I too despair of the situation that Rugby League now finds itself in.
It must be the only sport that continues to shoot itself in the foot thanks to the continued mis - management of the game.
And this isn't a recent phenomenon. It has gone on for a generation.
Are things so bad that the game now has to rely on 'outsiders' (IMG) to come in to have to tell it what is wrong and what to do?
If that is the case, then there really is no hope.
The game needs to stop tinkering around the edges and relying on fancy gimmicks and get back to something that resembles honesty and common sense.
The sport used to be full of it, but now there is little or none of it left.
@sinbad You may well be right, but if we are to show any aspirations whatsoever we have to play the game their way I'm afraid.
If you just want mid table happiness there are plenty of clubs to choose from, sadly.
When we sold out to Sky there was an opportunity to help smaller clubs at the expense of the favoured few, but they had their noses in the trough, and they are there still!
The rush of Degsy (Leigh) and Carter (Fev) to invest in the game has effectively subdivided the Championship for this season at any rate.
WE don't know yet how things will play out long term but I suspect that it will be a long time before there is enough cash to buy us all new kit! The aim might still be to ease out poorer clubs completely, which would be a pity, or even force a mass exodus to a new PT league with no adverts!!
It's Campbell at Featherstone.
But watch this space 😉
Paulie xx
Iirc Lewis was the man who geared the promotion so that we could get in. He was ousted by Fat Nige who was anxious (still is) tom see the Yorkies OK. He then took his barrowful of money and went to Bratfud leaving the job to Rimmer who was equally unbalanced and incompetent.
Whatever we think our sport is under pressure from Women's Soccer, backed by bigger wallets than RL. All chasing programme time.
The RFL/SL have realised that we need specialist guidance to navigate the TV world and image is everything, hence we have IMG. Our big money clubs want their share of everything but are happy to keep paying for for NRL stars rather than help cubs like ours.
It just happens that atm RU is in a poor state itself and there is a opportunity to attract the kick and clap supporters to our game as a TV sport. IMG will, I suspect, be looking at emphasising the similarities in the games but cashing in on the faster RL game as a viewing spectacle.
They will no doubt realise that the NRL manage without P/R and very successfully!
If we, and others don't move fast and upgrade we could become the part time support act.
The Council, having had its budget halved over austerity, will be looking to help if the economy improves.
Don't forget one of the aims of building the Stadium was to gain TV advertising for the town, to attract industrial investment - it is probably the only way that the UK has ever heard of the town, and every TV mention would cost if it were an advert!
Stop the world,I wanna get off.Electronic advertising and soreboards to get points.Not interested.Call me old fashioned but I prefer winning points on the pitch to gain promotion.Widnes can jump through the hoops all they like but we are never going to be admitted to SL.We don't fit the profile.There's one thing we can't change and that is location, surrounded by Wigan,Saints and Warrington.Put in as many scoreboards as you want.
I am with you on this. Has the game game gone mad and Clubs signed up to this madness?
Will any Club below the SL be able to afford these shiny new advertising boards; and who on earth would want to pay the necessary exorbitant rates to advertise at a ground attracting a few thousand spectators at best and no tv coverage? Why should the Council pay for them either?
The game of RL has sold its soul to Sky and they are now running (or should it be ruining) the game; and paying less and less for that privilege. The idea that any of this is to help the game is nonsense. It is all about feeding the Sky coffers with advertising revenue from the likes of "Batchelors Peas" and other such companies, who seem to think that we will all run out to buy their product if we see it on the telly. Sky is even now telling the RFL that fixtures have to be changed to accommodate their schedules.
If the aim of Sky and RFL is to reduce the game to the level of a reality show, with about ten clubs sharing the reducing tv money, why not be honest and say so. The rest of the game can then move on, or disappear.
The IMG fiasco seems to be approaching this back to front (deliberately or otherwise) and Clubs like Widnes are falling for it, in the desperate hope that one day they will be one of the favoured few sharing the reducing tv money. They want Widnes and other Clubs to bring in overpaid executives to "prepare" to meet the IMG criteria and to spend money they can ill afford, to prepare the ground for tv coverage eg electronic advertising boards. All without any guarantee of SL status. It is madness.
