The Reality of the IMG Grading System

[Taffy Tiger]

37 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

Is it possible to achieve Cat A if you finish well down the Championship?

Hi Gooleboy , yes it's possible but you would have to score very highly (if not full marks) in other areas

[Harry Stottle]

14 hours ago, The Future is League said:

If only like that was come along 

Yes off course, but all joking apart would money men those local lads who have made good be put off under this IMG system?

Until recently we had not heard off (well I hadn't before their involvement with RL) Matt Ellis - Wakefield, Mike Danson - Wigan who have recently bought their clubs, and the game is awash with the 'local' owners, Caddick, McManus, Hudgell, Beaumont, Moran, Davy, Guasch.

If I was a local lad to a low ÌMG scoring club with aspirations and a few million to spare, I would most probably not bother, It's food for thought!

Edited April 11 by Harry Stottle

[Harry Stottle]

14 hours ago, Gooleboy said:

Is it possible to achieve Cat A if you finish well down the Championship?

That could well happen with Toulouse this year, how I don't know.

[Harry Stottle]

16 hours ago, Taffy Tiger said:

Hi DemonUK , all clubs are assessed annually . It is a little misleading , but as I understand it Category A teams are guaranteed SL status , with the Cat B teams fighting for any remaining places in SL , based on their grading score . The Category A specifics will apply when more than 12 clubs reach this grading . In this scenario SL will increase to accommodate all Cat A clubs . In theory (and IMG's ultimate aim) there will be many more than 12 Category A clubs by the time the 12 year plan comes to an end , but Cat A clubs will be guaranteed a SL spot.

It won't happen Taffy by design or by default, the RL are not expecting it to and I should imagine that is after consultation with IMG, why else would they announce that the Championship - 14 clubs and L1 - 10 clubs are amalgamating to make 2 x 12 leagues.

[Click]

8 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Yes off course, but all joking apart would money men those local lads who have made good be put off under this IMG system?

Until recently we had not heard off (well I hadn't before their involvement with RL) Matt Ellis - Wakefield, Mike Danson - Wigan who have recently bought their clubs, and the game is awash with the 'local' owners, Caddick, McManus, Hudgell, Beaumont, Moran, Davy, Guasch.

If I was a local lad to a low ÌMG scoring club with aspirations and a few million to spare, I would most probably not bother, It's food for thought!

Yeah, that is because you view IMG in one way, and one way only. 

You mentioned Matt Ellis and Mike Danson, haven't both of those new "money men" come in after IMG was involved in the sport?

[Worzel]

22 hours ago, Chrispmartha said:

Well people attending weddings, funerals and job interviews do actually wear less formal clothes than they used to, but anyway those and going on a night out simply aren't comparable, partly because the way people go out on a weekend has changed drastically. 

Society moves on, and as I say the oder generation always have and always will think that the younger generations are worse than they were.

You're also coming from a starting point that 'dressing nicely', or more importantly what you perceive to be nice is better.

When in reality it's just different because, as I say society moves on.

 

To pull it back to RL, people have and always will think it was better in 'their day' it's human nature.

For example I personally think the late 90s and early/mid 00s were when the sport was at it's best, and those players around then seem in my mind much better, when in reality that's just an opinion and will be formed by age and bias.

It’s always summer in our memories 

I always think what people are really thinking is “I liked life more in my 20’s than I do now in my [insert decade]”. It’s an understandable sentiment, but it doesn’t make it right.

So much about our sport is better now, we just need to do a better job of selling it and engaging new audiences. New technology gives us an opportunity to do that, bypassing the old intermediators who with their own inbuilt bias at times stood in our way - from public school BBC sports schedulers, through to the “old media” newspaper power-brokers.

If we have the courage to forge forward now rather than constantly look back, the next decade can be one of new opportunity for rugby league, engaging new people directly without those filters in the way.

Edited April 11 by Worzel
Typo

[Worzel]

5 minutes ago, Click said:

Yeah, that is because you view IMG in one way, and one way only. 

You mentioned Matt Ellis and Mike Danson, haven't both of those new "money men" come in after IMG was involved in the sport?

Precisely. Security from relegation creates a much better long-term investment environment. 

[Harry Stottle]

Just now, Click said:

Yeah, that is because you view IMG in one way, and one way only. 

You mentioned Matt Ellis and Mike Danson, haven't both of those new "money men" come in after IMG was involved in the sport?

Of course, but be reasonable Clicky, aren't those two clubs guaranteed SL status? I was specifically talking about clubs with low IMG scores there was actually a clue in the wording of my post "If I was a local lad to a low ÌMG scoring club with aspirations" but you chose to highlight just the sentence after.

Touche, I only view IMG one way, that's a bit rich isn't it?

[Chrispmartha]

5 minutes ago, Click said:

Yeah, that is because you view IMG in one way, and one way only. 

You mentioned Matt Ellis and Mike Danson, haven't both of those new "money men" come in after IMG was involved in the sport?

