Re: first fixtures - Widnes at home, Huddersfield away : Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:11 pm  

Gillingham and Oxford? Stating the bleeding obvious here but neither are in London. Also, I wonder what Oxford RL think of this. A move there would wipe them off the game a year after forming.

Saracens new ground has been suggested but that doesn't make any sense to me as an on the road venue or a 'permanent' home. It would be jumping out of bed with one RU side to jump into the bed with another. Why would North London prove any more successful than every other place the various Broncos chairmen have parked the horse box up at? Also, wouldn't it adveresly effect the Skolars?

As I've said before, wherever London [insert name here] RL play their home games, it won't suit all fans. Thats the downside of the club. The ideal solution would be to build a ground somewhere but that is hugely unrealistic and as a result, this club will always be the bitch of a football or RU side and that will continue until Hughes pulls the plug.

May as well sell the club as a franchise and move them lock, stock and barrel to whoever presents the best bid, be it from Edinburgh to Newquay. I'm afraid I have to agree with the anti-expansionists and London Broncos need to join the RL scrapheap alongside the Gateshead Thunder, Paris St Germain, on the road games and the Origin series.

Re: first fixtures - Widnes at home, Huddersfield away : Tue Nov 20, 2012 2:05 am  

As some of you may be aware, I have a passing interest in the failed marketing of the club over the years and have a delightful spreadsheet that shows every "reported" attendance for the London based SL club since season 1, including the much maligned, OTR games.
When I get back to my office, I will post the attendances for the visit of both Wigan and Warrington to the capital over the years, including the game where IL subbed transport down to Quins RL, as well as those seasons where 2 trips south were required for regular season games....or when the Wire's trip was close to their trips to Wembley over recent years.......because personally, if they get less than 8k for Wigan and 5k for Wire, I don't see the point of OTR games......but that won't bother Gus or DH.....they'll move anyway and continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over again

Paddock is correct in that the "I can't believe he hasn't drowned he's that much out of his depth" CEO will use the attendance for the Wigan game as proof that The Stoop is the reason he has FAILED in his 2 seasons to date to attract new fans.......but given the much trumpeted "name change" was about as much use as a chocolate teapot and the CEO's "hand picked staff in key positions" didn't survive the mid-season bloodletting, , I fail to see why he is still collecting a salary if I am honest.

Wigan and Saints, together with Leeds are the 3 best supported clubs in London historically and as I have said before, a large number of the 'away" fans at these games are London based.....Leeds on a Monday will Kill that crowd at the Stoop, Wigan away will get it's usual 4-5k regardless of where we play it, so it will be left to Saints to rescue the seasons average at the stoop.....ergo, we're moving

It's time to accept that London RL and the London SL team are two totally seperate issues.........the London franchise will be moved to wherever there is a potential backer/audience and as such, this is looking like the last season at the Stoop (this time around). So long as the amateur set up continues to thrive and the RFL continue their work in the capital, then Milton Keynes, Gillingham, Oxford or tim-buck loving 2 will be tried as a base.......assuring a decent first year crowd average, followed by a CV polishing second year slup and the appointment of another Surrey Cricket reject to the position of CEO

This could be the year to invest in a signed framed shirt guys and gals....London Broncos RFLC could soon be no more as a professional Team unless someone with cash and VISION can be found quickly.


Loving the quote from the CEO:

"We have continued with the on the road games which were successful last year in delivering above average attendances"

....he forgot to point out this was only possible through great work done by Gillinghams RL community selling/distributing free tickets and of course, his work in LOWERING THE AVERAGES the year before

I predict the biggest gate at the Stoop for the visit of St Helens, the lowest when the French come calling and, depending on where they take the games, Wigan and Wire will average 4k each.....enough to justify a move away from the stoop.....

Re: first fixtures - Widnes at home, Huddersfield away : Tue Nov 20, 2012 8:23 am  

Wigan Warriors v London SL team, in London (no OTR games) 104,577/20 = 5,229 average
Since 2006, Wigan in London 9 times, 44,465 = 4,940 average
Wigan in London on Gus's watch 8,732/2 = 4,366

Warrington Wolves v London SL team, London at "home" (2 OTR games) 71,595/19 = 3,768 average
Warrington in London since 2006, 23,701/7 = 3,385
Wire in London on Gus's watch 6,103/2= 3,051

Home games on Gus's watch, 77,116/26 = 2,966

OTR games in 2012:
3,930 for Hull FC......a whole 315 more than the average for the previous 16 London v Hull FC games
2,844 for Bradford....a whopping 1,802 down on the average for the previous 18 London v Bradford games.

