Keighley

[Eddie]

It doesn’t seem long since Keighley were storming L1, growing their crowds and looking good to consolidate in the championship; but now they’re just above Newcastle with 7 defeats from 7 league games. Does anyone know what’s going on there? 

[Griff]

Realism sinking in?

[Sports Prophet]

Could it be prioritising things like rainbows on their logo instead of stuff a semi pro footy club should be prioritising? 

[Eddie]

6 hours ago, Griff said:

Realism sinking in?

What do you mean?

[StandOffHalf]

Maybe they are focusing on the wrong things...

[OriginalMrC]

Arrogance is the main issue. They always felt they are too big to be playing in league 1, are very anti expansion, and look down on clubs outside the heartlands. Instead of focusing on other clubs and blaming everyone else for their problems they should have been focusing on themselves.

This arrogance has led them to sack various coaches and other staff when they were in a good position and now they have a rotten playing culture at the club. Hard to build a winning culture when you are sacking staff all the time.

[north yorks trinity]

4 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Could it be prioritising things like rainbows on their logo instead of stuff a semi pro footy club should be prioritising? 

Not sure those things are mutually exclusive and suspect there must be more to it.

[north yorks trinity]

1 minute ago, OriginalMrC said:

Arrogance is the main issue. They always felt they are too big to be playing in league 1, are very anti expansion, and look down on clubs outside the heartlands. Instead of focusing on other clubs and blaming everyone else for their problems they should have been focusing on themselves.

This arrogance has led them to sack various coaches and other staff when they were in a good position and now they have a rotten playing culture at the club. Hard to build a winning culture when you are sacking staff all the time.

Not sure they've ever moved on from the massive sense of injustice in 1995. They were treated appallingly at the time and that episode is a legitimate part of their history but that's where it now belongs, in the history books.

[OriginalMrC]

12 minutes ago, north yorks trinity said:

Not sure they've ever moved on from the massive sense of injustice in 1995. They were treated appallingly at the time and that episode is a legitimate part of their history but that's where it now belongs, in the history books.

Thing you are right and this drives their them against us culture which frankly doesn't do them any favours 

[gingerjon]

19 minutes ago, north yorks trinity said:

Not sure they've ever moved on from the massive sense of injustice in 1995. They were treated appallingly at the time and that episode is a legitimate part of their history but that's where it now belongs, in the history books.

And yet, as I point out every time, their crowds went up the following year and they were there or thereabouts for a few seasons after.

Thirty years ago - that’s an excuse not a reason for how they are now.

[gingerjon]

26 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

Arrogance is the main issue. They always felt they are too big to be playing in league 1, are very anti expansion, and look down on clubs outside the heartlands. Instead of focusing on other clubs and blaming everyone else for their problems they should have been focusing on themselves.

This arrogance has led them to sack various coaches and other staff when they were in a good position and now they have a rotten playing culture at the club. Hard to build a winning culture when you are sacking staff all the time.

From the outside looking in, this is very much the answer.

[Dovster]

I do think that when the new owners took over their expecations were very high and they were prepared to invest in order to achieve these. However since IMG there is a new realisation that the Cougars will never achieve these goals and not surprisingley the owners have cut back their investment in the team. The owners attention does appear to have focused on outside (of rugby) matters. Mistakes have been made in regards coaches and this flows through to the playing squad. 

Regarding their anti-expansionist stance. Personally I don't think they are,. They just didn't like the way it was being attempted. I think they have been proven right. The Cougars owners along with other League 1 clubs have seen their budget from the RFL reduced substantially and then been asked to pay up to play Cornwall. This was never viable. IMO League 1 would have been better to have split into North & South while it was able.

I think we can right this season off for the Cougars but hopefully come back stronger next season.

[north yorks trinity]

5 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

And yet, as I point out every time, their crowds went up the following year and they were there or thereabouts for a few seasons after.

Thirty years ago - that’s an excuse not a reason for how they are now.

