Grand Final Winners 2011 Grand Final Runners-Up 2010, 2012 League Leaders Shield 2010, 2011, 2012 European Club Challenge Winners 2012 If it ain't blue and white I'm not bothered!
Can I also say thank you to the fan who started this thread, for the kind words, and convey my disbelief that a positive thread has turned into a negative mess.
Some might look at this as being harsh but I think it's fair. When are the Rugby League going to stop persisting with this fantasy expansion. If it hasn't worked by now, it never will! I'm all for reaching out to a wider audience with our game but not at the expense of historical clubs in the homelands.
I think it it worth acknowledging that at fev as many other clubs like batley/fax/leigh/dewsbury to name a few, there are an army of volunteers, selling match programs, promoting the club, working on the pitch and at fev, actually building the new stands for free. Are we saying that what they are doing is pointless as we cant keep up with the 'big boys'? Shall we just all pack up and not bother then? How long can we count on the generous support of such people if the door closes on 'unfashionable' clubs?
That's very nice, if you think that the actions of volunteers are anything like enough to bring a club up to SL standard then you're absolutely kidding yourself. That's a total whimsical fantasy, it's like in the first wars when guns were available and opposing armies thought they could overcome them with 'courage'. No, clubs like Batley and Dewsbury will never be able to compete in Super League and if you ask people at those clubs they'll probably tell you the same. So yeah, if people are volunteering because they think it will help their clubs reach SL standard then what they are doing is pointless.
The truth is that Featherstone are not a big enough club to compete at SL level. They aren't big enough and don't have the potential for growth. The only way they would be able to compete would be if the current SL clubs were brought down to their standard. Which would of course be absolutely stupid but seems to be what most people want, so whatever, enjoy it, just don't blame me when the sport here doesn't progress and falls further and further behind the NRL and RU.
Grand Final Winners 2011 Grand Final Runners-Up 2010, 2012 League Leaders Shield 2010, 2011, 2012 European Club Challenge Winners 2012 If it ain't blue and white I'm not bothered!
Who do you support head hunter? I would assume by your dismissive tone that it is one of the big guns, Wigan Leeds st helens or maybe even warrington and huddersfield at a push. dewsbury and batley are probably not ready, but what's to day they couldn't achieve it? I feel you have a very negative view on this, and I feel you have missed my point.
There is a wealth of work done throughout rugby league because fans HOPE that one day their team will be good enough to compete. What your saying is that they needn't bother, they will never be good enough. Imagine the collapse of the game if everyone thought like you. I notice you failed to pick up on any of my other points, just the volunteers part. In answer to that, I think that building a whole new stand to bring our club owned stadium more in line with sl standards using a recycled stadium and volunteers shows ingenuity and cost effective savvy. Something which many sl clubs have proven they lack. You need more clubs like featherstone in sl not less.
The way I feel is that sl is almost like a completely different sport. I don't bother watching any games or internationals, why? Because its a closed shop and none of the players mean anything to me. Open it up and you may start to fill the stadium more for the international and get a few more species watching on tv not a solution but a start to the lack of neutrals attending rl showcase events like the challenge cup final. It was on tv and I didn't bother watching, the only reason for me would be to see Richard whiting play, an ex rover.
Some might look at this as being harsh but I think it's fair. When are the Rugby League going to stop persisting with this fantasy expansion. If it hasn't worked by now, it never will! I'm all for reaching out to a wider audience with our game but not at the expense of historical clubs in the homelands.
None of that is relevant though, you seem to be totally deluded about the nature of the sport and the nature of Super League. It's not a charity. If you think that clubs like Batley and Dewsbury are ever going to be in SL then you aren't living in the real world. Featherstone in Super League would go the exact same way that Leigh did. The likes of Featherstone and Leigh are good Championship clubs, they are valuable for the sport but they simply are not top-flight clubs, and don't have the potential to be. With the best will in the world, Featherstone are a similar but much smaller club than Castleford and Wakefield, two clubs who themselves struggle to compete in SL. The (flawed) rationale for changing the league structure is apparently to create more competitive games, even if Featherstone maxed out their potential and reached the level that the likes of Castleford are currently at then they still wouldn't be good enough for Super League. The fact that Featherstone were resourceful enough to get a new stand is great, but it isn't anything like enough for them to be able to compete. It's a drop in the ocean, honestly.
They seem to be pretty well run and they are doing a good job at the moment, but Featherstone in SL would be a disaster for everyone concerned. If you want to be a blinkered one-club fan then whatever, that's your loss. Nobody needs to contrive things to cater for a tiny minority of people with backwards mentalities.
Thankfully those people running SL have decided that arrogant viewpoints like the one above have no place in RL. Clubs outside SL will be afforded the opportunity to challenge for a place in SL by being the best on the pitch. That's why we're all here isn't it? To watch a game of Rugby League. Headhunter has never answered the question of which team he goes to watch week in week out because he doesn't go and watch the game week in week out. It's a competitive sport not a gentlemen's club. SL chairmen have tried the franchise route and it's failed. It's their money, it's their experiences and it's their pocket it's hurting so they're now trying a different route once more.
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
We can be bold enough to make a stand and do battle for our views and beliefs. But we must strive to be mature enough not to resort to unnecessary personal attacks upon people with opposing views.
We can be bold enough to make a stand and do battle for our views and beliefs. But we must strive to be mature enough not to resort to unnecessary personal attacks upon people with opposing views.
None of that is relevant though, you seem to be totally deluded about the nature of the sport and the nature of Super League. It's not a charity. If you think that clubs like Batley and Dewsbury are ever going to be in SL then you aren't living in the real world. Featherstone in Super League would go the exact same way that Leigh did. The likes of Featherstone and Leigh are good Championship clubs, they are valuable for the sport but they simply are not top-flight clubs, and don't have the potential to be. With the best will in the world, Featherstone are a similar but much smaller club than Castleford and Wakefield, two clubs who themselves struggle to compete in SL. The (flawed) rationale for changing the league structure is apparently to create more competitive games, even if Featherstone maxed out their potential and reached the level that the likes of Castleford are currently at then they still wouldn't be good enough for Super League. The fact that Featherstone were resourceful enough to get a new stand is great, but it isn't anything like enough for them to be able to compete. It's a drop in the ocean, honestly.
They seem to be pretty well run and they are doing a good job at the moment, but Featherstone in SL would be a disaster for everyone concerned. If you want to be a blinkered one-club fan then whatever, that's your loss. Nobody needs to contrive things to cater for a tiny minority of people with backwards mentalities.
Now replace SL with internationals and featherstone with USA.
We can be bold enough to make a stand and do battle for our views and beliefs. But we must strive to be mature enough not to resort to unnecessary personal attacks upon people with opposing views.