Re: Toronto Wolfpack may pull out of Superleague : Sat Jul 18, 2020 3:39 pm  

Donnyman wrote:

Les Catalans were promoted by committee, so were Celtic Crusaders. We could perhaps disagree less if you checked out the history books...

As I've said before, can RL please be realistic, do things close to properly. Got to build from the bottom up in this country, if Murdoch wants to spend millions in Melbourne to build a RL club, fine, but there was an opportunity there to make RL no.2 or equal no.2 with soccer, but Melbourne is slightly different as som call it the sporting capital of the World. So there is pressure on the people of the area to turn up to sporting events.

Re: Toronto Wolfpack may pull out of Superleague : Sat Jul 18, 2020 4:18 pm  

Mild Rover wrote:

With these latest rumours, I’m a bit more confident that we (Hull KR) can avoid bottom spot but I was deeply worried before the fixtures were suspended and I’ll still be a bit nervous if relegation remains in place.The logistics of playing in Canada were always going to be challenging - although it has largely worked until now. If they collapse in a financial heap through mismanagement or over-reliance on one benefactor, that’ll be a far from unique event in the sport’s history.

Its a lot more than "rumours" mate, it's full on journalists reporting real events. There's to be no P & R and the £500K parachute payment is going to assist the Championship. If TWP come bottom they aren't going to be given £500K and nor are Rovers. Your two "If's are with respect not quite right, it's impossible for TWP to collapse in a financial heap or be over reliant on a benefactor.....

Their owner is a $Billionaire and so is worth at least 100 $Million if not multiples of that with more money flowing in from his Mining interests. Argyle is around 58 years old so he can fund TWP for the rest of his life easily. The problem is he and his phoney club isn't wanted and he knows that so he's been looking to buy into Melbourne - a far bigger money eating machine than TWP.

One of the needs for SL to act is Neil Hudgell. He and Crossland fund HKR and they aren't 100% committed - shown by them trying to sell the club to Tony Larvin some years back. Hudgell was furious when the crazy league system he and a number of SL bosses never wanted relegated them when they didn't come bottom and the SL clubs knew this an even looked at going to a 13 club Superleague to keep them in. That didn't work.

But they aren't going down this season, so they can maybe relax in one sense, but in another sense it would be embarrasing if they didn't finish above Toronto who are playing out their days....

Re: Toronto Wolfpack may pull out of Superleague : Sat Jul 18, 2020 4:46 pm  

WelshRL&RUwatcher wrote:

As I've said before, can RL please be realistic, do things close to properly. Got to build from the bottom up in this country.

As TWP head for oblivion certainly on the issue of not bothering to develop players "bottom up" which was likely because the owner was too rich and probably too old to see the fruits of any such endeavour being decades off, they were also guilty of providing no paying TV deal.

Dead easy to look up Perez's promise to Dave Woods on you tube of developing players pretty quickly, but that also came with the idea of NA sports TV snapping them up on a big deal. That never happened and so Perez was actually finally challenged on it in year two. His excuse was that TWP could not get a paying TV deal on their own, there had to be 5-6 North American clubs in Superleague to provide the content for Americans to watch in any great number.

Of course that needed TWP replacing London, but also Ottawa replacing Wakefield, and New York replacing Castleford, and Vancouver replacing HKR and Montreal replacing another English club etc.

Whenever asked how the game could survive here relegating six SL clubs and closing their academies and disenfranchising their fan bases there was no answer from anyone who were happy to be called "Expansionists" and who were happy to call others flat cappers Over on the other forum they are still bleating on in number about what a fantastic opportunity is being missed

Re: Toronto Wolfpack may pull out of Superleague : Sat Jul 18, 2020 4:49 pm  

Donnyman wrote:

Its a lot more than "rumours" mate, it's full on journalists reporting real events. There's to be no P & R and the £500K parachute payment is going to assist the Championship. If TWP come bottom they aren't going to be given £500K and nor are Rovers. Your two "If's are with respect not quite right, it's impossible for TWP to collapse in a financial heap or be over reliant on a benefactor.....

Their owner is a $Billionaire and so is worth at least 100 $Million if not multiples of that with more money flowing in from his Mining interests. Argyle is around 58 years old so he can fund TWP for the rest of his life easily. The problem is he and his phoney club isn't wanted and he knows that so he's been looking to buy into Melbourne - a far bigger money eating machine than TWP.

One of the needs for SL to act is Neil Hudgell. He and Crossland fund HKR and they aren't 100% committed - shown by them trying to sell the club to Tony Larvin some years back. Hudgell was furious when the crazy league system he and a number of SL bosses never wanted relegated them when they didn't come bottom and the SL clubs knew this an even looked at going to a 13 club Superleague to keep them in. That didn't work.

But they aren't going down this season, so they can maybe relax in one sense, but in another sense it would be embarrasing if they didn't finish above Toronto who are playing out their days....

