In the seventeen and half years I have been a Salford fan, it’s not possible to say we have progressed as a Club. During that time we have not seriously competed for the Division One / Super League on a single occasion, in fact we have only made the Play-Offs once (and were soundly beaten in the first round). We haven’t appeared in a Challenge Cup Final, yet Sheffield, London, Catalans and Huddersfield all have, despite them being smaller or comparably sized clubs to our own.

We have been relegated twice, and become the proud holder of the most unwanted record in the League (largest defeat). Our Super League win percentage (up to and including 2010) is 30%. In the Super League era, we have seen our team concede over 50 points on 32 occasions.

We have struggled to bring through good young local talent. Players such as McAvoy, Southern, Adamson, Littler, Coley, Platt, Alker and Ratchford have all built careers, but we have missed out on three of the best Salfordian RL players in history during that time (Betts, Morley and Hansen).

Our attendances haven’t improved and we still rely on a small hardcore to follow the Club through thick and thin. In 2000 our average attendance was 4,452, last year it was 4,166. We haven’t mounted a single intelligent, sustained (longer half a season) marketing campaign to attract new fans in the entire time I have been watching.

There have been many, many examples of poor management and leadership at the Club. The current Alker saga is just the latest in a long line of dramas, cock-ups and broken promises. We couldn’t manage to organise a testimonial game for one of our most loyal recent players (Paul Highton). We’ve not been represented at important events (Super League season launches, local festivals). There was the balls up and subsequent change in the Season Ticket offer a few seasons ago. We’ve had employees threatening the fans (Lowes) and threatening to sue critics (McRae). There was Jacksonvillegate and the captaincy u-turn. Each year there seems to be some issue around merchandise (late, poor quality). We have had to be bailed out by the Council. These are only recent examples that spring to mind: if I was to go back over the whole seventeen years I suspect I’d be here a while.

There are some bright spots on the horizon for us, most notably the new stadium. But, this has only become a reality due to the continued hard work of our Chairman, the clout of Salford City Council and the business acumen of Peel Holdings. If it was left to the Club to sort out we wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Steve Simms gets the blame for much of what goes on in the playing side of our Club, but as an employee of Salford Rugby League Football Club he must surely report in to the Chief Executive? Which brings me to my point: one man has been tasked with the job of running this Club, of taking it forward. Whilst we are in a better position than some of our peers (Leigh, Swinton, Widnes) this should not be considered an achievement. We haven’t progressed in any tangible respect bar the Stadium during this entire time, and isn’t it time we did? We need new ideas, new leadership and a new focus. For too long we’ve stagnated, and as fans been humiliated and treated badly by the Club. It’s time for someone new to take over.

First class post 'Diavolo Rosso'

Diavolo Rosso - you're absolutely right...

BUT I remember Mr Wilkinson being interviewed on GMR a coouple of years ago saying he would sell if someone came along with the club's best interests at heart and be prepared to take on the debts and the on going committment to pouring money into an open bucket - I suspect no such person has materiaised or is likely to in the near future.

So what to do?

I don't think DR is having a dig at JW or saying [ihe[/i has to go I believe it's our Chief Exec that he's suggesting may need moving on not JW.

I understand that, but the very fact that JW did say he would sell (and ultimately everything is for sale at a certain price!) together with the poor performance of the board as per DR's excellent post does rather point to a bit of a rudderless ship.

Bang on DR.
You appear to summed the whole thing up, but as you say, there are probably plenty more examples you could have mentioned.
Perhaps a more current puzzler to me is: Why on earth is there still no large and clearly visible sign adjacent to the Barton site, informing all who pass by (either daily or infrequently) just what is being built there. I'm sure many motorists drive past it each day thinking, "what is that going to be".
There's no time like the present, this should be sorted without delay, but it's Salford RLFC and it probably won't happen. Already another missed opportunity.

