Your eyes may be wide open, but you only see what you want to see.

Not always the best thing to do - but people have had meetings and regular contact with members of club staff and, believe it or not, have friends who work there. I'm not saying anyone could you the full run down of what goes on behind the scenes, far from it, but it is possible to make an informed decision and statement on some of the mistakes that have been made in the running of the club. Mistakes that haven't been made by the majority of staff who work their b*llocks off, I have to say. It also means that, when necessary, you can make an informed decision to defend/support some of the work done by the club. A little bit like, if you want an example, when I defended the heritage walk and, more recently, defended the fact that the Manchester 9s RL tournament wasn't taking place in dedicated RL facilities. Because, y'know, none exist in Manchester. But someone still tried to use it against the club.

So, you see, we're not all out to just slag the club off and be bitter. We're not all here to comment on wild speculation and spread baseless rumour that can harm the club unneccessarily. Some of us are here to try and proffer a balanced view on the goings on at the club. As I've said before, it's a bit hard to do so when you're stuck inbetween two groups of people with the view of either "everything at the club is sh*t" or "everything is OK and any criticism is an attack on Salford RLFC", both of whom accuse you of being allied with the other.

By the way:

"no first hand knowledge or experience to fully understand the difficulties or obstacles a club like Salford face"

I've been involved with a local non league football team for a few years now. I know the difficulties involved. I also know the importance of communication with supporters and the short and long-term effects the "odd" cock-up can have.

Wrong If you take the time to read my posts I do actually acknowledge the mistakes I'm just not as obsessed or hysterical enough like some to keep pointlessly repeating them over and over. Or jump on every topic and turn into a rotten tomato throwing event.



What's the name of the team and in what capacity are you involved?

FC United. I'm involved in both the community work and club membership. Before that I volunteered on the main office desk and worked on the club's community share issue, as well as running a local supporters' branch and helping out with other random jobs as needed on a home match day.

I read the boards each day and keep a watch on the RL Press and local news and, at the risk of stating the obvious, I am utterly dismayed at what this club has become. There are a lot of good, loyal and honest people being treated in such a shoddy and thoughtless manner that it begs the question - If and when we are 'taken over' who is going to be left with that much interest?

I must agree that the treatment of the employees at the club does not appear to be very good.
Looking beyond the club and whatever the obstacles may be to a swift conclusion to investment and takeover,I am surprised by the action of the RFL who,knowing that there is a winding-up process being undertaken and with an obvious delay in discussions,that they have released the fixtures and included SCR.
It would cause huge embarrassment if there is a need to alter things at this stage.
I would like to think the mushroom syndrome only applies to the fans and not to those who have sponsored the club thus far,like Securitas.
Perhaps a statement from the governing body may allay some fears.

A statement like what? "Talks are ongoing and as soon as we have something to announce we will"? I’ve heard that somewhere before.

I’m not sure what details can be released regarding on a company takeover in the midst of negotiations. Peel will be going through a thorough due diligence process before acquiring another company. They’re not daft and will not rush it in order to appease a fan base. If Peel do come on board, they will have a strategy to progress the club with the end result to make this venture profitable for them. Be that with the support of the council on pushing projects through or making the club a profitable entity in itself (unlikely). There are a lot of parties to seek clarity from:
The RFL – how will this saga impact the licensing application? Without SL status, it’s not worth it for them.
The council –Will Peel get assurances over further development on the land around the stadium?
The current owners – standard takeover talks between businesses aren’t quick. They take months. We’ve been going mad about the club not undertaking due diligence on players. This is a bigger deal, Peel won’t rush anything.

The club aren’t perfect, in fact they’re pretty naff. I cringe when I see them get into slanging matches with fans on Facebook and Twitter. Howeve, I can't knock them for this saga. I’m hoping that this takeover goes through in its own time and everything is done right, no cutting corners, no false promises, no messing.

RedTez you are spot on - my worry is IF the current owner(s) are no longer willing to keep putting cash in - and why would they if they are not to be the owners for much longer?, then if the deal is not done soon, who is funding the day-to-day cash flow?
I suppose that Peel as landlords can accept a delay on rent payments, the RFL pay the wages (is that true?) so quite a bit "could" be delayed, but folk like the Inland Revenue, the VATman, the utility companies etc are a lot less amenable.
Talks on company transfers can drag on, but only if there is a disagreement between buyer and seller - if all parties are agreed then these things CAN BE and ARE done very quickly. To me, the fact that this is still on-going hints of something pretty fundamental that the parties cannot resolve.

Maybe,just maybe,the party or parties involved in talks to take over this shambles of a club want to know who and what they owe.I work away from home so do not read or post on here daily like most of the beach boys do.They are slowly melting away like ice on a summers day.It just gets worse day by day,drip fed from the beginning of this year bad news.Not on the field ,but more important off it.The team were playing well,excellent in fact,then drip by drip came the truth,and yet the beach boys blamed anybody and everybody who dared blame the the magnificent board ,who have kept this club going.Digging into their pockets deeper and deeper they kept this club afloat.No word of the loan of Salford City Council,no word of the loan of their own charity,no word of the alledged charges made to their own foundation for players turning up to charity events,that last one if true,is the end of me having anything to do with this club.I feel ashamed.

I understand the reasons for a delay in talks about a takeover in any business but it seems only from the public domain have we learned that the council and Peel Holdings may be involved.
During the bradford saga the RFL gave out statements [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/19003931Like This[/url but of course they had a vested interest in that club.

Sligfhtly off topic I don't understand why the RFL can explain an individual being banned for [url=http://www.code13rugbyleague.com/2011/10/07/barrow-relegated-for-breaching-operational-rules/EIGHT YEARS[/url when he hasn't owed money to HMRC or taken a club into administration and owing lots of local groups/individuals - but remain silent on the owners/chairman/directors/chief executives/shareholders who cause the unrest and unemployment at Crusaders and Bradford.Have the individuals at Bradford been banned from the sport ?

I shall remain in quite,ignorant bliss about what is occurring or not occurring at Salford but I suppose it is just as well SCR are not an airline or a railway company etc. or there would be grounds for complaint about lack of customer care/information and in any company,if the workers are kept in the dark strike action usually follows.Then we'd be in trouble...

Your transformation from number one club enthusiast to someone who is as fed up by the goings on at Salford as the rest of us is very telling. Even in your short stint as a Salford fan you have wised up to the constant frustrations.

I have huge respect for the coaching staff,players and club employess for their conduct during this frustrating time.They may know exactly what is going on.
I'm just a bit frustrated as I don't know what is going on and do not have enough knowledge to direct frustration;that,and living in a building site.



Bradford Bulls put some decent scores together during their adversity and I'm sure those representing SCR will do exactly the same....only 29 days till the first pre-season game !

Certainly a unique club..Controversial off-seasons like no other I know and perish the thought what they'll get up to for an encore...

Never a dull moment !