Re: Toulouse returns to top form : Wed Apr 04, 2018 9:28 pm  

Call Me God wrote:

The idea of a "league" competition is that each team plays the other, bit home an away. To ensure that "home' fans are accommodated for, the usual set up is Home, then Away, then Home, then Away......for the full 22 regular rounds of the season, with Satans' b'stard child "THE MAGIC WEEKEND" stuck in the middle.
When faced with having no access to your "home" ground, it is normal for that side to make other arrangements, such as an "on the road" game, or to decamp to a stadium not too far away, as Sheffield did whilst playing at Wakefield.
Given we have heard that Hamilton is next on the Perez pin-drop tour of RL and that there are splendid metro linKs between that outskirt of Toronto and the CBD and also remembering that the Wolfpack knew that their stadium wouldn't be available, they made the sensible decision to be based in MANCHESTER..
This gives them multiple advantages.
Firstly, the cost of "billeting" their players is vastly reduced give most can drive home to mum after training.
Secondly they will have minimal travel to games at all this year
Then there "home' tie v Toulouse, which would have cost them a small fortune as AirTRANSAT don't fly that route is bounced to Newcastle
Fiscally they (their sponsor) is saving 50%+ on flights
The salary cap......where do you start? They won C1 last year with a side aearning more than the other 11 squads combined and this year, before they bounced their big 3, they were never beneath the cap......do you reckon the cap will increase if they go up next year? I do!
...and lastly, they will be fresh as a daisy for pretty much all their games this year, whilst the majority of their opposition in Canada will be off the plane for no more than 24 hrs..........


Toronto have had the biggest "leg-up" afforded a side since Catalans and I repeat, there is NO TV DEAL......there is NO MAJOR SPONSOR.......so what exactly is the point? To give Leigh rejects a shot at SL in a different sides colours?

I'll tell you what I think. When Pearson was claiming that "we'd compete with Union" what he actually meant was that the cap was going to be raised by 100% once Toronto get in and the Wolfpack will be shopping in downtown NRL for their players.......so we will play the game with the same pool of players but just pay them more


.........as master plans go, that's not going to end well!

You forgot to mention their thousands of fans who, I'm assured, turn up late for the kick off and then spend most of the game in the beer tents or fast food outlets......

Re: Toulouse returns to top form : Wed Apr 04, 2018 9:35 pm  

There were 3131 at Featherstone when Toronto visited. Featherstone’s previous 3 home games had attendances of 1098, 2082 and 2048.

Home or away, Toronto are the main draw and have the biggest following in the Championship.

Re: Toulouse returns to top form : Wed Apr 04, 2018 10:14 pm  

Call Me God wrote:

The idea of a "league" competition is that each team plays the other, bit home an away. To ensure that "home' fans are accommodated for, the usual set up is Home, then Away, then Home, then Away......for the full 22 regular rounds of the season, with Satans' b'stard child "THE MAGIC WEEKEND" stuck in the middle.
When faced with having no access to your "home" ground, it is normal for that side to make other arrangements, such as an "on the road" game, or to decamp to a stadium not too far away, as Sheffield did whilst playing at Wakefield.
Given we have heard that Hamilton is next on the Perez pin-drop tour of RL and that there are splendid metro linKs between that outskirt of Toronto and the CBD and also remembering that the Wolfpack knew that their stadium wouldn't be available, they made the sensible decision to be based in MANCHESTER..
This gives them multiple advantages.
Firstly, the cost of "billeting" their players is vastly reduced give most can drive home to mum after training.
Secondly they will have minimal travel to games at all this year
Then there "home' tie v Toulouse, which would have cost them a small fortune as AirTRANSAT don't fly that route is bounced to Newcastle
Fiscally they (their sponsor) is saving 50%+ on flights
The salary cap......where do you start? They won C1 last year with a side aearning more than the other 11 squads combined and this year, before they bounced their big 3, they were never beneath the cap......do you reckon the cap will increase if they go up next year? I do!
...and lastly, they will be fresh as a daisy for pretty much all their games this year, whilst the majority of their opposition in Canada will be off the plane for no more than 24 hrs..........


Toronto have had the biggest "leg-up" afforded a side since Catalans and I repeat, there is NO TV DEAL......there is NO MAJOR SPONSOR.......so what exactly is the point? To give Leigh rejects a shot at SL in a different sides colours?

I'll tell you what I think. When Pearson was claiming that "we'd compete with Union" what he actually meant was that the cap was going to be raised by 100% once Toronto get in and the Wolfpack will be shopping in downtown NRL for their players.......so we will play the game with the same pool of players but just pay them more


.........as master plans go, that's not going to end well!

Any evidence of that? Or have you just shoved it in there for effect in your little paddy about the new boys?

