Re: Any News?? : Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:51 pm  

gutterfax wrote:

The Sun are charging for access to their website

...seriously..

Yeah, at the last count they had 2,300 subscribers!

Re: Any News?? : Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:18 pm  

According to the Sun. We are closer to being saved, but we are far from out of the woods. Nor any news of us having signed anyone either (nothing new there).

The RFL chiefs are desperate to convince DH to stick with the club. and also a move to the Hive could bring Bee's chairman tony Kleanthous on board. (nothing there we didn't know or have heard of).

A RFL insider (meaning the cleaner), admitted there has been some progress but things remain at a delicate stage. and its now not likely until after the HullKR game that our future will decided.

The other news they claim and in part we all knew is that Tommy Lee, Dan Sarinson are leaving. But they also claim that Kaufusi is off too. That's one I hadn't heard before. so has Salford come in for him to (might as well add another one to their rumour mill of players arriving there. ). but I expect if he is off then its back home to Aus.

So I would say that's it looks nailed on for Barnet IMO. I just wonder if the hold up in the move is local council,(I like that's one of the main problems), money, that's rent or even a share of the ground (highly unlikely) or how much they asking DH to put in again and he just wont unless the RFL honour their promise of help this time with marketing and media.(just guessing there like everyone else). Or possibly someone at RFL or one of the other clubs (if they are involved in any say as to what happens to us) and that is the size of the ground and the fact it can only hold 5/6000, and there's been something said about its not fair as all the other clubs have been told to increase their capacity in new grounds or their existing grounds.

Also just to add. If the RFL are allegedly helping us with a ground move or what ever is going on. Will they just decided to say that they have spend enough time talking with us and walk away, now that allegeded rumours are that possibly Wakey and Bulls again could be in trouble and need help and feel they better of sorting them out as Northern clubs and more likely to get investors in there.

Re: Any News?? : Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:31 pm  

It took me all day to find someone who had a subscription to the Current Bun, who would? it was a media colleague's office.

Everything alanw, says is correct, I think this is what we all expected, I can't blame David Hughes playing hard ball, of that is part of the case, we have had far too many promises and that is all they remained, no one expected Melbourne to be a success at first, but the NRL believed, time now for the RFL to!

But then with Wakefield having to sell a player, to pay the August wages, then Wakefield accusing Salford of approaching players, tapping them up? then the Bulls with a statement explaining why yesterday it showed they were in a closing down situation for tax payments now paid, their CEO standing up and taking the blame saying he has forgot to pay! Salford with not very good attendances this season, Dr Koukash, spending all the money he seems to be, will expect results, if not, will he hand around as long as David Hughes has? and The Super League Plate Winners, Huddersifled doing so well on the pitch, but always have to defend and put off questions about their low attendances, we must come right at the bottom of RFL worries?

Re: Any News?? : Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:27 pm  

jaybs wrote:

It took me all day to find someone who had a subscription to the Current Bun, who would? it was a media colleague's office.

Everything alanw, says is correct, I think this is what we all expected, I can't blame David Hughes playing hard ball, of that is part of the case, we have had far too many promises and that is all they remained, no one expected Melbourne to be a success at first, but the NRL believed, time now for the RFL to!

But then with Wakefield having to sell a player, to pay the August wages, then Wakefield accusing Salford of approaching players, tapping them up? then the Bulls with a statement explaining why yesterday it showed they were in a closing down situation for tax payments now paid, their CEO standing up and taking the blame saying he has forgot to pay! Salford with not very good attendances this season, Dr Koukash, spending all the money he seems to be, will expect results, if not, will he hand around as long as David Hughes has? and The Super League Plate Winners, Huddersifled doing so well on the pitch, but always have to defend and put off questions about their low attendances, we must come right at the bottom of RFL worries?

Attendances at Huddersfield that are not quite as low as some like to make out, but can certainly be improved. The average SL attendance at the JSS this year was 6,766, which is some way short of the 8k average seen a couple of years ago. A few reasons for that, poor match day pricing policy, Thursday, Friday and Monday night matches (Giants have a large proportion of family tickets, many of these do not turn up on awkward evenings showing 12-1500 less in home areas for equivalent Sunday afternoon matches) stadia issues and the Nathan Brown factor, many fans were very disillusioned with his tinkering and mid season collapses. I understand that although Huddersfield Giants average crowd is 9th or 10th out of 14 this season, matchday revenue is 7th of 14, well clear of 8th. Our ground has decent facilities including corporate etc and people pay more to get in.

