IMG - Thought's, suggestions and comments to move the game forward

[watcherofRL]

On 27/08/2022 at 09:27, Adelaide Tiger said:

You are right that the problems run deep as exemplified by this message board over the years.

Just imagine if a group of people last week created a new game called rugby league and then with a blank sheet of paper created the governance structure, league structure, financial regulations etc. they would end up with something that fits their vision and shows a pathway to grow the game.

However the situation we have now is that we have a group of influential people representing sections of the sport looking at a sheet of paper that is full of squiggles, rubbing outs, outdated diagrams, old and used league structures and self interest thoughts.  IMHO SOME of those influential people are not remotely interested in creating a new world order for the game but in making sure that whatever is decided only meets their own/club agenda ……. and somehow they expect to create a more profitable product!   Absolutely crackers!

Totally agree about the self interest - only way would be IMG to be strong enough to strip the power from SL clubs and create a brand new set of regional clubs. It would mean clubs would need to be completely rebranded and in some instance moved from their small town to become part of a bigger region. 
planning needs to happen as if it is a brand new sport and the existing g clubs would then need to ‘fit’ the new model rather than continually trying to offer short term fixes that only really serve to keep the status quo as it is

[watcherofRL]

On 24/08/2022 at 19:37, Derwent Parker said:

Well said DTTRRs - We dont agree on a lot ,

But you say:-

we have to even out the distribution of central funding.

Reserve rugby should be Mandatory

a contribution to travelling expenses

I agree with all that especially the  distribution of central funding

Me too 

[Tommygilf]

On 28/08/2022 at 11:05, Davo5 said:

We really don’t 

Indeed, its a pretty delusional take imo given the state of most of the Championship and the desperation so many are showing to get out of it...

[GUBRATS]

12 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Indeed, its a pretty delusional take imo given the state of most of the Championship and the desperation so many are showing to get out of it...

So many being Leigh ? , Explain desperation ? , Or in Leigh's and Fev's case ambition ? , I didn't realise clubs outside SL weren't allowed ambition to improve their position in the game ?

[Tommygilf]

Just now, GUBRATS said:

So many being Leigh ? , Explain desperation ? , Or in Leigh's and Fev's case ambition ? , I didn't realise clubs outside SL weren't allowed ambition to improve their position in the game ?

The spending is at unsustainable levels and the repeatedly when teams spend big and don't make it they either do or come close to coming under; with lots of people included in the collateral damage.

I also don't think a 1 and a half horse race is indicative of a vibrant championship either to be honest. 

[GUBRATS]

3 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

The spending is at unsustainable levels and the repeatedly when teams spend big and don't make it they either do or come close to coming under; with lots of people included in the collateral damage.

I also don't think a 1 and a half horse race is indicative of a vibrant championship either to be honest. 

So Celtic Crusaders spend ' unsustainably ' and that's fine , similarly Toronto and most likely Toulouse and that's ok , even when Marwan was at Salford it was praised ( and others hoping he would take his money to the Bulls or even Liverpool ) , but it's not OK for Leigh to do it ? 

I'm sure next year you'll all be hoping Toulouse don't go unbeaten as they did last year creating a one horse race , or will that be seen as a good thing ? , My monies on the later 

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, GUBRATS said:

So Celtic Crusaders spend ' unsustainably ' and that's fine , similarly Toronto and most likely Toulouse and that's ok , even when Marwan was at Salford it was praised ( and others hoping he would take his money to the Bulls or even Liverpool ) , but it's not OK for Leigh to do it ? 

I'm sure next year you'll all be hoping Toulouse don't go unbeaten as they did last year creating a one horse race , or will that be seen as a good thing ? , My monies on the later 

Yeah,  I do find the arguments a bit all over the place.  I'm not P&R's biggest fan,  and understand some of the challenges presented,  but many arguments at this stage do rather equate to sugar daddy investment is good,  unless Leigh do it and then it's unsustainable. 

We then hear some of the same people want the cap scrapped so rich investors can pump money in (as long as its at the top of SL,  or France). 