Let's go back to playing local teams.

Re: Toulouse returns to top form : Wed Apr 04, 2018 10:18 pm  

Sir Kevin Sinfield wrote:

There were 3131 at Featherstone when Toronto visited. Featherstone’s previous 3 home games had attendances of 1098, 2082 and 2048.

Home or away, Toronto are the main draw and have the biggest following in the Championship.

And?
Genuine question. Bradford had loads of fans, so why did we let then go under?
Toronto are a "freak show" and once they've visited the SL grounds once, the novelty will wear thin and the usual "no away fans' bollox will be dragged out.......the reason to expand the game is to expand the player pool.......the interest from TV companies and sponsors....Toronto don't do any of that and nor will they because they play an unknown sport in front of bewildered and often legless ale aficionados.......fewer than 50 watched their latest "live game event" at a local pub in Toronto........they are the Emperors new clothes RL style!

Re: Toulouse returns to top form : Thu Apr 05, 2018 7:30 am  

Call Me God wrote:

And?
Genuine question. Bradford had loads of fans, so why did we let then go under?
Toronto are a "freak show" and once they've visited the SL grounds once, the novelty will wear thin and the usual "no away fans' bollox will be dragged out.......the reason to expand the game is to expand the player pool.......the interest from TV companies and sponsors....Toronto don't do any of that and nor will they because they play an unknown sport in front of bewildered and often legless ale aficionados.......fewer than 50 watched their latest "live game event" at a local pub in Toronto........they are the Emperors new clothes RL style!

Good morning CMG.

That's the problem for me, with expansion in North America - or any other non-RL playing country for that matter. Toronto have currently got over 20 British players on their 'books'. If every new North American team employed so many British players, that would severely weaken the talent pool available in this country - at a time when many are bemoaning the lack of sufficient talent to expand SL to fourteen teams.

It would be fantastic if RL could gain a strong foothold in a new Continent, but we daren't let that be at the expense of RL in the UK. If the Sport ever did become strong in North America, and they formed their own competition - (surely the aim of expansion?) where would that leave what would remain of RL in the UK?

Re: Toulouse returns to top form : Thu Apr 05, 2018 8:05 am  

Sir Kevin Sinfield wrote:

There were 3131 at Featherstone when Toronto visited. Featherstone’s previous 3 home games had attendances of 1098, 2082 and 2048.

Home or away, Toronto are the main draw and have the biggest following in the Championship.

There were 3513 at Toulouse for he Toronto game.

Carlos Zaluendo, the ex TO13 chairman and he with 'the moustache' reckoned a few years back when TO13 started their SL bid that attendances at an SL Toulouse would be between 4K and 6K for the first few years rising to between 6K and 10K within ten years.

Re: Toulouse returns to top form : Thu Apr 05, 2018 8:26 am  

sanjunien wrote:

There were 3513 at Toulouse for he Toronto game.

Carlos Zaluendo, the ex TO13 chairman and he with 'the moustache' reckoned a few years back when TO13 started their SL bid that attendances at an SL Toulouse would be between 4K and 6K for the first few years rising to between 6K and 10K within ten years.

The attendance for the Toronto game was 400 higher than what "heartlands" club Featherstone was able to attract.

Methinks that my friend Carlos is underestimating the appeal of a Toulouse SL team. I would expect at least 6k to 8k for the first few years, once they are in a fully professional competition and rid of what John Lennon would have called the "nowhere land" teams like Leigh as their opponents. With known names like Leeds, London, Wigan, Hull, Toronto and New York as their opponents in a fully professional competition at least 10K of the French public will surely arrive at the stadium with great interest.

Re: Toulouse returns to top form : Thu Apr 05, 2018 9:08 am  

JEAN CAPDOUZE wrote:

Methinks that my friend Carlos is underestimating the appeal of a Toulouse SL team. I would expect at least 6k to 8k for the first few years, once they are rid of the "nowhere land" teams like Leigh as their opponents. With known names like Leeds, London, Wigan, Hull, Toronto and New York as their opponents at least 10K of the French public will surely arrive at the stadium with great interest.

Looks like you're not taking any notice of your daily intake of medication .

Re: Toulouse returns to top form : Thu Apr 05, 2018 9:10 am  

Cokey wrote:

Looks like you're not taking any notice of your daily intake of medication .

You have selectively edited my post to take away a number of important points and qualifications. Shame on you Leyther!

Re: Toulouse returns to top form : Thu Apr 05, 2018 9:18 am  

JEAN CAPDOUZE wrote:

You have selectively edited my post to take away a number of important points and qualifications. Shame on you Leyther!

I haven't touched or edited your posts FCJ. So Yes, you definitely need to check your medication.