Plenty of work to do at Huddersfield yet, but our issues are not of the order of others, expect to see average gates up to 7.5-8k next season, more if we can win the play offs.

There is a parallel in there for London, address the actual issues not the percieved issues, who cares if you move to a 6k capacity ground as long as you are sustainable in it? It seems to me you currently lack direction as a club, you need a clearly understood strategy to rally behind. Wherever you end up playing next year, if you have a clear "corporate direction of travel" you will get there. If you have no clear path then fans, funding and sustainability will continue to drift away.

I have no doubt there is a sustainable market for top class RL in London, it is also clear that in the current economic climate poorly run SL clubs are not sustainable, that applies in the "Heartlands" as well as in London.

Good luck.

Re: Any News?? : Tue Sep 03, 2013 5:12 pm  

GiantDee wrote:

Attendances at Huddersfield that are not quite as low as some like to make out, but can certainly be improved. The average SL attendance at the JSS this year was 6,766, which is some way short of the 8k average seen a couple of years ago.

It was not an attempt to knock Huddersfield, just pointing out that RL has plenty of problems, Salford's was the move from The Weaste, and lack of form, Wakefield, under funded? The Bulls, I'm not certain, but I tend to think, after the take over, all that glitters is not gold! Widnes attendances are nothing like they used to have, plus we all have to put up with people are not as well off, Northern fans complain, a lot of London fans travel more than they do in a month, to watch one home game. I would like to see The Giants get through to the play off final, I feel the team that comes top, should automatic be in the final, and the play off then, should be just that, not second chances!

I'm pleased for The Giants on the pitch, when Anderson was appointed, I had doubts about him, but he and the players, have shown everyone what they could. Brough is so not given the recognition he deserves at times. Even successful clubs like St Helens have not done as well attendance wise, which has been due to the ground move and also this season's form, what would it be like if they had a season like us?

The game is full of problems, Friday night's Saints V Wolves, 10 full minutes when each team kicked the ball dead on the last tackle or earlier, we knocked Union for that years back! and I am not convinced that Woods, master plan for Super League change, with leagues splitting is the answer to all the problems, just hope it does not make it worse, clubs seem to be walking blindly behind him.

Re: Any News?? : Tue Sep 03, 2013 7:00 pm  

I know you were not knocking the Giants, my point was really you have to address the real problem not the percieved ones. The SL licences awards created a myth that 10k crowds create sustainability but that is not true particularly when a good proportion of the crowds are admitted free and the rest are paying very little. I know of two clubs in the heartlands announce attendances on tickets issued not actual attendance. An average gate of 8k where under 7k are actually in the ground that includes 1,500 free tickets (kids seasons) and st prices of £ 125 is not sustainable.

It seems to me that London's current problems are a major obstacle, but there is more scope to address those in London than in the heartlands. You do though need a home and the patience to build, a properly run London club have the potential to compete at the very top of the game. The problems are not London or the support base. As generous as David Hughes and Ian Lenaghan have been your club have not followed a clear business strategy for many years.

Sometimes you have to hit the bottom to start climbing, but with a clear plan you can move forward.

Re: Any News?? : Tue Sep 03, 2013 7:10 pm  

poplar panther wrote:

Yeah, at the last count they had 2,300 subscribers!

When the Sun introduced the charge a couple of months ago, one of their execs said that it was on the grounds of fairness, i.e. being fair to those who pay out for the print version.

Re: Any News?? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 8:55 am  

Luke Dorn and Chad Randall give their comments on why London should survive. http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/rugby-league/8906464/worrying-times-for-broncos

Luke Dorn and Chad Randall give their comments on why London should survive. http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/rugby-league/8906464/worrying-times-for-broncos

Re: Any News?? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 5:37 pm  

Good piece I thought.

Re: Any News?? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 5:50 pm  

Not read through all your threads so sorry if the answer is out there, but do you have a ground for next year yet.