Toulouse struggling

[Gambass]

 

4 minutes ago, Snowys Backside said:

All the adversity some posters have shown against Leigh and some of the fans like myself who regularly post on here, 99% of Leigh fans this season would have welcomed Toulouse to stay up last season and consolidate. Featherstone deserved a crack too who have splashed out on and off the pitch to become a SL club.

Toulouse have been dealt a bad hand in some aspects, but they have not helped themselves too in the past 12 months. The cracks have opened up, the attendances have not been there (and for a huge City, this is really disappointing) and now they are paying the price of relegation before a ball has even been kicked.

I am still hearing of a 10 Team SL and i still need to understand why ?  I agree with a 14 or even a 15 team SL with 28 straight fixtures and maybe a 'magic' 9's tournament that everyone can enjoy to no detriment of relegation. Bin the Golden point too !!

I hope they pull through. Last year was a balls up and they had the opportunity to strengthen SL there and then. Unfortunately, I fear for Toulouse as expansion clubs lack resilience when it comes to financial issues.

Expansion and resilience don't always go hand in hand. Haven't we not learned enough since 1996 ?

After one ###### year lying at the bottom of the table, and with a great economic disadvantage... Yeah no ... That's not how you grow new markets. Nobody does that in this world because professional sport doesn't work that way.

[Tommygilf]

57 minutes ago, DEANO said:

There used to be before sky bought the game and tried to kill off everyone outside the chosen few

When was this golden age? In the past 40 years? 50?

[Madrileño]

15 minutes ago, Hemi4561 said:

Utter sxxxe, Toulouse is  not a destination venue as far as Rugby League goes

I stopped reading at this point.

You liked a post above that said we shouldn't insult a town (As if that is even possible!), but then fail to respect someone else's post by referring to it as "utter sxxxe".

It's an Internet forum, so it's about opinions. My opinion is that Toulouse in Super League is far more of a destination venue (in terms of hooking new fans into the game, and creating interest/profile around travelling supporters) than places like Bradford, or some other run down west Yorkshire town would. You clearly disagree.... Great. You are entitled to your opinion!! 

 

[DEANO]

1 minute ago, Madrileño said:

I stopped reading at this point.

You liked a post above that said we shouldn't insult a town (As if that is even possible!), but then fail to respect someone else's post by referring to it as "utter sxxxe".

It's an Internet forum, so it's about opinions. My opinion is that Toulouse in Super League is far more of a destination venue (in terms of hooking new fans into the game, and creating interest/profile around travelling supporters) than places like Bradford, or some other run down west Yorkshire town would. You clearly disagree.... Great. You are entitled to your opinion!! 

 

Your right but it doesn’t 

[binosh]

2 hours ago, Madrileño said:

Quite right. 

I mean why would anyone want to expand the league into a bigger regional footprint?

Sure, it would lead to a bigger market for the sport, with more potential tv viewers, would create a French Derby, would probably lead to a second broadcaster covering the league, introduce an internationally renowned city destination into a league dominated by miserable northern English towns, create a pro pathway for French players which would ultimately help create a competitive France team to play England. 

BUT... what do they really bring to the league? 

I think the league would be far better served by having a third Wakefield club in it. Keep rugby league for local people. 

I keep seeing this word “potential”

I could potentially win the EuroMillions next month.

[binosh]

What have they done with the parachute payment?

[sweaty craiq]

1 hour ago, Madrileño said:

I stopped reading at this point.

You liked a post above that said we shouldn't insult a town (As if that is even possible!), but then fail to respect someone else's post by referring to it as "utter sxxxe".

It's an Internet forum, so it's about opinions. My opinion is that Toulouse in Super League is far more of a destination venue (in terms of hooking new fans into the game, and creating interest/profile around travelling supporters) than places like Bradford, or some other run down west Yorkshire town would. You clearly disagree.... Great. You are entitled to your opinion!! 

 

One of the scariest days of my life was taking a wrong turn and ending up in the Arab quarter in Toulouse

France needs 4 SL clubs but must bring a tv deal with them as we move to a 16 team SL

[Oxford]

31 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

France needs 4 SL clubs but must bring a tv deal with them as we move to a 16 team SL

It will never be allowed to happen so putting an impossible requirement on top is a bit pointless.

[Snowys Backside]

2 hours ago, binosh said:

What have they done with the parachute payment?

Reading between the lines, its simply going to pay off their debt !

[Eddie]

7 hours ago, binosh said:

What have they done with the parachute payment?

Already used it paying for other teams to go to away games. 

[GeordieSaint]

This thread has become a sad indication of English RL. The irony in some posts is probably lost on the posters themselves. 

[GUBRATS]

Having relatively long distance ( International ) travel in any sport that doesn't have a very lucrative TV deal is going to create problems 

Again , I hope Toulouse manage to sort things out 

[frank]

21 hours ago, Damien said:

Its not really surprising. Any other club paying travel costs would find themselves in a similar situation.

