The fact remains that he was brought in to secure the next TV deal and it's worth remembering that the initial leaks, regarding a much reduced deal, were prior to Covid taking effect.
As for scapegoat, if you only have one task and you dont do that task too well, you have failed.

Maybe it really is the best that the sport was ever going to achieve but, if this is the case, I think we are on our way up the proverbial creek, without a paddle.

I disagree. There is no way he could have foreseen COVID-19. I think he has dealt
with the situation very well. Was he slow in responding to the situation? Then no more than the prime minister.

I think we're at crossed purposes here.

Are you suggesting that Elstone has done a great job in securing, what is reported to be, a 25/30% drop in the TV deal (and this doesnt allow for 5 years of inflationary costs).
He showed his hand very early, when he outright supported Wigan, when they breached the cap and that was before any enquiry / investigation.

I agree that its extremely difficult running any organisation in the current climate and on non TV issues he's probably doing ok (aside from the Wigan case).
However, the point remains that his appointment was all about securing a decent deal to help move the sport forward.
Lets also remember that it wasn't Elsotne that secured the government funding to try and help the sport through the pandemic.

Just about every SL club chairman and every RL official and SL official has been slagged off rotten at some time for not building some sort of utopia.

Why hasn't the TV deal gone up? Why don't we have more quality players coming through? why have crowds dropped?

Why is everything not building and building and building and building (and building)????

It's probably because the Rugby League and the Superleague have not got together and interviewed the obvious candidates just waiting to be picked up from these message boards. There's one on the "other side" who says the problem is that the failed M62 clubs simply hold back any modern day attempt for glamorous international clubs across the world to set up and show us how it is all done.

He says time to pull the plug on the M62 clubs except Wigan and Leeds and put out 10 invites across the globe...................

Like it?

How do you know that SKY didn't want to make that a 50% drop?? How do you know that SKY may not have said to Elstone "Actually Robert, we can manage quite well without Rugby League on our schedules"

When Elstone took the job, tell me what cards he was dealt?? If you had done the Job description for his role would you have put[i"Must deliver year on year increases to SKY deal"[/i

And he secured it......

What did you want?

The last deal was levered up on a combination of BT sports possibly bidding....

And it was levered up on more clubs competing with the top Championship clubs coming in on the middle eights.

Both those cards tuened out to be deuces not Ace's

You can't judge Elstone on the headline value of the deal, for all you know SKY were ready to pull the plug.

good to see SL adopting some of the law changes from Oz. the way i feel at the moment I want to get rid of being able to kick in a forwards direction; with that, would need to reduce the numbers on the field, so go to 11-a-side, no scrums. Start match with a ptb on own 20m line. don't you think it's wrong that you can kick forwards but not pass it? why should you be able to charge a kick down and it not be considered a knock-on but a pass is different? We're a handling code.

I'm pleased that you're happy with the alleged deal ?

You say that Elstone cant be judged on the headline value of the deal but, I would argue that this is exactly where he can be judged.
In fact, it's the only measure that we have.

As for the last deal being "levered up", perhaps more should have been done to talk up the value of the sport

we just need to get more middle class people watching.

Of course I am not happy with the deal, but I won't shoot the messenger.

Can you not look at it from the possibility we may have got no deal at all this time, rather than taking a view every deal will just go up and up?

You only work on the simplified position that we got X last time and we got less that that this time. I have explained what we got last time had certain drivers Elstone did not have. If that is Elstone's fault YOU tell us where he failed? What cards do YOU think he failed to play??

I remember Leeds Sunday league struggling for players (years ago) and they went to 11 a side.

I made the journey to watch one of these games and it wasn't bad. more running and less collisions and wrestling.....

However I'd fear that professionals going to 11 would be all about releasing the speedsters.

Reagan Grace would get 100 tries a season

On another thread - Loop fixtures - you state the players are more professional and the crowds are UP.
Anyway,you ain't been listening to the podcasts and reading the writing of the journalist you were happy with when he told of the financial failings of an overseas club.
Seems Elstone isn't a favourite with some of the press people.

The facts are he has contributed nothing worthwhile that i know about and has recieved a substantial wage , no wonder the Everton supporting fan that i converse with and his mates say that he talks a good game but produces very little .