Sun 8th Oct: Ch S/F: Featherstone Rovers v London Broncos KO 18:30 (Viaplay)

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

1 hour ago, Rovers13 said:

Fans of the non fashionable championship clubs will walk away in their droves now 

What, in sympathy with Fev? Because those "non fashionable" clubs, as you call them, never had a 'fair' chance at promotion under the old system either. Because teams like yours were always just trying to buy it. Nothings changed for them.  

[LeeF]

Wow. Just catching up. A bit of a wild ride.
 

An interesting observation - 52 posts on a single topic 

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, oiseau said:

Gonna be tough with Wakey and TO13/London fighting for top spots. Bradford too impressed against Toulouse on Saturday. They looked much better than the 18 point difference limo.

Incidentally honest question what was the attendance Saturday, and what % would have travelled over, just curios.

[Smudger06]

20 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

At this stage last year Tommy, would you have said the same about my lot?

Harry mate, I'm chuffed to bits for you lot, really impressive and rubbing their noses in it, awesome

All the more so with Fev lads Tom and Zak, well Zak is from ponte next door but played for the Fev Lions and the Fev rovers. Loving it mate. 

[GUBRATS]

2 hours ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

But whichever team gets into Super League next year will have earned it, by winning on the pitch? The fruits of London's grassroots work to build new talent pools were on the pitch last night, and are on the pitch in many other Super League and Championship games that don't feature London

Let's have some brutal home truths: Featherstone tried to get into Super League through financial doping, by spending far more on their squad than the other teams in the league could afford to. There's no justice or sporting fairness in that. Just because your local businessman was prepared to set fire to £1m, and another club's wasn't. Now, even having done that, you still didn't win on the pitch and so you're all salty about it.

I get you're disappointed, but please save us from the holier-than-thou "Featherstone are the true spirit of the game" nonsense, it doesn't wash. You were the Ben Johnson of rugby league this year, only this version tripped over his laces 5 metres from the finish line rather than failed a drugs test afterwards. 

Surely just as Leigh did last year ?, Toronto a few years ago ?, and HKR a couple of years prior to that ?

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Incidentally honest question what was the attendance Saturday, and what % would have travelled over, just curios.

4,300.

SH took 1k for the cats game - so safe to say most were locals. Which is decent for a side pilloried for their "crowds".

[oiseau]

5 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Incidentally honest question what was the attendance Saturday, and what % would have travelled over, just curios.

About 4300 if I recall. Good turnout what with the RU games on the telly.

Im estimating about 200 Bulls fans

Edited October 9, 2023 by oiseau

[Barley Mow]

14 minutes ago, Leonard said:

Yup - but having a side with 4 points every season is equally not the answer.

I'm not sure there is a Champ club with Del's money to do a Leigh at the moment.

The truth is there is no easy answer. My thoughts are more sides in SL with 2 up and down - solves all problems.

But the greed of SL chairmen will not allow that.

There may be a big jump between SL and Champ, but it really isn't a side finishing with 4 points every SL season. That will have happened about 4 times in 28 years of SL.

We have often had pretty close contests at the bottom.

[Barley Mow]

16 minutes ago, Leonard said:

Toulouse got 4,300 yesterday - so clearly better crowds and income stream.

DH would need to fund about 20 FT players in a short turn around with crowds averaging about 2k.

Toulouse definitely seem better equipped as far a playing squad is concerned. Already being full-time is a big advantage in recruiting for SL.

[Smudger06]

10 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Incidentally honest question what was the attendance Saturday, and what % would have travelled over, just curios.

I bet there was a non too shabby number of Bradford fans 

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Barley Mow said:

There may be a big jump between SL and Champ, but it really isn't a side finishing with 4 points every SL season. That will have happened about 4 times in 28 years of SL.

We have often had pretty close contests at the bottom.

Well, Wakey were usually a nail on to be at the lower end.

So with leigh replacing them - the gap is a lot bigger imho.

Not sure i see an obvious weaker team to target (Cas maybe).

Edited October 9, 2023 by Leonard

[Smudger06]

The reason the Fev fans have kept quite till now is that we dared to believe (again ) and that we would have finally made it to the place clubs need to be and that yes, we could sympathise with the unfortunate and shafted majority of clubs and happily  admit that the system is totally ####### up and wish for it to change. Even at the expense of our own relegation (if, we could go again) .... but as per usual we got smacked square in the face and yet again are in the unfortunate crew. What a palaver. 

[Harry Stottle]

23 minutes ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

What, in sympathy with Fev? Because those "non fashionable" clubs, as you call them, never had a 'fair' chance at promotion under the old system either. Because teams like yours were always just trying to buy it. Nothings changed for them.  

No not at all but throughout the ages and life there has always been the hope and ambition of reaching the promised land, but it has to be there in the first place to acheive it.

With the best will in the world Bronco, the IMG method of promotion is only open to a few - NOT EVERYONE - the barriers are just to big to scale for a lot, you may say that is no different to P&R, but it really is.

If I was the Chairman/Owner/Spobser of a Championship club who had real ambition maybe like Mr Beaumont, under P&R I would consider that pathway is still available, under the system we are going to enter into, I would look at what I now have to acheive on top of being the best on the field of play outside of the top 12 to realise my goal also considering that there is no given that there will be a club to swop places with from the division above, I would give it a good dose of looking at to see if my ambition and investment would still be adequate, if the answer is no, I would walk away.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

No not at all but throughout the ages and life there has always been the hope and ambition of reaching the promised land, but it has to be there in the first place to acheive it.

