Divided opinion in rugby league circles

It appears one of my previous blogs has provoked a bit of a response from a number of rugby league fans. As a writer, it's great to receive feedback and even better to generate debate. I respect all the comments that have been left on various forums, and would like to thank people for taking the time to read and respond to what I have written. Hopefully in future, more of my articles will provoke a similar response.

Below are a few selected responses:

User: Red Stripe (Barrow Raiders RL.org board)

It is at the same time both refreshing and depressing to read an excellent article by somebody who shares my opinions on the state of Rugby League in this country.

User: cbandg01 (Whitehaven Fans Forum)

James Gordon says everything I feel and wish I could detail so eloquently.

User: jamescolin (Featherstone Rovers RL.org board)

A load of hot air by a disgruntled Widnes fan. After going into Admin they didn't deserve a franchise. Gary Scholfield only writes as he does because he is paid to do it. Finance is at the heart of any business like it or not. The world cup made £2 million, the small nations are moving forward and I feel that we can't develope any other way. Shouting about injustices because you were not selected is futile. bet if Widnes were now in SL he wouldn't have anything to say. Lets have a constructive alternative that would generate more income (sponsors and advertising and TV ) and it would be worth reading. The ways suggested would lead us into a league of village teams with no income. I am sure the powers that be have looked at the alternatives. We were poor at the WC because we were tired, there was no zip in the team. Less games and more international experience. I would agree about stopping Aussie imports.

And the response to that by user: Sportbilly

1 - 'Gary Scholfield only writes as he does because he is paid to do it'..........does stevo/eddie/phil do it for free like?

2 - 'The world cup made £2 million'........just think what it would make with teams that can compete with the aussies, as it doesnt affect fev, I dont give 2 hoots.

3 - 'Shouting about injustices because you were not selected is futile. bet if Widnes were now in SL he wouldn't have anything to say'.........an i bet we wouldnt be saying a great deal either if we were in it.

4 - 'We were poor at the WC because we were tired, there was no zip in the team'........we were beaten by a class outfit, one we cant compete against, we couldnt even beat a 'not as classier' outfit. You make it sound like we were the only ones to play rugby during the summer.

I'm not a businessman, but I'm no fool either. The product we have at the moment is the laughing stock of the sporting world. As a down to earth/man on the street RL fan, I can relate to the article which I feel has been well worded, regardless of who he supports.

I don't profess to be correct. All of what I wrote was my personal opinion, and it remains that. I may well, as a Widnes fan, be bitter towards the game because of my clubs inclusion, but I feel that the points I make have substance regardless of the team I follow. Maybe it would have been interesting to see the response from people if I didn't note the team I supported.

I note that I have been challenged by a commenter on the blog itself to suggest solutions to the problems I pointed out, and I may well find the time to do that very soon, so watch this space.

Thanks, and keep reading!

The football connection

While you probably stayed in and watched the Champions League in the comfort of your front room last night, I braved the freezing temperatures in deepest Cheshire to take in a Coca Cola League 2 game between Macclesfield Town and Grimsby.

My flat mate, an ardent Grimsby fan, has been suffering for much of 2008, with the Mariners only recently ending a run that saw them go 22 league games without a win. Probably the only high this year came when Grimsby reached Wembley, although they lost to MK Dons in the Johnstone Paint Trophy final.

I'm quite ashamed to say that at the age of 20, this game was my first experience of a Football League match. Although I have been a lifelong football supporter, being from Warrington, there isn't really a local football league team to follow. I was brought up supporting Manchester United, and although I went to a few matches, lacked the connection to them that I do have for the teams I follow in other sports, most notably rugby league.

I would probably say that being at university made me realise that it's unfair to call me a football "supporter". I'd find myself ashamed to call myself a Man Utd fan, when talking to people who follow Exeter, Wycombe and Grimsby up and down the country. I love football. And I love watching it. And I remain fairly knowledgeable about the English game for many of the years of my life. But I don't have the connection that I would if, say, my home town had a team.

The game itself brought something different to my previous live football experience - all of which have been at Old Trafford, apart from an England U21 game at Goodison Park. There was no lifeless passing along the back line. It wasn't the most exciting match, but there wasn't a time where you could take your eyes off the action, because unlike in the Premiership, it felt like something could happen at any time.

I went to the game expecting Grimsby to be a pretty poor side. In fact, for the first 45 minutes, they played some nice football, which was appreciated by their travelling faithful, my mate included. Adam Proudlock, a recent signing from Darlington, hit the post after a lovely move down the left. Jamie Clarke also had a header ruled out, correctly, for offside.

Proudlock, playing alongside Nathan Jarman up front, chased everything with his fellow frontman. And it appears this is somewhat typical of the lower league striker, hunting for the scraps. Jarman in particular caused something out of nothing on a few occasions by being a nuisance in the final third.

