Would love to have a Gary Mercer, George Mann, and Kevin Iro in this squad right now.

Whilst in the last couple of years the results in the weekly rounds have often been dissapointing, I wouldn't criticise the effort the players have put in.

I cannot comment on the Bradford game as I wasn't there, but certainly in the Hudds game the effort was there, we just couldn't make it count due to the lack of our creative players.

We should remember both 2010 and 2011 the team was badly dissrupted by injuries which was always going to affect results.

At the worst times last year you could see the defeats and performances hurt the players, but they stuck in there and got their reward. As long as the players put the effort in they will have my support, win or lose, it isn't our divine right to win every game.

Are you seriously insinuating this is not the case in Super League? That the players and teams do not switch off and enter coasting mode when up against opposition in fixtures that don't really matter? Do the top clubs not rest players and field weakened teams in games they deem less important because they can afford to lose those games without affecting their chances of being in the play-offs?

Feel free to call it disrespectful (you'd be correct in doing so) but that is the reality. A lot of games during the regular rounds are meaningless, they don't matter and the quality isn't there. Leeds losing 3 in a row doesn't matter either. They'll still comfortably finish well-placed in the play-offs. That is the Super League product currently on offer and that's why I don't consider the season ticket commodity as a value for money purchase. If you wish to assign reverential, puritanical and mystical devotion to what is nothing more than a commodity, that's entirely up to you. It's still a faulty product not fit for the purpose and the worst part is that you're not covered under the Sale Of Goods Act for repair, replacement or your money back.

You say the same every year. Sometimes though, we seem to win the GF.

This thread is scraping the bottom of a very deep barrell

4 pages (possibly 5 with this!) for one of the lamest trolls in decades? Really?
Keith will be livid. At least he makes an effort!

You are free to purchase any commodity brand name you like in the same way that I prefer to purchase Heinz Salad Cream as opposed to other lesser well-known salad cream brands because I think it tastes better. I'm merely illustrating the difference between being a Loiner and supporting a club which represented the Loiner community, as opposed to purchasing a particular brand or commodity like the rhinos.


That was a long time ago when you supported a rugby league club. You may still believe you do but in reality, you don't. Unless you somehow believe that purchasing products related to the rhinos brand is the same as supporting a club which represents Leeds and the Loiner community. The rhinos brand doesn't and it never will. It's now a business first and foremost selling it's branded products to appeal to a larger market. Sure, the business will try and convince people that it does represent the Leeds community, for instance by expropriating the MOT song on a matchday, but for those who can see through the marketing bull, it represents nothing of the kind apart from engendering a faux community spirit in the hope of further maximising sales and profit. I have no feelings of abiding allegiance or loyalty to businesses selling their branded products, particularly when they are of a shoddy quality for the most part, hence why I wouldn't purchase their season ticket because it doesn't represent quality or value for money.

Well said, and spot on.

That pretty much sums up my feelings and opinions as well. I'll pick and choose what games I wish to see and many of them will involve real community-based clubs as opposed to the rhinos brand in Super League. The rhinos play London Broncos tomorrow and that's about as unappealing and unappetisingly drab as it gets. No chance of a quality game there, especially only 3 days after the previous drab performance and encounter. I have absolutely no interest in this game, yet I'd probably end up going if I had a season ticket. It matters not a jot if the rhinos win or lose that game either. Just another run-of-the-mill regular round game against inferior opposition where Leeds will probably coast to a win despite an ordinary performance, yet also another meaningless regular round game which they can afford to lose without it making any difference to their chances in the long run.

Interestingly, I used to get scolded on here in the past for having the temerity to criticise rhinos performances and results during the regular seasons on the basis that those games don't matter - it's not even JULY yet - and Leeds will produce when it really counts - BELIEVE, etc. Now I've seen the light and changed my views on this (mainly due to the new play-off system which now rewards mediocrity throughout the regular season), the very same people are now critical because I'm being dismissive about the importance of the regular rounds and discourteous to other clubs in the competition when the rhinos lose to them. The levels of hypocrisy which emerge on this forum are truly stunning.

