Re: The Enigma that is David Hughes : Thu May 02, 2019 11:40 am  

How would spending big money help the club in the long run.
We have jusr been promoted the team is bottom by two points.
And we could/should have won the hudds game.
I do feel were desperate for a Centre with size and another prop but so is half of super League.

What did people actually expect?

Re: The Enigma that is David Hughes : Thu May 02, 2019 12:14 pm  

Ed3 wrote:

How would spending big money help the club in the long run.
We have jusr been promoted the team is bottom by two points.
And we could/should have won the hudds game.
I do feel were desperate for a Centre with size and another prop but so is half of super League.

What did people actually expect?

5000 gates, 3 NRL players and a Challenge Cup Final appearance innit.

Forget the fact every promoted club will struggle due to the way promotion is left until the very last minute when players are pretty much already signed up elsewhere. Forget the fact you have to be careful about how you use the additional cash to ensure if you do go down you don't do a Leigh, Widnes or Bradford.

Just splash the cash Hughesy and let's have a big marketing party with Richard Branson as guest of honour.

Re: The Enigma that is David Hughes : Thu May 02, 2019 1:18 pm  

This is getting a bit silly. No need to splash hundreds of thousands on NRL players looking for a quick buck, there is the need to invest in the squad sensibly in areas that it was obvious we were weak before the season started. Said before that there are plenty of decent players knocking around in the Queensland/NSW cup that would improve our squad easily. Luke Yates has been one of our best players this season. Our squad this season, IMHO is weaker than last year.

The marketing, well basically there isnt any. That does not have to cost the earth but it does have to be clear and thought out. CMG (in various guises) has come up with some very good ideas. Everything about the club seems reactive and scattergun. No real cohesive sense of planning. All this talk of spending millions is exaggerating what people people are saying.

Why gain promotion and not give yourself the best chance to stay up?? What will the club actually achieve this season if we go down again. Any chance of keeping players like Cunningham and Walker will go IMHO. Attendances, yes they are up this year, they would be due to one main factor, away fans. Do you expect to keep the same numbers coming in if we go down???

Only my own view of course but I think Hughes main hope of survival for us was another side going belly up and the hope for getting numbers in was Away fans and lapsed fans suddenly coming back in their droves because we are in SL. Even if they did, what happens when we go down due to an under powered and under strength side. will they keep coming.

The one shinning light for us in the academy but you cant expect these players to keep us in SL as it stands. Some would still struggle to get into Championship sides.

The big question for me is what does Hughes want for London, does he want a side in SL with a decent fan base, or is he happy to have a champ club that will occasionally win promotion?? If he does want a SL side he will have to dig into his pocket, not to waste on NRL journey men, but to try and build a side to hold their own in SL while the academy continues to grow and provide players, while the attendence grows with London fans. I doubt anyone care a toss really but Ive said I will not be back till there are changes, and I am not the only one I know but the club should care, as our fanbase in tiny as it is.

Re: The Enigma that is David Hughes : Thu May 02, 2019 1:22 pm  

Ed3 wrote:

How would spending big money help the club in the long run.
We have jusr been promoted the team is bottom by two points.
And we could/should have won the hudds game.
I do feel were desperate for a Centre with size and another prop but so is half of super League.

What did people actually expect?

Does not need to spend big money, but I would expect a squad stronger than last season

Re: The Enigma that is David Hughes : Thu May 02, 2019 1:27 pm  

Honkytonk wrote:

This is getting a bit silly. No need to splash hundreds of thousands on NRL players looking for a quick buck, there is the need to invest in the squad sensibly in areas that it was obvious we were weak before the season started. Said before that there are plenty of decent players knocking around in the Queensland/NSW cup that would improve our squad easily. Luke Yates has been one of our best players this season. Our squad this season, IMHO is weaker than last year.

The marketing, well basically there isnt any. That does not have to cost the earth but it does have to be clear and thought out. CMG (in various guises) has come up with some very good ideas. Everything about the club seems reactive and scattergun. No real cohesive sense of planning. All this talk of spending millions is exaggerating what people people are saying.

Why gain promotion and not give yourself the best chance to stay up?? What will the club actually achieve this season if we go down again. Any chance of keeping players like Cunningham and Walker will go IMHO. Attendances, yes they are up this year, they would be due to one main factor, away fans. Do you expect to keep the same numbers coming in if we go down???

