And finished second in the table.

Good grief there's a blast from the past! Didn't he go onto London too? Awful coach.

Funnily enough, he was a good coach with us, possibly the best we'd had up to then, his problem with Halifax was believed to lie with some of the senior players.

Just stumbled upon this thread..... yawn...I mean, WTF!

How many anti London threads can there possibly be in a season?

London have some issues that they need to sort out - getting a coaching set up that understands defence would be a good start....but I'm sure they know this and are working on it (best they can)...Personally think Powell needs an experienced head to bounce ideas off...he is too inexperienced to handle the role of a SL coach alone.

The marketing at the club is at best dragging it's feet....but London aren't the only team that struggle to fill a ground.

As for the beatings they are supposedly receiving....realistically, this season only Warrington (and suprisingly Salford) have really given them a hammering. St Helens won by 2 scores, as did Hull and Wigan...Widnes got the win this weekend - but hey they beat Wigan.

Do we need a thread everytime a team struggles or gets beaten heavily......St's smashed Leeds....anyone calling for them to drop out the league?

Some seriously short sighted trolls on this site.

Evidence on the crowds ( 1970, 2381 and 4924), or the lack of tollerence ?

Les Catalans , another 'expansion' club , doing rather better in crowds & league position.



I've never understood the move from Broncos to Quinns , they've never rekindled the Edwards- Offiah Branson era Wembley appearance success. :- finished second to Bradford in 1997, beat Canberra Raiders in the World Club Challenge, and reached the Challenge Cup final at Wembley in 1999.

Everyone's quick to judge , 8 games in Saints already done with Royce Simmons ?

Bradford beat Saints , Leeds Hammer Salford , one week later
Salford easily beat Bradford & Saints Hammer the Leeds ' Denis Rodman Select 13' . Wakey beat Catalans , HKR beat Hudd's
still too early in the season to write a team off, never mind closing them down ..

So if we don't agree with you we are trolls, I see how open minded. We may be wrong, we all run that risk but to call it trolling is very insulting - almost super trolling in fact. Wind your neck in and debate.

However I do tend to agree that since the introduction Sky's brand of OTT comment and the introduction of forums people tend to go off on epic rants regarding the state of the game every time there is a shock or worse it goes to form. At the end of the day one team will win SL and another will finish bottom that's a fact. What isn't written in stone is that the same clubs will be there next season.

Oh dear.

I dont think that you have read any of the comments on this thread.
1. Although Catalan are an "expansion" club, the game was already established in the Catalan region and has prospered partly because of this.
2. I dont think people are "having a go" at the Broncos performance on the pitch, albeit they haven't had the best start to the season, its more to do with the strenght of a club that can only muster 2500- 3000 fans on a regular week and whilst you do suffer from the same difficulties as the Dragons (ie limited away support), this level of support wont be enough to sustain the club.
The Broncos need to be strong no the fiels for a sustained period to increase their support and the question is, how will they gain that success ?

Lose London and you miss out on future stars. 3 bronco players make the U`16 team squad. Narrow minded northerners.

Don't forget the jellied eels. Lose London, lose the eels. Lose London and lose the "annual once in a lifetime" trip t'city wi'streets a' paved wi' gold for cloth capped thickos from oooop north.

Lose London, lose Eddie & Stevo and Phil Clarke's Virgin Meter.

Oh, hang on . . :think:

No the sport needs a presence in the south.

I agree 100% with those who are starting to lose patience with the London ESL team.



For 17 years we have had a team in London that apart from finishing 2nd, making the Challenge Cup final and achieving 2 play off finishes the club has done so little for the game when compared to teams like Castleford, Wakefield, Salford and Hull Kingston Rovers who between them have achieved sweet fCk all!

Get real......Londons lack of away support may be a reason to whine, but their home support has absolutely SFA to do with anyone other than their owner.
That they sit second bottom of the table (Wigan have been there and bumped the cap to get out of it) is a worry again for the fans and owner, but SFA to do with the northern knuckledraggers who, like trolls under a bridge, enjoy this type of thread.

I will say this though, if SKY insist on a London team, then it's time to put up or shut up.....Melbourne (100%) and Brisbane (67%) are the 2 main expansion teams in the NRL......without News Ltd propping them up, they'd be in the same boat as London....

Just a thought!

It would appear that a change in the coaching setup might help. London's defence is really poor.

Bottom line is a better team - including not getting absolutely smashed far too often especially at home - for a couple of years, and London's core crowds would increase to more reasonable levels.

The title of the thread simply asks Can London survive. . . . not "should they be in SL". But it seems that you've blindly succumbed to the bait set by the thick knuckledraggers



The answer to the question in the title is also dependant on the owner of the club. If I was a guessing man - I'd say two more seasons of funding a SL club on Championship crowds will convince him that it just isn't sustainable.

I agree with this. The RFL should adjust the rules to help London be a success. Yeah people may not like it but it will benefit the game.

Also I know they are struggling for crowds but remember there must be plenty of london/south based RL fans who support northern teams. I am one one of them so I dont help the london cause at all.

I am spending money traveling north to watch Rugby League.

Then there is the issue of player development, we need a a presence in the south. How will England ever be a dominant force when its player pool is only from the M62 corridor. It is vital that talent from the south and other areas make it into the professional game.

I agree with GF as well, just do it out in the open and above board, no problem

What must David Hughes feel about the Bradford saga?

A heartland club with a 10,000 fan base up the financial crapshoot? What chance have London - long term on crowds of 2,300?

He's a dickwad 99% of the times but have a read of Leaguefreak's article (=#0000FFThe Bradford Bulls Are The Canary In The Coal Mine, And They Are About To Die ) and tell me that it isn't absolutely bang on the money .........

[urlhttp://www.leaguefreak.com/news.php[/url

No they can't, let's finally give the Cougars the chance they deserved in 1996 instead of FCBQE.

Gutterfax my problem is FCBQE contribute nothing to other clubs, where the likes of us do, eg watch us take 1500-2000 to Cas on Friday night.

Fully aware the lack of away fans bothers you roofs....it bothers many, including the Bradford Chairman who wanted to vote us out in 2005......what's that saying about it being a dish best served cold...



For RL to ever become a NATIONAL sport in the UK, a team in the SE is a must.....but the RFL would rather spend money to preserve a hole of a ground that is Oddlsum. (sod the heritage bollox.....they bulldozed wembley quick enough).

London will survive this licence period....after that, I believe they will drop down to CH level unless an investor can be found to replace St David Hughes.

There was already a long history of the sport in the south of France.

As a northern knuckledragger I cannot possibly comment,however I have me ferrets to concentrate on.

Wow a 50 mile journey. Would they all make the trip to London for Friday night game?

50 miles along the M62 is a piece of compared to trying to get from one side of London to another, you should try it one day then wonder why a nomadic team such as 'London' don't have the fan base many clubs do that have/had close knitted communities at the heart of their clubs. It makes a massive difference.