Newcastle Thunder

[Moscow01]

Full time aren’t they? Currently getting pasted 30-4 before half-time by a very good Sheffield side. 

 

 

[gazza77]

15 minutes ago, Moscow01 said:

Full time aren’t they? Currently getting pasted 30-4 before half-time by a very good Sheffield side. 

 

 

As Sheffield themselves found a few seasons ago, there is a significant difference in having full time players and a good team. 

[Angelic Cynic]

9 minutes ago, gazza77 said:

As Sheffield themselves found a few seasons ago, there is a significant difference in having full time players and a good team. 

Yes - but I believe the individual behind the initial financing left for the USA before the season started and the full time salaries were not better than part-time salaries.

Newcastle Thunder haven't encountered similar problems,such as a change of stadium,that Sheffield suffered.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

10 minutes ago, Angelic Cynic said:

Yes - but I believe the individual behind the initial financing left for the USA before the season started and the full time salaries were not better than part-time salaries.

Newcastle Thunder haven't encountered similar problems,such as a change of stadium,that Sheffield suffered.

So why continue with the FT plan if the money wasn't there?

[gazza77]

13 minutes ago, Angelic Cynic said:

Yes - but I believe the individual behind the initial financing left for the USA before the season started and the full time salaries were not better than part-time salaries.

Newcastle Thunder haven't encountered similar problems,such as a change of stadium,that Sheffield suffered.

Not saying that the circumstances are the same, nor the long term outcome. At this moment however, Newcastle appear to have signed players that can't get FT gigs elsewhere, because ultimately they are generally not good enough. That's the similarity. 

[dixiedean]

30-20 now.

[OriginalMrC]

It's a fair point but London were full time and paying quite a lot of their lads the minimum amount (£15k). Not sure of the Newcastle situation but it doesn't seem their squad is hugely different than last year. Sheffield have been in good form too so this not a huge surprise. 

[JM2010]

Sheffield is a club I'd like to see develop. They're a big city not far from the heartlands and now have their own stadium. I'm not sure if they have much junior activity in and around Sheffield though or if they have their own development program like Newcastle

[Pie tries]

10 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

Sheffield is a club I'd like to see develop. They're a big city not far from the heartlands and now have their own stadium. I'm not sure if they have much junior activity in and around Sheffield though or if they have their own development program like Newcastle

Great Sheffield have their own stadium- onwards for them and the city. Newcastle have all the makings of a great great club

[meast]

Is the same Newcastle that along with Bradford and York would offer more to SL than Huddersfield, Salford and Wakefield?

[gazza77]

33 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

 

Whoever out of Leigh or Fev doesnt go up will have to scale back significantly.  

Why will they? 

Leigh have an owner with deep pockets. Unless he walks, they'd be back next year. 

Fev have grown year on year for the last 15 or so years. They have multiple income streams, and shown consistently they're amongst the best run teams in the championship. 

I hope Newcastle grow, and expect them to develop over time, however expecting one of this year's top two to dramatically fall away in 2023 feels a little fanciful to me. 

[gazza77]

Just now, ShropshireBull said:

Because Leigh lose 400,000 next year without promotion plus whatever income streams fev have, I doubt they are enough to be sustainable with the amount they are spending this season.  

Both saw with Toulouse gone this was the season to go for it and will have to scale back next season.  Plus if Toulouse do come down they will instantly become a more attractive destination than the team that stays down. 

I dont blame Both for going for it but the gap between the one that stays down and the rest will close next year. 

I can't comment on either in any detail, Leigh in particular. 

I've heard the same said about Fev year in year out for the last 10 years at least however. I very much doubt anything this year has changed, beyond the growth in numbers on the terraces, which first hand experience tells me has seen a fairly significant increase. 

[gazza77]

Just now, ShropshireBull said:

Fair enough.  Fev have been magnificently run for many years  and yep,  fev average was 2300 in 2019.  Lowest crowd this year 2700 and probably on course to average 3k. 

Extra 700x13= Extra 9100 over course of year so probably worth an extra 200k in the kitty. 

 

Fair answer. I never get the desire from any RL fan to expect failure of other clubs tbh. The more we have that are strong, Bulls included, the better. 

[GUBRATS]

4 minutes ago, gazza77 said:

Fair answer. I never get the desire from any RL fan to expect failure of other clubs tbh. The more we have that are strong, Bulls included, the better. 

Agree , I want all clubs to prosper , no matter where they are based 

[gazza77]

Just now, ShropshireBull said:

Mindset I suspect of thinking the pie is limited instead of how can we grow it.  

We have the infrastructure for a 14 team SL and clubs that dont think they can make up the 200k short fall probably shouldnt be in SL. 

Fev would be good for Wakey and Cas.  Leigh pies and Salford.  Newcastle for profile of League, York would be good for Leeds and the Hull teams.  End of loop fixtures too. 

The most common response to pie discussions in RL is to who is going to eat it.

[gazza77]

4 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Agree , I want all clubs to prosper , no matter where they are based 

As a Fev fan, I'd love Cas to be the second best team in the world. Who is better to beat to get to number one, than your local rival. 

I'm sure you feel the same about pie eaters.

[The Blues Ox]

9 hours ago, gazza77 said:

Why will they? 

Leigh have an owner with deep pockets. Unless he walks, they'd be back next year. 

Fev have grown year on year for the last 15 or so years. They have multiple income streams, and shown consistently they're amongst the best run teams in the championship. 

