Based on what I'm seeing here yes I do believe I'm better informed than quite a few posters. Sorry if that offends your desire to be Jonny Big Cock on an internet forum.


Where have I said I support the current "regime" (what an interestingly loaded term)? What I'm opposed to vehemently are SL club owners, who have shown themselves utterly incapable of running their own clubs with any sort of business success, making a power and money grab. They are the last people we should be giving the levers of power to.

Elstone has my support as an administrator and he seems a relatively good man with an ok CV. As an RFL CEO or SL General manager he'd be a fine appointment and I hope he becomes one. His initial approach and allowing himself to be revealed as a puppet of Ian Lenagan of all people showed a worrying lack of judgement that he has struggled to recover from. I hope that he does recover (his more recent statements are much more measured) and improves all the areas that SL is failing on at the moment. There is plenty of need for change: commercial, structure, quality of product, game image.

The biggest problem however is the clubs who are, almost as one, lazy and unimaginative, bloated by a Sky funding safety net. If there was a single one of them which showed they were growing crowds or revenues or bettering fan engagement in any way other than the relative lottery of on field success I'd be interested to hear what they had to say. Instead most are treading water or worse in Wigan's case. If Elstone drives some change at club level and forces them to accept their responsibilities to the sport and to the league rather than just blaming the RFL for everything like a bunch of spoiled brats then he will quickly earn my respect and support.

Insults aside, you might gain more traction for your arguments were you to specify of what your inside info consists. You may be unfamiliar with this board but it's awash at times with folk reckoning to be ITK - only to be shown subsequently to have been spouting b*ll*cks.

Incidentally, I for one would love it if Lenahan had come up with a coherent strategy to right the game's wrongs. But I'm struggling to find anything of real substance, particularly now that all parties seem agreed that funding to the lower league's can't be cut, at least in the short term. Though it is, I admit, entirely possible I've missed it through being away while the fallout from the initial statement was continuing.

I run an international music company supplying music to the film and TV industries. However Ghost of 99 is apparently better informed than me (see above post) and I'm just playing "Johnny Big Cock" so perhaps your questions would be better directed to him. I've tried to add what I know (or at least what I'm at liberty to divulge) but your resident internet know it all seems to find it laughable that anyone could be in a position to have information that he isn't privy to. I wouldn't ask his sources, or specifically what they've said, but I'd be damned interested to know what it is he does or who he knows that gives him such an unassailable confidence that his information is better than mine!

No matter. I've added my piece. People will either believe there is a massive problem heading our way or they won't. C'est la vie.

International Music Company eh? Well that's me convinced! FFS!

Are you Simon Moran? Do I win five english pounds?

This thread suddenly got a whole lot more interesting. My money's on it being Daniel Bedingfield.

We've gotta get through this.

Keep it clean guys.

Must be Simon Cowell. He's a regular darn t'lane.

Go on then...are you Chaka Deemus or infact Pliers?

I'll see your pliers and raise you a Shabba Ranks

idiots.he's one half of black lace

Maybe he is infact Gabrielle's fabled right eye.

That may well be the case but they are still significantly higher than all the heritage championship clubs - but they have only had 100 years to build a support base

Spot on.

I am always right.

try changing hands !

I see the RFL have just published some great financial results (sic) - these are the people you want to decide how the game finances are divided up and negotiate the next TV deal.

I would assume Elstone like his SL general manager predecessors will take a lead in the relationship with Sky.

That is not your stated preference - Elstone will do as the majority of SL chairman want e.g. Leneghan, McManus, Moran etc. this is something you are strongly against.

I didn't state a preference on it, but quoting a loss for "the RFL" as if they were ever solely negotiating Sky deals is misleading anyway.

The clubs always have input and indeed a vote but that input has previously been properly tempered by a grown up in the room who keeps at the very least an eye out for the wider interests of the sport compared to club bosses who as we know mostly value security and as much money as possible.

If you like though we can play the "I see club X have just announced some great financial results" game forever if that's how we're deciding our negotiators. In the end we'll find Gary Hetherington and Adam Pearson in a room with Sky as everyone else will have been ruled out. That would probably work out ok actually as long as our two negotiators didn't come to blows.

Yes, an international music company.

So the last deal was tempered by GH and you thought that was a good move, despite you saying it was a terrible deal handled very badly. Personally I think its a good move that the clubs are taking ownership of the deal and the distribution of the monies, they after all are the very people the TV companies are paying for.

The RFL like the FA need to concentrate on growing the international and grass roots element of the game and trying to do something about the CC which has become an irrelevance with the exception of one game in August.

I know you have a bit of a reputation for just making stuff up but could you point me in the direction of anywhere where I said any of the above?

Seriously, this ain't gonna work if you build straw giants all over the place.

No straw men here - just a challenge to your postings

So you didn't say that GH was a tempering view in and amongst the SL chairman - a man who was taking a broader view of the game?

Did you not say the last SL deal was poorly negotiated i.e. take it or leave it?

Are you saying GH had little influence on the last take it or leave it deal - because either he was the tempering voice or he wasn't, which is it?

Latest news from Elstone
Expect an announcement of change within the next 2 weeks
He confirmed that any changes cannot affect what happens this season.
He added: “The format is established and we have to accept the consequence of whatever happens in the Qualifiers. That will dictate what division clubs are competing in in 2019.”

Looks like we are going to see the end of the Super 8`s with a one up and one down from SL.
Only GH opposed the proposal from all the other SL clubs and I think it got through on a 78% majority vote.
The next thing we will see is Bradford Bulls promoted win or lose to the Championship next year which will be good for the game no doubt.