Halifax - the forgotten club?

[Griff]

On 03/05/2024 at 16:58, The Blues Ox said:

When I talk about return I mean results on the pitch, I probably should have been clearer about that. As far as I remember DB only spent really big on the most recent promotion season building a team that would have easily survived in SL that year. 

3 years is not getting Fax anywhere near promotion under IMG criteria no matter how much money you were able to put in to the club. The 3 year average rule takes care of that. As phiggins alludes to, Im not even sure Fax could score high enough to get in to SL but even if they could you would be looking easily at 5 years. If I had millions to spend and P&R were in place I'd get us there within 2 I reckon.

Two years.

Impressive.

[The Blues Ox]

13 hours ago, Griff said:

Two years.

Impressive.

Wouldn't be hard would it. The Championship is the weakest its been for years. I reckon theres a good chance of doing it in 1 but had to make an allowance for bottling the first final. 

[Wolford6]

I disagree that the Championship is at its worst for years.

Whether its standard is lower is debatable but this season's competition is close.

It's comparable  with the English Soccer Championship. No one can deny it's well below the Premiership (or Superleague for the RL equivalent) but on any weekend  there's an upset result or two.

Swinton, Widnes and Sheffield are stronger than they've been for years. The Bulls are about the same level as the last few years; Featherstone and Halifax aren't. Most teams have a few Superleague-quality players.

[The Blues Ox]

7 minutes ago, Wolford6 said:

I disagree that the Championship is at its worst for years.

Whether its standard is lower is debatable but this season's competition is close.

It's comparable  with the English Soccer Championship. No one can deny it's well below the Premiership (or Superleague for the RL equivalent) but on any weekend  there's an upset result or two.

Swinton, Widnes and Sheffield are stronger than they've been for years. The Bulls are about the same level as the last few years; Featherstone and Halifax aren't. Most teams have a few Superleague-quality players.

Yeah I agree, I could have chosen my words better. The competition outside of Wakefield is very close and I said elsewhere, you put London in for Wakefield next season and it makes it even closer. I probably would have just been better saying the standard is a lot lower overall than it has been for many years.

[Ellandback]

On 02/05/2024 at 17:15, The Blues Ox said:

The problem is that once we get past this year it will be very hard for any new team to make that step up in to SL because of how the criteria will favor the holders of the first 12 positions. I'm not even sure Halifax could realistically get in the top 12 throwing a ton of money at them. One thing I could say for certain though is that give me a few million quid under P&R and I would have us in the top 2 in the first year and a very good chance of SL within the 1st 3 years. To go further than that I would also do a deal with Siddal to make sure that Fax get 1st pick of the best talent in the country to make sure we would be more than comfortable in SL.

I want to see success on the field and if Im throwing stupid money with no return, I want to see it pretty much straight away. From a fan point of view I would take boom and bust over quietly building for 5 years in the hope that we could make the 12 just because in RL history tends to repeat and I don't think this system will last that long. Imagine pumping 10m in to a club and then the RFL rug pulling you with another system that is totally different to the criteria you have been working to. I know we should probably laugh at the thought of that but this is Rugby League.

As someone who watches Siddal every week, the only deal they could do would be to let Halifax know when they had a particularly talented player at the club and nothing more. It then becomes a matter of the player concerned deciding whether he wanted to go to the Panthers or not and Siddal have no means to ensure that he does.  

On a slightly different note, someone at Siddal told me that a Championship club were monitoring one of the present first team, but he can apparently earn more working on Sundays than the professional team might offer him so -fortunately for Siddal - he probably won't move up even if he was given the chance.

Edited May 5 by Ellandback

[The Blues Ox]

1 hour ago, Ellandback said:

As someone who watches Siddal every week, the only deal they could do would be to let Halifax know when they had a particularly talented player at the club and nothing more. It then becomes a matter of the player concerned deciding whether he wanted to go to the Panthers or not and Siddal have no means to ensure that he does.  

On a slightly different note, someone at Siddal told me that a Championship club were monitoring one of the present first team, but he can apparently earn more working on Sundays than the professional team might offer him so -fortunately for Siddal - he probably won't move up even if he was given the chance.

Id make sure to have scouts watching their players from an early age, give back handers to the parents and probably slip Siddal a few quid as well to encourage them to send the players Fax's way. A cynic would say that is very much how it happens at the moment at many amateur clubs around the country. I'd just have to make sure to be the one offering the most money. 

On the second point its similar for a lot of the lads, there are loads in the amateur game who could play at a high level in the championship but the money simply is not there in the game for them to make the commitment needed.

[Griff]

12 minutes ago, The Blues Ox said:

Id make sure to have scouts watching their players from an early age, give back handers to the parents and probably slip Siddal a few quid as well to encourage them to send the players Fax's way. A cynic would say that is very much how it happens at the moment at many amateur clubs around the country. I'd just have to make sure to be the one offering the most money. 

You do know the "retain and transfer" system ended thirty years ago, don't you?

[The Blues Ox]

6 minutes ago, Griff said:

You do know the "retain and transfer" system ended thirty years ago, don't you?

Yeah just to be perfectly clear, this absolutley does not go on in todays game. 

