Re: Qualifiers Game 1 - Bradford Away : Fri Jul 31, 2015 2:25 pm  

Hillsborough Lad wrote:

It was a terribly designed stadium, and after the World Student Games (what it was built for), there was simply no afterthought as to what on earth the city of Sheffield was going to do with this white elephant.

It's a bit unfair to say that Don Valley was "terribly designed" and there was "simply no afterthought what ... Sheffield was going to do". It was designed the way it was because those were the requirements of the World Student Games, with the field events area between the main stand and the finishing straight. The intention was that that it would then be used as the main northern athletics stadium, taking over from Gateshead which had much poorer facilities. Unfortunately that was not the way that the British athletics establishment decided to go, so there was no attempt to build up an athletics fan base which would have justified the 25,000 capacity (again a requirement of the World Student Games). Even though the spectator facilities were good enough to handle 50,000 plus crowds for the Stones etc., it was clearly not an ideal stadium for rugby.

The new proposals are much more realistic, so here's looking forward to a decent run in these qualifiers, a good full time season in 2016, and qualification for Super League in our nice new stadium in 2017.

Re: Qualifiers Game 1 - Bradford Away : Fri Jul 31, 2015 8:33 pm  

Peteagle wrote: so here's looking forward to a decent run in these qualifiers, a good full time season in 2016, and qualification for Super League in our nice new stadium in 2017. I shall have to give a counter-argument. Who is to say that the RFL will not haul up the drawbridge after this campaign,should their favourite clubs be promoted/retained and they then invent a new Licensing criteria? I am reminded that there is no time like the present and that tomorrow never comes. On another forum there is a suggestion that some of our players do not wish to be full time and will be leaving the club.Getting promoted for them should be a great incentive. There is nothing to suggest that 2 of the Super League clubs are/will be solvent ( going into the future ). If something similar to This Is Mooted it would be nice to finish as high up the Qualifiers table as to be eligible. Would struggling at the bottom of the league ladder assist in higher attendances in the first year at a new stadium? Apart from that - while Saints are fighting back - I don't want to be at Odsal and have to endure Robbie Hunter Paul getting on the PA at half time and bragging about how many points he thinks the Bulls should score in the 2nd half,as he did earlier in the year.

Peteagle wrote: so here's looking forward to a decent run in these qualifiers, a good full time season in 2016, and qualification for Super League in our nice new stadium in 2017. I shall have to give a counter-argument. Who is to say that the RFL will not haul up the drawbridge after this campaign,should their favourite clubs be promoted/retained and they then invent a new Licensing criteria? I am reminded that there is no time like the present and that tomorrow never comes. On another forum there is a suggestion that some of our players do not wish to be full time and will be leaving the club.Getting promoted for them should be a great incentive. There is nothing to suggest that 2 of the Super League clubs are/will be solvent ( going into the future ). If something similar to This Is Mooted it would be nice to finish as high up the Qualifiers table as to be eligible. Would struggling at the bottom of the league ladder assist in higher attendances in the first year at a new stadium? Apart from that - while Saints are fighting back - I don't want to be at Odsal and have to endure Robbie Hunter Paul getting on the PA at half time and bragging about how many points he thinks the Bulls should score in the 2nd half,as he did earlier in the year.

Re: Qualifiers Game 1 - Bradford Away : Sat Aug 01, 2015 12:53 am  

Angelic Cynic wrote: I shall have to give a counter-argument. Who is to say that the RFL will not haul up the drawbridge after this campaign,should their favourite clubs be promoted/retained and they then invent a new Licensing criteria? I am reminded that there is no time like the present and that tomorrow never comes. On another forum there is a suggestion that some of our players do not wish to be full time and will be leaving the club.Getting promoted for them should be a great incentive. There is nothing to suggest that 2 of the Super League clubs are/will be solvent ( going into the future ). If something similar to This Is Mooted it would be nice to finish as high up the Qualifiers table as to be eligible. Would struggling at the bottom of the league ladder assist in higher attendances in the first year at a new stadium? Apart from that - while Saints are fighting back - I don't want to be at Odsal and have to endure Robbie Hunter Paul getting on the PA at half time and bragging about how many points he thinks the Bulls should score in the 2nd half,as he did earlier in the year. Who is to say that the RFL will not haul up the drawbridge after this campaign,should their favourite clubs be promoted/retained and they then invent a new Licensing criteria? I can see modifications being added to the new format,which are obvious. As for favourite clubs,you do your talking on the field of play.If you can't compete with that,then why look for a scapegoat of an excuse. On another forum there is a suggestion that some of our players do not wish to be full time and will be leaving the club.Getting promoted for them should be a great incentive. Only if the full time wages are bigger than they are currently employed/self employed on. Would you take a wage cut? There is nothing to suggest that 2 of the Super League clubs are/will be solvent ( going into the future ). Doesn't look to have happened with the Bulls or the Broncos this season..Still going strong. Would struggling at the bottom of the league ladder assist in higher attendances in the first year at a new stadium? Thats one for you..

