widnes (and Bradford) are back in SL the better for me, and even better if it’s a 14 or 16 team comp. 

[OriginalMrC]

4 hours ago, The storm said:

Clubs on the up

1 York- best young coach in british rugby league and momentum building with some strength added fir 2022. Could easily hit 2000 averages or more

2 Halifax Panthers- New branding and a feel good factor about the club. 

3 Newcastle thunder- Must be aiming for a top 4 with a full time squad and i think it could be close. 

4 North Wales Crusaders-if they can keep the momentum up at colwyn bay, they could have a fantastic future. 

5 Leigh Centurians - Despite going down leigh have made some top class signings and will be hards to beat at LSV. 

6 Bradford Bulls- seem to be getting it right off the field and cam again be a force 

7 Widnes Vikings- with significant investment from fans they have made some great signings for 2022.

8 Hull K R. Probably have the best CEO in rugby league and if they buy their own ground will have a massive advantage 

9 St helens-continue to set tge standards of rugby league in the UK 

10 Keighley Cougars. Lots of excitement surrounding the cougars and andrew Henderson will habe an impact. 

Barrow. - a vibrant club who along with whitehaven, workington and rochdale are my clubs on the up 

 

And now a few clubs who need to sort some things out 

1 Hull FC. The sacking of Lee Radford on sky was a big no no for me, and pearson has allowed Hull to go stale

2 London Broncos - Going part time could be the end of the broncos in the big time and mostly uninspiring signings for 2022. 

3 Wakefield Trinity. We all know they have a poor ground, but what can they do about it 

4 Coventry Bears. A silly and unnecessary rebranding 

5 West Wales Raiders - remain very much out on a limb with maybe the Badham brothers some light at the end of the tunnel

 

You may consider it a silly and unnecessary rebranding for Coventry but increased investment and the chance to play in a top class stadium facility says otherwise. Time will tell of course but this was a necessary rebranding in light of everything. 

Edited November 11, 2021 by OriginalMrC

[The storm]

18 hours ago, MZH said:

Agree with most of it, although I wouldn't really describe Saints as a club on the up, they are the bench mark and have been for a long time. They seem like the odd one out in your list.

Also, I know you don't really like Hull, and I don't dispute that we need to sort a few things out. But why select Hull over say, Wigan, who are underperforming on the pitch, looking for cheap options in their recruitment, and are barely getting half the crowds they were a few years ago? And Radford's sacking was over 18 months ago now. Hardly a recent development.

With regards to Hull, i just think they should be a major rugby league force. 

Im not a big fan of Adam Pearson even though a lot of hull fans see it differently

 

I know for a fact that he creates negative situations and the current ground crisis is somehow not his fault. 

But hull need to have a good season 

[gingerjon]

21 hours ago, The storm said:

Clubs on the up

1 York- best young coach in british rugby league and momentum building with some strength added fir 2022. Could easily hit 2000 averages or more

2 Halifax Panthers- New branding and a feel good factor about the club. 

3 Newcastle thunder- Must be aiming for a top 4 with a full time squad and i think it could be close. 

4 North Wales Crusaders-if they can keep the momentum up at colwyn bay, they could have a fantastic future. 

5 Leigh Centurians - Despite going down leigh have made some top class signings and will be hards to beat at LSV. 

6 Bradford Bulls- seem to be getting it right off the field and cam again be a force 

7 Widnes Vikings- with significant investment from fans they have made some great signings for 2022.

8 Hull K R. Probably have the best CEO in rugby league and if they buy their own ground will have a massive advantage 

9 St helens-continue to set tge standards of rugby league in the UK 

10 Keighley Cougars. Lots of excitement surrounding the cougars and andrew Henderson will habe an impact. 

Barrow. - a vibrant club who along with whitehaven, workington and rochdale are my clubs on the up 

 

And now a few clubs who need to sort some things out 

1 Hull FC. The sacking of Lee Radford on sky was a big no no for me, and pearson has allowed Hull to go stale

2 London Broncos - Going part time could be the end of the broncos in the big time and mostly uninspiring signings for 2022. 

3 Wakefield Trinity. We all know they have a poor ground, but what can they do about it 

4 Coventry Bears. A silly and unnecessary rebranding 

5 West Wales Raiders - remain very much out on a limb with maybe the Badham brothers some light at the end of the tunnel

 

Halifax Panthers is an amazing rebranding but Midlands Hurricanes is "silly and unnecessary".

Ace list this. Lot of thought behind it.

[The storm]

10 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Halifax Panthers is an amazing rebranding but Midlands Hurricanes is "silly and unnecessary".

Ace list this. Lot of thought behind it.

Are you being sarcastic lol

 

Hard to tell 

[ShropshireBull]

10 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Halifax Panthers is an amazing rebranding but Midlands Hurricanes is "silly and unnecessary".

Ace list this. Lot of thought behind it.

Guess Halifax is to try and generate publicity but is still Halifax, midlands is not really an identity I prescribe to and I´m from the West Midlands. If you are in Birmingham call yourself birmingham. I wish Hurricanes all the best but the Alexander stadium is another ground oversized, nowhere near the actual city or with transport links played behind an athletics track. 

Again, it´s not the location, it´s the lack of infrastructure.  

