Tony Sutton to step down

[The Future is League]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/c9qnl82nx1do

[Toby Chopra]

To be honest, given all the other shenanigans, it always seemed rather odd that he was still in place. Do they replace him, or "streamline" further?

[The Future is League]

14 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

To be honest, given all the other shenanigans, it always seemed rather odd that he was still in place. Do they replace him, or "streamline" further?

I suspect that his position will be filled from the inside with the work shared out among the staff at the RFL overseen by Nige.

[PREPOSTEROUS]

He'll leave a massive hole to fill, not sure how we're going to replace him.

[lucky 7]

I'm amazed he's lasted this long, and being incompetent.

How he survived at Hull FC for the time he did is a mystery, and possibly others

 

[Griff]

What goes around comes around.

[JohnM]

Sutton was incompetent. I know this because Martyn has just said in his live podcast. He's speculating  Abi Ekoku as a replacement. My southern mate is suggesting me.  I think anyone who applies is clearly not suitable. Who in their right minds would want to be Stan to Ollie. 

Still, we know the process will be open, fair and transparent.

Martyn is blaming Sutton's downfall on the RFLs handling of Salford situation, totally ignoring the fact that the CEO is the executive who's job it is to implement the boards decision. So did the board tell him sort it or not?

But at least Martyn agrees with me on one thing: Bradford and London will be in SL next season.

Edited September 9, 2025 by JohnM

[The Future is League]

He was similar to Rimmer in the fact that he thought that the Catalans Dragons, and Toulouse should be used as a cow cash to make up the incompetence of some Super League clubs  and championship clubs to generate money to play one game a year in France by making the French teams pay the expenses of visiting clubs. I say again IF clubs in Super League and the championship can't afford a once a year trip to France they really shouldn't be in Super League or the Championship

[JohnM]

In this week's League Express podcast, Martyn suggested the possibility of ABI Ekoku becoming CEO. Given Martyns links and loyalty to Bradford Bulls, given Ekokus connection to the Bulls, and given others er ..er...historic "involvement" with the Bulls, the Woodby Football League will need to be open, transparent and honest in its recruitment process. Ekoku may well be the right man for the job, of course, no reason why not, in which case they'd need to be extremely punctilious in adhering to the recruitment rules.

Edited September 11, 2025 by JohnM

[M j M]

I thought Martyn was a Wakefield fan?

[Bull Mania]

1 hour ago, M j M said:

I thought Martyn was a Wakefield fan?

I'm tapping out if someone believes Martyn Sadler is influencing who's in SL. 

Edited September 11, 2025 by Bull Mania

[M j M]

30 minutes ago, Bull Mania said:

I'm tapping out if someone believes Martyn Sadler is influencing who's in SL. 

And who got put into Super League for this season...?

Makes you think huh?

[Wakefield Ram]

13 hours ago, JohnM said:

In this week's League Express podcast, Martyn suggested the possibility of ABI Ekoku becoming CEO. Given Martyns links and loyalty to Bradford Bulls, given Ekokus connection to the Bulls, and given others er ..er...historic "involvement" with the Bulls, the Woodby Football League will need to be open, transparent and honest in its recruitment process. Ekoku may well be the right man for the job, of course, no reason why not, in which case they'd need to be extremely punctilious in adhering to the recruitment rules.

Presumably there will be a full and transparent recruitment process where the CEO job is advertised and the best candidate selected? IMHO the best CEO we had in recent years was Richard Lewis, who didn't have a RL background. 

[Worzel]

13 hours ago, JohnM said:

In this week's League Express podcast, Martyn suggested the possibility of ABI Ekoku becoming CEO. Given Martyns links and loyalty to Bradford Bulls, given Ekokus connection to the Bulls, and given others er ..er...historic "involvement" with the Bulls, the Woodby Football League will need to be open, transparent and honest in its recruitment process. Ekoku may well be the right man for the job, of course, no reason why not, in which case they'd need to be extremely punctilious in adhering to the recruitment rules.

This sort of parochial West Yorkshire nonsense has to stop. Martyn needs to look further than the end of his nose, or at least Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds. Where's the evidence that Ekoku is even vaguely suitable for the task ahead? The bloke's business career amounts to the sum total of nothing, nada, zero, zilch, diddly squat.

This stuff is just embarrasingly small-time, "local town for local people" reductive ridiculousness. Some stakeholders in our sport are so limited in their thinking, and indeed experience of the world and benchmarks of what good looks like, that it's really embarrasing.  

