The joy of being a RAMS supporter ......

[Therein73]

For those of us long in the tooth ( like myself) the current state of affairs on the pitch is nothing new ........ we've been a lot lower and a lot poorer than we currently are. 

Where our biggest problem lies is probably summed up by this quote from Nearenough on the York Forum:  "dews were very very poor, and look certain to finish bottom. sadly they also seem to have next to no supporters which is a real sad state of affairs, the place was dead yesterday, "

I remember the furore last year about the South Stand being closed ........ But,  five minutes from the end of Sunday's game, I bet there wasn't 30 people in there.....

From what I hear, some people are 'boycotting' games -- How the hell does that help any club ??

The Royal Suite after the game was very quiet ........ where have all the 'fans' gone from last year who stayed after the game for a pint or two.... they also 'boycotting' and further reducing the club's income ??

We're all dis-heartened with the current happenings - nobody likes losing and, of course, we want to see 100% commitment which we didn't on Sunday, but just how does a club turn this scenario around ??

A lot of people point fingers at Mark Sawyer ....... But without him, would we even have a club -- Maybe some should do a Michael Jackson and "look at the man in the mirror"

There is no quick fix but any supporter who truly CARES needs to find a better way of helping than slagging everything off and staying away........

And the joy of being a RAMS supporter ?? ......... currently everything else in life seems an awful lot better   

[Rambo]

2 hours ago, Therein73 said:

For those of us long in the tooth ( like myself) the current state of affairs on the pitch is nothing new ........ we've been a lot lower and a lot poorer than we currently are. 

Where our biggest problem lies is probably summed up by this quote from Nearenough on the York Forum:  "dews were very very poor, and look certain to finish bottom. sadly they also seem to have next to no supporters which is a real sad state of affairs, the place was dead yesterday, "

I remember the furore last year about the South Stand being closed ........ But,  five minutes from the end of Sunday's game, I bet there wasn't 30 people in there.....

From what I hear, some people are 'boycotting' games -- How the hell does that help any club ??

The Royal Suite after the game was very quiet ........ where have all the 'fans' gone from last year who stayed after the game for a pint or two.... they also 'boycotting' and further reducing the club's income ??

We're all dis-heartened with the current happenings - nobody likes losing and, of course, we want to see 100% commitment which we didn't on Sunday, but just how does a club turn this scenario around ??

A lot of people point fingers at Mark Sawyer ....... But without him, would we even have a club -- Maybe some should do a Michael Jackson and "look at the man in the mirror"

There is no quick fix but any supporter who truly CARES needs to find a better way of helping than slagging everything off and staying away........

And the joy of being a RAMS supporter ?? ......... currently everything else in life seems an awful lot better   

 

Communication should be coming from the top.

Personally I think the club (Mr Sawyer) should make a statement about our current predicament and outline his future plans for the club.

A rallying call. A kick up the backside to the players or even his plans for a new housing development on the site!!

Anything would be better than nothing.

 

Edited June 18, 2024 by Rambo

[silcoates]

1 hour ago, Rambo said:

Personally I think the club (Mr Sawyer) should make a statement about our current predicament and outline his future plans for the club.

Totally agree.I thought York played very well.They had a couple of quality players which helped the rest along.Dews. used todo the same thing.For instance  Chris Mita many moons ago.But that's up to Mark and all the coaches.But it is a disgrace with the lack of info. One thing can the land be sold for building ,any body know? 

[Rambo]

14 minutes ago, silcoates said:

Totally agree.I thought York played very well.They had a couple of quality players which helped the rest along.Dews. used todo the same thing.For instance  Chris Mita many moons ago.But that's up to Mark and all the coaches.But it is a disgrace with the lack of info. One thing can the land be sold for building ,any body know? 

Not according to the lease which I think BSJ said was for 999 years. However it is Kirklees council we are talking about so anything is possible if you grease enough palms!

[Wakefield Ram]

Despite being a diehard fan of now 50 years, even though I have a season ticket and car parking pass, unless there is vast improvement at Whitehaven, then I won't be going to Bradford home match.

