Re: If people think we're bad... : Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:07 pm  

Hull KR conceded 80 plus points against Wigan at home earlier in the season. Should they be shown the door as well?

London has just lost its leader in Craig Gower and obviously things are not a bed of roses there generally but particularly at the minute. While they've been losing mostly, they've been competing for two thirds of most games this season, which is an improvement on last season. It would be a great shame if they have either thrown the towel in or if off field issues are undermining them.

As for their value to the sport, it is primarily aspirational. They are the only Superleague team in the south and there is a growing schools and amateur rugby league scene in areas of the south. With London Skolars and Hemel both now in the semi-pro leagues, young RL players have real professional rugby league to aim towards if that is what they want. All professional athletes want the chance to at least have the opportunity of playing at the elite level of their sport even if ultimately they are not capable or decide otherwise. To deny that is silly. So the Broncos play an increasingly important role in rugby league down south and if they go then the only immediately recognisable representation of our sport in the south goes with it since few people look under the surface and see what else is going on in the sport down there.

The sport definitely does need the Broncos and personally I hope they find a way through their current difficulties, preferably with some central help.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:27 pm  

I,ve always thought that London in whatever disguise had damaged rugby league by the RFL trying to make it work when they should have looked at developing the game "closer to home" like the midlands for instance.
The only small measure of success is perhaps league is now played in some of the schools down there, Its almost 30 years for London now but the local general public don,t want it, they should have started in the championship leagues to build up progression.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:29 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

snip

They did, but Hull KR compete in the SL. We've had 70 points put on us in the past, so have Leeds, Wigan, Bradford, etc, but this season London have conceded an average of 37 points per game. Of late (last few seasons) London haven't put up much of a fight and with Gower going, it just condemns their situation. I hope they can come through it, but they can't draw the crowds in to get behind the team. Gower was probably one of the players getting people through the gates, so his departure hasn't helped on and off the field.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:36 pm  

has sky ever said that we will receive less money if there isn't a super league team in London?

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:07 pm  

Right not having anymore of that. Also I've noticed over the last few weeks the use of the * coming back to hide swear words.

Either post it and let the filter deal with it. Or don't post it, but stop trying to get around the filter.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:11 pm  

How long do we give London ?

They get shocking crowds, they ain't stable financially, don't bring much in terms of being competitive these days either.

Catalan have gone very well and they only about 5 years old.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:13 pm  

dubairl wrote:

has sky ever said that we will receive less money if there isn't a super league team in London?

Sky never say anything about anything and nor does the RFL. Nobody knows outside of those in the know whether the presence of London makes any difference whatsoever to the Sky deal. However, if you watch any of their other sports, I can't think of one that is restricted to one region of the country.

In no way would it be a good thing for London to go. However, they continue to do the sport's image some damage by not being competitive. On their website the BBC have opened up comments on the London debacle (can't really call it a match, since London clearly didn't bother playing). The BBC never opens its match reports up for comment. They have done that deliberately to cause trouble and those of us who have contributed to the comments know this.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:16 pm  

St pete wrote:

How long do we give London ?

They get shocking crowds, they ain't stable financially, don't bring much in terms of being competitive these days either.

Catalan have gone very well and they only about 5 years old.

The Dragons may be only about 5 years old but rugby league has been going in that region of France for almost as long as it has been going in England, so the area was a traditional heartland region for rugby league.

To offer up an accurate comparison in cross channel expansion you would need to look at Paris St Germain which lasted how long exactly?

London has been around in various guises for around 30 years. That's a generation. So what is now happening is that the first generation of players who grew up with rugby league - something we in certain areas of the north have taken for granted for a few generations - are coming through. We need to give it another generation to be able to judge whether it has been successful but the RFL burying its head in the sand and doing nothing to assist - and it never has assisted London (not financially anyway) - is utterly negligent. Take one look at Melbourne, which was centrally funded for years (I think may still be), to see what can be done when expansion is managed properly.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:20 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Sky never say anything about anything and nor does the RFL. Nobody knows outside of those in the know whether the presence of London makes any difference whatsoever to the Sky deal. However, if you watch any of their other sports, I can't think of one that is restricted to one region of the country.

In no way would it be a good thing for London to go. However, they continue to do the sport's image some damage by not being competitive. On their website the BBC have opened up comments on the London debacle (can't really call it a match, since London clearly didn't bother playing). The BBC never opens its match reports up for comment. They have done that deliberately to cause trouble and those of us who have contributed to the comments know this.

But in all honesty how much do they contribute to super league? I cant imagine that many people from down south watch rugby league to watch London, and i guess what matters the most to sky is viewing figures. Personally I think they should go down for a couple of years till they can get enough finance together with the help of the RFL to come back up and spend above the salary cap with out being scared of going bust for a period of 5 years.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:21 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

The Dragons may be only about 5 years old but rugby league has been going in that region of France for almost as long as it has been going in England, so the area was a traditional heartland region for rugby league.

To offer up an accurate comparison in cross channel expansion you would need to look at Paris St Germain which lasted how long exactly?

London has been around in various guises for around 30 years. That's a generation. So what is now happening is that the first generation of players who grew up with rugby league - something we in certain areas of the north have taken for granted for a few generations - are coming through. We need to give it another generation to be able to judge whether it has been successful but the RFL burying its head in the sand and doing nothing to assist - and it never has assisted London (not financially anyway) - is utterly negligent. Take one look at Melbourne, which was centrally funded for years (I think may still be), to see what can be done when expansion is managed properly.

That's my point, they been going 30 years and its not worked in that time.

The south of France is also a union area. I've toured the south of France and it was heavily Rugby union but I agree its more rugby league than Paris was or ever will be.