On a personal note, I probably have more issues with some of our fans who keep telling us how great this move is going to be for Salford without backing it up, rather than any Sale fans. The main target for Salford fans should be attempting to ensure that Salford continue to get a fair deal from the stadium management company once Sale inevitably start attracting bigger crowds and putting more money into the SMC coffers, rather than having cheap digs at the Sale fans.

it is only two years ago when an ex england Yawnian player now teaching at a public was coaching and was being filmed for some BBC ra ra celebration, and one of his charges asked if they could play Rugby League, his reply, "no way that is a game for the working classes."

Thanks for the posting: if you ever have had pre-match drinks in the Old Vic: I am that Rugby League fan.
So why am I worried? Sadly you and we cannot alter the business model of the directors one iota: yours have their mission statement and ours (hopefully) ours.
Sadly we get linked to that mission. So although you may disagree with Kennedy et al in their actions, you are associated with it. As we are with our (no comment on what that is).
I have no axe to grind with County fans (my team leader is home and away fanatic), Sale fans ( I know several and enjoy chatting to them), nor Union (ex De La Salle for God's sake).
I have an axe as Salford Reds is ripe for take-over. So paranoia is setting in.

Oh the rugby balls are different: the official league ball is rounder.

RL was born out of a Nations politics and Class system, and over a century later it still resonates in the modern era. While there is no doubt that modern RU has been softening in its attitude to RL it has been mainly born out of the need to adapt to professionalism and the converting of sport into business. The old divides are still there. The same bias is still evident. You just have to look to see it. A couple of cross-code players and coaches do not make us closer in any way.

Whilst I commend the OP's enthusiasm and optimism, a few cross-code get togethers are unlikely to amount to a revolution of shared fans/resources/finances etc etc. I feel that most Sale and Salford fans are very similar and want the same things, the problem lies where the 'powers that be' in charge of both Clubs see the coming together. Like all people in positions of power, plotting the downfall of rivals is second nature. This is why Salford fans are suspicious.

The fans are not really going to be the problem. They come, they support their team and they go home. If it was about watching both codes and all will be sweetness and light there wouldn't be a problem for some fans of either club. However, having been to Sale on a couple of occasions there is one major issue for Reds fans. The cost is significantly higher to watch Sale, which reflects the amount they can spend on players.

The biggest problem is Brian Kennedy and his rabid pitbull Steve Diamond. Someone posted on here about Salford dinosaurs spouting vitriol. Well the jingoistic claptrap the Diamond has come out with in recent months is what is worrying many Reds fans. When you put that next to what County fans say you can understand the concerns.

The divide will always exist and Union continues to try to destroy League. Steve Diamond said the Sale were aiming to become a Northern super club. "We want to seize Manchester and the North West of England". If he does not mean that to sound like he wants to come in to Salford, take over and dump us in the mire I don't know what does. He also said " It is a great stadium and deserves to have a World class rugby team playing in it". Once again he has a sideways swipe at the Reds! What he fails to admit is that Sale are hardly World Class right now are they? No Heineken cup this year and struggling to get in to the euor shake up for next year.

I took my father-in-law to Edgely Park a few years ago as he is a former Union player with Fylde. We sat there for 80 minutes in silence. It was like going to church. The only time there was any excitement and people actually got off their seats in anticipation of something happening was when a certain Jason Robinson got the ball. That was the last time Sale looked world class and it was down to player who has his origins in Rugby League.

The comments attributed to Diamond in the MEN were very quickly withdrawn overnight and have never resurfaced so did he actually make them of was it just a typical MEN piece with a great deal of poetic license?

lets just say he was extremely quiet during the official press conference at the announcement of the ground share! The MEN has always been a lot more positive about Sale than it is about us. I doubt they would risk damaging the reputation of the club without proper thought.

Quote Michigan red="Michigan red"The comments attributed to Diamond in the MEN were very quickly withdrawn overnight and have never resurfaced so did he actually make them of was it just a typical MEN piece with a great deal of poetic license?'" www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyu ... -West.html It was his quote about being able to cherry pick all the best young rugby league talent that disappeared.

Quote Michigan red="Michigan red"The comments attributed to Diamond in the MEN were very quickly withdrawn overnight and have never resurfaced so did he actually make them of was it just a typical MEN piece with a great deal of poetic license?'" www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyu ... -West.html It was his quote about being able to cherry pick all the best young rugby league talent that disappeared.

Not bothered reading through the whole thread yet as I'm in work so apologise if things have already been said, but my take on it is....

Rugby Union has been trying to belittle and crush the sport of rugby league for years and I am very wary of Sale because I know what Kennedy, Sale, the RFU and the poor management of our own club could possibly mean for Salford. Sale have already come out and said they want to 'take Manchester and the surrounding areas' and they won't stop at anything to make that happen and if that means trampling over Salford in the process then that's what they will do, because they can with help from the RFU no doubt because they need a successful team up north.

We've worked for 15 years to get a stadium built for Salford RLFC and even though it's not ours anymore the fact Sale can just jump in without doing anything knocks me sick. I've heard at the open day they had on Sunday their fans were already talking about making it 'home', they were even discussing decoration in the concourse, they will be having a fans bar as well and even a statute for outside the ground was talked about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can bet your bottom dollar when Sale start to bring the crowds in and put more money into the SMC coffers then no matter what anyone say's they WILL be given priority over Salford. It'll be us who has to move fixtures around and play into their hands I've no doubt about that what so ever.

It seems strange that people who say 'market forces' meant it was inevitable the joint venture company would have to find another tenant to play in our stadium don't think that when Sale start pouring large amounts of money into the stadium funds they will become primary tenants (whatever the tenancy agreement says) due to those same market forces.

Erm not quite? Whilst we understand our club relinquished ownership of Barton due to financial constraints and the collapse of Red City Developments, are you under the impression that if it wasn't for the immense effort over 15 years that our clubs management, board of directors and chairman, its supporters, the local Salford council along with Peel Holdings that the Salford Community Stadium would still be there?

There simply would be no stadium but for Salford RLFC and after 15 years back breaking effort the management team for the SCS have let the Ra Ra's slither in for any further financial gain (of which they are quite entitled) but to no satisfaction of the majority of us who were looking forward to OUR VERY OWN new home stadium. FWIW we knew we were moving to a new state of the art stadium, one of which was being solely built for Salford RLFC from the beginning. There was never any intention of letting Sale move into our new facility!

We had our home taken away from us by our own club management and we've been sent down the creek without a paddle IMO! We've lost our old home and now our new place has its doors wide open to all and sundry, its like we've provided the bait for any shark to take lumps out of without a hook and line!

Diamond's ill judged/deliberately inflammatory rhetoric (different people will interpret this in their own way) isn't particularly helpful; neither is the comparative wall of silence from SCR management throughout this protracted affair.

Nevertheless, despite the concerns of both sets of fans, it's incumbent that we as stakeholders work together in order to achieve positive outcomes for all.