Think thats more down to Council/ Peel not wanting to suggest its SCRs ground to be fair. At the end of the day its there land n they control what goes up there. Bad publicity etc

?? ok, perhaps you have a point, but isn't it going to have something there sooner or later with the club's name on ? Therefore, why not discuss the possibilities with the Council/Peel and come to some sort of compromise for the time being. Maybe they have and it's a non-starter (although I would find that puzzling). If I'm wrong here so be it, but just something that has been on my mind.

JJ dont get me wrong id love a 200 foot tall red neon sign saying 'home of SCR' but ive long learnt theres more to this stuff than meets the eye. Gona take a massive leap of faith and say the club would have at least thought about it but have been knocked back for political reasons. Lets face it we all know the hassle its caused the council. All we can do from a fans point of view is keep telling friends, family, work colleagues etc etc that that ground being built will be our new home.
The CGI flythrough stuff being bounded around on the website has our logo on the stadium so im happy with that for the time being.

Probably need planning permission pal

...spot on mate

Rite so we now saying SCR's Chief Exec line manages the rugby side/ Steve Simms? Please forgive my ignorance and correct me but way i had it was they were seprate and Chief exec ran off field e.g. admin, marketing, retail and we had a Director of Rugby to deal with all things rugby related e.g travel, academy, players etc???. Both reported to board on own areas.
Does our Chief Exec line manage the rugby side? If this the case it might alter my opinion of the whole thing!

Nobody seems to know for sure. It's customary for employees of a company to report in to the CEO, but he may have a direct line in to the Board. Either way nobody has made it clear, which demonstrates a lack of clear communication to the fans.

Working on the assumption David Tarry [idoesn't[/i have any oversight on the football side, he clearly has very little involvement with Barton, and doesn't have the job of running the Variety Centre so what exactly [iis[/i he doing?

Fair enough. In the private sector that would be the case but not sure in the crazy world of sport where we live! Director of Rugby and whole manner of titles crop up across RL, RU, soccer, cricket etc.

From an outsider looking in Mr Wilkinson has praised Tarry a couple of times in events at the Willows and the papers. So i do tend to go with what he thinking. Not defending anyone and just trying to look at it from outside but maybe its a case of being seen and not heard. I know with my job i quietly go about doing what i do (very well i might add

) and dont kick up a fuss.

Variety Centre is ran by other aspects of the Wilkinson family iirc. Taking away rugby side that leaves commercial, community, marketing, media, lottery and the shop. Will our Chief Exec head up those?? We do do some good stuff with these - i get pulled for my lottery quid and recieve a load of stuff email wise about what we do.

Im first to bag the club and have a moan - but do think we get some stuff right and lets not forget that.

Good post Mike

GREAT post from Diavolo Rosso and Wheatsheaf Arms (and all others):

we need a firm direction in the very near future:
we cannot assume the franchise is nailed on
the new ground is not ours and we are main tenant only as long as Pel will allow
we urgently need to grow

Re your last comments, WA, the club is both a business and astrong part of our emotions, expectations and lives. Therefore we expect business models and plans to be more obvious than, say, a retail outlet.

I keep on posting my concerns re Sale: I work very close to their current home and realise both the ambitions of Mr Kennedy and also the dismal way County have been treated by the rugby giant. Without rigorous leadership, Salford could become a poor and pitied relation in any future stadium share.

Are you new here? You just don't seem to get it...

Let me help you:
1 "Us fans deserve to know more about this."
2 "Does anyone even know what he/she does?? SACK HIM/HER!!"
3 "This is my lowest point in the __ years of supporting the club."
4 "I said from the start our squad was sh*te - Admire me for how right I was."
5 "What a performance, I knew that group of players had it in them."

A little more of the above, if you don't mind. We don't take kindly to your original tact.
*Naturally, point 5 is only to be used sparingly.

JJ There are two signs on the A57 which clearly state "City of Salford Community Stadium-Home of Salford City Reds" they are visible quite easily from which ever direction you are travelling and you will agree that if I can see them anyone can.

I presume that once all the stands are constructed some other signs will appear directed to the Barton Bridge route.

Whilst agreeing with a lot of what is said... I also think that we have to look at the fact that we haven't gone down the same path as the likes of Swinton. Our budgets have been poor... yet we are still talked about as being one of the best run clubs in the game.

