37 of 42 back IMG’s proposal

[Blind side johnny]

50 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Yes interesting 

But why ? 

Physics.

[steve oates]

On 10/01/2023 at 14:41, Liverpool Rover said:

The idea should be that Super League is only as strong as its weakest clubs so the goal should be a league full of strong grade A clubs who are all capable of beating each other on any given day and will be difficult to predict who will finish where. That hopefully should drive up fan interest in terms of attendances and TV viewers and in turn attract more sponsors and the revenue streams that go with it.

I am sure that is the idea, and has been the idea since 1996 but already, via the grading exercise, we can see this has not happened. In short we need another six "A" clubs to achieve the goal.

As we don't have another six "A" clubs, the capability to "beat each other" on "any given day" could I suppose be brought about by a radical change to the salary cap so that all the clubs can spend the same amount and no clubs can bring in Marquee players. That may mean cutting the salary cap down and maybe losing a few "Aussie Marquees". off the bigger clubs rosters. That would be akin to  forcing the current "clubs" to effectively become "B" clubs............. I don't think levelling down would work especially if we have "C" clubs in the mix.

I am not sure either that levelling down the clubs will bring about more fans, and to me if this was done our top sides would probably lose far more fans than the bottom sides would gain. If saints became bottom dwellers and Salford top dogs, and if Wakefield flew up the table and Leeds down it, the level of spectators  across the board would reduce.

We can't just change things around without thinking of the real world consequences............ 

[Oxford]

45 minutes ago, steve oates said:

I am not sure either that levelling down the clubs will bring about more fans, and to me if this was done our top sides would probably lose far more fans than the bottom sides would gain. If saints became bottom dwellers and Salford top dogs, and if Wakefield flew up the table and Leeds down it, the level of spectators  across the board would reduce.

Levelling down is one least benefial myths there is. The things you mention have actually taken place at different times and during different seasons without the cataclysmic drop in crowds you predict.

50 minutes ago, steve oates said:

We can't just change things around without thinking of the real world consequences............ 

It isn't consequences anyone's wary of it's the same old same old pattern of succes becoming embedded and everlasting.

[Oxford]

2 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

Physics.

No psychics!

Spiritualism and spelling not your strong point, then.

Careful everyone if admin finds we're having fun off topic, topic locked, stern warnings about our behaviour and an admonishment from the beak!

 

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, steve oates said:

I am sure that is the idea, and has been the idea since 1996 but already, via the grading exercise, we can see this has not happened. In short we need another six "A" clubs to achieve the goal.

As we don't have another six "A" clubs, the capability to "beat each other" on "any given day" could I suppose be brought about by a radical change to the salary cap so that all the clubs can spend the same amount and no clubs can bring in Marquee players. That may mean cutting the salary cap down and maybe losing a few "Aussie Marquees". off the bigger clubs rosters. That would be akin to  forcing the current "clubs" to effectively become "B" clubs............. I don't think levelling down would work especially if we have "C" clubs in the mix.

I am not sure either that levelling down the clubs will bring about more fans, and to me if this was done our top sides would probably lose far more fans than the bottom sides would gain. If saints became bottom dwellers and Salford top dogs, and if Wakefield flew up the table and Leeds down it, the level of spectators  across the board would reduce.

We can't just change things around without thinking of the real world consequences............ 

How many ellipses are too many ellipses, that is the question?

[Oxford]

"There's only one Simon Grix, One Simon Gri - ix!"

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/championship-coach-questions-imgs-lack-25953935

And not a dinghy in sight!

 

[Tommygilf]

2 minutes ago, Oxford said:

"There's only one Simon Grix, One Simon Gri - ix!"

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/championship-coach-questions-imgs-lack-25953935

And not a dinghy in sight!

 

"I felt enthused by the IMG announcement. We need to change and I hope people buy into what's coming, but I don't think we're even being drip-fed anything. As both a fan and a coach, it's a bit frustrating because as a club we want to be planning for the future, where we want to be and how we get there.

"In the Championship, so many clubs live year-to-year. The ability to plan forward and create something is brilliant"

I have to say he sounds gutted about what IMG can bring to the table, so gutted he wants it as soon as possible...

[Oxford]

7 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

How many ellipses are too many ellipses?