With the best will in the world Bronco, the IMG method of promotion is only open to a few - NOT EVERYONE - the barriers are just to big to scale for a lot, you may say that is no different to P&R, but it really is.

If I was the Chairman/Owner/Spobser of a Championship club who had real ambition maybe like Mr Beaumont, under P&R I would consider that pathway is still available, under the system we are going to enter into, I would look at what I now have to acheive on top of being the best on the field of play outside of the top 12 to realise my goal also considering that there is no given that there will be a club to swop places with from the division above, I would give it a good dose of looking at to see if my ambition and investment would still be adequate, if the answer is no, I would walk away.

SL chairmen are equally to blame with their greed for a 12 team league.

[Harry Stottle]

1 minute ago, Leonard said:

SL chairmen are equally to blame with their greed for a 12 team league.

Yes of course, Mr Beaumont last season came up with a plan that he put to the league which was rejected, he turned to those who it would most impact those expected to be fighting to avoid relegation and said that one of them will regret it being turned down, and it wouldn't be Leigh.

His explanation was televised but I can't find it now maybe someone else can link it?

[Guest]

Did I miss the part of the IMG report that said you can only ever have 12 teams in SL?

[Smudger06]

9 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Yes of course, Mr Beaumont last season came up with a plan that he put to the league which was rejected, he turned to those who it would most impact those expected to be fighting to avoid relegation and said that one of them will regret it being turned down, and it wouldn't be Leigh.

His explanation was televised but I can't find it now maybe someone else can link it?

https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/derek-beaumont-reveals-he-stormed-out-of-meeting-after-leigh-were-essentially-voted-out-of-super-league-70079/

There u go. The bottom half of the SL agreed to 14. Then jacked on deggsy as soon as it became apparent Leigh were gonna end bottom. 

[Click]

7 minutes ago, Leonard said:

Did I miss the part of the IMG report that said you can only ever have 12 teams in SL?

IIRC, they said it would only increase to 14 when there were 14 'A' grade clubs.

[Smudger06]

2 minutes ago, Smudger06 said:

https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/derek-beaumont-reveals-he-stormed-out-of-meeting-after-leigh-were-essentially-voted-out-of-super-league-70079/

There u go. The bottom half of the SL agreed to 14. Then jacked on deggsy as soon as it became apparent Leigh were gonna end bottom. 

The elite few were bothered about a 30k cut to their own fund which was needed for a 14 team top league. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Smudger06 said:

The elite few were bothered about a 30k cut to their own fund which was needed for a 14 team top league. 

So all of this is over an extra share of 1/12th of 2/14ths of a reduced TV deal, if you limit SL to 12 clubs - when in reality there is no real need for such self imposed madness.

Complete fools.

[Smudger06]

7 minutes ago, Leonard said:

So all of this is over an extra share of 1/12th of 2/14ths of a reduced TV deal, if you limit SL to 12 clubs - when in reality there is no real need for such self imposed madness.

Complete fools.

Basically, those ending each season in the bottom 3 of 14 would have to take just a million squid tho and 2 of the 14 championship sides wouldn't need to be funded as they'd be in SL and that cash would also be in SL pot. 

[JohnM]

1 hour ago, MattSantos said:

You get my point though, eh.

 

Not sure I do. Although I've not been as close to this issue as others, isn't it the case that Rovers didn't meet the licence criteria?

Academy Licensing, 2022-27 (rugby-league.com)

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

1 hour ago, GUBRATS said:

Surely just as Leigh did last year ?, Toronto a few years ago ?, and HKR a couple of years prior to that ?

I agree, it's what happens in all sports. But you can't then come on here and say "the world isn't fair" or "the new IMG system is wrong because it hasn't got a level playing field" when the way you want to go about it is just as unfair to other teams. If not more so. It just happens to work for you. 

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

At this stage last year Tommy, would you have said the same about my lot?

No, the recruitment was a cut above really in terms of preparation, and there was clearly more money to be spent than at almost any previous championship club. Not to mention this was also after multiple attempts.

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

51 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

No not at all but throughout the ages and life there has always been the hope and ambition of reaching the promised land, but it has to be there in the first place to acheive it.

With the best will in the world Bronco, the IMG method of promotion is only open to a few - NOT EVERYONE - the barriers are just to big to scale for a lot, you may say that is no different to P&R, but it really is.

If I was the Chairman/Owner/Spobser of a Championship club who had real ambition maybe like Mr Beaumont, under P&R I would consider that pathway is still available, under the system we are going to enter into, I would look at what I now have to acheive on top of being the best on the field of play outside of the top 12 to realise my goal also considering that there is no given that there will be a club to swop places with from the division above, I would give it a good dose of looking at to see if my ambition and investment would still be adequate, if the answer is no, I would walk away.

This argument basically boils down to "under the old system you could buy your way into the league by paying for a squad that plays at a different level to anyone else in the comp"

Well my view is that's an unfair, and irrational, way of deciding which teams get into the top league. It certainly isn't an equal 'sporting' outcome. Nor does it bear any relationship to an assessment of which clubs will make the elite league better, or more valuable. Why are Featherstone better than Halifax, or Bradford, or whoever? "Because a bloke wants to spend money for a couple of years" doesn't strike me as the most compelling answer to that question.