Sadly, the lack of a final product cost Grimsby. Macclesfield came out of their shell in the second half, and grabbed the win when Nat Brown fired in a neat finish from the right hand side after 68 minutes. Before the goal, the game had been begging a change. Proudlock and Jarman were undoubtedly tired from their first half performances, but manager Mike Newell failed to introduce fresh legs up front for the Mariners, that was until Peter Bore entered the fray not long after the goal. Macclesfield were comfortable for the final 20 minutes, and the game finished 1-0.

There are plenty of lower league fans who pride themselves on the honesty of the leagues that they play in. And this was perhaps reflected by the reaction shown to Macclesfield winger Danny Thomas, who went down rather theatrically on a few occasions, following minimal contact. It's not just in the Premiership where players are looking to take a dive, and the Grimsby fans wasted no time in showing their disapproval to Thomas, who despite this, looked like a technically talented player, at this level.

There was only 1,182 people at the Moss Rose Ground last night, but what they witnessed was a typical Football League game. The rest were probably sat at home in front of the fire watching Manchester United battle out a 0-0 draw with Villarreal, who would have thought it. Those people are missing out on what it means to be a football supporter. Not a fan. A supporter. There were probably people within a stones-throw of the ground watching football on TV rather than live. And that's a shame.

I only wish that I had a professional team around the corner from me to connect with. And to follow.

Instead, I'll continue to monitor my friend's frustration, elation and dedication, wishing I had the same connection.

Rugby League struggling to progress

The term “pulling the wool over your eyes” is quite apt in rugby league circles at the minute. Rugby league scribes in the UK seem to be trying to paint a picture, a false picture that the game indeed is growing, and is in good shape. Wrong. It’s not. In fact, the only person whose opinion is worth noting at the moment is Garry Schofield. Of course, there may be a few other exceptions, without wishing to offend any of the hard working rugby league journos out there.

But Schofield, who was a great player in his day, is the only person who seems to speak his mind. He is not scared what people think of him. Nor is he pre-occupied with trying to paint a rosy picture of the sport to gain column inches in the national press. He is given a platform in Rugby League World magazine, and boy does he use it.

I was planning this piece on a train journey, and I had singled out Schofield as a man who speaks the truth about the state of the game at the moment. And as if my some sort of mad coincidence, as I picked up RLW in WH Smith and read his column, he had emphatically proved me right.

The Rugby Football League is floundering and Schofield, love him or hate him, would be a fantastic candidate to grab the bull by the horns and guide the UK governing body of the sport to somewhere near respectability. Keep speaking your mind Garry, you are at least keeping me sane, even if some of your colleagues are falsely thinking that times are rosy in rugby league.

So why all the doom and gloom, you might ask. Well rugby league as a sport is on its feet. Summed up by the World Cup. I blogged a few weeks ago saying that league must prove a point with the World Cup, and it has – rugby union is light years ahead on the international scale. I believe it is now time for league to consolidate what it has already got before it’s too late.

I try my best to introduce new fans to the game, but how can I expect to do that when the game is governed so inefficiently? A friend said to me earlier, “rugby league is just daft”. And it is. Where do I start?

Well, the thing that prompted my friend’s comment was the question “how many points do you get for a win in rugby league?” In Super League and the NRL, it is two. However, in the National Leagues, thanks to the wisdom of the RFL, it is three. Not only that, but losers by 12 points or less get a bonus point. That’s right, rewards for losing. And you wonder why England were embarrassed Down Under.Speaking of the National Leagues, they are currently trying to think up of a new name for the competition, after the news that French team Toulouse will be joining the competition for 2009. Not only that, but they will be exempt from relegation for three years.

Of course, they aren’t the only French team playing in predominantly British rugby league competitions. Catalans Dragons have just completed their third season in Super League, finishing in an excellent third position. But they finished bottom in their first season, 2006, but as they were exempt from relegation, the second from bottom side Castleford were relegated.

The season prior to that, 2005, Widnes were relegated from 11^th spot (together with 12^th placed Leigh), in the only season that two teams have ever been relegated from Super League. This was to accommodate the inclusion of Catalans. The Vikings had finished 11^th the season before too, but survived.

It was fun explaining that too. “Why are two teams going down this year?”

“Because they are letting in a French side.”

Why?! Well apparently it’s for the good of the game. Despite the fact there is an established competition, albeit a part-time one, in France, the Elite League Championship, the decision was made by Richard Lewis, the chief executive of the RFL, to introduce Catalans to Super League in 2006. They fought off competition from other applicants, which included Toulouse.

Can you imagine this in football?! Yes, the Super League was founded as the “European Super League”, but after Paris St Germain collapsed in the mid 90s, the league operated with a full line up of English teams. You wouldn’t get Lyon in the Premiership, or Stade Francais in the rugby union alternative. So why league?

