I have followed this great game for 20 odd years now and feel that, without doubt, the game has never been in such a dishevelled state.

The sport destroying parasites at the Rfl are top think and/or stubborn to notice this.

YES THEY MIGHT BLAME THE ECONOMIC RECESSION BUT THIS IS NOTHING BUT A KOP OUT.

The fact is that the games image is at an all time low and the floating supporters, derided on here maybe by game obsessed folk, are extremely important to the sports finances and are being driven away by the failed licensing system.

The game is suffering at ALL levels and in years to come this chapter of English rl history will be one to write off.

lol

Cheer up, that's how I used to feel too, but Smokey pointed me the the RFL's strategic plans, and now I see they have everything under control. It's all part of a brilliant master plan, probably.

Compared to the 1970s and 1980s now remains a Golden Age.

Nurse! He's got out again!

Not long before the clocks go forward.

Good thread this.

Darkest days were 1981. Thrum Hall toilets had no lights and the smell? Sheeeeesh, the smell. Now, we have lighting. We have pineapple cubes. We have goddamn enamel sinks with running taps and hot water!!! We may not be in the top flight anymore but we are hygenic. These are golden times.

You dont actually contribute much do you ?

Well they are nice and clean , maybe because nobody is using them

It was considerably more thoughtful and considered than the post made by the OP.

As 'Him' intimated, when it's a topic worth contributing to in a thoughtful way, I might do. When it's pointless doom-mongering and depressing nonsense, I'll keep replying on its own level.

No , you dont have an opinion on anything , you just post childish insults because you dont actually have an argument to put forward , very tedious actually

Nah you're right, I apologise, it's much more constructive to scream WE'RE DOOOOOOMED I TELL YA, DOOOOMED.

I rest my case m'lud

You had a case to make? There was me thinking you'd been giving a fair and balanced view of the facts of RL.

I thought it was one of the better posts in this thread

Starbug is just upset because he agrees with the OP

Where have I offered an opinion on it? , apart from my little joke with littlerich ?

The OP is entitled to an opinion, if you disagree, fine but do so by giving your thoughts on it, its not hard to do surely

ON TOPIC or you are all out, and you'll have to then speak to your wives/husbands/kids etc...

Seriously, at the risk of sounding like an old man talking to his kids the sport has been in much, much worse state than this as recently as the late 70s and early 80s.

Even the biggest clubs were struggling to draw 10k crowds for league games. If stadia had a roof that didn't leak and toilets that didn't need wellies to walk through they were considered luxury. The elite players had day jobs because the sport couldn't afford for them to be full time, training a couple of times a week and playing on a weekend.

The sport may not be perfect, but it's a long way ahead of where it was back then.

and it got a lot better when clubs like Wigan starting attracting money to the sport with star players and big name signings. And yet, according to some this nearly destroyed the game. Those same people need to look at what the game was like before the likes of Uncle Mo came along before they start talking about lowering the cap and shouting down the ambition of Koukash with their 'slow and steady' advice.

It may not have very nearly destroyed the game, but in the long run it very nearly destroyed Wigan RLFC

But it didn't. Besides, what would *really* have happened? A new Wigan RL would have appeared. A rugby town like Wigan wouldn't just stop having a club. It's not at all helpful for clubs to go bust and I'm all for working very hard to minimize the possibility, *but* nor should we be so absolutely terrified of it that it stifles all ambition. There are plenty ways to go bust other than overspending on players. A slow terminal decline to amateurism is much the same thing, and no less painful.

In practise, it's the owners at the time and the club's creditors ( who make a calculated decision in extending credit to any customer ) who get hit the worst.

A complete clear out at the top and we have a great future