Quote: SmokeyTA "the equivalent of a business criticising the regulatory body? it isnt very uncommon. Sport is not unique. It is not any more different to a supermarket than a media conglomerate is to a leather factory. '"
So it's not a business then? It's a regulatory body?
Yes it is different. Of course it's different. When are the supermarket playoffs?
Quote: SmokeyTA "why dont RU have that problem? or Cricket? or Football? How do we manage to book the GF and CC final? If we cant sell an international to Liverpool why are we holding it there? You are looking at the end, finding excuses and then pretending it was inevitable. '"
Union own their stadiums and have regular schedules from World Rugby. We don't.
Thanks for proving my point with the GF and CC final. We know when they are, every year, so we can book them. We're also virtually guaranteed a big crowd.
Why do you think we're holding an International in Liverpool?
So what's the reason then? When we prove we can book major stadiums when we know when it's going to be, yet it takes longer when we don't know.
We could of course just cry "INCOMPETENCE!" as loud as possible. Or we could look at the situation and think about it. It's pretty bloody obvious. We've got Old Trafford booked out year on year. Even to the extent that they turned down England RU in the RUWC to keep our business. So we can do that, and Wembley. Yet somehow we're too incompetent to book Anfield.
Don't be daft Smokey.
Quote: SmokeyTA "They can only sell in the environment the RFL create '"
And yet when the RFL try to change that environment there are howls of protest. See franchising, London Broncos, Crusaders, Catalans etc etc.
Plus are we really saying that the clubs, all based in the heartlands bar Catalans, couldn't do more to sell themselves, build their infrastructure, get more or different people in and develop more and better players? Because that is all, entirely, their responsibility. And ALL SL clubs range from merely average to plain useless at those things.
Quote: SmokeyTA "But you can create an environment and an image which appeals to a new fanbase. '"
And who do the RFL have to get approval from before they can do that?
And with what funds do they do that? You're complaining at them taking £6m a year from the TV deal. Most of which is paid back to the clubs anyway.
Quote: SmokeyTA "Since 1996 the amount of TV money (adjusted for inflation) has gone down. Thats not because of what happened 35 years ago. '"
Really? It's because of what started around then and continued right up until SL (and still to a degree continues today). Many people complain that RL sold its soul to Sky in 1996. Well they didn't. It had already been sold to stave off bankruptcy. Clubs selling their only assets left right and centre or letting them fall apart. If clubs had kept up to their stadiums in the good times you wouldn't have had the stagnation we've seen over the SL period. Though that attitude continued in SL and still does. Clubs would (or could assuming they were run properly) have the revenues to increase the salary cap or to put more into youth development etc etc.
Now most clubs have no assets left, they can't do it again. Yet we still see very few clubs actually strengthening as a club. They'll strengthen the first team but nothing else. See Salford as THE example.
Quote: SmokeyTA "This is the RFL's system, its the RFL's tv deal, Its the RFL's organisation and has been for years. We arent here with this system and this tv deal and this environment because the clubs had too much power. '"
Lol. The clubs have agreed to every single one of these things. They get the money. They hold the power. They do nothing with it except look for short term gain. The RFL should be criticised for letting go of control over the last 20 years.
Quote: SmokeyTA "Its the RFL creating an environment where a club is criticised for investing in its product. We can continue to hope that 12 or more clubs independently stumble on to a formula that works but it is very unlikely to happen. '"
You mean Salford? Nobody has criticised Koukash for putting money into Salford. Sadly he ignored areas of his club that would bring LONG TERM success and instead focussed on short term gain. Actually he fits in RL perfectly. Did Salford even qualify for a proper academy this year? Either he went begging to the fans to fund it.
Quote: SmokeyTA "Different sports, and different industries and different companies within those industries show what you need to do to grow. We can continue to insist we are different and that we need to do something different but the results of us doing that wont change.'"
Successful companies look to long term growth and development. To RL clubs, long term means the end of next season.
