ANDY SHARPE urges Salford Red Devils supporters to get behind their team if they don’t want to lose it.
How can a club in the supposed heartlands of Rugby League attract a crowd of only 2,800 to a top division game in a fully professional sport?
This was the crowd at the Salford Red Devils v. Castleford Tigers Super League game last Sunday and, quite frankly, it is pathetic.
Do Salford have fans that care about the club? Do the people of Salford and surrounding areas WANT a Rugby League club? London Broncos were slammed for their poor attendances last season but at least they had the excuse of playing in a non-traditional area and had a team that was getting hammered every week.
The Red Devils are the complete opposite, they are in the north west of England, they are having a decent season and currently lie seventh in the Super League table, having risen as high as third at Easter.
Okay they were knocked out of the Challenge Cup by Leigh, but they have beaten Wigan Warriors and Huddersfield Giants and ran Leeds Rhinos and the Tigers close. They are competitive and have some outstanding talent that has been brought in by Marwan Koukash.
They are suffering from a lot of injuries and suspensions and requested that this Friday’s fixture at Hull FC be postponed – a request that I have never heard before and one that was unsurprisingly turned down as the black and whites are desperate for two points.
Even with this injury crisis they are putting up some strong performances.
The players deserve bigger crowds and Koukash also deserves support for what he has done for this club – he has done as he has promised and brought in the best bunch of players that the club has had in a generation. Now they are starting to gel and put in some decent performances after suffering 18 months of poor returns on their investment.
Now is the time that the Red Devils suppporters need to gather and support their team and owner and ensure that he has the encouragement to continue his involvement with the Red Devils instead of upping sticks and moving to the Gold Coast of Australia with the Titans.