[gingerjon]

3 minutes ago, The storm said:

Are you being sarcastic lol

 

Hard to tell 

I think it's an amazing list with a lot to think about as a result of reading it.

[OriginalMrC]

23 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

Guess Halifax is to try and generate publicity but is still Halifax, midlands is not really an identity I prescribe to and I´m from the West Midlands. If you are in Birmingham call yourself birmingham. I wish Hurricanes all the best but the Alexander stadium is another ground oversized, nowhere near the actual city or with transport links played behind an athletics track. 

Again, it´s not the location, it´s the lack of infrastructure.  

Alexander Stadium is literally just off the M6, it has 2 train stations within 5-10 mins walk and is 15-20 mins in an uber from New Street. You couldn't get a better connected stadium! Maybe they should have built the commonwealth stadium in New street station 

[ShropshireBull]

4 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

Alexander Stadium is literally just off the M6, it has 2 train stations within 5-10 mins walk and is 15-20 mins in an uber from New Street. You couldn't get a better connected stadium! Maybe they should have built the commonwealth stadium in New street station 

Not talking about it being fit for a massive one off event but weekly use for a unestablished rugby league team. It´s a 25 minute walk and my point is about Public transport , not uber. Maybe you should read posts before you respond to them or not lie.  

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

12 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

Alexander Stadium is literally just off the M6, it has 2 train stations within 5-10 mins walk and is 15-20 mins in an uber from New Street. You couldn't get a better connected stadium! Maybe they should have built the commonwealth stadium in New street station 

Looking at the location of Birmingham & Solihull Bees, if Midlands Hurricanes do move to the Alexander Stadium in 2023, then it looks to be completely the other side of Birmingham and around an hour's travel away. Is that not going to be a bit like starting from scratch again? Seems a bit like London Broncos moving to Wimbledon from Ealing. 

[OriginalMrC]

7 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

Not talking about it being fit for a massive one off event but weekly use for a unestablished rugby league team. It´s a 25 minute walk and my point is about Public transport , not uber. Maybe you should read posts before you respond to them or not lie.  

You said 'Alexander stadium is another ground oversized, nowhere near the actual city or with transport links played behind an athletics track. 

Again, it´s not the location, it´s the lack of infrastructure.' 

I pointed out that your talk of lack of infrastructure was wrong. Nothing I said was a lie. 

 

[OriginalMrC]

2 minutes ago, RugbyLeagueGeek said:

Looking at the location of Birmingham & Solihull Bees, if Midlands Hurricanes do move to the Alexander Stadium in 2023, then it looks to be completely the other side of Birmingham and around an hour's travel away. Is that not going to be a bit like starting from scratch again? Seems a bit like London Broncos moving to Wimbledon from Ealing. 

Next year is a stop gap and it's about 40/45 mins drive. Both venues are fairly equidistant from Coventry 

[ShropshireBull]

Just now, OriginalMrC said:

You said 'Alexander stadium is another ground oversized, nowhere near the actual city or with transport links played behind an athletics track. 

Again, it´s not the location, it´s the lack of infrastructure.' 

I pointed out that your talk of lack of infrastructure was wrong. Nothing I said was a lie. 

 

It isn´t 5-10 minutes from the train stations it´s 25. So you are either wrong or a liar. Secondly uber is not a transport link, it´s a private hire company. Transport links are buses trains and trams which the ground is at best 25 mins from. And clearly it is not appropriate infrastructure for Midlands hurricanes team which anyone but a deliberately evasive pedant would know. 

If people can show me a successful club in the UK stuck behind an athletics track I´d love to see it.  

[RigbyLuger]

19 hours ago, Eddie said:

Very harsh on Coventry. 

Especially when Keighley are "on the up" with terrible kits and publicity stunts like the Captain Tom gates.

[RigbyLuger]

Athletics tracks = bad.

Speedway circuits = good.

[ShropshireBull]

1 minute ago, RigbyLuger said:

Athletics tracks = bad.

Speedway circuits = good.

Did I say it was good that Bradford play in a crumbling stadium? No. So come back when you actually have something to contribute. 

[ShropshireBull]

On the original question, I´d add Eagles to clubs on the up and take out Bradford, we´ve effectively found our level and have stagnated. Whether we can maintain crowds as our fanbase ages will be the big question. 

[OriginalMrC]

11 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

It isn´t 5-10 minutes from the train stations it´s 25. So you are either wrong or a liar. Secondly uber is not a transport link, it´s a private hire company. Transport links are buses trains and trams which the ground is at best 25 mins from. And clearly it is not appropriate infrastructure for Midlands hurricanes team which anyone but a deliberately evasive pedant would know. 

If people can show me a successful club in the UK stuck behind an athletics track I´d love to see it.  

Yeah you got me, I clearly lied about it. And I agree now its a terrible stadium

[The storm]

4 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

On the original question, I´d add Eagles to clubs on the up and take out Bradford, we´ve effectively found our level and have stagnated. Whether we can maintain crowds as our fanbase ages will be the big question. 

I thought about sheffield but they are heavily invested in mark aston, and if he left the club would suffer very badly 

[ShropshireBull]

1 minute ago, The storm said:

I thought about sheffield but they are heavily invested in mark aston, and if he left the club would suffer very badly 

True of many clubs but at least the infrastructure is in place to actually generate revenue and make it more likely people stay get involved.