One is more than sufficient, now you're asking.

 

[Oxford]

1 minute ago, Tommygilf said:

"I felt enthused by the IMG announcement. We need to change and I hope people buy into what's coming, but I don't think we're even being drip-fed anything. As both a fan and a coach, it's a bit frustrating because as a club we want to be planning for the future, where we want to be and how we get there.

"In the Championship, so many clubs live year-to-year. The ability to plan forward and create something is brilliant"

I have to say he sounds gutted about what IMG can bring to the table, so gutted he wants it as soon as possible...

I think we all want change, and we want to see and hear about it happening. These are not ridiculous demands.

Liking the idea but being annoyed at the level of activity and information is not unreasonable anymore than questioning what the idea actually is?

[Tommygilf]

1 minute ago, Oxford said:

I think we all want change, and we want to see and hear about it happening. These are not ridiculous demands.

Liking the idea but being annoyed at the level of activity and information is not unreasonable anymore than questioning what the idea actually is?

He wants more information and more action now.

Not everyone wants change.

[Oxford]

22 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

He wants more information and more action now.

Not everyone wants change.

Nothing wrong with wanting to know what's going on. There's page after page after page on here saying much the same.

I think everyone wants a change in RL's circumstances and outlook but wanting to keep the best of what we had at the same time. I believe the former will happen but the latter will become a thing for the history books.

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by Oxford

[GUBRATS]

4 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

He wants more information and more action now.

Not everyone wants change.

But everybody wants clarity 

[Oxford]

10 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

But everybody wants clarity 

Given their lack of communication I'm looking forward to a "Bring Back the RFL" thread and page after page of where is Ralph Rimmer now we need him?

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

15 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

"I felt enthused by the IMG announcement. We need to change and I hope people buy into what's coming, but I don't think we're even being drip-fed anything. As both a fan and a coach, it's a bit frustrating because as a club we want to be planning for the future, where we want to be and how we get there.

"In the Championship, so many clubs live year-to-year. The ability to plan forward and create something is brilliant"

I have to say he sounds gutted about what IMG can bring to the table, so gutted he wants it as soon as possible...

If people like Simon are waiting for the announcement of a silver bullet, I've some news: There isn't going to be one. That's the point. We've spent 20 odd years playing a series of last 10 second 'Wide to West' miracle plays, only like most of those in games that you never remember these ones haven't worked... "middle eights", "magic weekend", "million pound game", "licensing... no, not licensing"... it's nuts.

Hopefully we'll now just see some professionals go quietly about their work, tweaking the product presentation and marketing the game properly, doing the equivalent of building pressure with 3 repeat sets on the opposition's line so that the win comes with the right systems and processes

[audois]

2 hours ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

If people like Simon are waiting for the announcement of a silver bullet, I've some news: There isn't going to be one. That's the point. We've spent 20 odd years playing a series of last 10 second 'Wide to West' miracle plays, only like most of those in games that you never remember these ones haven't worked... "middle eights", "magic weekend", "million pound game", "licensing... no, not licensing"... it's nuts.

Hopefully we'll now just see some professionals go quietly about their work, tweaking the product presentation and marketing the game properly, doing the equivalent of building pressure with 3 repeat sets on the opposition's line so that the win comes with the right systems and processes

I thought the next move from IGM would be in February - not long to wait then!

Edited January 12, 2023 by audois

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

31 minutes ago, audois said:

I thought the next move from IGM would be in February - not long to wait then!

 

Quite. I really don't think we need a weekly report. I'm sure the RFL has that dialogue, but doesn't need to be public. 

[Oxford]

It is interesting how people assume what you mean or expect when you're simply asking for any information.

Maybe too many posters are so used to the opaqueness of private enterprise and politics that they see no reason to expect anything else.

You'd imagine we're talking Kate pregnant and daily updates that say more than Baby and Mum doing well.

The thing is if you've lived longer than twelve years or been an RL fan for that amount of time opaqueness has been a way of life for most of it, and it isn't a very long period at all so asking for a bit of info hardly borders on extremism.

Edited January 12, 2023 by Oxford

[RigbyLuger]

What info does he want exactly that he needs while preparing for the 2023 season?

