Quote: SirStan "Maybe we should get relegated back to the Championship, they always seem to get their games played on a Sunday.'"
Following our promotion I think most people were happy to accept that the occasional home game would be moved for Sky. He who pays the piper etc., and for several years that's all it ever was.
Now rather than it being possible that a home game may be changed it has become probable.
Rovers last played at home on a Sunday on 15 March the next home Sunday game is 14 June a wait of 3 months but make the most of it because after that all our home games have already been moved including the Catalans cuptie and that takes us up to the end of July. So that's 1 home Sunday game in the best part of 5 months.
Anyone buying a pass on the basis that we play on Sunday's would have expected a home Sunday game on average once every 2 weeks but as it turns out it will be once in 21 weeks or even more depending on SKY's coverage of the Super 8's. That surely is taking supporters for granted to an unacceptable extent.
Three things have changed to create this situation; SKY now screen games on Thursdays, opponents are allowed to ask for our home games to be changed if they have a short turnaround and clubs are entered into the Challenge Cup on weekends when they already have a scheduled Super League fixture which must therefore be postponed.
None of this is Rovers fault. I am going to be generous and say that the RFL and Super League probably never intended this situation either and it is the law of unintended consequences following the change to a new fixture format, the partial seeding of the Challenge Cup and the lobbying from several clubs about the need to avoid short turnarounds. As I say, I am being generous, many will not be.
Lessons must be learned and there are several but if SKY cannot be persuaded to ditch Thursdays then the root cause of most of the problems will persist and Rovers surely will have no choice but to switch from Sundays to Friday night for home games.
Many people including myself prefer Sundays but what use is that if it ends up being one Sunday in twenty one? Friday night would eliminate the majority of switches and at least fans would have a better idea of they were buying when they commit to a season pass.
Whatever, passholders have been sold very short this season and something has to change.