BroncOnIon wrote:
You also said, in your second post in this thread:
Indeed I did. I was maybe a tad over-zealous in my prediction for the demise of the club, but it would seem that Mr Hughes has decided to continue to bankroll the club indefinitely.
Unfortunately for the club and its supporters, this means 2nd tier League in a smaller venue against less fashionable teams, with less supporters in attendances and a snowballs chance in hell of either attracting new investment at the level required, nor sponsors of the caliber to lift the clubs profile.
This of course will be applauded by some as us "finding our level", but the applause will not be heard as it will be from regular fans that number in the low hundreds.
And whilst you're reaching for another box of Kleenex, I suggest you temper your unbridled joy at both a second tier existence with my being wrong as to the death of the club with a healthy dose of realism.
We are now a 2nd tier outfit that is 100% reliant on the benevolence of 1 man......nothing has changed other than the division we play in, our attractiveness to cash paying customers and our market value to sponsors. Victories over lesser teams will be hailed as proof that we are better off........
........yet I recall a season 10 years ago that saw us stick 70 on Wakey, Leigh and Widnes (well close) and make the play-offs....it was the season we nearly folded but one that ended with real hope for our future under a new owner, in a new ground with a new name and real prospects. We has a national brand as our shirt sponsor and the word "partner" in terms of an associated company didn't exist. We had close to 4,000 fans and "we were LONDON". Now we are a team watched by 40+ year old men.......akin to a sporting version of Train Spotting. RL is an acquired taste...we've all tried to get our friends to games over the last 30+ years and now all that's left is the bare bones......I won't be overly zealous this time, but I will say that whilst victories over Halifax and Hunslet will keep some happy, the "some" will be less than those who preferred to watch us play Wigan.....even if it was to get hammered....and gradually that number will reach the level attained by the skolars....a team that had less than 10% of our support back in 2005......
So grab your Kleenex and enjoy the moment. The truth is I was warning the club, its owners and its fans that this would happen since before I even attended a game and no matter if Hughes's guilt keeps us afloat for another 10 years or more, I was spot on.