Their crowds went up in 1996 as they had an excellent team for their level and were winning games with an exciting style of play and also the community rallied behind them fired by a sense of injustice. I went to a lot of their games at the time as my dad lived nearby and had a season ticket and there was a strong feeling that if they could keep their momentum growing they'd be impossible to ignore. Unfortunately they weren't quite as good as Salford and the hope proved to be an illusion, and things unravelled from there.

[gingerjon]

9 minutes ago, north yorks trinity said:

Their crowds went up in 1996 as they had an excellent team for their level and were winning games with an exciting style of play and also the community rallied behind them fired by a sense of injustice. I went to a lot of their games at the time as my dad lived nearby and had a season ticket and there was a strong feeling that if they could keep their momentum growing they'd be impossible to ignore. Unfortunately they weren't quite as good as Salford and the hope proved to be an illusion, and things unravelled from there.

Indeed. They had a chance to go up the next season and blew it.

And, to repeat, thirty years on, it’s an excuse not a reason. There’s not so much water under a bridge as a whole new bridge to talk about.

[Sports Prophet]

1 hour ago, north yorks trinity said:

Not sure they've ever moved on from the massive sense of injustice in 1995. They were treated appallingly at the time and that episode is a legitimate part of their history but that's where it now belongs, in the history books.

I lived in Cowling for nine months in 2002. The “injustice” was in their voice and it is of no surprise for my ears when someone suggests the Cougars are still carrying that grudge.

As Tony Greig once said, you shouldn’t hold grudges as they are nothing more than a place to pork your cor.

[Ackroman]

There is also another factor (potentially), which is money promised to Cougars by the town regeneration fund. Apparently Bradford Council are distributing the money where they see fit, rather than where it was promised. Maybe that's another distraction they don't need. I can post a link as it was a comment by Alastair Campbell on his podcast (he was born in Keighley).

[M j M]

Whilst I agree a lot of time has passed what happened to Keighley, even if it was in the greater interests of the sport, was pretty disgraceful. I'd probably have thought of walking away from Rugby League if that had happened to my club.

[Griff]

6 hours ago, Eddie said:

What do you mean?

I can't add further to the excellent posts above.

[Dovster]

1 hour ago, M j M said:

Whilst I agree a lot of time has passed what happened to Keighley, even if it was in the greater interests of the sport, was pretty disgraceful. I'd probably have thought of walking away from Rugby League if that had happened to my club.

Thousands did unfortunately.

[Padge]

41 minutes ago, Dovster said:

Thousands did unfortunately.

Facts say otherwise.

[Click]

I want to say I'm surprised at some of the comments pointing at the inclusive nature of the club being the issue.

But I'm not, because this is Rugby League, a game that enjoys to pretend it's inclusive.

[Dovster]

16 minutes ago, Padge said:

Facts say otherwise.

Please enlighten me.

[AB Knight]

6 hours ago, OriginalMrC said:

Arrogance is the main issue. They always felt they are too big to be playing in league 1, are very anti expansion, and look down on clubs outside the heartlands. Instead of focusing on other clubs and blaming everyone else for their problems they should have been focusing on themselves.

This arrogance has led them to sack various coaches and other staff when they were in a good position and now they have a rotten playing culture at the club. Hard to build a winning culture when you are sacking staff all the time.

Perfectly put. I’ve always looked out for their results but so much of the decision making has been abysmal at best. 

[north yorks trinity]

58 minutes ago, Padge said:

Facts say otherwise.

How so? Not sure the facts are clear one way or the other. They certainly attract a few thousand less per game than at their peak in the mid 90s. Now that may be just the natural consequence of being less successful but I can't see any "fact" to prove that people haven't walked away from the game in disillusion. 

[JohnM]

In disillusion? Is that a fact? Reduced attendances could be because of, for example:

1. Changing demographics

2.  Economic circumstances better or worse

3. Competition from other clubs, sports, leisure activities