Agree 100% people are too easy to write Crusaders and Wrexham off as a disaster but there are people who have been won over in the area and give them a side to support and a say in the running of the club and it could be an exciting time ahead.

It is easier said than done but lets hope someone takes the bull by the horns and gets the wheels in motion. I think 1,500 is a reasonable target average and if the University will rent the ground accordingly to any new club and players are paid within those sort of constraints then bring it on.

that was just aimed at starbug personally, his one eyed views against crusaders from the moment they came into the game has been nothing but negative

You were contributing to a vein in a thread which was far from just a personal attack.

I've been in a crowd of a club already relegated, the community spirit involved fans singing "going down" but none of this. I'm not saying it wasn't admirable, but we've seen a taste of the modern rugby league spirit on here since. People feel sorry for the crusaders in a way they wouldnt if it was a Wakefield or a Leigh. When you take into account that this comes across as sycophancy.

And let's not make any mistake, they're not in this position because of politics or cynical fans like starbug or "The RFL" who have been incredulously been blamed. They're in it because in spite of the RFL giving them all the help they could muster including aiding them to sign illegal Australian players, they were thrown in far too early on the basis of several porkies and a dodgy owner.

Quote ="number 6"that was just aimed at starbug personally, his one eyed views against crusaders from the moment they came into the game has been nothing but negative'" You mean like the posts i made in this thread ? viewtopic.php?f=2&t=503459 I would say they are mostly constructive , rather than bitter or ' one eyed ' ?

Quote ="number 6"that was just aimed at starbug personally, his one eyed views against crusaders from the moment they came into the game has been nothing but negative'" You mean like the posts i made in this thread ? viewtopic.php?f=2&t=503459 I would say they are mostly constructive , rather than bitter or ' one eyed ' ?

See now they're in the same regionish then I agree by the quota restrictions etc however having a brand new team playing out of south wales, it was always going to be incredibly difficult to attract northern based players.
While we're on the subject of quotas Halifax flaunt it ridiculously, why are you so down on the Cru, I think it was a year or two ago fax were 5 players over the quota

Were they really? Really? So they got sanctioned by the RFL, or did you forget to tell them? And these imports were all working illegally? See how it works?

Why you so down on Halifax? They steal your sweeties?

Im not at all, I think they should have been promoted a few weeks ago.
But before we all start harping on about quota dodging there's plenty of it done by the heartland clubs too and for much less reason

Rugby League didnt fail in North Wales it was the owners that failed Rugby League in North Wales.

It does have an affect on how they build an RL community, with people like you death riding their club and gloating at the 'vindication' of their demise its no surprise people arent falling over themselves to get involved.

Such a shame for the club. Just shows how the game is run by money.

Thanks for the memories Crusaders players/staff and fans.

You have too high of an opinion of flatcappers. You really think a few comments on a tiny forum can influence people's decision to support/not support a club? Come om Smokey, you can do better than that. Time for one of your massive posts to pull this one out of the crapper.

, you really crack me up , don't talk utter bollox , no gloating , what's this ' death riding ' rubbish ? , it telling it as it is , you want to try it sometime

There were a few Warrington shirts around the town, 4 or 5 Saints shirts and a couple wearing Leeds shirts on Sunday, so not everyone wanted Cru's to fail!

Hopefully RL fans in North Wales get a team to support in future.

Nobody wanted them to fail , but what we want or don't want isn't relevant , good business practice and common sense is what will decide if any business succeeds or fails , that and a huge slice of luck

I have a couple of friends who are Cru fans, and I feel really gutted for them.

The only ones to blame in this saga are The RFL.
Celtic Crusaders weren't ready for Super League when the last franchise announcement was made, and unfortunetely, as with any business plan built on shifting sand, it was doomed to failure.

I hope they come back in the championship next season, but I've got a feeling that a merger with South Wales Scorpions may well be the only way forward, unless the loyal Cru fans of North Wales really, really WANT Rugby League, and are willing & able to watch it in the lower divisions for the next 3 years.

When the withdrawal was announced I was of the belief a merger with Scorpions would be the final outcome but after Wakefield and in particular Sundays game I think there is a real will to keep a side in North Wales and if Scorpions can survive on less than 400 gates then a new Cru who would be looking at least 3 times that in Championship and perhaps double in Championship 1 would surely be able to give it a go.

Of course the rent to play at the Racecourse would have an effect and if that can not be smoothed out possibly moving to somewhere like Rhyl would probably lose even more fans (though it would be better than a merger) but a Conference club playing out of Wrexham RUFC has to be the least of any ambitions and a team playing half their games in the north and half in the south does not sound appealing at all.

Never been to Wrexham RUFC but if they have facilities up to hosting Championship 1 rugby and a deal for the Racecourse can not be sorted out then that might be a starting option but to be honest it is all up in the air and if anyone will step up tho the plate and get in negotiations with the RFL, Uni and other parties time will tell.

I think the main thing is there must be a side for the fans to support next season at whatever level and once pledges of support have turned into real money through the gate it will be easier to see what sort of future the game has in North Wales from 2013 and beyond.

Which is exactly why it should be the RFL talking to the Uni right now , there isn't time to find another ' investor ' , the RFL should commit now to 3 more years of RL at Wrexham

In fact a club at Wrexham could become the model for future expansion of the game , close enough to encourage traveling support from other clubs , close enough to encourage the use of Dual Reg players initially

A spreading system rather than a satellite system

If the ground work needs to be done by the RFL then passed on to some sort of Supporters Trust or a different owner then so be it, in some ways it would be better if it was Supporter lead rather than RFL lead but whoever does it it needs to happen ASAP if only so the divisional structure can be settled as soon as the Grand Finals are over so everyone knows where they stand throughout the game.

Its not just a few comments on a tiny forum, it’s a huuuge amount of comments on the biggest RL forum. Do I think it is a sole reason for peoples decision making? No
Do I think its party of a pervasive attitude which could affect the image people hold of the game which will be part of their decision making process? Certainly

Doesn't "a huge amount of comments on the biggest RL forum" tell you something? Doesn't it explain how and why people feel as they do?

Think very carefully before you type, lest you make a bigger fool of yourself, bless

This video is not what RL is about. Disgusting. The away fans should be dishing the abuse out dealing with the home supporters.

Apparently there's going to be a news conference sometime tomorrow about the club's future - linky thingy on the Crusaders board (havn't put it in so that people will see that Starbug isn't the flatcapped iconclast that people think he is).

If they shove them in the Championship with quota and parachute payment , I'll probably explode

It certainly tells me what a small but very vocal minority of fans of a very small but very vocal minority of clubs think, Sweetheart

Yes we have ' mind control ' over the Welsh populace , we managed to convine all but a thousand or so not to go watching RL