www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 ... d-catalans

www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 ... d-catalans

appreciate this is a board for fans not journos so apologies for intrusion but any responses on the blog from you guys about the state of the club, prospects for Crusaders, etc, be most welcome - the same would go for any Crusaders, Catalans and Salfordians who happen to read this - responses crucial in indicating level of interest in an rl blog. cheers, andy

done.....just don't complain when I turn your blog into a marketing forum

Andy, you are more than welcome to post in this forum as is any friend of the game.

check your PM .....Big G

Damn right...

Quite happy to support those that support our sport.

Welcome Andy

2 Points from a grateful expansionist recipient who has loved rugby league in London.

1. In the current climate we will be lucky to keep the 14 clubs we have for the first 3 years of the franchise even though no relgation, lets cherish them. I lived in Salford (as a southener) in the 1970s and know that clubs can decline as easily as expand.

2. Travelling with the Quins we get some flak that having clubs outside the 'heartlands' is at best a distraction and at worst a waste of money. I don't think the expansion was done for evangalistic zeal. It was done to boost the TV money and government recognition for more grant money. Don't know if any estimates have ever been drawn up by the RFL of the balance sheet on expansion. I would be really interested if you have a mole that can tell us are northern Super League clubs better off from expansion?

Very good article, as always, Andy. I left Bridgend on Monday feeling that Celtic Crusaders are a club that, come the third year of the franchise will be in a reasonable position and seriously pushing for the eight. I hope that their supporters keep faith this season, as it is likely to be a very difficult one for them.

As for us, well, apart from the old chestnut of attendances, Quins RL are building an identity, although not as good a one as we would have if only the local press would actually accept the fact we exist. I read a copy of "The London Paper" left on the train last Thursday on the way to the Catalans match and they had a section on "Super League"...which featured three lines on St. Helens v Wigan and nothing at all about London's own Super League club. Herein lies the problem. We have an outstanding core of very loyal, loud and dedicated supporters, and on the field we have a much stronger team in depth than we've had for some time. With Will Sharp, Tony Clubb, Louie and many other London youngsters things are promising.

many thanks for your kind hospitality, and kind words of those above - although at risk of sounding churlish, better at the bottom of the blog than on here to show the folk in the office that there is plenty of interest out there, especially down south. fair cop on the marketing thing, and i swore off these forums last summer after a row about toulouse - promise won't do it again but as with chris on the times, we rely on you guys (and gals) to get involved . cheers

Even got a column in the Standard today, talking to Chad Robinson. Let it roll!

Andy, noticeable how a blog on expansion teams gets more response than on the Heartlands, other than over-sensitive criticism.

link?

rlChad Robinson enjoys all the fun of the flairrl

Increased sky revenue due to expansion areas as a start and finish point I would suggest. Every last one of them is better of.