Give this a thought… If Covid never happened, under the guidance of Sheens, we may have been taking our place in SL, next March, anyway. We’ll never know. Would we have refused entry, because we are ‘not ready’ yet? I very much doubt it. Okay, the funding would have been a lot more for a naturally promoted team, but I think we should have applied, just to show SL that we haven’t gone a way. Paulie xx
There’s a bit in the Life of Brian where Eric Idle demands the right to have a baby and someone says something along the lines of ‘It’s symbolic of his struggle against oppression’ and John Cleese’s character says ‘It’s symbolic of his struggle against reality’.
Covid did happen, Sheens has gone and the club is still skint. SL want canon fodder for next season hoping that one of the expansion teams will be ready in 2022. Whoever goes up will likely go very close to being bankrupted next year.
The way for us to show we are still around is to win the Championship in 2022 having had a good solid season next year (hopefully making the play-offs). SL knows who and where we are - let’s stick to reality and solid growth for a bit.
Give this a thought… If Covid never happened, under the guidance of Sheens, we may have been taking our place in SL, next March, anyway. We’ll never know. Would we have refused entry, because we are ‘not ready’ yet? I very much doubt it. Okay, the funding would have been a lot more for a naturally promoted team, but I think we should have applied, just to show SL that we haven’t gone a way. Paulie xx
I thought we should have put a case together, but not sure how it would go down if the application highlighted that we really don't want the application to be successful because we are not ready!!
In answer to your question, the difference would be that we would have had a successful season with a confident team winning games (and hopefully playing a good style of rugby) and probably an increase in crowds and sponsorship. Taken together with the increased funding, I am sure that we could have retained the best of the squad (who were prepared to go full-time) and built on the squad with the addition of some SL standard signings - and Sheens would have been lauded as a legend!!.
But we will never know.
Of course we would'nt have refused entry to SL via promotion, that is completely different.We would have had a full, competitive season behind us, we would have had the financial benefit of healthy home crowds as the top club in the league,we would have had from September to recruit and prepare instead of the middle of December and would receive the extra SL money as mentioned.There were no such guarantees under Sheens anyway whose reputation goes before him.The loss at Dewsbury was'nt a great indication of what might have been.
Give this a thought… If Covid never happened, under the guidance of Sheens, we may have been taking our place in SL, next March, anyway. We’ll never know. Would we have refused entry, because we are ‘not ready’ yet? I very much doubt it. Okay, the funding would have been a lot more for a naturally promoted team, but I think we should have applied, just to show SL that we haven’t gone a way. Paulie xx
There’s a bit in the Life of Brian where Eric Idle demands the right to have a baby and someone says something along the lines of ‘It’s symbolic of his struggle against oppression’ and John Cleese’s character says ‘It’s symbolic of his struggle against reality’. Covid did happen, Sheens has gone and the club is still skint. SL want canon fodder for next season hoping that one of the expansion teams will be ready in 2022. Whoever goes up will likely go very close to being bankrupted next year. The way for us to show we are still around is to win the Championship in 2022 having had a good solid season next year (hopefully making the play-offs). SL knows who and where we are – let’s stick to reality and solid growth for a bit.
Sick of hearing this we are no more skint than 98 % of championship clubs to be positive we are better off than 98% of them. We should have applied to show ambition to both the fans and the RL who will now be under the impression we don't have the ambition. SL would of selected who they want which would not be us but it would have been an opportunity and learning curve to go through the process which would stand us in good stead if licensing returns. This is one time that we should of made up the numbers.
Disagree.We decided for ourselves that we won't be in SL next year instead of allowing the panel to tell us we won't be in SL.There is nothing whatsover to gain by it.
Disagree.We decided for ourselves that we won’t be in SL next year instead of allowing the panel to tell us we won’t be in SL.There is nothing whatsover to gain by it.
It's like you or I going for a job interview and we don't get the job, we have the experience of the actual interview and the feed back on why.
It’s like you or I going for a job interview and we don’t get the job, we have the experience of the actual interview and the feed back on why.
Having a laugh are’nt you ? Feedback from the RFL ? I would’nt take seriously one single word.May as well get feedback from the nearest second hand car dealer. They could tell us anything apart from the true bit – ‘we picked who we wanted’ . We know our own shortcomings anyway without being told what they are
We couldn't have applied successfully anyway because in the detailed criteria it wants access to accounts from 2018/19/20 and no insolvency events since 2018. So in that regard we would have wasted time by applying. I don't know why the club didn't just say that instead of going down the route of it's not our time etc.
As far as the 2020 season goes, we were hit and miss with Sheens, our pack by his admission wasn't strong enough. At least that has been rectified with Cook, Jewitt and Clough.
Does anyone honestly think that our lads will be (hopefully) going onto the field next year NOT trying to win?
I,for one, don't. If we win enough and earn promotion there will be a massive motive to honour it.
Financial stability has tripped our club up too many times in my lifetime and thankfully we have a board that recognises that fact and has the wit to apply the necessary financial discipline. Sitting comfortably behind a computer and risking all isn't the way.
It isn't a computer game that we can cancel and start again, it is reality.
Does anyone honestly think that our lads will be going onto the field next year NOT trying to win?
No.Nobody is saying that, are they ?
If we say that the club doesn't aspire to top the league then we are questioning the player's and the club's desire to win and to achieve promotion. That just isn't the case in my view.
The club recognises its commercial capability atm and that could limit our level of achievement but it doesn't mean that tbe aspiration isn't there.
Not sure anyone is saying the players won't/shouldn't aspire to win the competition are they? Just a few fans giving our opinions that it is unlikely as it stands. Of course they should and no doubt will be aiming to win it.
Not sure anyone is saying the players won’t/shouldn’t aspire to win the competition are they? Just a few fans giving our opinions that it is unlikely as it stands. Of course they should and no doubt will be aiming to win it.
Of course they will, but the Board realise that our weakness in the past has been sustainability. Other clubs, including the Wigan's and Saints' can rely on their backers to make good losses. Lenahan(sic) has rescued Wigan on a couple of occasions recently to the tune of £500,000 a time. We haven't got that back up and maybe never will have, so we need to build up sufficient sensible reserves, coupled with a minimum of unnecessary staff, to enable us to survive 'bad' years.
There will always be a temptation to 'go for broke' and over-reach on the hunch that 'this is our year'. It's a bit like spending your rent money on Lottery tickets - if it comes off you are home and dry, more likely you will be homeless!
I know enough of the personnel on the Board to know that they are genuine supporters and want SL at least as much as we do, but they are working on a business basis, unlike their predecessors. This was clear in Phil Finney's interview.
Sorry for the rant, I realise that some may disagree!!
Disagree.We decided for ourselves that we won’t be in SL next year instead of allowing the panel to tell us we won’t be in SL.There is nothing whatsover to gain by it.
It’s like you or I going for a job interview and we don’t get the job, we have the experience of the actual interview and the feed back on why.
I wouldn't apply for a job im not quite ready for or a job that I don't realistically stand a cat in hells chance of getting. I would tell the boss im interested in such a position but its not for me right now and I want to make sure im good enough to do a position justice in the future. I dont need to apply to let him know my intentions and aspirations.
Carrying on with the anecdote, not sure the boss would take me so seriously and give me a job knowing I cocked up a few years ago with a similar position.
Remember the feedback flanel we got from the RFL last time when they had already decided it would be Crusaders and Salford ? Something about our stadium being 'adequate'.I would'nt give them the opportunity to laugh us out of the building and then patronise us afterwards.