Shades of Toronto, that's how the cl-ns of SL are running a two bit outfit.

[Guest]

Another great day for NH RL and the SL then.

Well done all. 

If we can keep all 12 clubs nearby, we can reduce costs and improve the game.

 

That's how it works isn't it?

 

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, frank said:

Shades of Toronto, that's how the cl-ns of SL are running a two bit outfit.

Nothing like Toronto Frank , have you ever tried running an International sports league with no money ?

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, Leonard said:

Another great day for NH RL and the SL then.

Well done all. 

If we can keep all 12 clubs nearby, we can reduce costs and improve the game.

 

That's how it works isn't it?

 

Happy for you to tell us all how it should be done ?

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Happy for you to tell us all how it should be done ?

I can't be bothered - it'll just get drowned out by Leigh posters.

Like everything.

[GUBRATS]

Just now, Leonard said:

I can't be bothered - it'll just get drowned out by Leigh posters.

Like everything.

Leonard , I'm not trying to be clever or anything , it's a genuine question , we are a sport with limited financial resources , how IYO should we deal with clubs from other countries , and the associated costs ? 

[Guest]

Just now, GUBRATS said:

Leonard , I'm not trying to be clever or anything , it's a genuine question , we are a sport with limited financial resources , how IYO should we deal with clubs from other countries , and the associated costs ? 

I know - but it's old ground gone over many times.

[barnyia]

The only place RL gets fans in the northern hemisphere is down the m62 corridor and a few thousand in the south of France, maybe it tells you something about our game, nobody is really interested unless they're born into it, 

Toronto managed to get crowds but was too far away, 

Toulouse are  struggling and have a great set up, but  fans only turned up for the derby or the final when they where playing for something, maybe our game is really struggling and we all have rose tinted spectacles and believe the game is popular because we live in a heart land and it's all over the local papers, and the rugby league websites run by passionate league fans.

Travel outside the m62 corridor and nobody really cares or knows about league, it's the same in France.

Looks like we're in a very bad situation, but who cares I can go to my local derby and see the same people I always see and watch the local players and a few Aussies playing the same local players they play 3 times a season. 

Could it be a local game for local people, change is not good! 

Edited January 28, 2023 by barnyia

[GUBRATS]

2 minutes ago, Leonard said:

I know - but it's old ground gone over many times.

Indeed , but it's just like sport itself , whatever positive we see on one side will be a negative for somebody else 

[GUBRATS]

3 minutes ago, barnyia said:

The only place RL gets fans in the northern hemisphere is down the m62 corridor and a few thousand in the south of France, maybe it tells you something about our game, nobody is really interested unless they're born into it, 

Toronto managed to get crowds but was too far away, 

Toulouse are  struggling and have a great set up, but  fans only turned up for the derby or the final when they where playing for something, maybe our game is really struggling and we all have rose tinted spectacles and believe the game is popular because we live in a heart land and it's all over the local papers, and the rugby league websites run by passionate league fans.

Travel outside the m62 corridor and nobody really cares or knows about league, it's the same in France.

Looks like we're in a very bad situation, but who cares I can go to my local derby and see the same people I always see and watch the local players and a few Aussies playing the same local players they play 3 times a season. 

Could it be a local game for local people, change is not good! 

Very true Barnyia , and much is made of Toulouse being a big City , but from my limited experience ( 2 trips ) in Toulouse itself Olympic are not really in the public concience, so what the answer is , I don't know 

[Ovenden Grunt]

11 hours ago, Madrileño said:

No. We will lose that growth because the English clubs don't WANT that growth.

If they had wanted it, T.O. would have entered the league on the same terms as everyone else. 

Like Bradford, Castleford and Wakefield 

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Indeed , but it's just like sport itself , whatever positive we see on one side will be a negative for somebody else 

A 14 league SL would sort that.

My view is that teams should pay their own travel costs. One trip to TL a season is fine. TL then pay for their flights to the UK, which is their baked in "disadvantage".

If Cornwall make SL would we suggest they need to pay for flights to Newquay and hotels? Nope.

These things are not very hard really.

But SL clubs go out of their way to be penny pinching ****s, imho, and want everyone else to subsidise their own financial woes.

How much did they **** up the wall on Elstone, the SL demerger, duplicating costs etc?

Edited January 28, 2023 by Leonard

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Very true Barnyia , and much is made of Toulouse being a big City , but from my limited experience ( 2 trips ) in Toulouse itself Olympic are not really in the public concience, so what the answer is , I don't know 

Average crowd 4,967. That is fine for a first season where a side is hamstrung from the start.

You can argue about freebies etc - but that seemed a good building block to me. Most champ clubs would not manage that if promoted.