Re: Dane Manning : Fri Nov 11, 2016 10:45 am  

The Lucky Black Cat wrote:

Sad but not a surprise. All the best Dane. I dont really understand Batleys strategy here as they do not hve the players or resources to go FT, but are spending alot on players wages etc. I hope they dont end up like us, Fev and Sheffield etc that are paying for some poor management and over expectation in the past.

I think our strategy is, as it was last season, to be the best part time club in the country. I believe our squad are all on 2 + year contracts and the second year amounts depend on where we finish this year. Eg we finished 3rd last year, so contracts are say £20k for the top players. If we finish in the top 4 again then the contract will remain as it was this year. However, if we fail to make the top 4, say 6th this coming year, then the 2nd year of the contract will be £10k . Therefore we should never spend more than we can afford. (these are not actual figures just for illustration).

Long term, the strategy is probably to go full time, but only when we can sustain it, by increasing our support sufficiently. But this will take years, generations perhaps. It may not happen in my lifetime, but that is the intent long term.

Then again, when I started watching in the 80s, I never thought I'd ever see us in a final and we've been in 2 recently. I could never see a day during my trips up to Thrum Hall when we didnt have game, watching the likes of Les Holiday bamboozling defences with his wizardry, that I would ever see Batley competing with Halifax.

But I guess its true what they say, every dog has its day. It won't be long before fax rise from the ashes again.

Re: Dane Manning : Fri Nov 11, 2016 1:58 pm  

Can't believe people are slating Dane Manning.

Great player and always gave 100% in blue and white.

Most people wouldn't accept a 10% pay cut when they have better offers.

Best of luck Dane.

I like how Batley are going quietly about there business, smart signing.

Re: Dane Manning : Fri Nov 11, 2016 3:21 pm  

thefaxfanman wrote:

Bit disappointed in Manu if i'm honest. Got 10 game ban for his tickle on Sam Barlow: club stood by him
Another 6 game ban last season: club stood by him. Got paid when he did his thumb twice

First sign of difficulty and he's off, expected better of him but as i'm sure folk will point out it's a short career and you've gotta make the best of it

We need Grix to step up big time next season

Fair and valid points there.

Re: Dane Manning : Fri Nov 11, 2016 4:25 pm  

Really liked him as a player but as someone once said, put your hand in a bucket of water and when you pull it out there are ripples but no big hole, we have to look at Manning leaving as the cause of some ripples but no big hole. We have a number of back rowers who now have the opportunity to stand up and be counted, bear in mind he has also missed a third of the last two seasons.

Re: Dane Manning : Fri Nov 11, 2016 4:30 pm  

The RL drums are saying that your players are checking whats on offer elsewhere before taking the cut, the cut is effectively a breach of contract and gives the players options to 1. say no and carry on being paid in full. 2. Agree and sign a new contract 3. Look for a severance payment. Hope you get things sorted but your use of the 750k last season was shocking, as fans do you know where it went?

Re: Dane Manning : Fri Nov 11, 2016 4:55 pm  

maurice wrote:

The RL drums are saying that your players are checking whats on offer elsewhere before taking the cut, the cut is effectively a breach of contract and gives the players options to 1. say no and carry on being paid in full. 2. Agree and sign a new contract 3. Look for a severance payment. Hope you get things sorted but your use of the 750k last season was shocking, as fans do you know where it went?

All players were told they were free to find other clubs if they wished. Only 1 has(not that I blame Manu one little bit). Regarding what the club spent its money on, its only because we are such a small club with so few fans that people think they have a right to know. I can't say I every recall say any SL club explaining to fans every two minutes what they have vexed their 1.8m on.

Re: Dane Manning : Fri Nov 11, 2016 7:13 pm  

chris_T wrote:

What makes you think Batley are splashing the cash? What part of our chairmans 20 season reign makes you think him frivolous? Dane loves Batley, he only left for Fax as he was sold the superleage dream. That aint happening now. Matt Diskin earmarked Dane as a 2018 signing when en his contract ends. It's only your financial difficulties that has alowed him a way out sooner than expected. Were not going sht or bust were just not bust. We now have the best pack in the comp bar none.

So you have the best pack and the aim to be in the best part time team. Great, but sadly the Championship is in a mess, with most if not all clubs having to make cuts etc. Batley average less than a 1000 fans a game. Nice ground but nowhere near fit for SL. The team you have is probably the moest expensive outside the FT teams. Any club spending the money that Batley are doing is a big risk for me as the rewards are not really worth it and all Championship sides could and should be spending money in a better way including Halifax and Batley. Personally I cant see the Championship lasting another 10 years. And I dont see the justification is paying alot of money out on players when your gates are 1500 at best. If Batley fail to make the top 4 it will hurt tem as can be seen by Fax, Bradford and Sheffield.

