But he SAYS it with such a sense of FLAMBOYANCE!!

Why can NO ONE underSTAND the IMPORTANCE of the post is beyond ME!!!

Just how many of the moaning mini's have bothered to attend the Stoop rather than slagging off the club?

I was their for that one boy it was a cold night and a crap game of Rugby.

I love for quins to do well but I'm now at a lost of how to do it. They couldn't even give away 2,500 pairs of tickets. For me the ground is great sometimes its a pain in the ass to get to. But I dont think the Quins brand works. I would drop it and I would like to them to leave the stoop but thats the question where to. There is no where unless they can build their own ground.

East End of London. Plenty of room at Dagenham now that Ford has slimmed down and released land for development. Next to the high speed line, M25, national rail and tube.

Not that simple though is it?

In spite of what some of the bores on this site say, analysing the current state of Harlequins is entirely fair. We're living in an era where clubs are being judged with a fine toothed comb on and off the pitch. Not just Harlequins. Everyone. It's pretty tough to run a club during a recession, any club. Yet the RFL are making large demands of clubs. Except one or two who are exempt. Are these for the good of the game as a whole? Probably. Can they be sustained in the long term without someone losing a lot of cash? Probably not.

Crowds in this game are a massive source of income. It's understandable that teams in danger of losing their super league place because of their off the pitch presentation and look towards the likes of quins with annoyance. Their crowds are getting worse. The likes of wakefield and cas have stronger clubs on the whole, and they're in rugby areas not dominated by a local union club. Yet they are the ones up for dropping out of super league for god knows how long. I suspect 3 years will be too optimistic considering there are teams waiting longer.

It is natural the quins question pops up now and again. It's not particularly helpful, they are probably a necessary evil and by that I mean a weaker team being kept up top artificially and to the expense of others. But they do have to change and it isn't always cloth cappery which brings a spotlight on their fragility. That's just a convenient and frustrating get out clause around here. It's okay to pour as much scourn on some clubs as you like but leave the RFL's projects alone and don't dare question their long term viability.

Of course, there are precious few answers to the big questions surrounding quins. They've moved here there and everywhere. There are always calls to move. Yet they move and then when the crowds don't turn up they need more time to settle because they've moved too much. Until people realise this latest move wasn't the answer and they move again. They even appear to be bumping crowds up to the 1900 mark judging by the television I saw on Saturday. With this in mind I can totally understand the frustration of any fan about to see their team significantly weakened by licensing maneuvres, I've been there myself, it feels like an injustice.

I suspect sky money or no sky money, London are going no where. They're staying in the top league. I do hope they manage to find a better solution than Quins though, as it isn't working there and that is obvious. But given the increased costs of life in the capital and the scarcity of suitable stadiums like I say the answer is difficult.

Which clubs are exempt and what evidence for this exemption do you have? All clubs are going through the license process so its difficult to see which are exempt.
If clubs cant get an SL license they only have their selves to blame. We arent demanding a particularly high standard.

The league does have some artificiality to it. Christ, we put limits on the teams clubs can and cant put out, we have a salary cap which has a stated purpose of artificially levelling the competition. If we are artificially creating competition why isnt artificially deciding who is in the competition simply a natural part of what we are already doing.

They do need to find answers, nobody denies that, nobody denies they need to increase crowds, but thats only one part

Smokey, I've told you. You are wasting your breath. I wont play your games so don't bother replying to me. Anyone else wants to reply, fine. But you, no.

For what it's worth - your post was bob on mate. Smokey's on a different planet to everyone.

Which was Doncaster was it not? If it wasn't then it was Toulouse, no?

Yes. Let's bring in Fax, Leigh, Barrow and Sheffield.

We've already established Toulouse were exempt.

Exempt from being the worst? No...carry on...

Relegation.

Considering you're a poster I actually respect it means more than a rebuttal by a fake.

You mentioned relegation. Who mentioned the third worst team being relegated? What has that got to do with what Starbug said?

I'm surprised no-one's mentioned Gutterfax's 20 Point Plan, it's brilliant.

On a slightly different note it was obvious that the Wigan fans out numbered the crusaders fans at wrexham today, i dread to think what the atmosphere is like at these places when the travelling team doesnt have a large away support

It's not my problem people have difficulty with understanding basic english.

Mind you there are posters on these forums for whom 2 planks show more intelligence and thought, but that's just the way it is.

The forums even allow some, some modicum of "power" and boy don't they "ABUSE" it.

Personally I don't bother.

I have been to the Stoop twice this year and also went to the pre season friendly between Quins and Skolars. The Stoop for me is the best place to watch RL in the UK. Relaxed environment friendly and customer focused. I have taken friends who tend to lean towards Union BUT even though they have loved the experience they have one major hang up and that is the Quins connection. They are loathed in RU circles and as such be it RL football, cricket whatever people will not follow them.

Since the Cas game (I tool free tickets through ES) I have had emails and answered a questionnaire. Unfortunately that will not bring me back through the gates. Not because I don't want to go but because its a ball ache to get to and in all honesty I get my fix through Sky when I am not at the KC or Hull away games.

London embraces ALL sports but Football is #1 by a country mile. I was at Lords this week for Middlesex v Surrey and there was only about 2000 there ( a good crowd for them) that was a local "derby"

I certainly think one or two other clubs crowds should be looked at. Salford, the Giants top of the league but only 6000 at last game. Wakey etc. All have had a century + to build a following but imo fail on the crowd front. Its not as if the giants have a new stadium to look forward to.

Bottom line is only us fans care about crowds the RFL only care for corporate and I suspect clubs only care for that too. Certainly my club only care for corporate despite so many of us turning up. So long as that is the case Quins Crusaders Salford etc will survive in SL

Try the Stoop when Catalans are visiting and you will soon know

Yes they were/are which devalues the competition , as for Leigh , we were relegated , but unfortunatley Gateshead had financial problems , resulting in them requesting being demoted to the lower league , if you have a problem with that , ring the RFL

Problem? Looks like nothing more than a simple question to me.

Being you it would have to be simple

we must of had 100-150 at the stoop on saturdayand no way was there another 1700 quinns fans there,more like 1000 .

let's be honest. If you've got a Salford fan poking holes in your crowds, you know you've got a problem.

Still, if they've only got 1000 fans it lessens the chance that one of them is as embarrassing to the club as you are to Salford WR.