Wellsy4HullFC Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 RIP Chairman Mo. A giant of the game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meast Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 (edited) Always thought he was rather arrogant and dismissive of everyone not associated with ' Wigan rugby league football club' But there's no doubt he was a visionary and did his best for the sport, ironically, the most enjoyable days I have had watching RL came under his tenure as RFL chairman. RIP Edited May 17, 2022 by meast 1 Huddersfield Giants Supporters Association Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave T Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 RIP, he was a big RL personality, but of a panto villain for many, but definitely a personality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sentoffagain2 Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Maurice did have a vision to bring the game to an higher level.Today's players can thank him for getting a secure wage rather than win or lose money.As chairman of the RFL he was better than most that have followed him.Enjoyed it when i backed a winner with him at the races.RIP. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anita Bath Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Doubt there will be any outpourings of grief among league 1 clubs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerjon Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 I think history will put more on the credit than the debit side, acknowledging the colossal challenges he finally forced the game to face after decades of avoiding them. RIP 7 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...
Futtocks Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Let's not forget, Maurice could even talk the Kangaroos out of reneging on their international obligations. Now that is impressive! 9 Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted. Ralph Waldo Emerson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklaspalmas Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Rest in peace. He was a polemic and divisive figure who had a vision for the future of rugby league in the UK and dragged the clubs towards the 21st century almost singlehandedly it appeared at times. At the time, I thought his moves to be brutal and over hasty. Time has proved that many of those revolutionary changes were necessary. Ultimately his vision failed. He must accept part of that responsibility, but the large part was the failure of the clubs to follow through with the plan, and to fudge and compromise all the way with self-interested decisions. Like or loathe him, he will go down as an important figure in rugby league history. 8 https://www.fevarchive.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Future is League Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 3 hours ago, Szymala said: I'd say THE most significant and influential figure of the post-war period. No one publicised the sport better.. or more. A real go-getter who transformed Wigan and then the game as a whole. RIP Maurice. He got our game positive column inches in all the national newspapers, and was always open to be interviewed. Had no fear of being interviewed on the BBC or Sky news or Australian TV channels when he was down there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn Sadler Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 59 minutes ago, The Future is League said: He got our game positive column inches in all the national newspapers, and was always open to be interviewed. Had no fear of being interviewed on the BBC or Sky news or Australian TV channels when he was down there. I felt incredibly sorry when I heard the news about Maurice's death and sad that I hadn't spoken to him for probably 12 months. I didn't realise that he was approaching the end of his life so quickly. Maurice had boundless energy and when he took over at Wigan in the early 80s, he had an unerring eye for how to restore the club's fortunes, which had plummeted to such an extent that the club had been relegated to the then second division. In many respects Maurice was a gambler (he was actually an on-course bookmaker), but his gambles very frequently paid off. I think that was helped by him having an unfailingly positive attitude to life. I think that was probably why he was widely admired in Australia. I fell out with him several times, which was inevitable given that we were effectively sitting in judgement on him both when he was at Wigan, the RFL and Super League. But he never held a grudge for very long, if at all, and he was always someone I looked forward to speaking to, mainly because I knew he would always say something worth printing, which isn't always true of Rugby League's leading officials. I'm very sorry to see that he's passed away. 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Future is League Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 2 minutes ago, Martyn Sadler said: I felt incredibly sorry when I heard the news about Maurice's death and sad that I hadn't spoken to him for probably 12 months. I didn't realise that he was approaching the end of his life so quickly. Maurice had boundless energy and when he took over at Wigan in the early 80s, he had an unerring eye for how to restore the club's fortunes, which had plummeted to such an extent that the club had been relegated to the then second division. In many respects Maurice was a gambler (he was actually an on-course bookmaker), but his gambles very frequently paid off. I think that was helped by him having an unfailingly positive attitude to life. I think that was probably why he was widely admired in Australia. I fell out with him several times, which was inevitable given that we were effectively sitting in judgement on him both when he was at Wigan, the RFL and Super League. But he never held a grudge for very long, if at all, and he was always someone I looked forward to speaking to, mainly because I knew he would always say something worth printing, which isn't always true of Rugby League's leading officials. I'm very sorry to see that he's passed away. How we could do with someone like him today with his positivity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave T Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 10 minutes ago, The Future is League said: How we