Gerrumonside ref Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 (edited) Grim news. You would hope that consecutive Magic Weekends in Newcastle might have helped Newcastle Thunder generate interest and build crowds. I suspect the fact the soccer team are embarking on a more optimistic and possibly successful course makes it even harder in the battle for media attention and people's time and money. Edited August 17, 2022 by Gerrumonside ref 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derwent Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 1 minute ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said: If that is (even half) true, then oxy is absolutely correct to use the phrase 'abysmal planning'. Absolutely 100% true, I was there as a guest of Nick Doggett who is the FD of the Newcastle Rugby Ltd company. I’m not prejudiced, I hate everybody equally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockingchair Posted August 17, 2022 Author Share Posted August 17, 2022 9 minutes ago, Tubby said: I wonder where he stands contractually. If he has signed a full time four year contract, then surely the employer is bound to pay it unless the company is liqidated? I’m not sure but if they’re cutting costs by 80% and the original contract is devised on a full time basis one way or another I can see some players leaving . I’m not sure what contract agreement Sam hallas had but he left to go back to Bradford earlier in the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonM Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 23 minutes ago, Derwent said: I was at a function in Newcastle a few weeks ago on the same table as Semore Kurdi. I asked him what his plans were for Thunder and he just shrugged and said "they serve a purpose in absorbing some of the stadium overheads". On the subject of SL he said if a place were offered as part of a restructure/licensing arrangement then he would take it, but that he was not prepared to spend the sums that other Championship clubs are to get there by competitive promotion. In his view the sum required to build a team to win the Championship isn't worth it, SL income does not offer a decent risk/reward ratio to make it a viable investment in his opinion. He did also say that he was cutting the Falcons playing budget by 20% for the next couple of years as well given the 3 year moratorium on P&R in RU. His most telling comment was "with KP stadium and the hospitality company I would have a very good business if it wasn't for the 2 rugby teams !". The crowds for Newcastle Falcons are not that great - lowest in their top flight at an average of 5000 odd, and 3000 odd for European games. I could imagine he is happy to take the central funding while there is no relegation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragingbull Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 Id geuss thats a load of players who will be seeking to secure their futures else where then. Once players lose trust in the club they are generally out the door pretty quick. Can only see things going in one direction for them now. Cant imagine many established champ players willing to travell all the way up there 3 times a week for part time money. Especially with the cost of fuel. The beginning of the end for them sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubby Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 16 minutes ago, Rockingchair said: I’m not sure but if they’re cutting costs by 80% and the original contract is devised on a full time basis one way or another I can see some players leaving . I’m not sure what contract agreement Sam hallas had but he left to go back to Bradford earlier in the season. Oh I understand that absolutely, but it looked like Sam Hallas chose to go back to Bradford and knowing what we know now, I can imagine Newcastle saw an opportunity to reduce their outgoings. Whereas if a player has a full time contract and no desire to terminate it, can the 'company' unilaterally cancel it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovenden Grunt Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 Perhaps this explains the 0v144 aggregate scoreline in their last two games. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anonymouse Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 Sadly this was inevitable. I was shot down at the time they were given preference for automatic promotion, it has now proven to be that crowds were not going to grow and that going fulltime was overambitious to say the very least. The crowds they are going to attract are L1 level and not even viable as part time Chhampionship. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockingchair Posted August 17, 2022 Author Share Posted August 17, 2022 7 minutes ago, Tubby said: Oh I understand that absolutely, but it looked like Sam Hallas chose to go back to Bradford and knowing what we know now, I can imagine Newcastle saw an opportunity to reduce their outgoings. Whereas if a player has a full time contract and no desire to terminate it, can the 'company' unilaterally cancel it? I’d be guessing bud tbh , surely they must have had some inclination to the full time to part time possibility a couple of months ago , someone has said on Twitter that the club could be on the verge of liquidation , but it’s all just conjecture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jughead Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 Can we keep Newcastle as full time and force Hull FC to go part time? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 As a Thunder season ticket holder I'll wait to see what the club have to say but there will be rumours and all sorts on the go now. The things I do know are the people involved with the club care about the club and rugby league in the north east. There are plans for the community game as I posted elsewhere from the Leigh programme at the weekend. As ever great to see the expansion doesn't work brigade out in full flow on social media. We'll be in a majority of Championship clubs who are part time. