Celtic Crusaders in trouble? : Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:18 pm  

Things don't good.

Things don't good.

: Fri Nov 20, 2009 8:22 pm  

Send Leigh up again

: Fri Nov 20, 2009 8:27 pm  

obeone wrote:

Send Leigh up again

This was my post on our board about it

Maybe we should ' suggest ' to the RFL that if the Crusaders would prefer to play in a lower level of competition to re-build we would be happy to help out by fulfilling their SL obligations

Well it worked once

: Fri Nov 20, 2009 11:14 pm  

Well then, I look forward to visiting 2 new grounds. Wrexham not too difficult to get to.

And just before people wonder, no I havn't changed teams. Its me doing something Ive done a lot since I started watching the game, visiting new grounds for Rugby League game and i am on for 6 new grounds next year. Leigh Sporting Village, Bramall Lane, The Racecourse Ground, Newport RUFC, Toulouse and the Royal Artilary place where London Skolars play Harlequins in pre-season.

: Sat Nov 21, 2009 12:12 pm  

Is anyone surprised?

Though this whole affair does rather bring out one of the central weaknesses in the 3-year licences.

They were supposed to help teams build in SL without fear of relegation.

However Crusaders got badly exposed in their first year and in another year would have been relegated to NL1 where they probably would have done okay.

Instead they had to find the players and the finance to continue playing SL rugby for another two years. This is the cause of their collapse IMO.

They were a CC / NL1 side and should have remained so.

: Sat Nov 21, 2009 2:14 pm  

Hedgehog King wrote:

Is anyone surprised?

Though this whole affair does rather bring out one of the central weaknesses in the 3-year licences.

They were supposed to help teams build in SL without fear of relegation.

However Crusaders got badly exposed in their first year and in another year would have been relegated to NL1 where they probably would have done okay.

Instead they had to find the players and the finance to continue playing SL rugby for another two years. This is the cause of their collapse IMO.

They were a CC / NL1 side and should have remained so.

I have a theory that no matter what if you have a winning team then people will come and watch in general.

From that you will get a few long term fans but generally a lot of "glory seekers"

Now people say that having lots of cash to buy "ready made" players is the answer.

I disagree.

Good teams are made with good coaches which is the same as good businesses are made by good management.

A good manager will develop the exising talent within an individual, train and improve them whilst eliminating , as far as is practicable, their weaknesses.

Combine that with the other members and you can get a successful team.

It's NOT easy and the key to it is HARD WORK from all parties involved.

Crusaders, IMO had reasonable management of the players they had but not GOOD management. The business had changed but the management style input was not capable of seeing this or training the team to encompass these changes.

Because of this theywere not a "winning" team and therefore were not able to develop their long term fan base .

It also seems that financial control was not as tight as it could have been even allowing for a "sugar daddy"

Crusaders are NOT unique in this., and they are not the only ones in financial straits I would suggest.

Businesses have to cut their cloth accordingly but the ones that seem to survive are the ones who change without recourse to spending "big bucks" but use what they have wisely and beneficially for ALL involved.

That, to me, is the secret, but involves HARD WORK and lets's face it, it's not everones cup of tea.

As someone once said "the harder they worked the luckier they became".

Strange that isn't it.

Applies to ALL the clubs but some are not seeing the entire picture and one day the whole edifice may come crumbling down around them. It's happened to some already, and I don't think they are going to be alone.

The Crusaders are doing something. Only time will tell but at least they appear to have a good management team in position. It's the materials they need to work with next and how to utilise them to mutual advantage is the challange.

: Sat Nov 21, 2009 2:58 pm  

From a completely biased perspective I hope they stay in Newport.

Stealth Comic Sr was born there and my Grandma still lives there.

So if they come down to our League and/or we draw them in cup it gives me a more than reasonable excuse to go visit her.

: Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:26 pm  

Leaguefan wrote:

It also seems that financial control was not as tight as it could have been even allowing for a "sugar daddy"

Crusaders are NOT unique in this., and they are not the only ones in financial straits I would suggest.

Businesses have to cut their cloth accordingly but the ones that seem to survive are the ones who change without recourse to spending "big bucks" but use what they have wisely and beneficially for ALL involved.

It does take spectacularly bad management to lose so much money in one year when you own your own stadium, have a salary cap in place and get TV money given to you.

That, to me, is the secret, but involves HARD WORK and lets's face it, it's not everones cup of tea.

As someone once said "the harder they worked the luckier they became".

Strange that isn't it.

Applies to ALL the clubs but some are not seeing the entire picture and one day the whole edifice may come crumbling down around them. It's happened to some already, and I don't think they are going to be alone.

The Crusaders are doing something. Only time will tell but at least they appear to have a good management team in position. It's the materials they need to work with next and how to utilise them to mutual advantage is the challange.

They've got a good coaching team, their management team could only be made worse by inviting Peter Ridsdale onto the board. They seem to be going out of their way to alienate their own fans.

: Sat Nov 21, 2009 4:18 pm  

Like others this is no suprise, from day 1 the owner was clear that he wanted and got a super league team playing out of Bridgend. The issue of small amount of fans has little to do with the fact it is league being played more to do with the fact folk in Bridgend feeling the owner sacrificed the union club based on talking to folk from there. The critics say the ground is crap but anyone who has been will realise its a massive ground and in my view more than suitable, odsal and belle vue are worse. Now it seems the owner has taken the huff because the club is leaving Bridgend, cannot say I blame him as the rfl agreed to being based there. I assume testing the market and feasibility study was done. Expansion at any cost to save the rfl embarassment is wrong.

: Sun Nov 22, 2009 8:10 am  

Expansion at any cost seems to be the order of the day though, dunnit?
Well, like most I guess I'm all for expansion, but done fairly, without bias against 'heartland' clubs, and for gawd's sake, stop buggering about with the way it's done!
I wouldn't want to see any existing clubs go to the wall, but I don't much like the way the game seems to be about Superleague alone - it's almost as if the Championship isn't 'real' rugby league nowadays. What's wrong with clubs getting a sound footing in the RL world BEFORE they even think about Superleague?
And another thing - what do people think about a bottom placed SL team, and top Championship team play-off as a promotion/relegation decider?