The York game was just depressing to watch. A fighting defeat would have been okay, but there was practically nothing to "support".

[Rambo]

11 minutes ago, Wakefield Ram said:

Despite being a diehard fan of now 50 years, even though I have a season ticket and car parking pass, unless there is vast improvement at Whitehaven, then I won't be going to Bradford home match.

The York game was just depressing to watch. A fighting defeat would have been okay, but there was practically nothing to "support".

Not been watching quite as long as that but I can’t disagree. It does seem like a managed decline at the moment.

[graham fisher]

3 hours ago, Therein73 said:

For those of us long in the tooth ( like myself) the current state of affairs on the pitch is nothing new ........ we've been a lot lower and a lot poorer than we currently are. 

Where our biggest problem lies is probably summed up by this quote from Nearenough on the York Forum:  "dews were very very poor, and look certain to finish bottom. sadly they also seem to have next to no supporters which is a real sad state of affairs, the place was dead yesterday, "

I remember the furore last year about the South Stand being closed ........ But,  five minutes from the end of Sunday's game, I bet there wasn't 30 people in there.....

From what I hear, some people are 'boycotting' games -- How the hell does that help any club ??

The Royal Suite after the game was very quiet ........ where have all the 'fans' gone from last year who stayed after the game for a pint or two.... they also 'boycotting' and further reducing the club's income ??

We're all dis-heartened with the current happenings - nobody likes losing and, of course, we want to see 100% commitment which we didn't on Sunday, but just how does a club turn this scenario around ??

A lot of people point fingers at Mark Sawyer ....... But without him, would we even have a club -- Maybe some should do a Michael Jackson and "look at the man in the mirror"

There is no quick fix but any supporter who truly CARES needs to find a better way of helping than slagging everything off and staying away........

And the joy of being a RAMS supporter ?? ......... currently everything else in life seems an awful lot better   

Me and you go back many years following the club, and yes we have seen a lot worse than what we are witnessing at the moment, I honestly don't know what the solution is,boycotting the club is certainly not one of them. What it wants is a statement from Mark to outline the clubs plans for the future,or for him to call a fans forum. 

You know me I always come into the bar after every game to talk to fellow supporters, players etc but I'd one beer and I went straight home, wife's still in shock

I did hear that when March got up for his after match speech a lot of players walked out? if true that says it all. 

[Blind side johnny]

1 hour ago, silcoates said:

Totally agree.I thought York played very well.They had a couple of quality players which helped the rest along.Dews. used todo the same thing.For instance  Chris Mita many moons ago.But that's up to Mark and all the coaches.But it is a disgrace with the lack of info. One thing can the land be sold for building ,any body know? 

I believe not. At the moment it is leased from Kirklees I understand. In addition I believe that when the ground was originally developed (30 years this year by the way) there was a covenant requiring it to be for sports purposes. Finally, given that it is built adjacent to the main pit shafts and workings I don't believe that residential development would be allowed.

[Blind side johnny]

2 hours ago, Rambo said:

 

Communication should be coming from the top.

Personally I think the club (Mr Sawyer) should make a statement about our current predicament and outline his future plans for the club.

A rallying call. A kick up the backside to the players or even his plans for a new housing development on the site!!

Anything would be better than nothing.

 

Agreed.

[Blind side johnny]

25 minutes ago, graham fisher said:

Me and you go back many years following the club, and yes we have seen a lot worse than what we are witnessing at the moment, I honestly don't know what the solution is,boycotting the club is certainly not one of them. What it wants is a statement from Mark to outline the clubs plans for the future,or for him to call a fans forum. 

You know me I always come into the bar after every game to talk to fellow supporters, players etc but I'd one beer and I went straight home, wife's still in shock

I did hear that when March got up for his after match speech a lot of players walked out? if true that says it all. 

He is not a popular appointment, that's for sure.

