The first three years of the 'partnership' was relatively favourable to our club and it is easy to have fond memories as we were more of a 7th to 9th club than a bottom three team also.
Nic Cartwright initially secured a deal for London Broncos which secured the useage of the Twickenham Stoop on extraordinarily favourable terms meaning that all four corners of the ground were open and a degree of co-operation around marketing and commercial opportunities took place. Ian Lenagan was also an open and lively commentator building rapport and the club was open and friendly, rather than the barrier place it later became.
When Nic did the deal Harlequins were up for a full amalgamation of the two clubs. Statements such as “both clubs go into this partnership with the intent that they will be one club playing both codes of rugby” and there was talk of a “synergy and sharing” strategy and that we “will also begin to work together on community, marketing and commercial opportunities” were commonly bandied about.
However the main instigator of the deal on our side was Nic Cartwright from the Rugby League side and he left relatively early in the partnership whilst Ian Lenagan was at Wigan on the 1st December 2007, a long way before the end of the inital three year deal concluded, after which he left the club in suspended animation for several years. Whilst Mark Evans on the Union side was purely committed to his own club - and did nothing for the partnership. It worked for him as he expanded the Stadium and got numbers in crowd-wise particularly from the Big Game concept and no doubt he gained by cross-selling £99 tickets into our base and living off the back of our community work and engagement that promoted Harlequins.
After 2008 we became a tenant/landlord and at that point we should have immediately abandoned the Rugby Union colours and name for our own identity. They declined to buy in for a nominal sum, so the partnership was over.
I know the Union were quoting over £5 grand to open up one stand on one day when asked several years ago and we felt it wiser to only open one stand, such was the steep rise in costs and believe me they have grown each year!
Since June 2009, when we won at Leeds away and then Hull KR away, there has been a major decline in playing standards and that was due to the mediocre acquisition and retention of Brian McDermott which saw him gain just 7 wins from his last 38 games and the club decline year on year under his stewardship. This is fact. Although he only left 2 1/2 years ago just O'Callaghan, Howell and Melling in the squad were discovered by Mac and in the team.
I say this knowing that someone will jump in and talk about how he kept four-times-in-a-row Grand Finalists Leeds still in the Grand Final but there is a difference between maintaining success and delivering it. He did not build things for us, bar having an involvement in the youth side.
Then we had another two bad years with Powell who was a steaming pile of mediocrity with just 9 wins from 47 and thus the club has had five years declining under Mac and two more under Powell, so we have now lost any enthusiasm from the Union supporters as well as the paymasters.
We should have got out after 2008 when no full integration took place, just as we should never have took on two unproven managers, but we are where we are.
It is easy to constantly talk about winning every week and bigger attendances and I have no doubt that possibly some of the floating Union support may have joined a winning bandwagon, but the reality is there was one 8000 gate and the rest has been derisory - people walking out of the ground rather than staying on for free to watch us etc.
I'm looking forward to ending this bad relationship and giving things another go.
But on to more positive things, let's get behind the guys against Bradford and batter the Bulls, after all they are our club and the only one we have.
Easy
Rammo
