When was the last time you enjoyed being a Salford fan?

Quote: Red John "
Quote: Red John "Andy Gregory's time as cosh is best I have seen at are club for along time. As for way club is run they don't have a clue marketing is none existent and players that play for us are never commited to playing. The reason is club as no money but it's down to players to perform well on field to make new spectators come to watch us. This will never happen at Salford and this is why we will never improve are gate. I have gone for over 20 years and the club never seemed to have been marketed right and people only come if you play well. Are attack this year as been great but conseding 30 points a game people will never come to watch that. Every year club come out and say we will be in playoffs it's about time this club was honest with fans and it self and say we will never challenge. I won't be wasting any more money to watch us not do or challange for anything. So why should fans be bothered when living costs are going up'"

You've kind of hit upon the circle that needs squaring. You agree that the club hasn't got much money. All bar one of the people on here accept that, but we can disregard him. You also state that people will only watch a winning team. Unfortunately, I agree on that too ('unfortunately', because I think we've seem some really entertaining games this year, but people still aren't coming through the turnstiles, and it appears they want to support success rather than a team. I'm actually not entirely sure that even a successful team will bring people in, but let's assume - and hope - it will). You also state that marketing has been poor. I agree with that too. However, you can't have both marketing and a successful team, because they both cost money and, as we agree, the club hasn't got any. The club has invested heavily (by our standards, that is) in the squad, leaving little left for marketing. There are still things it could do better on the marketing front that don't cost anything - like getting involved in local festivals just to let people know they still exist - but whines about putting signs over the Mancunian Way because they "can't cost an arm and a leg" as one bell end suggested (can't remember who, but I could take a guess) are completely unrealistic. The alternative - to invest heavily in marketing - comes at the expense of a weaker squad, which means you send out glossy leaflets inviting people to come along and watch a team that's getting leathered every week. It's not likely to work, is it?

So, what do you do? How do you square the circle? Invest in the squad and hope people realise through word of mouth, etc., or invest in marketing and hope no-one notices that the team are garbage? The club has gone for the first of these which, for me, is the only thing it could do.

There are a few people on here who keep repeating the same old "Wah! Boo hoo! Something's wrong and someone, somewhere should do something about it." but they don't seem to be able to tell us what the something is that should be done. It's as if, underlying all this, their main complaint is that John Wilkinson isn't wealthier. Maybe they should all go out and buy some welding equipment and make it happen.'"

If you're going to throw you eggs into the squad basket you've got to recruit better. We threw money at injured players and of the much lauded 2011 intake, only Patten and Gleeson have really played to, or in Gleeson's case, exceeded, the standards we hoped for.