could do with someone like him today with his positivity. Many of his views on the backchat program a couple of years ago would be frowned upon nowadays as small minded. Iirc he was very supportive of focusing on heartlands. I think he was of his time. I think Martyn summing him up as a gambler is a good description - a lot of stuff was absolute rubbish and badly thought out and/or delivered, but he wanted to keep pushing things and that was exciting when things did come off. I think the game is worse off in some ways for not having those exciting crazy entrepreneurs in the game, but then the gambles and failures could also be costly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Future is League Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 His epitaph should read "Maurice Lindsay, Mr British Rugby League" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave T Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Just now, The Future is League said: His epitaph should read "Maurice Lindsay, Mr British Rugby League" I'm not sure I'd agree with that in the slightest. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulwalker71 Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 32 minutes ago, The Future is League said: How we could do with someone like him today with his positivity. Exactly Compare Maurice Lindsey and Ralph Rimmer. It's chalk and cheese! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiltshire Warrior Dragon Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 7 hours ago, Futtocks said: One of the most significant off-field figures in the game, Chairman Mo was one of those people with a vision, who could (and would) get things done, and who wouldn't file everything in the "too difficult" bin. Thanks, Futtocks. As is often the case, you summarise things very well, and I wholly endorse what you say. RIP, Maurice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WN83 Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 If it wasn’t for Maurice Lindsay I may well not be sat here now discussing all things rugby league. I got in to the game during that era of Wigan dominance he built and it was an amazing upbringing being able to go to Central Park on a regular basis and to Wembley, Old Trafford etc for finals. The stars we got to watch was pretty incredible and it built my passion for rugby league and gave me some of my happiest childhood memories. I love the sport and I feel I’ve plenty to thank him for. RIP to a Wigan legend. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Szymala Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 1 hour ago, paulwalker71 said: Exactly Compare Maurice Lindsey and Ralph Rimmer. It's chalk and cheese! Deary me. Shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence. A born showman versus the invisible man. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RL Tragic Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 9 hours ago, Robin Evans said: Marmite. To avoid criticism, Do nothing, Say nothing , Be nothing . RIP Maurice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Evans Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 20 minutes ago, RL Tragic said: To avoid criticism, Do nothing, Say nothing , Be nothing . RIP Maurice. Perhaps the best advice..... but he was a very polarising character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastLondonMike Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2022/05/17/watch-maurice-lindsay/ Radlinski talking to Maurice a few weeks prior to his death. 2 Newham Dockers - Champions 2013. Rugby League For East London. 100% Cockney Rugby League!Twitter: @NewhamDockersRL - Get following! www.newhamdockers.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Frightful Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 He was a massive figure in our game and his ideas could be said to have saved the game and pushed it into the limelight. Clearly it could also be said that his ideas allowed his club to dominate RL over here for quite some time. I remember being at the Watersheddings one evening when Oldham played Hull FC on SKY tv, quite some time ago and he was the SKY guest. Unfortunately for Maurice, he leaned over the balcony and was in full view of the Hull FC travelling support who made it quite clear to him they weren't too keen on the Wigan dominance of our great game. I also remember going to a race meeting some years back and wandering past all the on course bookies, looking for the most generous odds and, to my amazement, there was Maurice involved right in the middle of it with his name above him at his own stall, exchanging views on the odds with all the punters. He was a great character and has left us with some great memories, I rather doubt that Wigan would have travelled across to play Brisbane and handed their ar ses to them on a plate but for Maurice, in spite of not being much of a Wigan fan, I love watching that time and again. RIP Maurice Lindsay. 2 Hull FC....The Sons of God... (Well, we are about to be crucified on Good Friday) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padge Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 R.I.P. Maurice. His determination and drive helped him to achieve many great things for Wigan and the game, a man of vision with occasional blind spots. He knew that he would never be able to please everybody and never tried to. 4 Visit my photography site www.padge.smugmug.com Radio 5 Live: Saturday 14 April 2007 Dave Whelan "In Wigan rugby will always be king" This country's wealth was created by men in overalls, it was destroyed by men in suits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futtocks Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 (edited) Chairman Mo dragged a furiously unwilling sport into the world of full professionalism and relevance in the modern sporting landscape - a position from which far too many are still eager to retreat. Now we need someone to do the same, but for the 21st Century. That's one hell of a job requirement. Edited May 17, 2022 by Futtocks Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted. Ralph Waldo Emerson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wigan Riversider Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2022/05/17/watch-maurice-lindsay/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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