[N2022]

On 30/04/2024 at 07:48, bamfordsbeans said:

The decline of Halifax in the last 20 years or so is mirrored by the neighbouring clubs that make up the Pennine spine.

This area was very much at the forefront in the early days of the code and throughout the Twentieth Century the teams were always there or thereabouts and backed up by relatively large crowds.

Halifax,Bradford,Huddersfield (moderate recent success on but not off the field),Oldham (hopes of a revival-but from a very low base) and Rochdale Hornets form an area of the game that has seen better days.

This is in sharp contrast to the current strongholds of the game in Lancashire,Leeds/Wakefield and Humberside.

A bit harsh to lump Huddersfield (no danger of dropping out of SL) in with the has-beens, while tagging Wakefield (struggled and now getting results as in Champ) in as part of a high popularity region. 

[N2022]

3 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

Yeah I agree, I could have chosen my words better. The competition outside of Wakefield is very close and I said elsewhere, you put London in for Wakefield next season and it makes it even closer. I probably would have just been better saying the standard is a lot lower overall than it has been for many years.

 

Edited May 5 by N2022
Think I'd replied to wring post

[Daft old hooker]

On 02/05/2024 at 17:18, Gooleboy said:

Would you put money into a Championship Club under the IMG rules?

No not really. Under IMG the championship is dead but I firmly believe that was always the plan.

[Damien]

On 05/05/2024 at 09:50, Wolford6 said:

I disagree that the Championship is at its worst for years.

Whether its standard is lower is debatable but this season's competition is close.

It's comparable  with the English Soccer Championship. No one can deny it's well below the Premiership (or Superleague for the RL equivalent) but on any weekend  there's an upset result or two.

Swinton, Widnes and Sheffield are stronger than they've been for years. The Bulls are about the same level as the last few years; Featherstone and Halifax aren't. Most teams have a few Superleague-quality players.

I think this is an interesting point. I think in a part time league closeness and competitiveness is better for the league, and most clubs, than a higher standard (maybe) courtesy of one or two clubs who are streets ahead.

[sentoffagain2]

    Championship so far this season leaving out Wakey.Better than last Bradford,Widnes,Swinton,Whitehaven. Worse Toulouse,Batley,Barrow,York and Fev although i have no compaints about Fevs performances you would have to mark them below the last couple of seasons .Left out the promoted clubs Donny and Dewsbury.So its swings and roundabouts.

[sentoffagain2]

   Missed out Fax the forgotten club who are worse than last season.

[sentoffagain2]

  And Sheffield who are playing better.I thought we were back to 12 teams already.Old age creeping up on me.

[The Blues Ox]

10 hours ago, sentoffagain2 said:

    Championship so far this season leaving out Wakey.Better than last Bradford,Widnes,Swinton,Whitehaven. Worse Toulouse,Batley,Barrow,York and Fev although i have no compaints about Fevs performances you would have to mark them below the last couple of seasons .Left out the promoted clubs Donny and Dewsbury.So its swings and roundabouts.

Yeah I agree there is certainly some teams that do look a lot better but for me teams like Bradford and Sheffield are very much the same and I would argue the only reason they look better is because a lot of the teams around them have almost dropped off a cliff in Fev, Toulouse, York, and Fax. For me the biggest surprises are how far off the pace York are and how much I think Bradford have under performed. I really thought they would be clear second, obviously there is still time but they look anything but that at the moment.

[RS]

I think Doncasster are a much better team than many thought. They have lost four put have lost to Wakey, Fev, Sheff and Widnes (Away)

[Mumby Magic]

Is it too early to bump the Championship predictions thread yet.

[The Blues Ox]

Not a bad team:- https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/an-ultimate-13-of-rugby-league-players-born-in-halifax-including-wigan-warriors-duo

[RigbyLuger]

Can't wait for them to do every town/city/village for clicks. 

[The Blues Ox]

2 hours ago, RigbyLuger said:

Can't wait for them to do every town/city/village for clicks. 

Huddersfield will just be Halifax again. 

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

On 07/05/2024 at 13:34, Mumby Magic said:

Is it too early to bump the Championship predictions thread yet.

Wakefield, then daylight, then Sheffield, then a bit more daylight, then the rest.

[Bulls2487]

Interesting to see Halifax owe Calderdale Council almost a year's unpaid rent.

I believe the figure is around 50k

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/the_shay_stadium_5#incoming-2651103

Edited May 9 by Bulls2487

[RigbyLuger]

2 hours ago, Bulls2487 said:

Interesting to see Halifax owe Calderdale Council almost a year's unpaid rent.

I believe the figure is around 50k

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/the_shay_stadium_5#incoming-2651103

Is that the same as a Gareth Widdop?

[The Blues Ox]

11 hours ago, Bulls2487 said:

Interesting to see Halifax owe Calderdale Council almost a year's unpaid rent.

I believe the figure is around 50k

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/the_shay_stadium_5#incoming-2651103

53k and looks like the new board took over and simply decided to stop paying the rent. What a shambles. At least they got to wear their brand new suits at Wembley while all the time the club was going down the pan. Might explain the state of our squad for this season and why players keep asking to leave.