We should welcome anyone investing in RL, even those who we don't particularly like personality-wise. 

[Tommygilf]

42 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

So Celtic Crusaders spend ' unsustainably ' and that's fine , similarly Toronto and most likely Toulouse and that's ok , even when Marwan was at Salford it was praised ( and others hoping he would take his money to the Bulls or even Liverpool ) , but it's not OK for Leigh to do it ? 

I'm sure next year you'll all be hoping Toulouse don't go unbeaten as they did last year creating a one horse race , or will that be seen as a good thing ? , My monies on the later 

I'd rather not waste time argue with strawmen propositions such as you have suggested there. By all means if you want to debate what has actually been said then fire away.

[GUBRATS]

26 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I'd rather not waste time argue with strawmen propositions such as you have suggested there. By all means if you want to debate what has actually been said then fire away.

No worries 

[Griff]

1 hour ago, GUBRATS said:

So Celtic Crusaders spend ' unsustainably ' and that's fine , similarly Toronto and most likely Toulouse and that's ok , even when Marwan was at Salford it was praised ( and others hoping he would take his money to the Bulls or even Liverpool ) , but it's not OK for Leigh to do it ? 

Not without a railway station.

[GUBRATS]

14 minutes ago, Griff said:

Not without a railway station.

Given how many trains are running these days , not much point 

Explain why Leigh fans need a train station to watch Leigh at the LSV ?

[Snowys Backside]

Promote Leigh and Fev an Keep Toulouse. Build towards a 16 team SL all with academies. 
 

Dial down monies and bring your Widnes, Barrows, Cumbria, Newcastle, Bradford etc into consideration and give them the opportunity to apply to eventually increase it to 16. 
 

No stupid loop fixtures. Even bin Magic weekend !  Academy players/ U 21s have to be part of your playing roster. 
 

Bring back Cougermania !

Expansionists will be happy. I will be happy and everything will level out as top youngsters can eventually play for their home town team and not be poached by a neighbour and discarded afterwards !

Oh, and no more John Wilkin on Sky !  Replace him with Emma

[Big Picture]

26 minutes ago, Snowys Backside said:

Promote Leigh and Fev an Keep Toulouse. Build towards a 16 team SL all with academies. 
 

Dial down monies and bring your Widnes, Barrows, Cumbria, Newcastle, Bradford etc into consideration and give them the opportunity to apply to eventually increase it to 16. 
 

No stupid loop fixtures. Even bin Magic weekend !  Academy players/ U 21s have to be part of your playing roster. 
 

Bring back Cougermania !

Expansionists will be happy. I will be happy and everything will level out as top youngsters can eventually play for their home town team and not be poached by a neighbour and discarded afterwards !

Oh, and no more John Wilkin on Sky !  Replace him with Emma

Dial down monies, seriously?????  Do you want even more players to leave for RU or the NRL?????

[GUBRATS]

44 minutes ago, Snowys Backside said:

Promote Leigh and Fev an Keep Toulouse. Build towards a 16 team SL all with academies. 
 

Dial down monies and bring your Widnes, Barrows, Cumbria, Newcastle, Bradford etc into consideration and give them the opportunity to apply to eventually increase it to 16. 
 

No stupid loop fixtures. Even bin Magic weekend !  Academy players/ U 21s have to be part of your playing roster. 
 

Bring back Cougermania !

Expansionists will be happy. I will be happy and everything will level out as top youngsters can eventually play for their home town team and not be poached by a neighbour and discarded afterwards !

Oh, and no more John Wilkin on Sky !  Replace him with Emma

She does know more about RL than him 

[RP London]

On 28/08/2022 at 11:58, Pulga said:

I apologise but I don't see how it can change for the better.

The problems I hear of in Super League are identical to bush footy here in Australia. 

The community game and the professional game are mostly seperate in Australia and the NRL is now 15 - 20 times the size of SL.

In England the professional game is the community game and all those silly biases and small town thinking creep in.

P&R is a baby boomer's nostalgia trip and nothing more.

While some of that is true i think the key things are that you "hear" of these issues and therefore you are probable getting a biased version of them depending on who you are talking to. 