Advertise the role, in fact more sensibly search for and headhunt the right candidates with the right experience. Rugby league lacks money but as we know from Wood's own pay-off, we don't seem shy at spending it on a Chief Exec so we can at least afford a good class one of those. And no, it doesn't need to be a "rugby league person", sports and sports business experience yes, but if anything the last thing we need is yet another muppet from the same ecosystem (unless we can get Radlinksi or Lakin of course, in which case I'm all in... but neither of them are daft enough to take it)

On Sutton, he's the classic rugby league exec archetype: Mediocre finance manager in a regional organisation, but in a small business so has been given the unearned "finance director" job title, and then when the current exec leader leaves we appoint the "FD" (remember, not really even an FD) into the Chief Exec's role. Just like we did with Wood in the first place. I mean, all that Big Nige was - before he managed to latch onto the milky rugby league teet and drink all he could from it - was an assistant regional finance director for the BBC. Back in the days when the BBC didn't have much back office devolved to the regions. I've probably got a couple of people like that in my own firm. Great to have them on the team, they do important work, I'm sure the people they went to school with think they've done well in life, but I wouldn't let them anywhere near the steering wheel. But here? We let the man with the abacus run the whole show. Madness-on-a-stick.

Just saying 

[Damien]

20 minutes ago, Wakefield Ram said:

Presumably there will be a full and transparent recruitment process where the CEO job is advertised and the best candidate selected? IMHO the best CEO we had in recent years was Richard Lewis, who didn't have a RL background. 

A worldwide search will be conducted I'm sure..

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

9 minutes ago, Damien said:

A worldwide search will be conducted I'm sure..

The World according to Compo Clegg and Foggy...

[DoubleD]

Any details on what his exit package is? 

[RigbyLuger]

It has to be a "thoroughbred rugby league person" or the owner of Batley will write in.

[JohnM]

14 hours ago, M j M said:

I thought Martyn was a Wakefield fan?

What have facts got to do with anything in our sport?

[JonM]

1 hour ago, Worzel said:

On Sutton, he's the classic rugby league exec archetype: Mediocre finance manager in a regional organisation, but in a small business so has been given the unearned "finance director" job title, and then when the current exec leader leaves we appoint the "FD" (remember, not really even an FD) into the Chief Exec's role. Just like we did with Wood in the first place. I mean, all that Big Nige was - before he managed to latch onto the milky rugby league teet and drink all he could from it - was an assistant regional finance director for the BBC. Back in the days when the BBC didn't have much back office devolved to the regions. I've probably got a couple of people like that in my own firm. Great to have them on the team, they do important work, I'm sure the people they went to school with think they've done well in life, but I wouldn't let them anywhere near the steering wheel.

RFL total remuneration for directors (pre putsch) in 2024 was £272K plus £95K for the (part-time) non-execs. Probably not able to hire anyone senior from outside of the public sector for the sort of money the RFL pays. 

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, Worzel said:

This sort of parochial West Yorkshire nonsense has to stop. Martyn needs to look further than the end of his nose, or at least Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds. Where's the evidence that Ekoku is even vaguely suitable for the task ahead? The bloke's business career amounts to the sum total of nothing, nada, zero, zilch, diddly squat.

This stuff is just embarrasingly small-time, "local town for local people" reductive ridiculousness. Some stakeholders in our sport are so limited in their thinking, and indeed experience of the world and benchmarks of what good looks like, that it's really embarrasing.  

Advertise the role, in fact more sensibly search for and headhunt the right candidates with the right experience. Rugby league lacks money but as we know from Wood's own pay-off, we don't seem shy at spending it on a Chief Exec so we can at least afford a good class one of those. And no, it doesn't need to be a "rugby league person", sports and sports business experience yes, but if anything the last thing we need is yet another muppet from the same ecosystem (unless we can get Radlinksi or Lakin of course, in which case I'm all in... but neither of them are daft enough to take it)

On Sutton, he's the classic rugby league exec archetype: Mediocre finance manager in a regional organisation, but in a small business so has been given the unearned "finance director" job title, and then when the current exec leader leaves we appoint the "FD" (remember, not really even an FD) into the Chief Exec's role. Just like we did with Wood in the first place. I mean, all that Big Nige was - before he managed to latch onto the milky rugby league teet and drink all he could from it - was an assistant regional finance director for the BBC. Back in the days when the BBC didn't have much back office devolved to the regions. I've probably got a couple of people like that in my own firm. Great to have them on the team, they do important work, I'm sure the people they went to school with think they've done well in life, but I wouldn't let them anywhere near the steering wheel. But here? We let the man with the abacus run the whole show. Madness-on-a-stick.

Just saying 

I asked the question a few weeks ago about Ekoku's CV. It appears to be very vague.

[JohnM]

13 hours ago, Bull Mania said:

I'm tapping out if someone believes Martyn Sadler is influencing who's in SL. 

That's not how it works, of course.  But as a long time reader of League Express and as a watcher of Martyn's podcasts, you'll have detected his advocacy of Bradford and of his insights into all things Bradford.

[JohnM]

4 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I asked the question a few weeks ago about Ekoku's CV. It appears to be very vague.

He's a shoo-in, then.

[Martyn Sadler]

15 hours ago, M j M said:

I thought Martyn was a Wakefield fan?

According to most people on here I'm a Team Nigel fan.

[Worzel]

1 hour ago, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

The World according to Compo Clegg and Foggy...

From Batley to Brighouse, and all points in between