Only my own view of course but I think Hughes main hope of survival for us was another side going belly up and the hope for getting numbers in was Away fans and lapsed fans suddenly coming back in their droves because we are in SL. Even if they did, what happens when we go down due to an under powered and under strength side. will they keep coming.

The one shinning light for us in the academy but you cant expect these players to keep us in SL as it stands. Some would still struggle to get into Championship sides.

The big question for me is what does Hughes want for London, does he want a side in SL with a decent fan base, or is he happy to have a champ club that will occasionally win promotion?? If he does want a SL side he will have to dig into his pocket, not to waste on NRL journey men, but to try and build a side to hold their own in SL while the academy continues to grow and provide players, while the attendence grows with London fans. I doubt anyone care a toss really but Ive said I will not be back till there are changes, and I am not the only one I know but the club should care, as our fanbase in tiny as it is.

A much more logical response than others and you're opinion is valid. I'm sure many share your view. However, this time last year nobody gave the club a prayer for promotion and some were bemoaning the lack of quality in the squad.

Had the team won last week at Huddersfield, something they were very unlucky not to do, people would be quite rightly predicting them picking up a couple more wins and being safe. This team has a togetherness that is remarkable and whilst it is being tested at the moment 3 more wins including at least one against Hull KR keeps them in the top flight for me.

Prudent spending could in fact see them stay up with cash in the bank and people will be praising the sensible approach taken.

It may well end in disaster but that is a conversation for the end of the season where regardless of the outcome the club will be financially sound and will go again with confidence.

Bickering is pointless and you will never get everyone to buy into your way of thinking however it cannot be denied that there has been some slow and steady growth in all areas in recent years which will continue.

Re: The Enigma that is David Hughes : Thu May 02, 2019 1:40 pm  

This is what always happens on forums, for every club and in every sport. A dude turns up giving it the big "I Am" and makes a few claims that suggest insider knowledge. He is special. One or two posts turn out to be close enough to be accepted as accurate, others are laughably wrong. Dude gets gently mocked for them. Dude denies making those claims and then gets the hump and starts ranting about other, tenuously connected, issues. Dude invariably goes on to make exaggerated claims as to what other people have said. Dude uses this to avoid actually engaging with posters who have an opinion different from his own. Dude continues to do it. Other people walk away from the conversation. Dude ends up being the only poster on the thread.

Re: The Enigma that is David Hughes : Thu May 02, 2019 1:42 pm  

I agree with what you say in some ways. We all want the club to survive and prosper, despite different opinions. My gripe was that this season was such a great opportunity for the club. If by some miracle we do stay up, the club needs a long hard look at how is promotes itself. Spend wisely and that money comes back in two fold.

The players are never in my line for grief, I cannot fault their effort (despite not thinking that all are up to it) they put the yards in. Now imagine if we had stretched to a couple more, we could be sitting quite pretty in the league i would bet.

Anyway, lets hope the players can do the job

Re: The Enigma that is David Hughes : Thu May 02, 2019 1:43 pm  

Oh, and as for being quick to criticise....if anything Broncos fans have been too bloody slow to do so!

Re: The Enigma that is David Hughes : Thu May 02, 2019 3:17 pm  

Trouble is we DIDN't win at Hudds and we didn't beat FC at home when we could have done.
Those narrow defeats are going to cost us this season I fear.

Re: The Enigma that is David Hughes : Thu May 02, 2019 10:11 pm  

MonkeyLover wrote:

It has everything to do with the fact people are quick to criticise yet have no answer other than 'we need more investment' or 'we need to spend money on marketing' which are the exact same things being thrown at Robert Elstone and the RFL.

I don't think I have ever suggested anything other than frugal marketing, so long as it is part of a planned campaign with specific goals.

Our old buddy the Zimbabwean catching expert spent £40,000 on the advert in the England v NZ matchday program on November 5th 2011........some 11 weeks before the start of the season. This doesn't include the time, effort and Money that was spent on this re-rebrand..........the old badge was available and the old website was also available, but nah, nice new colours with a manufacturing contract for his cricketing buddies to manufacture the new kit.....

...I am no expert on Re-Branding, but let's call it a nice round £100,000 including the pointless advert as well as the Taxi(s)....all because apparently someone thought RL on the shirts meant Rugby Lessons.

Give me £100,000 and I can assure you that I'd deliver more fans, not 20% fewer which is what we got in that 2012 firs season back as the Broncos.

It's not that we all believe spending cash works, but I think Mr Hughes has now proven that neither does employing idiots and yes men either.