Things have been worse, a lot worse: many of us will recall being almost the bottom team in the whole of RL. However, in those times the options available to us were much more limited and it was winter RL (my personal bugbear)with few alternatives. Now we have lovely long summer days, cable TV, garden centres and the delights of the seaside to compete with. To say that fans were taken for granted in those days would be an understatement but all sports and clubs must look after their supporters far better today or face real problems.

What the answer is, I don't know, but enthusiastic communication with the fans/customers is a vital requirement.

[J Phil Loxton]

The game is in a mess below the chosen few. Fans disappearing fast. There's no incentives anymore. Fans soon desert a losing side. I know just by supporting Fev. Take Trinity for example, they had a crowd of 6000 for the visit of Dewsbury. They never clocked up that attendance when struggling in the Super League. Why does IMG figures only come into force for promotion and relegation to and from SL and the Championship? Dewsbury are a sound and traditional Rugby League club. So if Hull cannot be relegated from Super League, then why are clubs like Oldham Keighley and Dewsbury consigned to a league that is not much more  supported than amateur teams?

[the old nine ole]

6 hours ago, Therein73 said:

For those of us long in the tooth ( like myself) the current state of affairs on the pitch is nothing new ........ we've been a lot lower and a lot poorer than we currently are. 

 

The Royal Suite after the game was very quiet ........ where have all the 'fans' gone from last year who stayed after the game for a pint or two.... they also 'boycotting' and further reducing the club's income ??

 

Just to add a point in mitigation... I always go to the Royal Suite after the game ... on Sunday I didn't ... It was Fathers day and my Family took me out for a meal... likely not the only one! .. So maybe not quite as bad as it looked!

The club does however, need to engage with its declining fan base though and also needs show some respect and value to what is left of our loyal fans! 

[coolie]

4 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

Agreed.

Agreed x2

[Wakefield Ram]

2 hours ago, J Phil Loxton said:

The game is in a mess below the chosen few. Fans disappearing fast. There's no incentives anymore. Fans soon desert a losing side. I know just by supporting Fev. Take Trinity for example, they had a crowd of 6000 for the visit of Dewsbury. They never clocked up that attendance when struggling in the Super League. Why does IMG figures only come into force for promotion and relegation to and from SL and the Championship? Dewsbury are a sound and traditional Rugby League club. So if Hull cannot be relegated from Super League, then why are clubs like Oldham Keighley and Dewsbury consigned to a league that is not much more  supported than amateur teams?

Living in Wakefield the number of people out in Wakefield Trinity gear this season is remarkable. But good luck to them, they've got a new owner pumping substantial money in, the new stand courtesy of the Council and a team who will win every league match and the GF and get promoted. 

It will be interesting to see what happens next season. 

[coolie]

Just now, Wakefield Ram said:

Living in Wakefield the number of people out in Wakefield Trinity gear this season is remarkable. But good luck to them, they've got a new owner pumping substantial money in, the new stand courtesy of the Council and a team who will win every league match and the GF and get promoted. 

It will be interesting to see what happens next season. 

When normal service is resumed and they're getting their backsides handed to them every week

I'm expecting a bit of a bounce for Wakefield, to start with higher up the league to give them a nose bleed... Then a steady decline

It's easy supporting a winning team

But as we're currently finding

Very difficult following a losing team

[Rambo]

6 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

 

What the answer is, I don't know, but enthusiastic communication with the fans/customers is a vital requirement.

I feel sorry for our social media team as It must be very difficult to find anything to put a positive spin on at the moment.

Kudos to anyone heading upto Whitehaven at the weekend.

[Keep The Faith]

9 hours ago, coolie said:

When normal service is resumed and they're getting their backsides handed to them every week

I'm expecting a bit of a bounce for Wakefield, to start with higher up the league to give them a nose bleed... Then a steady decline

It's easy supporting a winning team

But as we're currently finding

Very difficult following a losing team

No Neil they have a owner who’s putting his money where his mouth is… if you ask certain fans on the social media that doesn’t happen at your club

i expect them to finish mid table next year but they may get to Wembley 

anyway the area in which both HW teams are we won’t get new supporters unless parents have been taken to games before 

[NickD]

17 hours ago, graham fisher said:

 

I did hear that when March got up for his after match speech a lot of players walked out? if true that says it all. 

