IMG Grading System (Many Merged Threads)

[Guest]

Have they decided on the expanded CC group stages yet.......

[ELBOWSEYE]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

Are London just better off giving their spot back to Wakey now? I assume they wouldn't be able to step up to make the top 12 in 12m?

This is basically relegating them now isn't it? 

Should that be Tolouse not Wakefield.

[Click]

1 minute ago, Leonard said:

Quite - I am of the view I will pass on the season. Watching hammerings is a bit pointless.

I also would not be surprised to see the plug pulled. That or Broncos becoming a posh Skolars.

I will start watching the season with them - I went to Toulouse to cheer them on to victory, I am not going to stop watching those (pretty much exact...) same players just because they decided to go and win it against all odds. 

I won't be being a season ticket, although I was highly doubtful of getting one anyway with potential home matches in Ebbsfleet, etc that I won't attend, making it not worth the price, rather than paying each game.

[M j M]

37 minutes ago, TrueBull said:

I always thought every club would have 2 numbers - tickets sold for that game (ST’s and walk-ups) which is the legal number that the taxman needs to know. 
 

"The taxman" has no interest in attendance figures.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Click said:

I will start watching the season with them - I went to Toulouse to cheer them on to victory, I am not going to stop watching those (pretty much exact...) same players just because they decided to go and win it against all odds. 

I won't be being a season ticket, although I was highly doubtful of getting one anyway with potential home matches in Ebbsfleet, etc that I won't attend, making it not worth the price, rather than paying each game.

For sure it would make sense to pick and choose the games. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Click said:

I will start watching the season with them - I went to Toulouse to cheer them on to victory, I am not going to stop watching those (pretty much exact...) same players just because they decided to go and win it against all odds. 

I won't be being a season ticket, although I was highly doubtful of getting one anyway with potential home matches in Ebbsfleet, etc that I won't attend, making it not worth the price, rather than paying each game.

In fact - I probably will get a ticket - just to get that grading up in time for the 2039 season.

[M j M]

22 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Looking at my own team, we were 1.12 pts behind 2nd placed Wigan, which would be overhauled based on on-field performance if we ever won the thing! 

Suggesting we scored well in other key areas. 

Wigan will be weak on the financial and some of the stadium aspects so, ignoring the bonus points for trophy lifts, I'd expect Warrington to probably be slightly ahead of them.

[Dave T]

4 minutes ago, M j M said:

Wigan will be weak on the financial and some of the stadium aspects so, ignoring the bonus points for trophy lifts, I'd expect Warrington to probably be slightly ahead of them.

7th versus 2nd, plus a bonus 0.75pts puts Wigan ahead of us. Similar league positions puts us ahead of them. 

So it does show that there will be movement as around positions 9 to 15 or so, this Al becomes quite interesting. 

[shaw llewellyn]

Apologies if I missed something earlier but are the calculations not just used to determine the grading? I.e the fact that Salford are listed 8 and London 24 is irrelevant if they are both graded B.

[Just Browny]

Isn't this exactly what the process is supposed to be doing? Clubs have known for ages what they have to do to improve. They now know where their current performance pits them against other clubs, and it is within their hands to make the improvements. If they cannot make those improvements, it sort of justifies the low grading.

I do find the spreadsheet stuff a bit grubby and uncomfortable as a way of operating, but it is doing exactly what it should. And it is only going to work if it does put clubs under a bit of pressure to make improvements and score better against what are transparent criteria. 

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

11 minutes ago, The Blues Ox said:

I must say this is glorious and is certainly living up to the drama and fall out expected so far. I'm a firm believer that things should be decided on the field but this is going to give us some excitement at least until the non event of the stuff on the field is back happening. 

Its hilarious isn't it. 

[M j M]

1 hour ago, Leonard said:

I was going to get two London season tickets this weekend, as there is a £199 early bird offer before the end of November.

As it stands, I might well just skip the whole of next season and re-engage, if the club still exists, in the Championship in 2025.

Can IMG give me any reason why I should attend a London game next season if they are relegated anyway and will limit themselves to PT to save money?

Come on, don't be downcast.

I've just crunched the numbers and by my reckoning when London do a SL, LLS and Challenge Cup treble next year, and pack out the Cherry Red for every game, they will be challenging Cas, Leigh and Wakey for that 12th spot.

[Guest]

Just now, Jill Halfpenny fan said:

Its hilarious isn't it. 

Hoping for similar for the CC groups.

You finish top of the group and win all your games - but don't get to play in the semi finals because of your grading.

[Zilla Budgie]

Bless you IMG 

[bigbaldnmad]

54 minutes ago, Northern Eel said:

The overall standard of club management, commerce, media footprint and player development will improve, but it isn’t going to be over night. 

Player development can only improve if all clubs that wish to run an academy are allowed to do so... otherwise the RFL pick who it wants to give points to. 

