Re: If people think we're bad... : Sun Jun 09, 2013 7:20 am  

Judder Man wrote:

Exactly having been up there for the past 12 years the potential is massive there are probably just as many amateur teams as in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Here we have lots of rugby fans who associate themselves with superleague clubs like Leeds, Bradford, Wigan and St Helens, lots of fans here feel as though the RFL are treating them as a lost cause, when in reality the lost cause is 300 miles south.

Also correct me if I am wrong but if the broncos move to Gillingham FC next year they can,t call themselves London they are just as close to Southend on Sea and Margate in Kent, any London based fans would need to travel 40 miles into another county to watch a "London Superleague Team".

They seem to move back and forth every few years.

You can just imagine how Widnes fans felt over the years playing In lower division while London was playing super league. I imagine the likes of fev, Halifax etc feel the same now.

London was a great idea but its just not worked!

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sun Jun 09, 2013 7:56 am  

This is where I have problems with licensing. It muddy's the waters over why a team should be in SL. For me it's all about on the field performances. On that measure so far London should not be relegated. Their continued existence is a different matter. That is a business decision which is down to fans and owners.

Fans need to turn up to fund a club and owners cover any shortfall (if there is one).

The cumbria issue is a red herring. Cumbria is a consolidation issue. There is a good amature level and there is a fan base there, but the 3 dominant teams split this support. Merger will never work, so it's either a fight to the death, one team to get promotion, or for all 3 to agree to support some joint team,but I still question whether supporters of whitehaven, barrow and workington would buy into this rather than stick with their own club sides.

I think London being something of a travelling side has not helped them, but also the name London gives no local buy into the team. None of the London Football clubs work on the basis of calling themselves london. You may as well call yourself England RL club. London is as big population wise as some countries and people in London subdivide themselves when it comes to sporting competition.

For me the big error was not sticking by North Wales and the likes of Sheffield. This would expand our base whilst giving those clubs a chance for away fans to bolster the home crowd for a few years.

Hopefully London (or Gillingham) can make it to 2015 and if we get option 3 they will get a chance to get more competitive without having to spend the max every year. They need time to grow. At the moment they are being asked to compete and grow and just do not have the base to do both.

As for the TV deal, they are just bothered about viewers. Veiwers mean advertisers, which means revenue and subscriptions. That's what TV base their valuation of the game on. Whether thats 300k viewers in yorkshire or 300k views spread across the UK makes llittle difference.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sun Jun 09, 2013 8:15 am  

A heavy investment in Wrexham would have improved SL.

A heavy investment in another French team would have improved SL

A heavy investment in a complete merger of the whole of Cumbria, to play under a Cumbrian banner would have improved SL.

A heavy investment seems to be a factor you'd think to success?

David Hughes has heavily invested in the Broncos.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sun Jun 09, 2013 8:37 am  

Horatio Yed wrote:

A heavy investment in Wrexham would have improved SL.

A heavy investment in another French team would have improved SL

A heavy investment in a complete merger of the whole of Cumbria, to play under a Cumbrian banner would have improved SL.

A heavy investment seems to be a factor you'd think to success?

David Hughes has heavily invested in the Broncos.

All true, but you need fans to buy in and that's what has not occured in London.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sun Jun 09, 2013 9:42 am  

St pete wrote:

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

What a total tragic sad thread, such bitterness, showing as I have always said the fault of our game How Parochial it is, we all-right Jack! Many clubs in Super League are 130 Years Old and are still only around 10,000 or under! is that progress?

The way the game is going it will be semi-pro within 10 years so it will not matter if there is a London, Sheffield, or North Wales side. At a time when the game is developing so fast in the south at youth, school & amateur level, yes we are struggling without a Chairman that has backed the club 110% we may not have survived until now! People forget the cost of living in London, rents and land, we have players houses many of the young players live together, we still do not own our own ground and we have paid so much in rental to football & union clubs over the years.

When we had to leave Fulham that is when the RFL should have invested in a ground and made it the RFL HQ in London a ground dedicated to nothing but Rugby League, used all the year for school finals, amateur finals etc, but no there was no foresight and people wonder why as a game we have No Sponsor for our Super League and No Sponsor for The Challenge Cup what a complete joke but week in week out people still think it is the Greatest Game ever, people who watched Wrestling on Saturday afternoon's way back on ITV used to think the same! and what has happened to that sport.

"If people think we're bad..." is the thread title, well before yesterday's disaster Saints were 8 Points ahead of us!

Money was put into buying Bradford's Odsal? Allowing Hull to take the Gateshead licence to survive, but what did I say about the game being parochial, do you genuinely think if there was one club in Cumbria they would attract more than 5,000 I seriously doubt they get less than 2,000 for a local derby! in fact Sheffield attract more than many Championship clubs. Without the licence system how does a club like Widnes survive? it takes time to build a club when you get into Super League and there attendances are nothing like in the Cup Glory days! The whole game of Rugby League needs to be looked at but not by a failed Halifax club secretary not acting as a CEO of the RFL!