If true that is very very worrying.  If the players don’t like the coach you’re doomed.   Have to say that the performance on the pitch makes it very believable unfortunately

[SUPERSTUD]

After Sunday’s debacle I suppose rumour and conjecture are understandable. Should we really be massively shocked though? Yes re the score and yes re a perceived lack of effort on the day. However I am firmly in the camp with any fan/supporter who feels that we were set up to fail from day one in this seasons Championship. League 1 is not far off being aligned with the National Conference League. We won it had a happy smiley season and went up with just about the same group of players. No investment in the team in order to bolster it such as quality and experience. The RFL Championship is a very unforgiving environment. Lots of ex Super League players and most clubs are boosted by the inclusion of experienced players. The honest truth is that at this time 70% of our players are not capable of competing in this Championship and we are being overrun. Take Sunday for example. Some of our more capable players were left shaking their heads at the defensive efforts of some of their counterparts. If your defending on one side of the field and a winger brushes past five of your counterparts to score in the other corner what can you do? It has been happening all season. In conclusion I have loads of ideal world answers but no real world one. The simple fact is as a collective group we are out of our depth. No leadership, No volume of experience, No creativity etc etc. The players don’t intentionally go out and perform like that. Not as a pre planned course of action anyway. They are absolutely devoid of confidence and the realisation factor has basically set in. All 17 players were in it together on Sunday and the ultimate performance was a shocker. However I don’t buy in to this ‘That players leaving so he doesn’t care garbage’. Moves have happened for years. Like I say all 17 were ultimately responsible on Sunday. I will continue to back them because they need it right now. I am aware and understand all the other frustrations and I am with you. But at the moment my arms are around the players. To make it clear I was not and I am not happy about Sunday. Old enough to know that life is not always rosy. Would like to see a visible on field response from the players please. 

 

 

 

 

[coolie]

6 hours ago, Keep The Faith said:

No Neil they have a owner who’s putting his money where his mouth is… if you ask certain fans on the social media that doesn’t happen at your club

i expect them to finish mid table next year but they may get to Wembley 

anyway the area in which both HW teams are we won’t get new supporters unless parents have been taken to games before 

Difference is the new Wakefield man is a fan spending money he's got no chance of getting a return on

Yes riding on the crest of a wave signing super league players for next season, great merchandise and season ticket sales creating a revenue return, let's see how this story pans out when they are in super league and the wheels start falling off when results start to slip, and they will eventually. 

This season there has been more investment in the team more than any other championship club. 

One man cannot sustain that input season after season, you might say Dezzy at Leigh pitches money in left right and centre... But it will all be loans, Wakefield will be the same loan loan loan, if the wheels fall off and they will... Bloke will want a large chunk of his investment back

Only a fool gives money away with out ring fencing it or having a get out clause. 

We shall see how Wakefield progress over they're first in seasons back in super league 

Don't forget Wakefield season ticket sales have gone thru the roof for one reason

After years of super league wooden spooning or near too it

Their glory fans have come out knowing they possibly are going to be unbeaten all season, again let's see where Wakefield are after 2 seasons in super league then we can judge

[Wakefield Ram]

7 hours ago, Keep The Faith said:

No Neil they have a owner who’s putting his money where his mouth is… if you ask certain fans on the social media that doesn’t happen at your club

i expect them to finish mid table next year but they may get to Wembley 

anyway the area in which both HW teams are we won’t get new supporters unless parents have been taken to games before 

Mark Sawyer has put his money where his mouth is for 20 plus years. Matt Ellis less than 1 year. I think he's got the right approach for this season but next season Wakefield will be a middling SL team at best, no chance of any trophies and just treading water in SL like most of the clubs. 

