Quote: Spookisback "I’m not sure I agree with this…
we have gone through cycles of decency… apathy… relegation… promotion… excitement… boredom… reasonable league position… poor league position… rank bad league position… and that’s just in the 49 years I have been supporting the club… literally hundreds of players have worn the beloved shirt in that time… tens upon tens of coaches, elected club officials and company board members… the cycle of excitement and optimism countered by disappointment and apoplexy has been constant…
Each coach… each owner … has done the best they can with the resources available.
But for the majority of that time… one thing has been particularly noticeable… the cycle of boom and bust… teams have been built… but the ‘holy grail’ of success has not been forthcoming… crowds and investment have not allowed for that to be sustainable… debt was built.. resulting in an unacceptable financial strain… which at various times has led to the ground being sold… star players capitalised… areas of the ground being deemed unsafe and closed down… making Belle Vue a grim and unattractive place to fans, players and investors alike.
There are no queues of philanthropic millionaire RL fans or entrepreneurial businessmen, waiting in the wings… that’s just fantastical thinking … deluded thinking!
The only way forward is to apply sound business principles, which secures the name and the club for future generations of Wakefield people. Unlike previous regimes, that’s what the current board has done… sound business principles to operate within a sustainable budget… sound business principles to (finally) secure the ownership of Belle Vue and enable the gradual transformation into a 21st century stadium.
And this has been through a period of history which has seen investment in the sport in the UK slashed, a pandemic which crucified short term development thinking… conflict in Europe and Brexit which has grossly affected and impacted supply chain vale and matériel costs.
On this side of the world the investment in League is going through the roof… yes it means that more and more players are coming through the system , but their salary expectation even at lower levels in the game are beyond the British game’s means. E.g. I just watched an NRL reserve game between Bulldogs Reserves and Newtown Jets (Sharks reserves) and it was better… skill, intensity, speed… than any SL game I have seen this year.
Sure I’m disappointed, disaffected and ready to point the finger of blame, but posts like this thread… are little more than an adult writing to Santa or praying in church on a Sunday … cathartic maybe, but ultimately a waste of time…
Currently we have a down cycle… and its circadian rhythm is in time and in tune with ‘cost of living crisis’ … general feeling of instability internationally and within politics… a pervading lack of trust of anyone in authority…and a media fed fear of conspiracies.
There will be an up cycle… the dawn will follow the night… maybe not tomorrow, next month or next year (even)… but it will come.'"
I agree with a lot of what you say, but.....ups' and downs with us is relative isn't it! In 55 years we have finished in the top 4, 3 times!! That by any stretch is poor, through all the chairmen, players & coaches that have come and gone in that timeframe. We have never finished above 5th since '99. No CC final since '79. The golden era of the '60's, now nearly 60 years ago!! This season has been coming for at least 3/4 years, and currently it's pretty abysmal when you look at all the stats. We are on course to be the worst EVER team in Super league the way things are going. I can understand Manuel's post, I completely get it, and like someone else said, the minute season ticket holders start not bothering, the club's actual existence is on a very slippery slope indeed.