A bit like Eurovision

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

54 minutes ago, Northern Eel said:

I’m putting my optimistic hat on. The criteria are presumably decided to ensure long term growth and stability of each club and the structures they use to produce new talent (both on and off the pitch). So, there are likely to be some casualties/anomalies to the current status quo as previously clubs have been measured solely on one metric; league position. 

If these criteria are the correct ones to use, we can assume the following:

1. Those higher ranking clubs are in the best overall position to sustain and grow at the top level of the game.

2. Those clubs who are not, now know what they need to do to improve. For some, this will take many years. For those who don’t wish to, or can’t improve, they will suffer.

3. The overall standard of club management, commerce, media footprint and player development will improve, but it isn’t going to be over night. 

Part of the problem for 'growth' is that at least 2 of the scoring criteria have no demarcation but are simply on/off switches eg stadium facilities: if you meet the 9 criteria you score full points, if you meet 8 of them you score the same as a club meeting 1, and there's at least one over which no club has any control

[Guest]

1 minute ago, M j M said:

Come on, don't be downcast.

I've just crunched the numbers and by my reckoning when London do a SL, LLS and Challenge Cup treble next year, and pack out the Cherry Red for every game, they will be challenging Cas, Leigh and Wakey for that 12th spot.

I blame it on DH pulling the bouncy castle and only getting Dusty and Rusty back as mascots this season.

He should have known that bumps up the score more than producing McMeeken or Pearce Paul.

[RP London]

10 minutes ago, Leonard said:

I don't think you need to infer what I do or don't think to be honest. 

More than happy to watch London in a competitive championship. 

I dont think I have inferred anything to be fair.. 

I am also happy to watch my club in the champ and very glad you beat us in the play offs as a stint in super league (gradings or not) could have killed the club once and for all. 

But the state of London and other clubs not getting the grades they wanted is not the fault of IMG as getting a 1 in your Maths GCSE is not the fault of the examining board. (although that result might get you a place on some RL club boards!)

 

[Catflap]

Did The RFL not learn from their mistakes last time around with licensing.

Fans of all clubs need to unite and stand against these changes or our great game will die at the hands of money hungry men.

 

I want a game where achievements are won on the field.

Edited October 25, 2023 by Catflap

[Archie Gordon]

Urrgh. This is an OK idea implemented terribly. As expected.

However, it seems we are now clear that 2025 is decided on 2022-2024 data which won't be finalised until the end of the 2024 season. One idea floated - that numbers would be finalised by July/August for the forthcoming year - is obviously not happening.

[Barley Mow]

7 minutes ago, shaw llewellyn said:

Apologies if I missed something earlier but are the calculations not just used to determine the grading? I.e the fact that Salford are listed 8 and London 24 is irrelevant if they are both graded B.

The top 12 scoring clubs will be in Super League.

Any other club will need to over take one of those 12 in the IMG score to be 'promoted'.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, RP London said:

I dont think I have inferred anything to be fair.. 

I am also happy to watch my club in the champ and very glad you beat us in the play offs as a stint in super league (gradings or not) could have killed the club once and for all. 

But the state of London and other clubs not getting the grades they wanted is not the fault of IMG as getting a 1 in your Maths GCSE is not the fault of the examining board. (although that result might get you a place on some RL club boards!)

 

Again - inferring. Never said London should be top 12.

But I don't consider they are 24 - albeit the point is a bit like chairs on the titanic.

For sure though - TO aside (and their score seems oddly high to me) - the gradings are the exact opposite of the expansionists dream and expanding the sport - which many assumed was the purpose.

Edited October 25, 2023 by Leonard

[The Blues Ox]

5 minutes ago, Jill Halfpenny fan said:

Its hilarious isn't it. 

Its absolute gold. Its obviously made easier as we knew our clubs would be nowhere near but I can't wait for all the underhand stuff that is going to go on as clubs try and sneak in to the 12.

I half expect a team to announce a re-location to Ireland or somewhere extreme just to pick up extra location points only to then back track a few weeks later. 

[Dave T]

Leigh are 0.43pts ahead of Bradford Bulls.

For on-field performance Leigh are 1.14pts ahead of the Bulls. 

Meaning that Bradford as a club are c0.7pts ahead of Leigh.

[Toby Chopra]

30 minutes ago, Barley Mow said:

Yes, I think dynamic licencing describes it quite well. If they stick with a 12 team SL, as things settle down (probably between Wakefield and Toulouse) and the incumbency advantages really kick in, it will become less and less "dynamic".

True, but that's kind of the idea.

The aim is to keep a stable group of the (all round) strongest clubs with which to grow the competition. They will only be replaced if that start to spiral downwards in performance, crowds and finance, which has happened before and is still quite possible for some.

Obviously this is a radical departure which some fans will bemoan, but an entirely predictable one that only a small number of clubs actually voted against because most know they're not anywhere near SL ready.