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:18 am  

In my most inbreded Lancashire accent! I will read the rules

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:24 am  

jaybs wrote:

What a total tragic sad thread, such bitterness, showing as I have always said the fault of our game How Parochial it is, we all-right Jack! Many clubs in Super League are 130 Years Old and are still only around 10,000 or under! is that progress?

The way the game is going it will be semi-pro within 10 years so it will not matter if there is a London, Sheffield, or North Wales side. At a time when the game is developing so fast in the south at youth, school & amateur level, yes we are struggling without a Chairman that has backed the club 110% we may not have survived until now! People forget the cost of living in London, rents and land, we have players houses many of the young players live together, we still do not own our own ground and we have paid so much in rental to football & union clubs over the years.

When we had to leave Fulham that is when the RFL should have invested in a ground and made it the RFL HQ in London a ground dedicated to nothing but Rugby League, used all the year for school finals, amateur finals etc, but no there was no foresight and people wonder why as a game we have No Sponsor for our Super League and No Sponsor for The Challenge Cup what a complete joke but week in week out people still think it is the Greatest Game ever, people who watched Wrestling on Saturday afternoon's way back on ITV used to think the same! and what has happened to that sport.

"If people think we're bad..." is the thread title, well before yesterday's disaster Saints were 8 Points ahead of us!

Money was put into buying Bradford's Odsal? Allowing Hull to take the Gateshead licence to survive, but what did I say about the game being parochial, do you genuinely think if there was one club in Cumbria they would attract more than 5,000 I seriously doubt they get less than 2,000 for a local derby! in fact Sheffield attract more than many Championship clubs. Without the licence system how does a club like Widnes survive? it takes time to build a club when you get into Super League and there attendances are nothing like in the Cup Glory days! The whole game of Rugby League needs to be looked at but not by a failed Halifax club secretary not acting as a CEO of the RFL!

Spot on - excellent post.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:44 am  

jaybs wrote:

What a total tragic sad thread, such bitterness, showing as I have always said the fault of our game How Parochial it is, we all-right Jack! Many clubs in Super League are 130 Years Old and are still only around 10,000 or under! is that progress?

The way the game is going it will be semi-pro within 10 years so it will not matter if there is a London, Sheffield, or North Wales side. At a time when the game is developing so fast in the south at youth, school & amateur level, yes we are struggling without a Chairman that has backed the club 110% we may not have survived until now! People forget the cost of living in London, rents and land, we have players houses many of the young players live together, we still do not own our own ground and we have paid so much in rental to football & union clubs over the years.

When we had to leave Fulham that is when the RFL should have invested in a ground and made it the RFL HQ in London a ground dedicated to nothing but Rugby League, used all the year for school finals, amateur finals etc, but no there was no foresight and people wonder why as a game we have No Sponsor for our Super League and No Sponsor for The Challenge Cup what a complete joke but week in week out people still think it is the Greatest Game ever, people who watched Wrestling on Saturday afternoon's way back on ITV used to think the same! and what has happened to that sport.

"If people think we're bad..." is the thread title, well before yesterday's disaster Saints were 8 Points ahead of us!

Money was put into buying Bradford's Odsal? Allowing Hull to take the Gateshead licence to survive, but what did I say about the game being parochial, do you genuinely think if there was one club in Cumbria they would attract more than 5,000 I seriously doubt they get less than 2,000 for a local derby! in fact Sheffield attract more than many Championship clubs. Without the licence system how does a club like Widnes survive? it takes time to build a club when you get into Super League and there attendances are nothing like in the Cup Glory days! The whole game of Rugby League needs to be looked at but not by a failed Halifax club secretary not acting as a CEO of the RFL!

Well said.

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:27 am  

Zeus The Saint wrote:

In my most inbreded Lancashire accent! I will read the rules

Well I was born in Parr and have no imbreded Lancashire accent, not that I would be ashamed if I did, but I have never swore Once in my life and your comment says a lot! I was brought up there are Billions and Billions of words you can use rather than swear! so I will ignore your "parochial" swearing! I can always Hold my Head Up High! don't need to get to gutter talk!

Re: If people think we're bad... : Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:35 am  

jaybs wrote:

Well I was born in Parr and have no imbreded Lancashire accent, not that I would be ashamed if I did, but I have never swore Once in my life and your comment says a lot! I was brought up there are Billions and Billions of words you can use rather than swear! so I will ignore your "parochial" swearing! I can always Hold my Head Up High! don't need to get to gutter talk!

The 'loyal' fan speaks. When London fizzle out you can always pick a new team.