Angelic Cynic wrote: I shall have to give a counter-argument. Who is to say that the RFL will not haul up the drawbridge after this campaign,should their favourite clubs be promoted/retained and they then invent a new Licensing criteria? I am reminded that there is no time like the present and that tomorrow never comes. On another forum there is a suggestion that some of our players do not wish to be full time and will be leaving the club.Getting promoted for them should be a great incentive. There is nothing to suggest that 2 of the Super League clubs are/will be solvent ( going into the future ). If something similar to This Is Mooted it would be nice to finish as high up the Qualifiers table as to be eligible. Would struggling at the bottom of the league ladder assist in higher attendances in the first year at a new stadium? Apart from that - while Saints are fighting back - I don't want to be at Odsal and have to endure Robbie Hunter Paul getting on the PA at half time and bragging about how many points he thinks the Bulls should score in the 2nd half,as he did earlier in the year. Who is to say that the RFL will not haul up the drawbridge after this campaign,should their favourite clubs be promoted/retained and they then invent a new Licensing criteria? I can see modifications being added to the new format,which are obvious. As for favourite clubs,you do your talking on the field of play.If you can't compete with that,then why look for a scapegoat of an excuse. On another forum there is a suggestion that some of our players do not wish to be full time and will be leaving the club.Getting promoted for them should be a great incentive. Only if the full time wages are bigger than they are currently employed/self employed on. Would you take a wage cut? There is nothing to suggest that 2 of the Super League clubs are/will be solvent ( going into the future ). Doesn't look to have happened with the Bulls or the Broncos this season..Still going strong. Would struggling at the bottom of the league ladder assist in higher attendances in the first year at a new stadium? Thats one for you..

Re: Qualifiers Game 1 - Bradford Away : Sat Aug 01, 2015 7:53 am  

Have to agree with atomic. Some players edging towards the end of their careers aren't going to be interested in signing full time. It all depends on your personal circumstances and you have to weigh up all the factors.

On the other hand, you never know what's round the corner. we had a player leave the club in 1996 because he had a very well-paid local authority job. He joined another club, part-time. A few months later, the Council gave him the Spanish Archer.

Re: Qualifiers Game 1 - Bradford Away : Sat Aug 01, 2015 10:44 am  

atomic wrote:

I can see modifications being added to the new format,which are obvious. As for favourite clubs,you do your talking on the field of play.If you can't compete with that,then why look for a scapegoat of an excuse.

Only if the full time wages are bigger than they are currently employed/self employed on. Would you take a wage cut?

Doesn't look to have happened with the Bulls or the Broncos this season..Still going strong.

Thats one for you..

I would just like to point out that without Marc Green taking over the club, Bradford would not be anywhere near the level they are currently at. In fact, it's pretty safe to say that there would be no major RL club in Bradford without him.

As for next year's format for the end of season, I think a lot will depend on how the three 8 competitions go. I know Steve Ferres at Bradford has complained regarding things like the marquee player rule for SL making it even more of an uneven playing level than it already was and I'm pretty certain there's been similar grumbles from Leigh. I mean, really the only way to make the middle 8's a fair competition with a chance of promotion for the championship clubs is if those clubs are allowed to spend a comparable wage amount to their SL counterparts. Now, that might give rise to boom and bust ideas, however if the RFL police it properly and have rules in place such as the club must be able to demonstrate that it's income would allow it to match say an average salary of this years bottom 4 SL clubs (which should be easy to work out given the live cap policing going on) then I think there are clubs at championship level who would benefit and have a much better chance of breaking the glass ceiling into SL

Re: Qualifiers Game 1 - Bradford Away : Sun Aug 02, 2015 8:51 am  

Ten To Watch In The Qualifiers - http://the18thman.com/2015/08/01/ten-to ... ualifiers/ Sheffield Eagles hooker James Davey features in my latest article for The 18th Man.

Ten To Watch In The Qualifiers - http://the18thman.com/2015/08/01/ten-to ... ualifiers/ Sheffield Eagles hooker James Davey features in my latest article for The 18th Man.

Re: Qualifiers Game 1 - Bradford Away : Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:00 am  

Strangely as it seems,this first of 7 'Grand Finals' has the cost of admission cheaper by a few quid than it was for adult admission prices for our regular season game at Odsal in May.

It is only £20 - the same as at will be at The Select Security stadium,the all-seater one,at Widnes,the following week.

Gonna be a good month,August...

Re: Qualifiers Game 1 - Bradford Away : Mon Aug 03, 2015 12:07 pm  

Angelic Cynic wrote:

Strangely as it seems,this first of 7 'Grand Finals' has the cost of admission cheaper by a few quid than it was for adult admission prices for our regular season game at Odsal in May.

It is only £20 - the same as at will be at The Select Security stadium,the all-seater one,at Widnes,the following week.

Gonna be a good month,August...

August a good month?Not for you Eagles.

Re: Qualifiers Game 1 - Bradford Away : Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:17 pm  

Mr Jagger wrote:

August a good month?Not for you Eagles.

Well,obviously,September will be better but taking one game at a time is the way it works.

Re: Qualifiers Game 1 - Bradford Away : Mon Aug 03, 2015 3:22 pm  

Angelic Cynic wrote:

Well, obviously, September will be better but taking one game at a time is the way it works.