Quality,

That story I recalled took place nearly 20 years ago - some of our players were barely out of pampers back then! I only mentioned it to show that I am aware that historically the two games have been at loggerheads and have first hand experience of bigoted behaviour by [isome[/i union people. However, this was nearly 20 years ago (1994 to be precise) before the abolition of 'shamateurism' and, in my opinion at least, the world has moved on.

Dozens of rugby clubs across the country (including my own) co-habit successfully without conflict; hundreds if not thousands of players freely enjoy playing and watching both codes (as I do!).

The bigotry and insularity that you continue to allude to are largely consigned to the past. Ironically though, in seeking to rake up old arguments you are actually coming across as being quite bigoted and insular.

Sale will be sharing the fantastic stadium with us. We can either accept this, be open minded and welcome the Sharks fans into the fold (some may even choose to support our team too). Or we can put up the metaphorical shutters, portray ourselves (inaccurately IMO) as being insular and bigoted and enter a conflict situation (and given your opinion of our club's management, you may wish to question whether this is a particularly sensible idea).

Well said that man. Although as Dirty old Town was written in Salford about Salford I'll take objection to that point but will excuse your 'indelicate' behaviour on this occasion.

Most Salford people are welcoming and open minded, so I hope you aren't put off coming to a few of our games.

With regards to union and this move then yes I guess I am bigoted. I think the fact that you like both codes and will have chance to watch all year rugby at our new stadium is also altering your view about the move.

The fact some Salford fans are happy about the move beggers belief, Rooted red has hit the nail on the head. Not got a problem with Sale fans as such, they choose to watch what they want, but the sport of Rugby Union as a whole is what I have the problem with. We'll have to agree to disagree on this as we're just going around in circles.



No one I know is. I'm more than happy for Sale fans to come to our games as fans of Salford or rugby league, I'll welcome that. As for the move

At the moment it seems the only postings offering the hand of friendship are coming from the supporters of Sale.They are not responsible for attempting to stop any young player from playing rugby league - neither is Brian Kennedy.They are/were not responsible for paying Gavin Hastings,the Scottish player,far more remuneration for a couple of internationals a year than he was paid for his work,in London,as a chartered accountant.Nor any others who were allegedly 'amateur'.
Without going back through history,the latest people attempting to destroy rugby league seem to be those people who own and 'run' rugby league clubs,who have no outward appearance of any union connection - I point you in the direction of Wakefield,Bradford and Wrexham,not forgetting Bridgend,South Wales where Leighton Samuels allegedly destroyed a union club prior to starting on Crusaders.

Some former politician who often has his quotes used by sports people,and others,for inspiration,once said,
''To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war.''

People don't change history - They cannot ! What they do is learn from it.

So some people want their children to go back down the mines.........and vote for Labour politicians who want to be more equal than others..........and only Tories from Eton tell lies........and Labour were never in bed with News International...rlwhen can I expect the arrests,the convictions and the media coveragerl

The working class movement - the actions of (rugby) union people - has no connection with the playing of 2 sports by two separate clubs at the SCS in 2012 nor the common interest in sport by different groups.

The Labour Party has overseen the spending of millions on the Olympics.Can I expect the people of Salford to be either a) Protesting and/or b) Going to spectate ? I am too ignorant to work out if the sports involved have a working class or an Eton or Harrow connection.There ain't too many working class people I know who can afford to attend;nor did they attend schools,or have the wherewithal,to practice many of the sports.

I am surprised at the apparent inferiority and persecution complexes demonstrated by rugby league followers.
The sport has survived this far with a far greater effort to suppress it in the past.Perhaps we should take as an example,the will to carry on as shown by our forefathers.

Living behind enemy lines I'd go for a pint sometime, provided

1) you don't try and convert me to be a sale fan

2) I won't convert you to be a salford fan

3) you tell me all the good things sale do

4) ill tell u all the bad things salford do

5) you can try and convince me that sale won't try and destroy salford rlfc

6) ill try and convince you that salford are trying to destroy themselves

Perhaps we can go to the little B then Av it can try and burn down heywood rd after a few beers

All seriousness its more than sport its more public relations,it would be good to see how you fans view your club how it functions with the fans and ideas from any supporters clubs you have to raise money and if we can take anything away to promt our club to do it

You turn up looking like a jester or in a tweed jacket and ill walk also

Wilky and the b.o.d have put us in this situation in my eyes,and that i have to accept,what i won`t accept is that people posting on here want me to welcome somebody who is associated with a sport that has tried in everywhich way it can to destroy the sport i love.If that makes me a bigot,dinosaur or whatever then im proud to be any of them so called names,i`ve nothing to be ashamed of anything my sport as tried to do to any other sport.