Things are not as bad as they are made out to be and the game can be altered. IMG are not going to just walk away from it, they will have done their due diligence and the 12 year agreement is there to show that this needs a long term solution. What can be gained is massive for both the game and IMG if they get it right, similar to how they have turned around the EuroBasket competition. We may see radical changed, I think personally they are more likely to be gradual as they will have sensitivity to the "small town thinking". 

Our biggest issue is about the clubs "buying in" but honestly I would hazard a guess that something has been built into the set up to circumvent some of this as otherwise IMG (I believe) wouldn't have agreed to this agreement. 

[Liverpool Rover]

20 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

So many being Leigh ? , Explain desperation ? , Or in Leigh's and Fev's case ambition ? , I didn't realise clubs outside SL weren't allowed ambition to improve their position in the game ?

The way Leigh and Fev have been chucking money about you can see why people will see it as desperation. Do they know something we don’t?

[Griff]

29 minutes ago, Liverpool Rover said:

The way Leigh and Fev have been chucking money about you can see why people will see it as desperation. Do they know something we don’t?

One of them (at least) has been chucking money away.

Not that that concerns me.  Provided that the stability of the club is not affected.

[Snowys Backside]

32 minutes ago, Liverpool Rover said:

The way Leigh and Fev have been chucking money about you can see why people will see it as desperation. Do they know something we don’t?

That’s the Million dollar question. I don’t recall 2x10. 2x12 or one league of 14 being confirmed only that Keighley are promoted and Dewsbury and Workington are relegated. Even that can change. 
 

It is RL however, and Toulouse remaining in SL will give them stability if it went to 14 because I fear them going down the pan. They did 10 years ago and it would be a shame for a Huge City not to be included next year. 
 

Because I embrace diversity, 2 Pit Towns with Tradition (and they are not bad teams either) will also spice the comp up a bit because let’s be honest, Super League is currently ‘Super Bland’ !

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Snowys Backside said:

That’s the Million dollar question. I don’t recall 2x10. 2x12 or one league of 14 being confirmed only that Keighley are promoted and Dewsbury and Workington are relegated. Even that can change. 

No structural changes for next season has already been confirmed.

[del capo]

On 30/08/2022 at 11:12, gingerjon said:

No structural changes for next season has already been confirmed.

IMG conclusions and recommendations   to be presented to clubs on 28th September at a special Council meeting according to RFL Chair.

[gingerjon]

Just now, del capo said:

IMG conclusions and recommendations   to be presented to clubs on 28th September at a special Council meeting according to RFL Chair.

Interesting …

[del capo]

5 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Interesting …

Chair summary of RFL Board meeting  on 31/8 certainly interesting . 

Around 20000 fans for instance responded to IMG  requests for input.

And the terms of the Governments monies put into admin threatened Worcester RU being raised / queried by RFL on behalf of our own pro clubs......

[gingerjon]

9 minutes ago, del capo said:

And the terms of the Governments monies put into admin threatened Worcester RU being raised / queried by RFL on behalf of our own pro clubs......

I didn't realise any government money had gone to Worcester. That's a bit weird given the *allegedly* dodgy shenanigans with moving ownership and finances there.

Edited September 2, 2022 by gingerjon

[Damien]

9 minutes ago, del capo said:

Chair summary of RFL Board meeting  on 31/8 certainly interesting . 

Around 20000 fans for instance responded to IMG  requests for input.

And the terms of the Governments monies put into admin threatened Worcester RU being raised / queried by RFL on behalf of our own pro clubs......

Have you a link to this?

[del capo]

14 minutes ago, Damien said:

Have you a link to this?

Sorry Damien but I cant do linky stuff. 20th century IT only.

Circulated to all Council members at least and shared elsewhere.. Somebody on here will have it  and the skills to share.

Gubrats ?

Martyn will I am sure have it but may be saving it for his Trade press.

That reference to RFL and Worcester RU could well relate to Covid loans as well as Noreen Dorris'  department....Martyn has raised this on another thread