[quote:36tze9r4][quote:36tze9r4][/quote:36tze9r4][/quote:36tze9r4][quote="satanicmills":36tze9r4]so fans can draw a veil and pretend things are ok? rather than take note of what eddie hearn had to say ?[/quote:36tze9r4] I don't see a link between Hearn's comments and Salford's plight. The Hearn interview includes his comments upon the lack of high profile sportspeople in SL compared with darts. There is an element of self-congratulation in his comments in so far as the high level funding deal that he has been able to negotiate for darts from SKY. What I have not seen in the interview is either his comments upon the financial position or predicament of RL as a sport nor indeed any comments whatsoever on the plight of Salford. I do not see a link in his interview. What I have seen is Martyn Sadler's recent article in Total Rugby League in which he draws that potential link. I stress the word 'potential' Despite Sadler's comments I don't see any persuasive argument for why SL should treat Salford as a special case nor why other clubs should bail them out. As respected an RL journalist as Sadler is I find his 'solution' on this particular issue to be somewhat naive and fanciful. I really will eat my hat if the club owners dip into their respective pockets to bail out Salford with a collective owners handout! The argument seems to be that if Salford are stripped of their best players then by implication their team will struggle because they will have to field a team of academy players simply to fulfil fixtures. Games against them will be largely meaningless. This in turn will be to the detriment of the sport Forgive me but last season we had 2 fairly atrocious teams in London and Hull who did not have much hope of beating anybody other than themselves and fixtures against them were pretty meaningless except as an exercise in boosting points differential. I didn't hear cries of outrage for either club last season, nor did i hear arguments that because they were so poor that it was symptomatic of the end of RL as we know it. It didn't happen so I don't see why it should happen this season if it is Salford who are the whipping boys. Bradford & Widnes were allowed to sink into the Championship where they were forced to face financial reality and to cut their cloth accordingly. Both clubs are, i believe, still in existence and are largely semi-professional outfits. Life goes on and surely this will also have to happen to Salford. The issue of SL being a loss maker and the clubs being dependent upon rich owners to write off losses is a big issue and the answer or answers is/are beyond me. However, i do not accept that the ship is sinking. Sure, it needs fixing, but propping Salford up is not part of that solution. There are owners with sound business heads on who have good ideas about how to attract funding and how to increase the profile of the sport and how to attract new investment and boost attendances. RL could do a lot worse than listening to Derek's very persuasive views on the subject.

If there is a pathway for Rugby League in the UK, it must be Leigh and Hull KR. These two teams have built up a following from a very low base. In the case of Leigh of Leigh they have bumbled around at attendance of 3000-3500, with an aging demographic for many years with only the occasional bump in the Super League years. The club is now thriving and averaging around 8000 and is on an upward trajectory with a good spread of age groups. The ultimate goal is to average 10000, which is absolutely amazing for a town with a population of 45000 (of course the club tend to pickup fans from the old Leigh borough (hello to Bent & Bongser) In my day, Atherton was full of Wigan fans). Salford with a successful team and playing at a relatively new stadium (Capacity 12000) only averaged 5500. The Salford games at the LSV are always well attended, and it appears that many Salford fans are boycotting the home games but attending away games. Salford fans are fanatical in their support, but they seem unable to grow their user base. They complain about the location of the Salford Community Stadium, but it does not seem to affect Sale Sharks or the millions that make the trip to the Trafford Centre every year. This is the real issue for Super League, the inability to fill 10-12K stadiums every week, when the product is so much better than what Rugby Union has to offer. Derek has managed what was considered impossible and if Salford could find a way to increase the fan base then Salford can start to live within their means. Until that point they are going to have to sell their best players on a yearly basis.

We, and most other clubs, are lucky to have a wealthy benefactor otherwise more clubs would be in this position. Yes, Salford are guilty of spending more than they could afford and are now paying the price. However, the main culprit in the state of the game is the RFL. They have mismanaged the game for years now and as a result of their incompetence we are seeing a dwindling TV deal. It's about time these suits were ousted from running this game into the ground. Some years ago we could have had Eddie Hearns taking control of the game. Seeing what he has done with darts I am sure Rugby League would be in a much better position with finances and publicity. I'm sure the wider British public would know of the star players in Rugby League. Instead the RFL give IMG a 12 year contract to reimagine Rugby League and they churn out the same stuff we have done before (licensing) and the bloke in charge of Rugby League goes back home to Australia!! The fault lies with the RFL and IMG, and it's about time they were shown the red card and make way for people who know how to market a product.

[quote="Septimius Severus":2iu1o3ec]......The ultimate goal is to average 10000, which is absolutely amazing for a town with a population of 45000 (of course the club tend to pickup fans from the old Leigh borough (hello to Bent & Bongser) In my day, Atherton was full of Wigan fans.[/quote:2iu1o3ec] Disrespectful, Sep, you whippersnapper. Bongser was born in Westleigh (The Firs) and Leigh has always been his team. Your "old Leigh Borough" as you phrase it, comprised (from 1898) Westleigh, Bedford, Pennington and a chunk of Atherton extending from St Mary the Virgin (Leigh Parish Church) to Orchard Lane. The April Fools Day Act of 1974 made us all supposed Wigginers but the landmines (outside branches of Greggs, Waterfields & Dawsons) and pillboxes (outside chemists) that Bongser and Co have funded have eradicated most pie-ayters in Bent and driven many of the remaining underground. The post CCup victory parade (open top bus ride for pi$hed players, you remember the one) went through all the traditional six vills of the Ancient Parish of Leigh (W, B & P meet at St Mary's). Derek knows his onions. The new parliamentary constituency of "Leigh & Atherton" also includes most of Tyldesley (including all of Shack, Charlie (how are you (where are you?))) and a chunk of Astley. We are reuniting and are all behind The Leopards!

I find the comparison with darts awkward. Mainly for accessibility. To participate in darts you need a dart board and some darts, rugby is quite convoluted to organise when you think about it, football and cricket are far more simple. As much as I dislike Wigan council and their endless Wigan orientated vanity projects I suppose it's not Salford council and their increasingly sunk cost rugby league team they have to act as benefactor for. Still, I suppose it's good the tax payer bailed out all the banks after the 2008 crash