Surely, Clubs should give priority to applying any funds to building a team that can win promotion from League 1 and the Championship, to get into SL. That would mean aiming to go full-time in the Championship, with an Academy to enable the Club to build for the future, as well as carrying out improvements to their grounds, where necessary, building on community links to widen interest in the game and looking at ways to increase attendances and income. This would need a greater share of central funding from the RFL to those clubs, which is unlikely.
At the moment, Widnes could spend money to meet this IMG criteria and achieve whatever grade they need, probably going into debt to achieve this, with no guarantee of a place in SL, possibly because we can only afford a part-time mid-table Championship team.
Surely, promotion to SL should be based primarily on what you achieve on the pitch, not having overpaid executives and expensive advertising facilities that serve no purpose without the tv coverage. Once you win promotion on the pitch and get the increased income that attracts, should these additional facilities be required.
As many people have said on previous posts over the years RL signed the death warrant when they got in bed with sky and went to summer rugby with the Tosser from Wigan
Add me to the list of fans who utterly detest the whole concept of promotion and relegation being decided on the basis of anything other than performances on the pitch. It’s farcical and shows the sport in a very poor light.
Add me to the list of fans who utterly detest the whole concept of promotion and relegation being decided on the basis of anything other than performances on the pitch. It’s farcical and shows the sport in a very poor light.
Did you hate it in 2012?
Paulie xx
Yes.
I can't speak for MT but I wasn't comfortable with it,myself.Did you hate it in 2012?
Compare that experience with watching us earn it on the pitch against Leigh and Oldham under Neil Kelly. The route we are going down once again makes me increasingly disillusioned with the sport as a whole for all that I will continue to buy a season ticket at Widnes regardless of our level.
Just because a system benefits Widnes occasionally doesn't mean you agree with it.We were relegated to the third division one year in the late 90s but got a reprieve. What are the fans supposed to do ? Not turn up,in protest?
All comes back to the gameday 'experience' too. I am quite happy to turn up and watch the game, then go home. But time moves on and my kids and grandkids are todays major supporters they want the IMG view and old twits like me just put up with it or stop going!
The whole concept of 'professional' sport ruins so many things because it has just become a means of getting a bigger pay out. But that's just an old fogie's view!
It all depends if you want a day out, or just 80 mins.
Paulie xx
All comes back to the gameday 'experience' too. I am quite happy to turn up and watch the game, then go home. But time moves on and my kids and grandkids are todays major supporters they want the IMG view and old twits like me just put up with it or stop going!
The whole concept of 'professional' sport ruins so many things because it has just become a means of getting a bigger pay out. But that's just an old fogie's view!
have to agree with you SG. Having started my seventy third orbit of the Sun I feel I have to change with my grandkids and as they love the Longhouse it’s an early start for us so I just sit back and listen to the music while they run around mad. Going back to the IMG they are not getting paid until a lot of money is in the RL coffers so it’s a matter of getting the best of a bad situation.
Also forgot to mention the director told me they interviewed sixteen for the post including an Aussie (an ex player) who said he would come over but not for part time money. 👍
All comes back to the gameday 'experience' too. I am quite happy to turn up and watch the game, then go home. But time moves on and my kids and grandkids are todays major supporters they want the IMG view and old twits like me just put up with it or stop going!
The whole concept of 'professional' sport ruins so many things because it has just become a means of getting a bigger pay out. But that's just an old fogie's view!
have to agree with you SG. Having started my seventy third orbit of the Sun I feel I have to change with my grandkids and as they love the Longhouse it’s an early start for us so I just sit back and listen to the music while they run around mad. Going back to the IMG they are not getting paid until a lot of money is in the RL coffers so it’s a matter of getting the best of a bad situation.
Also forgot to mention the director told me they interviewed sixteen for the post including an Aussie (an ex player) who said he would come over but not for part time money. 👍
He tells you a lot does "this director" Harrison.