Dane loves Batley, as much as he loves Halifax. Its a cliche that players come out with. If they really did love a club, they would do anything to help a club. If Dane was offered more money at Fev than Batley, do you really think his love for Batley would see him sign there? I doubt it very much. End of the day,players have to make as much money as possible and I dont blame Dane for going. There is little money in the game and players and agents will always look after player first whether they "Love" a certain club or not.

Re: Dane Manning : Fri Nov 11, 2016 7:32 pm  

[quote="The Lucky Black Cat"]So you have the best pack and the aim to be in the best part time team. Great, but sadly the Championship is in a mess, with most if not all clubs having to make cuts etc. Batley average less than a 1000 fans a game. Nice ground but nowhere near fit for SL. The team you have is probably the moest expensive outside the FT teams. Any club spending the money that Batley are doing is a big risk for me as the rewards are not really worth it and all Championship sides could and should be spending money in a better way including Halifax and Batley. Personally I cant see the Championship lasting another 10 years. And I dont see the justification is paying alot of money out on players when your gates are 1500 at best. If Batley fail to make the top 4 it will hurt tem as can be seen by Fax, Bradford and Sheffield.

Dane loves Batley, as much as he loves Halifax. Its a cliche that players come out with. If they really did love a club, they would do anything to help a club. If Dane was offered more money at Fev than Batley, do you really think his love for Batley would see him sign there? I doubt it very much. End of the day,players have to make as much money as possible and I dont blame Dane for going. There is little money in the game and players and agents will always look after player first whether they "Love" a certain club or not.[/quote]


So what should we do? We are investing some of our money into improving the team. Isn't that what you did last season? We aim to be the best we can be within the cards that are dealt to us. Isn't that what all teams should be doing? We spent a bit of money on a couple of players who are acknowledged to be decent performers at our level - hardly throwing the cash around.

To paraphrase a previous poster on here, we are hardly renowned for splashing the cash at our place, and are most certainly not doing it this time. Up to yesterday's announcements, a number of our supporters were complaining about our low key recruitment this season. If we don't make the top 4 next season, we will still be around the following season, and l would suggest we probably won't be asking our players to take a pay cut either!

[Nat (Rugby_Aholic)]

Re: Dane Manning : Fri Nov 11, 2016 8:41 pm  

Serious questions need to be asked. We existed on 200k plus Abbott etc(I think) funding, get a big lift to 700k and then once we go back to 200k we are all of a sudden skint? Did we stupidly give the players a 250% pay rise? The board made a big song and dance about investing off the field in IT, Reserves etc. How does that change if we are back on reduced funding? We should have appropriately managed the extra funding, but it looks like it has been vexed up against the wall.

These questions must be answered or fans will walk, myself included. It is incompetence or arrogance, either way it doesn't look good.

Re: Dane Manning : Fri Nov 11, 2016 9:09 pm  

The Lucky Black Cat wrote:

So you have the best pack and the aim to be in the best part time team. Great, but sadly the Championship is in a mess, with most if not all clubs having to make cuts etc. Batley average less than a 1000 fans a game. Nice ground but nowhere near fit for SL. The team you have is probably the moest expensive outside the FT teams. Any club spending the money that Batley are doing is a big risk for me as the rewards are not really worth it and all Championship sides could and should be spending money in a better way including Halifax and Batley. Personally I cant see the Championship lasting another 10 years. And I dont see the justification is paying alot of money out on players when your gates are 1500 at best. If Batley fail to make the top 4 it will hurt tem as can be seen by Fax, Bradford and Sheffield.

Dane loves Batley, as much as he loves Halifax. Its a cliche that players come out with. If they really did love a club, they would do anything to help a club. If Dane was offered more money at Fev than Batley, do you really think his love for Batley would see him sign there? I doubt it very much. End of the day,players have to make as much money as possible and I dont blame Dane for going. There is little money in the game and players and agents will always look after player first whether they "Love" a certain club or not.

The point is, missing out on the top 4 won't hurt us like it did you or Sheffield. Our contracts depend on where we finish, so regardless of where we finish, it will cost us the same percentage of our RFL funding next year. Therefore we will be unable to overspend and it is up to the players to perform to get the increased money for the second year. If we don't earn it, they don't get it.

Gates of 1500 at best, really? How about the 4000 gate for the Bulls game? Does that not count? Just out of interest, what are Halifax's avg gates? I know its not 2000 and I would be very shocked if our outgoings are anything like yours.

The other thing is, we don't have to find rent on our ground, unlike you, oh hang on a minute, you have paid that now I take it?

Our food and beverage sales go to the club unlike yours. We received 3x more rfl funding this year, than last, and the fact of the matter is, the 1 win against fev in the middle 8 s would have paid for Manning several times over. We also have no debts to pay off from the funding, unlike almost every other club in the game. It seems fairly obvious that the £700k you got was probably used to pay off what you owed, IT equipment ££££££££ really? NASA don't spend that much on IT FFS.

Ground not fit for SL, have you been to Wakefield lately? Ovendens ground is better than that.

So you can sleep easy LBC, we will be absolutely fine