According to Gus...the two games above were a success because they were above the seasons average, which BTW, was 2,807 and the lowest in the clubs history in SL......

2010....THE YEAR BEFORE THE CURRENT CEO JOINED.......Wire and Wigan a combined attendance of 9,082.
2011 this dropped to 7,475 and in 2012 to 6,570....nearly 28%....overall attendances are down 18%.

20% of the games on Gus's watch have attendances that start with 1
38% of the games on Gus'swatch have attendances that start with 2
22% of the games on Gus's watch have attendances that start with 3
20% of the games on Gus's watch have attendances that start with 4
0%...of the games on Gus's watch have attendances that start with 5

We had 1 attendance prior to 2011 that started with 1, back in 1999 when Gateshead came to the Stoop...we've had 5 in 2 seasons

I wish to god people would stop making excuses for the club.....it is being run into the ground by a management team who do not have a clue....

Take a Catalans game on Easter Thursday to a new venue to see what the appetite is like..........their average is 2,365. Take Salford to Oxford and beat their average of 2,618.....as it is, you expect ST holders to travel to see 2 of the top draw teams
Huddersfield Giants, 3,207, Wakey 2,827 or even Castleford, 3,294....take them, but taking Wigan OTR to show appetitte outside of TW2 is like dealing from the bottom of the deck (and not trying to hide it)

Rant only just getting started!

Re: first fixtures - Widnes at home, Huddersfield away : Tue Nov 20, 2012 9:06 am  

Such a litany of failure makes you wonder if Gus had a similar effect on Surrey attendances. County cricket is famous for one man & his dog showing up so imagine poor Rover rattling around the Oval on his own

Re: first fixtures - Widnes at home, Huddersfield away : Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:02 pm  

Dave Lister wrote:

Anything to back up any of those statements?

I thought it was common knowledge that David Hughes was looking to pack it in?

As for vacating The Stoop you only have to join the dots from the Broncos rebrand to taking crowd pulling fixtures on the road.

Re: first fixtures - Widnes at home, Huddersfield away : Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:18 pm  

If you're looking to pack it in, why run it into the ground? Surely the last couple of Lenaghan-free years should have been used to build value; especially since the Broncos relaunch?
I suppose the revealing of the OTR venues may give a clue as to the future of the club, but I am as pessimistic about the Broncos' future now as I was during the first half of the Salford game - and that felt like a funeral!

Re: first fixtures - Widnes at home, Huddersfield away : Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:27 pm  

nkpom wrote:

If you're looking to pack it in, why run it into the ground?

Maybe Hughes is too nice & cuts underperforming coaches & CEOs too much slack?

He wouldn't be alone in that regard.

Look at the shambles that is QPR for example.

Re: first fixtures - Widnes at home, Huddersfield away : Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:37 pm  

This subject is boring me to death now, if the club moves it will lose a lot of (it's small number of) fans. Skolars will probably gain a lot of them, they will gain me for sure.

Back on the topic of fixtures, we have to play everyone at least twice no matter what but I'm happy that we have a few of the lower placed teams earlier in the year. Leeds at home on a monday in August though is so stupid, it's a contractual obligation with sky that we should be exempt from along with the dragons.
Glad we are starting at home again too, we have been lucky for the last few seasons having home games in round 1, getting a run out at home before going to a pumped up northern crowd can only help us.


Roll on February!

Re: first fixtures - Widnes at home, Huddersfield away : Tue Nov 20, 2012 4:50 pm  

sogspurs wrote:

This subject is boring me to death now, if the club moves it will lose a lot of (it's small number of) fans. Skolars will probably gain a lot of them, they will gain me for sure.

Back on the topic of fixtures, we have to play everyone at least twice no matter what but I'm happy that we have a few of the lower placed teams earlier in the year. Leeds at home on a monday in August though is so stupid, it's a contractual obligation with sky that we should be exempt from along with the dragons.
Glad we are starting at home again too, we have been lucky for the last few seasons having home games in round 1, getting a run out at home before going to a pumped up northern crowd can only help us.


Roll on February!

Much as though I like the idea of Monday night games in the summer I agree with your thoughts that we should have been exempted - we'll probably end up with a gate like the Thursday night Catalans game for what is usually one of our biggest gates v Leeds!

Re: first fixtures - Widnes at home, Huddersfield away : Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:35 pm  

Yeah the idea of it being in August is the ony sensible part about it, Monday night VS Catalans in march would be the lowest attended SL fixture ever.

We have to swallow it this year an hopefully it won't happen again when they see the results.