It's funny you say that as I was thinking similarly earlier.
Would be typical HKR if we line up against a weakened Toronto side that had had a week's training and then go and lose that first game.
Crossland has cashed his chips and Hudge takes sole brunt of the huge profits we generate. We played by the rules when franchising was in and invested heavily in the ground etc probably at expense of the on field product whilst 1 or 2 clubs blatantly flouted the rules and unveiled plans of magical stadiums each season whilst spending nowt apart from playing roster and bare minimum on upkeep of unfit stadia. We then reintroduce P&R and like you say get relegated via a comedy of balls ups many self inflicted but essentially went down without finishing bottom so im not surprised Hudge is cheesed off? Throw in the Stobart debacle,Gateshead, Crusaders,Bulls( plus many near misses including ourselves)and now TWP and it's a steady stream of incompetence by the ruling body.and the people deemed fit to run clubs

Re: Toronto Wolfpack may pull out of Superleague : Sat Jul 18, 2020 5:09 pm  

craig hkr wrote:

It's funny you say that as I was thinking similarly earlier.Would be typical HKR if we line up against a weakened Toronto side that had had a week's training and then go and lose that first game. Crossland has cashed his chips and Hudge takes sole brunt of the huge profits we generate. We played by the rules when franchising was in and invested heavily in the ground etc probably at expense of the on field product whilst 1 or 2 clubs blatantly flouted the rules and unveiled plans of magical stadiums each season whilst spending nowt apart from playing roster and bare minimum on upkeep of unfit stadia. We then reintroduce P&R and like you say get relegated via a comedy of balls ups many self inflicted but essentially went down without finishing bottom so im not surprised Hudge is cheesed off? Throw in the Stobart debacle,Gateshead, Crusaders,Bulls( plus many near misses including ourselves)and now TWP and it's a steady stream of incompetence bu the ruling body.

Well Blake Solly high-tailed it back to Oz and was followed by Wood, whilst Superleague set about taking control of the game from the RFL. Rimmers last major act IIRC was providing a fanfare of publicity for the upcoming Ottawa and New York "clubs" just the other month (March?). We await statements from their owners (whom of course remain a mystery, as nobody claiming to own or bankroll these clubs has ever been heard of let alone turned up in person at the launches ) on their thoughts on the demise of TWP their "role model".

I just think it's a great time for Dave Woods to Interview Eric Perez once again and start with "well Eric your five years into your plan for RL in North America - how's it going"

Anyone seen or heard from the great man?

Re: Toronto Wolfpack may pull out of Superleague : Sat Jul 18, 2020 5:46 pm  

Fake News... Toronto are in rude health

[Pumpetypump]

Re: Toronto Wolfpack may pull out of Superleague : Sat Jul 18, 2020 7:14 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

The "commercial" rent that they were paying at Odsal and then couldn't afford / wouldn't pay, hence the move in with Dewsbury ?

It's interesting that some posters now expect the council who themselves will be cash strapped, to fund a return to Bradford and Odsal / new ground.
Although the local council may wish to see Braford playing back home, it's hard to thing that they would be throwing money at the project. Although they would very likely try and help on planning stuff etc, were it to be a new ground in the city.

The rent is neither here nor there. Entirely affordable I'm sure. We left Odsal because on top of the rent we also had to pay all maintenance of the ground which is rumoured to be 300k per annum. It doesn't feel like we can win. We stick at Odsal and go bust again because it's unaffordable, or we get berated for leaving and remaining solvent for a change.

Re: Toronto Wolfpack may pull out of Superleague : Sat Jul 18, 2020 8:20 pm  

Donnyman wrote:

Rimmers last major act IIRC was providing a fanfare of publicity for the upcoming Ottawa and New York "clubs" just the other month (March?). We await statements from their owners (whom of course remain a mystery, as nobody claiming to own or bankroll these clubs has ever been heard of let alone turned up in person at the launches ) on their thoughts on the demise of TWP their "role model".

I seem to recall the last major act by Mr Rimmer was his dealing(s) with the government which resulted in rugby league being the first sport to gain some money in the form of a £16 million(s) loan - for which it seems the UK based owners of Super League clubs were mightily relieved.

Could you provide a link,perhaps,where he provided a fanfare for New York? ( My information seems different from yours - for a change )

Re: Toronto Wolfpack may pull out of Superleague : Sat Jul 18, 2020 10:30 pm  

Ornery Optimist wrote:

I seem to recall the last major act by Mr Rimmer was his dealing(s) with the government which resulted in rugby league being the first sport to gain some money in the form of a £16 million(s) loan - for which it seems the UK based owners of Super League clubs were mightily relieved.

Could you provide a link,perhaps,where he provided a fanfare for New York? ( My information seems different from yours - for a change )

Donnyman has never provided a link ever. The only reason he is tolerated is because people reply to him which causes traffic for the website which keeps it in business. In an age of social media, no one really care about forums anymore. They only banned Jean because they had someone else that could generate traffic for a dying website.....Donnyman

Re: Toronto Wolfpack may pull out of Superleague : Sat Jul 18, 2020 11:34 pm  

Steph Curry wrote: Donnyman has never provided a link ever. You have me there so here is my very first ever link ..... https://www.thestar.com/sports/2019/01/ ... oronto-wol Enjoy all the phoney baloney about big Canadian companies who were on board at TWP with big investments, and were selling masses of Wolfpack branded products across the globe. I trust you made some purchases? Meanwhile on the other board there's a concerted effort to justify TWP that lacks just two things, there's nothing said at all about the club not bothering to develop players which Perez said they would do and nothing about the club not getting NATV money which Perez said they would get........ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PIlV68mYc4 My second ever link

Steph Curry wrote: Donnyman has never provided a link ever. You have me there so here is my very first ever link ..... https://www.thestar.com/sports/2019/01/ ... oronto-wol Enjoy all the phoney baloney about big Canadian companies who were on board at TWP with big investments, and were selling masses of Wolfpack branded products across the globe. I trust you made some purchases? Meanwhile on the other board there's a concerted effort to justify TWP that lacks just two things, there's nothing said at all about the club not bothering to develop players which Perez said they would do and nothing about the club not getting NATV money which Perez said they would get........ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PIlV68mYc4 My second ever link