I hope Newcastle grow, and expect them to develop over time, however expecting one of this year's top two to dramatically fall away in 2023 feels a little fanciful to me. 

Its a pipe dream that some Championship fans are clinging on to. Fev and Leigh will be just as strong next year even if a miracle happened and neither went up.

[The Blues Ox]

As for Necastle I think some people had them as high as 3rd before the season started but those people I can only imagine don't understand just how many quality part time players there are in this league and just how many of them could step up to SL if they were full time and look like decent SL players. I don't see the worst full time players any better than part time players that will fill the top 7 or 8 clubs if Im honest.

Sheffield are a strange team, every now and again they seem to be able to put together a good season and they look good value for their spot as it stands but one look at their fixture list will tell you they are in a bit of a false position at the moment with their only win that you maybe wouldn't have expected coming away to Bradford but thats probably just two teams around the same level so one of those that could go either way. Their next 4 games are Leigh, Halifax, Widnes, and York and its hard to see them getting more than 1 win from those games. With Barrow having Fax and York up next like I have said on the Championship thread previously, by the time we get to week 10 the league will have a much more familiar look to it in regards the top 6.

[GUBRATS]

8 hours ago, gazza77 said:

As a Fev fan, I'd love Cas to be the second best team in the world. Who is better to beat to get to number one, than your local rival. 

I'm sure you feel the same about pie eaters.

It's interesting reading posts on here , quite often fans of clubs similar to ours are accused of wanting SL clubs like Toulouse,Toronto , the lower supported ' bottom dwellers ' and indeed ' fashionable ' lower tier clubs like London, York,Newcastle/Gateshead,Sheffield to fail , mostly because they like virtually all clubs do have certain issues be that low attendances , logistical issues , poor infrastructures 

So we see accusations of flat cappery ( no pun intended ) , or ' little Brittany ' , a ' local game for local people ' from us , when all we are doing is pointing out the facts 

But what we also see is fans of ' expansion ' essentially wanting traditional clubs like ours with ambition to fail , complete double standards , all we want is results and then where anybody is in the ladder to be decided on the pitch , as it should be in ' Sport ' 

[Angelic Cynic]

11 hours ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

So why continue with the FT plan if the money wasn't there?

Contractual obligations,I guess.It seems to be an honourable club.

At the end of the campaign they asked their fanbase for 20k,as they had forgotten to pay HMRC.

I think it was all tied in with the stadium, the council,and a potential investor,where the stadium and council avoided and the investor averted. 

It would have been good to see how Mark Aston got on as a head coach if, at anytime,things off the field had ever run smoothly. 

[Anonymouse]

1 hour ago, The Blues Ox said:

As for Necastle I think some people had them as high as 3rd before the season started but those people I can only imagine don't understand just how many quality part time players there are in this league and just how many of them could step up to SL if they were full time and look like decent SL players. I don't see the worst full time players any better than part time players that will fill the top 7 or 8 clubs if Im honest.

Sheffield are a strange team, every now and again they seem to be able to put together a good season and they look good value for their spot as it stands but one look at their fixture list will tell you they are in a bit of a false position at the moment with their only win that you maybe wouldn't have expected coming away to Bradford but thats probably just two teams around the same level so one of those that could go either way. Their next 4 games are Leigh, Halifax, Widnes, and York and its hard to see them getting more than 1 win from those games. With Barrow having Fax and York up next like I have said on the Championship thread previously, by the time we get to week 10 the league will have a much more familiar look to it in regards the top 6.

I wouldn't be writing off Barrow just yet having only lost 1 away and that was to Fev it wouldn't be a shock if they nick a close win tomorrow and they will be hard to beat at home to York.

[The storm]

People seem to have forgotten about widnes

But from ladt nights saints came and wider squad i note the following

Ben davies widnes lad

Jon bennison - widnes lad

George delaney- widnes lad

Dan norman - widnes lad

Daniel hill- widnes lad

Gareth obrien - widnes lad

Mark percival- widnes laf

Lewis dodd- widnes lad

Harry smith at wigan - widnes lad

 

One day the vikings will attract a big investor 

[David Dockhouse Host]

9 minutes ago, The storm said:

People seem to have forgotten about widnes

But from ladt nights saints came and wider squad i note the following

Ben davies widnes lad

Jon bennison - widnes lad

George delaney- widnes lad

Dan norman - widnes lad

Daniel hill- widnes lad

Gareth obrien - widnes lad

Mark percival- widnes laf

Lewis dodd- widnes lad

Harry smith at wigan - widnes lad

 

One day the vikings will attract a big investor 

Would be great to see these players come through their regional clubs, would help spread the talent evenly 

[Jughead]

32 minutes ago, David Dockhouse Host said:

Would be great to see these players come through their regional clubs, would help spread the talent evenly 

Or would potentially halt the progress of some of these players by keeping them shackled to clubs based upon postcode and nothing more. 

[JM2010]

49 minutes ago, The storm said:

People seem to have forgotten about widnes

But from ladt nights saints came and wider squad i note the following

Ben davies widnes lad

Jon bennison - widnes lad

George delaney- widnes lad

Dan norman - widnes lad

Daniel hill- widnes lad

Gareth obrien - widnes lad

Mark percival- widnes laf

Lewis dodd- widnes lad

Harry smith at wigan - widnes lad

 

One day the vikings will attract a big investor 

I hope at some point SL could have enough money to expand to 16/18 clubs. It could then include clubs like Widnes, Sheffield, Leigh, Fev etc alongside the current clubs