1) On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 not at all / 10 very) how confident are you that the team will be in Super League in 2014?
1)
5. We are the last non 'heartlands' top level British club in the competition. The RFL has stood idly by whilst the rest fail. These include Crusaders, Gateshead and Sheffield in the Super League era alone. They will not want another failure and I believe will agree to nearly anything to prop us up for one more year, after which they would expect us to drop down out of public view. But I'm not sure the club is up for that arrangement and the RFL will need to sweeten the deal by again treating us as non-heartlands club in the quotas and agreeing not to bar us from SL on the basis of any Stadium we move to. The silence is ominous from the club.
2) On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 not at all / 10 very) how confident are you that the team will be in Super League (top division) in 2015?
2)
1 We have been in the bottom three every year since 2007 so would have at least a 2 in 3 probability of being relegated in a normal season, however the other direct relegation rivals of Salford and Castleford have attempted to strengthen and are probably closer to Bradford and Wakefield than us in quality. I'm expecting London and Widnes to fall through the trap door at the end of the 2014 season. Our only hope is reinstatement of a quota ruling akin to that held by Crusaders to build a squad that is more than just whipping boys.
3) Where do you want the team to be playing next season and beyond (area/stadium)?
The only Rugby Union fans who have any interest in Rugby League are those who genuinely like Rugby, especially running Rugby. This is not the case for the 'Chattering Classes'. In general those based around the National Rugby Union Stadium are there for social occasions and networking opportunities that Rugby Union presents and because the sport appeals to their heritage and background. They will not attend something that is about a code of Rugby associated with the Northern working class and seen as a traditional rival to their sport. So there is no point in being based around one of these areas, even if the Stadium is a pleasant one, and in general those who are 'for' staying at the Stoop find it convenient to get there versus the alternatives.
I would take the club out to a working class area, where people do not have a pre-existing affinity to Rugby Union, almost certainly a football area. I'd prefer us to share with a club with a decent level of support.
Fulham would be perfect and I wouldn't mind any Championship ground, less keen on Barnet/Leyton Orient but grateful for anywhere if truth be told.
4) Do you think its more damaging that home grown players are looking to move on or that its becoming hard to attract top players from outside?
I couldn't blame anyone looking to move on with the man mismanagement of Gus Mackay. However the best home grown players are McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Clubb and Dixon and two out of three are still here. A second list have dashed for cash such as Worrincy, Sharp, Caro and now Sarginson but they are now playing in the lower tiers, whilst a large number of other juniors have gone to Skolars. We don't have many assets to strip. What is more important is that we cannot sign top Northern based players. You will sometimes get the commentators from the North who talk about London such as Peacock and Tomkins but they would not entertain moving here. Our only real market is Australia and in identifying talent that the NRL has overlooked, perhaps players on one of the Pacific Islands or a guy who is about 21 but is still second tier, he could radically improve us, but might need some polish.
5) Do you play/coach/support any of the junior or amateur teams and do you think there is a sufficient link up between the SL club and the amateur/junior scene?
I have no involvement with the amateur/junior scene and the sole reason is that I try to go to every Broncos game (this season have done every game except Catalans away) and Skolars home games. The games are on different days and have an overnight stay. I'd be up for helping on a Monday to Thursday basis but that wouldn't be enough I'd guess. The pride of the southern development is Medway Dragons. Dragons? This could be a Broncos flagship!
6) What do you think is the biggest obstacle facing the Broncos? (i.e. location, financial support, isolation from heartlands, crowds)
The club is in a vicious circle whereby a single benefactor without a long term vision puts in just enough investment to bring in a 'last pick' squad, but he does not properly fund off the field, so we have a very poor infrastructure around areas such as support coaches, training facilities and conditioning and the weakest commercial/marketing operation in professional sport. As other clubs have advanced we have stayed the same or weakened, especially with the unfair interpretation that we are no longer a 'non heartlands' club. We now win 1-3 home games a season and many visitors to the Stoop do not see support as a 'whole of life' thing, more so an opportunity to hammer the club on social media without being there, or showing a complete apathy. To change this cycle of decline the club needs to find a new home and one where we can win 5-6 games at home per year else put off the fickle. But it won't be easy.
7) Would you still support the team if they dropped out of the top division and do you think a step down would help or harm the long term prospects of the club?
Yes. The long term prospects of the sport will be harmed if there is no club in the South of England playing in the top level. The club will lose players to Rugby Union and top flight clubs. But a string of wins and a winning culture could revitalize the team in the short term. However, I think Tony Rea will turn things round with a fair chance and without Gus crippling the club we'd do much better.