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubby Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 8 minutes ago, Rockingchair said: I’d be guessing bud tbh , surely they must have had some inclination to the full time to part time possibility a couple of months ago , someone has said on Twitter that the club could be on the verge of liquidation , but it’s all just conjecture. That is bad news indeed. Fingers crossed they can keep going in some meaningful capacity, but if they have handed out long term full time contracts, then liquidation may be the only option. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubby Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Phil W said: As a Thunder season ticket holder I'll wait to see what the club have to say but there will be rumours and all sorts on the go now. The things I do know are the people involved with the club care about the club and rugby league in the north east. There are plans for the community game as I posted elsewhere from the Leigh programme at the weekend. As ever great to see the expansion doesn't work brigade out in full flow on social media. We'll be in a majority of Championship clubs who are part time. I think the 'expansion doesn't work brigade' are more pragmatic than joyful about failure. With one or two possible exceptions, nobody wants to see failure, but decades of experience of expansion attempts make one rather sceptical. Apologies, I just realised you said on social media. As I don'rt use it, I've no idea what's being said there. Edited August 17, 2022 by Tubby addendum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jughead Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 A very quick Google and many of their players signed a one year deal. I can see Roberts and Woods have longer contracts, possible a few others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxford Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 It's like one of those trick of the eye pictures trying to see who prophesied and who is happy with another RL failure. Maybe we should just grade it using the level of I told you so's. Or who sounds most like Senna the Soothsayer? 2 warning points Non-Political Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 30 minutes ago, Ragingbull said: The beginning of the end for them sadly. How very Rugby League. Going part time after one season isn’t necessarily the beginning of the end whatsoever. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 Just now, Eddie said: How very Rugby League. Going part time after one season isn’t necessarily the beginning of the end whatsoever. Yeah some reactions on here seem out of all proportion to what has actually happened. I'm guessing the Newcastle owner has realised that to compete with big spending clubs like Leigh and Fev he is going to have to invest much more than he has with not much promise of return. No one knows what will happen in the whole restructure debate too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 36 minutes ago, Ovenden Grunt said: Perhaps this explains the 0v144 aggregate scoreline in their last two games. 0-104 - but I take your point. 1 "We'll sell you a seat .... but you'll only need the edge of it!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerjon Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 1 hour ago, Eddie said: Krakow, now you’re talking, is the jersey available yet? Only in the UK, not in Poland. 2 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...
gingerjon Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 13 minutes ago, Damien said: Yeah some reactions on here seem out of all proportion to what has actually happened. I'm guessing the Newcastle owner has realised that to compete with big spending clubs like Leigh and Fev he is going to have to invest much more than he has with not much promise of return. No one knows what will happen in the whole restructure debate too. I would strongly suspect there has been a realisation that you can have 'full time' players but if the rest of the set-up isn't professional enough then it's not going to deliver what you want. It's not a great situation for them to be in but no indication that it's the end of anything. 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...
dealwithit Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 Another case of a lack of central funding, no RFL central strategy and the successes/failures of RL in the UK being dependent on the whims of wealthy individuals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jughead Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 The official statement is very short and blames on the pitch results not matching the investment off the pitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubby Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 5 minutes ago, gingerjon said: I would strongly suspect there has been a realisation that you can have 'full time' players but if the rest of the set-up isn't professional enough then it's not going to deliver what you want. It's not a great situation for them to be in but no indication that it's the end of anything. Hopefully it isn't the end of anything, but where do they stand if they have a number of full time contracts that they can't get out of? It has been suggested some players have signed relatively long FT contracts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeytherRob Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 1 hour ago, Tubby said: I wonder where he stands contractually. If he has signed a full time four year contract, then surely the employer is bound to pay it unless the company is liqidated? They're pretty much in the same position Leigh were in 2018, they'll have to either move players on or negotiate settlement agreements and hope that none of the players dig their heels in. I imagine there will be a few championship coaches/chairmen making a lot of phone calls this morning. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerjon Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 4 minutes ago, Tubby said: Hopefully it isn't the end of anything, but where do they stand if they have a number of full time contracts that they can't get out of? It has been suggested some players have signed relatively long FT contracts. A lot of contracts have break clauses so, you would think, those would come into play. 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...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now