Leeds Won 36 - 22

Leeds:
Anthony Gibbons
Jim Fallon, Kevin Iro, Francis Cummins, Phil Hassan
David Gibbons, Graham Holroyd
Harvey Howard, Terry Newton, Barrie McDermott
Gary Mercer, Adrian Morley, Mike Forshaw
Subs:
Marvin Golden, Marcus Vassilakopoulos, Nathan Picchi, Nick Fozzard

Tries: Graham Holroyd (2), David Gibbons (2), Jim Fallon, Gary Mercer, Anthony Gibbons
Goals: Graham Holroyd (3), Francis Cummins

You feel no connection or belonging to this Rhinos 'brand commodity ' yet you spend so much time on a Leeds RHINOS forum.

Hypocrisy.....its a terrible thing ain't it Keith.

Your failure to address the points I made earlier are duly noted.

Your failure to once again address this man's question was duly noted well before then. Instead, in your never ending quest to appear wise, chose to compare rugby league to salad cream.

Just had a look at the Dewsbury Forum and it seems lacking in posts from you, but plenty here on the RHINOS forum.

Noble words but I don't buy it.

Good job you're not on the BBC's 'Just a Minute'.... talk about repetition ...17 commodities and regular 3 repeat words in a sentence. Strictly speaking a commodity is a term usually applied to describe goods or a product rather than a service. Sport perhaps falls more into a service being part of the entertainment industry.

Also live sport, like live music is not predictable and can offer the audience the chance to share a unique performance which when experienced with others does form a community bond that is not based on just geography. I have watched games that sometimes for the most part were boring... then witnessed some individual brilliance that was worth the entrance fee alone. On other occassions a potential walk over (for or against us) turns out to be a thriller. Thats the attraction of sport

I'm aware of the difference between commodities and services. I regard the rhinos brand as a packaged commodity because it's more than just providing the service of 80 minutes of sporting viewing. It's also about selling rhinos branded season tickets, rhinos branded shirts and other gear, rhinos branded memberships, etc. You may describe buying into that package as being part of a rhinos community if you like but it's not something which appeals to me on any level. I'd rather pick and choose which 80 minutes of whichever game of rugby league happens to be my preference based on what I think and hope that game might offer in terms of viewing quality. Quite often this will involve games where the rhinos are not involved. I share no loyalty to any consumer brands. If something turns up which I deem better, I'll ditch or switch. I'll always be a Loiner however.

I've always chosen to support Leeds RLFC. That club existed pre 1997 and continued to exist post 1997 in my mind and still exists today and hopefully will in the future. I really couldn't care any less about the branding and the marketing of the Leeds side as they are of absolutely no concern to me. If it helps in any way to sustain the Leeds RFLC team I support than I can live with it without buying into it.

Yup.

I don't fathom the character of someone who professes to be a Loiner Till they Die, unless, of course, the club's branding and marketing isn't to their liking then they're off.

The occasional luddite may not like the branding of the club but anyone who professes to have been around Leeds RLFC in the 80s and 90s pre Rhinos must've been blind if they can't recognize the positives the new approach has brought the club.

Luckily Gareth you don't need to. I used to travel from Nottingham to Leeds on Friday night for a long time, I spent my money for Leeds for a long time. Since I have moved back to Yorkshire I now play for my local club, a club that provided several players in the current Dewsbury squad. So it makes social sense to spend my time with them and spend www money with them. I don't need Rlfans to communicate with Dewsbury fans, I see them every day.

Like I say, I have a sense of ownership I don't have for Leeds. I don't need to justify it to you. I have, because it makes you happy. But I don't have to.

Really? Looks like you forced your way onto the team photo tbh.



Do you? Every day? I very much doubt the players of shaw cross meet up every day.

No, but Dewsbury fans do.

The monied snob: Wouldn't eat beans on toast even if he was starving...unless they were bought from Fortnum & Masons.

The music snob: Dismisses all pop music out of hand as it lacks complex structure and artistic integrity.

The literary snob: Won't read popular fiction as it isn't steeped in a grand literary tradition.

The Rugby snob: See quote above.

I am looking forward to our next winning run, because they usually coincide with Mr Swiftcorns holidays.

Never before have I seen the word commodity used so often in the space of 3 paragraphs. Outstanding work.

I shall be using my commodity to access Headingley Carnegie stadium this afternoon.

I guessed as much, you have transferred your allegiencies to Dewsbury because it suits you socially. It's no greater calling to serve a community club as you alluded to earlier. If you had moved to Warrington you'd now be following "The Wolves" with your new mates.

I'm not dissing ya, just don't try and paint it as anything else and make a point of it.

One questoin mind, will you be "Dewsbury Till You Die" or will that change if you fall out with your mates and start playing for Batley Boys?