I had an interesting chat with a Quins R.U. season ticket holder on the train back to Waterloo after todays fiasco.
He, and seven other Quins R.U. season ticket holders, decided to attend their first ever game of Rugby League at the Stoop today & see what all the hype was about.
Even though they much prefer the "Dark Side" of rugby, they all decided to keep an open mind & not come with any pre-conceptions.
His opinion of todays game was that there was no aggression or passion shown by our side. He stated that if this had been Quins R.U. playing against a top two side, they would have played their hearts out for the club & this passion was sadly missing from our performance today.
I have to agree with him.
Needless to say, they are not going to bother coming to another league match.
Eight more potential fans lost.
PLEASE DISCUSS.

Well I didn't see any passion or intensity either, so I pretty much agree with them.

It's frustrating that whenever we have a big push to get a big crowd the team seems to fall flat. Our first home game as the Harlequins (in front of ~8,000) ended in pretty much the same disappointing fashion as yesterday.

Bronco Billy, I totally agree with you. The lack of passion was just ridiculous. I also think that the RU side would also have pulled out all the stops against a top GP team - although, I do recall them watching them at The Stoop losing to London Irish in a play-off match in May which was pretty much an abject display

agree that the first half was dire!!!
but we did in fact win the second half, with some, only some yes, but some good rugby, the Gafa try was worth watching alone

As for the yawnion boys basing there decision on 1 game, and the fact it was top 2 opposition
Come on lets be honest, we were highly unlikely to be win this game, not saying that is an excuse for no passion, but i defy any team that is 30-0 down not to look dejected, so was it the best game for em to base there thoughts on! remember the double header a couple of years back, Quins ru and the game as a whole was as dull as dishwater!! et thye did not attract any league fans to watch union from that

6 people in front of us were new to the game and said they wouldn't bother to come back, though it was flat and boring. The 4 in front of us at the Huddersfield game said they wouldn't see what all the hype was about Quins were c..p (their words not mine). Paul B seems to be keeping his end of the bargain with building crowds and whether Brian Mac likes it or not (ie his comments at the forum) the team need to start doing their bit. We have been woeful over the last few games, no drive, no effort and no pride. I never thought I would ever state those words against 'my team' and if this is how I feel at the moment you can understand newbies comments. The performance on the day does greatly affect whether or not you will keep new fans. The club have a problem trying to keep the long term fans without this type of performance. Once Paul B has got them through the gate a top drawer team performances is a major thing to bring people back, and a great all round atmosphere and feeling of welcome will leave people wanting more. Well done PaulB you are making inroads.

Is that similar to the Quins RU team that has yo yo 'ed in and out of the top flight for the past 20 years on the back of woeful performances.

Of course it does but unfortunately the product we are "producing" isnt a dining room table which you can influence to be of a consistent standard.

There are lots of factors that affect the quality of our product and lets start with injuries and playing the top team in form.

If you want consistency and winning go to Old Trafford and watch football.

Thats what makes sport so intersting and get emotions running both high and low.

I had 2 union fans sat next to me and they enjoyed the game. Said it was the wrong kind of rugby but blamed the ref for the lowsy first half performance and were shouting and screaming with the rest of us for the second half.

I didn't go to the match but listened on Radio Murkeyside. From what I heard, Quins made a lot of mistakes in the first half. However, apparently we played really well in the first half (presumably because you let us!). If a visitor comes along and sees one team playing very well then if they are going to be watchers of rugby league, even though the other team are not playing so well, they will still admire the skill on offer. Then came the fight back in the second half when, according to our esteemed commentators on Murkeyside, Quins perked up. Fight backs are exciting and remembering the Catalans-Bradford CC match, it was not impossible for you to turn us over in that second half. Now if a visitor not only had the skill of one side to watch in the first half but also a come-back in the second and they still thought it was flat and boring, that visitor wouldn't come back whether you won or lost because their issue isn't with Quins, it's with rugby league.

I took two friends to see Saints last season. One had a first visit to a Castleford match which was as dull as ditchwater. She came back for the Wigan match, along with another friend. Neither had been to watch rugby league before last season. Neither have been back. Yet the Wigan match, which ended in a draw and upon which our league leader's shield rested, was a gripping match with a fantastic atmosphere and a sell out crowd at Knowsley Road. We really couldn't have offered my two friends any better a spectacle to watch. It even had some biff, just for good measure.

Some people will come along and simply not enjoy rugby league. Some will come and be hooked, regardless of win or lose. No-one can predict which a visitor is going to be but the club can only try its best to keep on spreading the message in the hope that gradually the numbers will improve. You're in a highly competitive sporting environment sharing a stadium with a rugby union club in a rugby union part of town - I think it's great that you get the number of supporters you do. I hope too that now you are getting your playmakers back, Quins will start to win games again and reward those supporters by offering the great performances everyone knows they are capable of.

Money is tight these days and people want quality from the team they have come to support. It is even quite clear at Knowsley Road these days fans pick their games.

But it is getting worrying now how our attendances have fallen for big games, we seem to be lucky to break the 4,000 barrier, this is no longer good enough for a Super League Club. Celtic Crusaders also have problems, but they must be given time, we have had that time. Catalan seem to have got it right!

IF Sky ever pull out with its backing, the game is in for an awakening!

I have backed expansion 110% over the years, I have been to every new club, for it's first home game, but London became my only Home (well I have always supported West Ham) but now I am getting concerned for the future for the first time.

Why now- We have a new manager who appears to be getting the marketing side of things going.

It will take time but lets give it to him- Hudds was a decent crowd, yesterday not to bad considering we are on a bad run.

I agree with you that Paul Blanchard appears to be doing a good job in boosting attendances. I believe the crowd on Saturday was significantly higher than normal.

However, when you mention Huddersfield, it reminds me that they've implemented a fan-based idea that we could usefully copy.

No one who watched our recent home game against Huddersfield could have missed noticing that all their players came across to the edge of the pitch, to chat to fans, sign autographs, etc, after the game. Those who watch Sky will also know that this happens at Giants' home games too.

Chatting to some Huddersfield fans afterwards, I gather this recent tradition only happened after a concerted campaign by their fans.

While I recognise that our players are great at interacting with fans after home games by coming into the bar. However this doesn't cover all fans (especially youngsters) who might want to see them at close quarters after the game.

Clearly this idea has worked for Huddersfield in building both home and away support, wouldn't cost anything, and could actually be helpful in terms of engendering fan support.

I also think our players would be brilliant at interacting pitch-side with supporters.

Would any other subscribers support this idea?

Whats happened since last week then when we were apparently wonderfully committed for 80 minutes with players giving it their all? Or was it a load of rubbish spouted by McDermott apologists?

Hi Dave,

To whom are you replying in the context of a thread called "Another New Opportunity to Attract Fans Goes Begging!!!!"?

BRONCO BILLY, PTB, Surreyben, mickyb1234 all commented on a lack of passion.

Briali1 commented on no drive, no effort, no pride.

I completely agree with all of them but think this has been the case for a while tbh.