Harry is correct in so far as he wouldn’t invest, that’s because he is totally opposed to IMG.

However the reality is that people have invested after IMG cane in, which kind of shoots massive holes in his argument.

Havent Oldham also had investment after IMG cane in?

[phiggins]

3 minutes ago, Worzel said:

Precisely. Security from relegation creates a much better long-term investment environment. 

This system only really provides security from relegation to those that already have it anyway.

[Harry Stottle]

3 minutes ago, Worzel said:

Precisely. Security from relegation creates a much better long-term investment environment. 

But reduces the sporting contest over all the division, fine if you like that kind of thing. 

[Click]

3 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Of course, but be reasonable Clicky, aren't those two clubs guaranteed SL status? I was specifically talking about clubs with low IMG scores there was actually a clue in the wording of my post "If I was a local lad to a low ÌMG scoring club with aspirations" but you chose to highlight just the sentence after.

Touche, I only view IMG one way, that's a bit rich isn't it?

Well, I wouldn't say Wakefield were necessarily guaranteed SL status, and as Chris has said, Oldham have also had investment since IMG got involved in the sport, they are one of those low IMG scoring clubs, no?

I am not sure how saying you only view IMG one way is a bit rich, you have been completely opposed to everything they have done with the sport since they got involved. 

[glossop saint]

9 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Of course, but be reasonable Clicky, aren't those two clubs guaranteed SL status? I was specifically talking about clubs with low IMG scores there was actually a clue in the wording of my post "If I was a local lad to a low ÌMG scoring club with aspirations" but you chose to highlight just the sentence after.

Touche, I only view IMG one way, that's a bit rich isn't it?

When you talk about guaranteed SL status you are aware that Wakefield are currently in the Championship. Yes they may be guaranteed SL status in the future but is the not thanks to the investment that is going on there and therefore increasing the IMG score. 

I'm not completely convinced by the IMG route but you have just pointed out the exact situation where the system works.

[Lowdesert]

10 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

But reduces the sporting contest over all the division, fine if you like that kind of thing. 

So a few months to recruit, plan & prepare for promotion to SL is good?

[Harry Stottle]

6 minutes ago, glossop saint said:

When you talk about guaranteed SL status you are aware that Wakefield are currently in the Championship. Yes they may be guaranteed SL status in the future but is the not thanks to the investment that is going on there and therefore increasing the IMG score. 

I'm not completely convinced by the IMG route but you have just pointed out the exact situation where the system works.

What position did Wakey finish in the indicative scores? It would be foolhardy not to makesure that position was maintained, you do realise there is a massive difference in the funding they would receive if they were to go into the Championshipnext season, and all the other monetary positives that come along with SL status, bigger crowds, merchandise sales, matchday revenue etc etc, c'mon glossop it's not hard.

[Harry Stottle]

7 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

So a few months to recruit, plan & prepare for promotion to SL is good?

Not at all, what did the Leigh do? That is the new blueprint.

[Harry Stottle]

9 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

So a few months to recruit, plan & prepare for promotion to SL is good?

Anyway, we are not talking just one team when the sporting contest is reduced in the division by having no relegation.

[Chrispmartha]

4 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Anyway, we are not talking just one team when the sporting contest is reduced in the division by having no relegation.

Isn’t the NRL a sporting contest?

[Roughyed Rats]

32 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

Harry is correct in so far as he wouldn’t invest, that’s because he is totally opposed to IMG.

However the reality is that people have invested after IMG cane in, which kind of shoots massive holes in his argument.

Havent Oldham also had investment after IMG cane in?

The purchase of Oldham started well before IMG came in. This was publicly discussed at a fans forum.  

[Tommygilf]

1 minute ago, Roughyed Rats said:

The purchase of Oldham started well before IMG came in. This was publicly discussed at a fans forum.  

And IMG hasn't caused them to stop?

When exactly did it start? Because the clubs have known for some time now that some form of minimum standards/licensing was coming in.

[Roughyed Rats]

49 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

That could well happen with Toulouse this year, how I don't know.

Can you imagine if they got relegated to L1 and then put into Spreadsheet League? The game would be even more of a laughing stock.

[Harry Stottle]

4 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

Isn’t the NRL a sporting contest?

Yawn.

[Chrispmartha]

2 minutes ago, Roughyed Rats said:

The purchase of Oldham started well before IMG came in. This was publicly discussed at a fans forum.  

Ok fair enough, it didn’t stop the investment going through though did it. And they openly praised it saying it’s exciting for the game and Oldham

[Chrispmartha]

2 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Yawn.

I think it’s an exciting league, each to their own.

[Harry Stottle]

Just now, Roughyed Rats said:

Can you imagine if they got relegated to L1 and then put into Spreadsheet League? The game would be even more of a laughing stock.

Never say never Yedder, But I think they already know where they will be playing next season, it won't be the Championship and they won't be relegated, it seems they are not to bothered about strengthening their team for this season either.