[steve oates]

19 hours ago, Oxford said:

The things you mention have actually taken place at different times and during different seasons without the cataclysmic drop in crowds you predict. It isn't consequences anyone's wary of it's the same old same old pattern of success becoming embedded and everlasting.

The demise of Bradford of course lost Superleague many thousands of fans that the inclusion of Leigh instead could not replace.  Wigan lost game after game one season before a change of coach turned round their fortunes but had they been relegated, again there was no replacement club from the championship that could have made up for the Wigan fans the game would have lost.............

If Halifax went up and Saints went down, or Warrington were relegated for Featherstone Rovers to finally grace Superleague this would stimulate great interest across the forum, meanwhile in the real world the nett loss to the game would be many thousands of paying fans..........

Do SKY customers watch Wigan against Leeds for the third time each season, in the same numbers they'd watch Toulouse.v.Wakefield meeting for the first time??............

[steve oates]

4 hours ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

If people like Simon are waiting for the announcement of a silver bullet, I've some news: There isn't going to be one. That's the point.  Hopefully we'll now just see some professionals go quietly about their work, tweaking the product presentation and marketing the game properly......

So your down to no silver bullet, and "hopefully" some" tweaking" and better "marketing".   I think you've already got that with Rovers being tweaked into an "A"............

Meanwhile the "B"s and "C"s await what Miracles IMG will deliver to them ..............

[Oxford]

16 minutes ago, steve oates said:

The demise of Bradford of course lost Superleague many thousands of fans that the inclusion of Leigh instead could not replace.  Wigan lost game after game one season before a change of coach turned round their fortunes but had they been relegated, again there was no replacement club from the championship that could have made up for the Wigan fans the game would have lost.............

If Halifax went up and Saints went down, or Warrington were relegated for Featherstone Rovers to finally grace Superleague this would stimulate great interest across the forum, meanwhile in the real world the nett loss to the game would be many thousands of paying fans..........

Do SKY customers watch Wigan against Leeds for the third time each season, in the same numbers they'd watch Toulouse.v.Wakefield meeting for the first time??............

Much of this is true but there is other evidence that shows holes. Bradford are the perfect example: Yes the demise of the Bulls lost fans but the number of fans was predicated on the success of the club as much the commercial progess was.

Before their emergence as The Bulls and afterwards the crowd level argument rests entirely on their super successful period. Loss of fans permanently for teams who after successful periods go into decline shows this very well indeed.

It could also be argued that the most supported clubs don't bring enough fans to lower club fixtures. And an RL bunch of followers who will only turn up for the "big" games are the RL equivalent of the one legged man in the bum kicking contest.

 

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

52 minutes ago, steve oates said:

So your down to no silver bullet, and "hopefully" some" tweaking" and better "marketing".   I think you've already got that with Rovers being tweaked into an "A"............

Meanwhile the "B"s and "C"s await what Miracles IMG will deliver to them ..............

I do love your imagination, it's glorious 

How can you expect IMG to do anything? As you said very convincingly, they only popped in few a few hours in September and then promptly left the building, presumably only to return in 2034 to ask for their cheque..!!!

[Oxford]

3 minutes ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

presumably only to return in 2034 to ask for their cheque..!!!

According to all the reports if they don't succeed they won't get payed, so they can re-emerge whenever they like on that basis.

Edited January 12, 2023 by Oxford

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

6 minutes ago, Oxford said:

According to all the reports if they don't succeed they won't get payed, so they can re-emerge whenever they like on that basis.

 

Indeed. It just amuses me that Steve thinks that, given that's the commercial model, IMG have delivered one press release on a possible grading system and then decided to take the rest of the year off. 

[Blind side johnny]

3 hours ago, Oxford said:

It is interesting how people assume what you mean or expect when you're simply asking for any information.

Many too many posters are so used to the opaqueness of private enterprise and politics that they see no reason to expect anything else.

You'd imagine we're talking Kate pregnant and daily updates that say more than Baby and Mum doing well.

The thing is if you've lived longer than twelve years or been an RL fan for that amount of time opaqueness has been a way of life for most of it, and it isn't a very long period at all so asking for a bit of info hardly borders on extremism.

If they care to push then club chairmen can readily find out the state of play - I'm sure he talks to his chairman but does he get the right answers?

Edited January 12, 2023 by Blind side johnny