SIMON JOHNSON’S time as the Chairman of the RFL looks to be up – or at least it is if the clubs have anything to do with it.
I suspect that most readers would struggle to recognise Simon, and that is part of the problem.
Apparently he has been a perfectly effective Chairman of the RFL when it comes to running meetings.
But his critics suggest that he has been ineffective when it comes to heading off crises such as the one we have experienced with Salford Red Devils in recent months.
I also suspect that they haven’t been too impressed with the IMG contract that he agreed to and which is now costing the RFL £450,000 per year, without the clubs knowing precisely what they are getting for that money.
If you contrast Simon’s profile as Chairman of the RFL with that of Peter V’landys, who is the Chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission, then you have to admit that there is very little comparison.
The recent problems with Salford should have seen the RFL setting out clearly what the club needed to do in order to compete on a level playing field with the other Super League sides. But all too often the governing body was silent.
In contrast, V’landys leads from the front and never misses an opportunity to promote the NRL competition.
It was his idea to begin the NRL season in Las Vegas and to invite two Super League clubs to this year’s event.
The clubs in membership of the RFL would, I’m sure, like to have someone running the game who had V’landys’ energy and his profile.
But I’m afraid all that seems a long way off.
In the short term, what seems to have energised the clubs is the financial crisis that has seen club incomes decline significantly as the broadcasting contract with Sky Sports has almost halved in value in the last ten years.
As one club owner said to me recently, when Nigel Wood was the RFL chief executive, the broadcasting deal rose in value in four successive negotiations.
And that is a major reason why the clubs seem to want Nigel to return.
When you’re in financial trouble, get someone in who understands financial problems.
Nigel is not necessarily the most popular figure among Rugby League supporters, but few people understand the economics of the game as well as he does.
If he is appointed as the interim Chairman this week, I certainly don’t think he can wave a magic wand.
First of all he needs to steady the ship, and then he can think about how to grow the income once again.
Stop the long-distance Thursday games
THE match at Hull last Thursday night was an absolute thriller and a credit to both sides.
And it was hugely controversial, particularly in relation to some video-referee decisions.
With the game going into golden point, the final hooter sounded at 10:23pm.
That is surely far too late for most people, especially the away fans, to get home at a reasonable hour.
And why schedule matches on a Thursday evening that cause away fans to make such long treks?
Inevitably the Leigh fans were severely reduced in number compared to their support at Wigan three weeks earlier.
I love Thursday night games, but when will the RFL learn to schedule games that involve much less travelling on that night, when people have to go to work or school the next day?
Sky Sports Plus
THE two Super League games on Sunday afternoon both kicked off at 1.00pm.
I’m told the kick-off time was brought forward to avoid clashing with a Six Nations game between England and Italy.
But why on earth did that happen? Would many fans not go to those games because of that clash?
And why, when neither game could be recorded on Sky, did they both kick off at the same time to be featured on Sky Sports Plus?
You could watch one match or the other, but not both, unless you have two TVs or other means of viewing the games.
Surely if they were trying to avoid the rugby union international, one game should have kicked off at 5.30pm.