[graham fisher]

34 minutes ago, SUPERSTUD said:

After Sunday’s debacle I suppose rumour and conjecture are understandable. Should we really be massively shocked though? Yes re the score and yes re a perceived lack of effort on the day. However I am firmly in the camp with any fan/supporter who feels that we were set up to fail from day one in this seasons Championship. League 1 is not far off being aligned with the National Conference League. We won it had a happy smiley season and went up with just about the same group of players. No investment in the team in order to bolster it such as quality and experience. The RFL Championship is a very unforgiving environment. Lots of ex Super League players and most clubs are boosted by the inclusion of experienced players. The honest truth is that at this time 70% of our players are not capable of competing in this Championship and we are being overrun. Take Sunday for example. Some of our more capable players were left shaking their heads at the defensive efforts of some of their counterparts. If your defending on one side of the field and a winger brushes past five of your counterparts to score in the other corner what can you do? It has been happening all season. In conclusion I have loads of ideal world answers but no real world one. The simple fact is as a collective group we are out of our depth. No leadership, No volume of experience, No creativity etc etc. The players don’t intentionally go out and perform like that. Not as a pre planned course of action anyway. They are absolutely devoid of confidence and the realisation factor has basically set in. All 17 players were in it together on Sunday and the ultimate performance was a shocker. However I don’t buy in to this ‘That players leaving so he doesn’t care garbage’. Moves have happened for years. Like I say all 17 were ultimately responsible on Sunday. I will continue to back them because they need it right now. I am aware and understand all the other frustrations and I am with you. But at the moment my arms are around the players. To make it clear I was not and I am not happy about Sunday. Old enough to know that life is not always rosy. Would like to see a visible on field response from the players please. 

 

 

 

 

Very good post.

[Blind side johnny]

7 hours ago, Keep The Faith said:

No Neil they have a owner who’s putting his money where his mouth is… if you ask certain fans on the social media that doesn’t happen at your club

i expect them to finish mid table next year but they may get to Wembley 

anyway the area in which both HW teams are we won’t get new supporters unless parents have been taken to games before 

That would be West Yorkshire, judging by attendances at other clubs.

[Blind side johnny]

51 minutes ago, coolie said:

Difference is the new Wakefield man is a fan spending money he's got no chance of getting a return on

Yes riding on the crest of a wave signing super league players for next season, great merchandise and season ticket sales creating a revenue return, let's see how this story pans out when they are in super league and the wheels start falling off when results start to slip, and they will eventually. 

This season there has been more investment in the team more than any other championship club. 

One man cannot sustain that input season after season, you might say Dezzy at Leigh pitches money in left right and centre... But it will all be loans, Wakefield will be the same loan loan loan, if the wheels fall off and they will... Bloke will want a large chunk of his investment back

Only a fool gives money away with out ring fencing it or having a get out clause. 

We shall see how Wakefield progress over they're first in seasons back in super league 

Don't forget Wakefield season ticket sales have gone thru the roof for one reason

After years of super league wooden spooning or near too it

Their glory fans have come out knowing they possibly are going to be unbeaten all season, again let's see where Wakefield are after 2 seasons in super league then we can judge

In the real world all money that directors put into RL clubs are in the form of loans. This includes the likes of Ken Davey at Huddersfield and David Hughes at London, both of whom have put millions into their clubs and won't anticipate any return. There are a host of reasons for this, including taxable benefits. Generally most of these loans go unpaid, even when clubs change hands.

Nobody puts money into a RL club expecting a return

[Keep The Faith]

2 hours ago, Wakefield Ram said:

Mark Sawyer has put his money where his mouth is for 20 plus years. Matt Ellis less than 1 year. I think he's got the right approach for this season but next season Wakefield will be a middling SL team at best, no chance of any trophies and just treading water in SL like most of the clubs. 

Has he? I’m sure mark Sawyer is happy as Larry been relegated more times than anyone in the championship this time… 

Kevin Nicholas probably had more than share of the return but will always be the chairman to say he’s never been relegated