Just for argument sake - A name change to Manchester would do nothing apart from lose a lot of our current diehard fans just look at the two biggest Cities to play in Rugby League, Paris & London and then look at the state of them, Manchester would be no different.

Even if the name Manchester wasn’t added but Salford was dropped I also would never attend again.

As it’s been pointed out a winning team along with “the club's media, marketing and promotional work, while also improving the transport links and spreading the brand around the city.” Will bring in the crowds. I just hope Matthews can sort it out and fast, little things like having the season tickets on sale for next year at the last game will help improve things slowly.

I think there is a lot more interest out there in Salford than some people think as ‘Salford red all over’ says we would sell out should we ever get to a cup final, years of poor management and poor results have put a lot of people off let’s just hope we can get them back.

I recall a club named Bradford Northern who became Bradford Bulls and they had a little bit of success after 1996.
Some bloke named Brian Noble may have had a slight input into the matter.

Leeds becoming Rhinos also enjoyed some success - Until tomorrow night !

The NH -> MUFC or Cavendish Street -> Salford argument for modern name changes is a very weak one. When these teams were changing their name, it was because they were no longer affiliated to a company (Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Cricket and Football Club), or a school or church (Cavendish Street Boys) and therefore changed their name to reflect that break, or even a move to different areas.

The talk of a lot of our support not being from either Salford nor Manchester is meaningless too. I fall into that category and I wouldn't want to watch a team no longer representative of the city of Salford. I mean, it doesn't do Manchester United any harm having Manchester in their title when attracting support from elsewhere.

A successful side built on a solid club foundation with roots in and around Salford will be the only way to successfully move the club forward. A simple name change will not have a positive effect on that in any way, shape or form.



With a lot of supporters staying away, protests, talk of a new club being set-up, a lot of good will lost. Those that have stayed with Cardiff on the promise of further glory don't seem to realise the consequences of Tan failing or not getting his way.

Great post

Just adding a bit more context to GT’s argument. The issues Cavendish had at the time were evident in many of the Northern church-based clubs. They struggled to earn matches against first-class opposition, i.e. middle-class clubs such Manchester or southern rep/university sides, which most clubs aspired to. Also, when the Church began to withdraw its support for football as a tool or conduit for moral education from say the late 1870s onwards, Cavendish found themselves without any kind of association. They didn’t really have anything to lose by changing their name to Salford, apart from possibly alienating a few ex-playing members. Whereas Newton Heath had gone bust, having seen their big rivals Ardwick successfully transition into Manchester City.

So to precis all that - circumstances changed and the management decided that a re-branding was in the best interests of the clubs concerned?

Northbank Rangers is the way forward, forget all this Manchester nonsense .

I think the best way to put it is that there was less friction and more perceived benefit, particularly as both clubs’ original association had lapsed, which GT points out.

Football was a very congested market in Manchester and Newton Heath had previously tried to change their name to Manchester, which the FA blocked, around the time Ardwick changed to Manchester City in the mid-1890s. I hazard a guess the locals were far more fazed by United’s six-mile move to Old Trafford eight years after the name change, who were more than made up by Salfordians walking down Trafford Road.

As for Cavendish, they really had nothing to lose although much of its membership had to be talked round to the idea.

Whereas dropping ‘Salford’ today has, I think, much more risk attached to it. The risk is alienating another portion of its support — clearly some have not transitioned over from The Willows, yet — and I doubt the club would make that up wholly with new support from elsewhere. The key, I think, as the last match at The Willows showed, is reconnecting with lapsed support, and keeping the Salford name is crucial to that. In either case, I fear it would take more money than any RL club has got to manufacture a buzz. I’m thinking epic, Manchester Storm in their pomp proportions.

Just to add, Salford FC struggled to attract support in the first couple of years of the name change. In fact they were ridiculed by locals (sounds familiar!). What turned things round was putting more local men in the side, who just so happened to be decent, and bourgeois patronage. I doubt modern day spectators are influenced by two of these three things.

Might be an appropriate thread to resurrect for this quote from today's MetroAlso unveiled at the ‘Red Revolution’ event will be a new kit, website and club logo which could feature the face of Koukash in a cartoon form.'" metro.co.uk/2013/09/01/salfords- ... k-3945104/

Might be an appropriate thread to resurrect for this quote from today's MetroAlso unveiled at the ‘Red Revolution’ event will be a new kit, website and club logo which could feature the face of Koukash in a cartoon form.'" metro.co.uk/2013/09/01/salfords- ... k-3945104/

Can't think which useless Sky tv pundit er I mean (loosly termed) supposed coach you mean .

I do hope not because that was a particulary bad logo.

We will become Salford Red Devils on Thursday. Thats official. Followed by Champions in the not so distant future. Lets enjoy the ride