: Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:58 pm  

bowes wrote:

Yes but what does a French club in NL1 really achieve? A French club in SL it's easy to see the benefits of, but the massively increased costs for an entire league seems to more than offset the smalle benefits of one club playing in a slightly higher standard of competition, despite not being too good to play in their current competition

Very well put bowes

No sensible answer to your post

: Sat Oct 18, 2008 10:43 pm  

Actually I'd add further to keeping the leagues separate I'd look at getting a European Comp with maybe 5 from NL1 and 3 from French Elite, which would get far more publicity than just 1 token French team in NL1 and would be far less in travelling expenses

: Sun Oct 19, 2008 11:32 am  

Starbug wrote:

2 Things

1 st , Are we suddenly to believe that having Toulouse in NL 1 will result in TV companies throwing cash at us ?

2 nd , if the NL's are that uninteresting that the inclusion of a mid/lower club from France is the best the RFL can come up with to generate interest in the competition then they are truly b0lloxed

1- yes

2- TO, given the league to promote it, can raise decent money and sign the right players (like Catalans did in their last year in the LER). They are a bit like Wigan in SL, they used to be a top two side, but have slipped. Expect them to bring a top side into NL1 and be in the playoffs or thereabouts in their first year.

: Sun Oct 19, 2008 11:45 am  

bowes wrote:

Actually I'd add further to keeping the leagues separate I'd look at getting a European Comp with maybe 5 from NL1 and 3 from French Elite, which would get far more publicity than just 1 token French team in NL1 and would be far less in travelling expenses

Something like the highly successful treize tournoi?

: Sun Oct 19, 2008 1:27 pm  

belgianxiii wrote:

1- yes

2- TO, given the league to promote it, can raise decent money and sign the right players (like Catalans did in their last year in the LER). They are a bit like Wigan in SL, they used to be a top two side, but have slipped. Expect them to bring a top side into NL1 and be in the playoffs or thereabouts in their first year.

1 NO

2 all you have done is point out the benifits to Toulouse of being in NL1

Give me some ' real ' benifits to the NL clubs [ nl1 and 2 ] of having Toulouse in NL1 , which will cost the RFL close to a million pounds over the 3 years

If they are not successful I dont even think they will make the 3 years

There is one simple aim for this and that is to prepare them for SL , and if it becomes clear they are not going to make a GF it will all fall apart

: Sun Oct 19, 2008 4:34 pm  

belgianxiii wrote:

Something like the highly successful treize tournoi?

Yeah roughly. Probably the best way to do it is have the winners of 5 groups like the NRC ones enter the quarterfinals with Toulouse and the top 2 French League teams, and have two legged quarters, then semis, 1 in each country and a final that alternates. Of course ideally it would work better with Toulouse playing in France as the coming together of two same tier leagues (with top 3 getting in) but there you go. Of course the alternative would be to just put the top 5 from NL1 in and have groups then semis and final, with the NRC for the other 15 NL teams plus the RLCN winner. Of course it could go to a 4:4 split if the Elite improves to be an equal standard with NL1

: Sun Oct 19, 2008 7:18 pm  

Starbug wrote:

1 NO

2 all you have done is point out the benifits to Toulouse of being in NL1

Give me some ' real ' benifits to the NL clubs [ nl1 and 2 ] of having Toulouse in NL1 , which will cost the RFL close to a million pounds over the 3 years

If they are not successful I dont even think they will make the 3 years

There is one simple aim for this and that is to prepare them for SL , and if it becomes clear they are not going to make a GF it will all fall apart

they get £100k they didnt earn, for a product they struggle to sell, thats more than enough recompense for allowing a french team in the league,

im sure the NL1 clubs would happily give that money back if they didnt want to abide by the RFLs decisions

: Sun Oct 19, 2008 7:35 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

they get £100k they didnt earn, for a product they struggle to sell, thats more than enough recompense for allowing a french team in the league,

im sure the NL1 clubs would happily give that money back if they didnt want to abide by the RFLs decisions

So you are saying the NL clubs [ both NL 1 and 2 ] are being recompensed for having the French club in NL 1

So you agree that there is no benifit other than the RFL s bribe

Glad you cleared that one up

About time you saw things as they are rather than the RFL 's bull claims

: Sun Oct 19, 2008 7:43 pm  

Starbug wrote:

So you are saying the NL clubs [ both NL 1 and 2 ] are being recompensed for having the French club in NL 1

So you agree that there is no benifit other than the RFL s bribe

Glad you cleared that one up

About time you saw things as they are rather than the RFL 's bull claims

no im saying they are being paid to compete in the RFL competitions, if they dont want to abide the decisions of the RFL then they can find their own competition to play in

the benefit to the clubs in NL1 is the addition of a french side should raise its profile. as part of a long term strategy to bring the league up to a level it becomes a sustainable high profile pro league in its own right. We will see whether or not there is an immediate benefit to the clubs currently in NL1 but regardless, it isnt the clubs place to decide which decisions they will abide by and which they wont,

its about time you got your head out of your ass and understood that RL doesnt start and stop with a minority of shitheap clubs in the north of england, the vast majority of which have been given more than ample opportunity to compete and havent because of their own incompetance, not everything which is done is done specifically for these clubs, and neither should they be, the game is bigger than these northern backwaters,

: Sun Oct 19, 2008 7:48 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

no im saying they are being paid to compete in the RFL competitions, if they dont want to abide the decisions of the RFL then they can find their own competition to play in

the benefit to the clubs in NL1 is the addition of a french side should raise its profile. as part of a long term strategy to bring the league up to a level it becomes a sustainable high profile pro league in its own right. We will see whether or not there is an immediate benefit to the clubs currently in NL1 but regardless, it isnt the clubs place to decide which decisions they will abide by and which they wont,

its about time you got your head out of your ass and understood that RL doesnt start and stop with a minority of shitheap clubs in the north of england, the vast majority of which have been given more than ample opportunity to compete and havent because of their own incompetance, not everything which is done is done specifically for these clubs, and neither should they be, the game is bigger than these northern backwaters,

So you do work for the RFL after all