Well it appears that the RFL have this blinkered vision of the future. A blinkered vision that expansion is working. As remarkable as it might sound, I’m yet to reach the most ridiculous part of all.

And no, as a supposed bitter Widnes fan, I am not talking about the inclusion of Celtic Crusaders, or indeed the exclusion of Widnes.

I’m talking about the abolition of promotion and relegation.

For the next three years, the line up of Super League will not change. The 14 teams that were chosen through the licence application last season will be able to do as they please for the next three years without the fear of relegation.

Imagine the Premier League being sealed off with the current 20 teams. The clubs would not let that happen. Relegation dogfights, as heartbreaking as they are for some, provide great sporting entertainment. As do promotion chases.

On the other hand, teams in the National Leagues effectively have nothing to play for. In fact, National League 1 next season has been rendered virtually as 22 glorified friendlies for each team. Yes, the RFL have dangled the “you have to win a Grand Final to be able to apply for SL in 2012” carrot, but as if that’s going to matter anyway.

Heartland league fans are gripped by a fear of an expansionist uprising. This time it was Celtic. Next time it will more than likely be Gateshead and Toulouse. The RFL is pushing this so much that they are threatening to kill off the game in the areas it needs most. People have become so disgruntled by the mis-management of the governing body that they will not go down to their local club, be it Hunslet, Swinton, Leigh or whoever on a Sunday to watch rugby league.

If heartland clubs were thriving, I could understand the need for expansion. But it’s not. It appears that the sport is in the mercy of a small collection of clubs, who cannot and will not appreciate the lower depths of the game because they themselves are doing so well at the top.

The abolition of relegation is supposedly going to encourage teams to blood more youngsters. Sure. All it means is that clubs can approach overpaid Australians and tell them that they can have a good three years over here without having to worry about us dropping down to National League 1. Wigan have been producing quality youngsters for years, but what has happened to them all?! They’ve all moved on, whether it to be fellow Super League clubs or National League clubs. And Wigan have hardly been threatened by relegation have they? Aside from a brief skirmish in 2006.

Rugby league is my life. And even I have my doubts over the new season, so how can the sport aim to attract new fans to the game? I’m sceptical about watching my team in 2009, because we basically have nothing to play for. No light at the end of the tunnel. Widnes could beat every team 80-0 next season, and what will they achieve? Absolutely nothing. Sure, they’ll be able to apply for a franchise in 2012, but they could well be royally shafted as they were in 2008.

I wondered how long it would take for the heartbreaking memories of July 22 2008 to return, but here they are. Widnes, backed by a wealthy local businessman, with the facilities, youth structure and fan base in place, were denied a franchise on the basis that they went in to administration some nine months previous.

And here was us thinking the application process was transparent!

The RFL published a list of criteria earlier in the year, and then proceeded to ignore it as best they could, bowing down to the false promises of a number of clubs. New stadium in Salford anyone?

But enough of that. I am too biased to enter any credible argument about the franchise process. Most fans will know where I am coming from. In fact, plenty of people have acknowledged my viewpoint on Last Tackle Forums.

Over on the Widnes board, it’s fair to say that Richard Lewis isn’t on many people’s Christmas card list. And returning to the World Cup, he has come out in defence of Tony Smith, the Australian coach that managed to lead England to a solitary win in the 2008 competition.

Everyone got carried away by a series whitewash 12 months ago against a seriously under strength New Zealand side, and anyone who truly believed we could win the competition had clearly had the wool pulled over their eyes by Lewis and his merry band of men. England are so far behind it’s embarrassing. There’s no depth.

The sad thing is, we would have probably been better served by the English lads that made up the bulk of the Ireland and Scotland squad. Ireland in particular boasted some players who have thrived at National League and lower Super League level and probably would have put up more fight than England did. Yet I still read articles from supposed respected journalists saying that England’s performance against Australia wasn’t that bad, and it could have been different if it wasn’t for a few decisions! As if!

It’s a struggle to name more than a couple back lines that would qualify for England, whereas you could reel off probably 5/6 Australian alternatives without hesitation.

I will be very surprised if anyone other than Australia or New Zealand wins the World Cup in my lifetime. That is how much of a mess the sport is in. Fiji, World Cup semi finalists, were 52 points worse than the Aussies. Many of the squads were made up of players who qualified through grandparents or otherwise, in fact there were very few squads that didn’t have at least one Australian born player included.

Maybe the sport isn’t in a mess. Maybe it just needs to realise what it is. An excellent sport that is only appreciated by a small part of this world. And instead of alienating its existing supporters by chasing a ridiculous expansion dream, why not run it effectively and efficiently as a regional sport, and try and expand the game naturally.

I have lost total confidence in Richard Lewis and his ability to govern the game in the UK. It is time for someone, somewhere to do something about it.

Step forward Mr Garry Schofield.