Back to the original post, this gentleman has taken the time to come on here to offer the hand of friendship and to invite some fellow rugby fans to share a pint prior to a game.

You're all within your rights to accept or decline this offer, according to your preference. But I don't think the man deserves to be disrespected.

It's obvious some Salford fans are vehemently anti-union and see this, in quite dramatic terms, as 'sleeping with the enemy' but I think it's clear that not everybody thinks that way.

I'll certainly accept the OP's offer.

I won't apologise for some of the less enlightened comments on here any more than I'd expect the OP to apologise if someone I meet at Edgeley Park turns out to a bit of a bellend! League, union, rich, poor, black, white etc....bellends get everywhere.

All I'll suggest is that people at least try to be tolerant, behave courteously and treat others as they find them.

"The days of antagonism between Union and League are long gone and the two codes now exist side by side in harmony, as indeed they should."


Do they though?

Union was intent on destroying league for decades whereas League just got on with its business and ignored union. We never banned players for supporting league or playing another code. We didn't ban players for 'amateurising' themselves.

Union have only stopped attacking us since they themselves became professional and realised the hypocrisy of carring on as they were.
Knowing full well that their finances are vastly superior to ours, saw us as an irrelavence or a noisey and poor neighbour.
They tolerate us and i'd wager a bet that they only do that because they know occasionally we'll produce talented rugby players and rather than lose them to a completely unrelated sport like cricket or football, they'll have basic union skills as well as advanced league skills which sometimes translate to their game and make the transition easier.

People go on about league insecurities, but i think they're warranted, we are the pretty blonde poor girl with no prospects and union are the ugly rich fat man banker offering lifetime security and opening her up to a whole new level of society.

Union are not our friends and they never will be and if they had the power to kill off a sport at the flick of a finger they wouldn't touch football, they'd do it to league just out of spite.

You are not kidding anybody,maybe yourself,but the enlightened can see right through you.

Enlightened ??
Classic

Some of our fans are a fuc*king embarrassment. We will have this discussion in 5 years time. In the mean time why don't you all go and w@nk Sale off go and watch them and suck Kennedy off
And o Fu*k off Tarry.

No1 can give me a positive as to why the Sale move is going to benefit Salford and the reasons that are given are quite frankly something only a chimp would believe. I know why don't we all go for a nice greek before the next Sale home game?

Has the penny not dropped yet? Nobody needs to give you a positive or otherwise. They are here now. And whether you choose to look for potential benefits and maintain a positive outlook or simply sulk and expect the worst to happen, it's an unalterable fact.

I'd actually have more respect for the doom mongers if they actually did something (arrange a demo, blockade the stadium, anything!) rather than just sulk behind behind a keyboard throwing out scattergun insults in all directions.

The truth is, I was annoyed when the Blue seats suddenly appeared and our club failed to be transparent about what was going on, I was annoyed by some of the disrespectful remarks that Diamond made in the press and I've no more idea than anyone else on here as to whether Kennedy's intentions are malicious.

But I also know that once Red City Developments died a death (can anybody believe in hindsight that we swallowed that fairy tale?) and we effectively agreed to assume the role of tenants, that it was inevitable that we would be sharing the stadium with someone else and that the someone else would almost certainly be Sale.

I'd have preferred us to have had a little longer to stamp our own mark on the stadium first (although there's little to suggest what difference this would make) and I'd have preferred it if our own club had been a little more open about what was going on. But that wouldn't have altered what in my opinion is/was an inevitability.

The point I will continue to make is that, regardless of your feelings on this inevitability, it's in the club's best interest to look forward and do all it can to ensure that it plays an active and equal role in this partnership.

If we're able to do this, there are a number of [ipotential [/ipositive outcomes (eg, improved transport links and stadium infrastructure, increased fan base, reduced overheads, increased corporate support).

However, if the club follows the lead set by some on here and chooses to sit back, sulk and wait for the worst to happen, then we are indeed doomed.