I think considering all the negative facts... we still have a SL club. We can bang on about the new stadium on the horizon... that's going forward... but I doubt it would have happened without the work put in over the last few years.

How we have done it and who is directly responsible is probably difficult to answer due to the fact that the people who are at the club tend to muck in... is it ideal ?... not really... it's probably far from the ultimate professional set up... but something has been done right over that time.

Don't get me wrong... I've had some real gripes about things that have been done over the past, and still have... but the big picture says we are currently the 12th best rugby league club in the country (based on current league table)... agreed... it also says we could do things a lot better than we have... but all in all as a club from the foundations up it ain't too bad... it's when we look at the top of the pile with the playing and coaching side we have issues.

Some good posts here.

For me, putting aside any rumours and fine detail, the Club faces something that it's never faced since I started watching them twenty-four years ago. The die-hard fans are almost giving-up the ghost.

We have all rode the peaks and troughs of supporting a Club like Salford. A Club who has been mostly underwhelming since the seventies and the difference between then and now is the fact that fans are tired of watching the Club fail to realise its ambitions. We see most other SL sides progressing ten-fold very quickly at the moment and it makes us itchy and nervous about if we might ever see it happen to our beloved Club. We keep watching and waiting and all we see is the same level of mediocre on the pitch barring those frustrating glimpses of a team that we could really be. The lack of progress on the pitch is dictated by decisions made off it. The hiring of decent coaches, managers, trainers should be the most important choices made by the Club. These are the people who can mould what we have to push forward slowly to where we want to be. We could have the greatest players in the world but if they are not fit, trained badly, and managed poorly we wont be any good.

We don't have the luxury of having the best players in the world. Talented players, yes. Hard-working players, yes. With the right people behind them they could take us on to the next level.

If it wasn't for the new Stadium, I believe that Salford would very quickly disappear into the Championship, never to return. We may still do. The Stadium doesn't guarantee us anything, although I personally believe that it will be our 'get out of jail free' card come the end of the season. If that's the case, I really fear that the current competence of what goes on at the Club will mean we will be prime candidates for the drop out of SL, if not this time, then surely the next. There's no way even Salford fans could argue we deserve a place in the top flight if after 6 years in the SL in its current state, we show no, or very little progress on the pitch.

We are at a very complicated crossroads as a Club at the moment and we really need to pick the right road. Fans are at breaking point, Club seems to be imploding internally, and a lack of direction on the pitch. There needs to be changes. Not necessarily big ones, but the right ones and right now.

Not new no. Various guises have come and gone on here - memory for passwords is c"!p. Long time sufferer/ passionate SCR & RL as we all are!

Apologies for trying to look at all sides of the argument.

Im off to do my lines and will return to the forums with your suggested mantra! I lost my focus temporarily and dont know what came over me!

couldnt have put it better myself, at the end of the day we are small club who thinks were a big club, until we change our mindset and start acting like a big club we will never be, it hurts me to see the way our club is run and wish "we, us fans" could do something about it(anyone got a couple of quid to buy the club?)

all we can do is support the club in the meantime but some decisions they make is laughable sometimes, well most of the time !!!!!

Great post DR, some real good points there.

It seems to me at present the football side of our organisation is in a real mess at present so who is to blame? How high up the chain do you cut, we at salford run on a tight budget and our bean counters do a marvelous job balancing our finances, we are expanding our development into new areas of the field so that's a good thing

The director of football must be the man who carrys the can regarding the football department The CE looks down apon high at the whole organisations.

I'm not saying ss must go, he has signed some quality but he has signed some errors, we will never know how good of a director of football he is till we get something to compare him too.

I've been trying to say more or less the same thing for ages, maybe not putting it quite as eloquently as that though!!

First class post!!

Good post by The Butcher. As a die hard fan myself for over 50 years I am finding it harder and harder to motivate myself to go to the games. I actually had more motivation when we were in the championship league.

While we may never be the best in super league I look at clubs like Castleford for instance who have come on in leaps and bounds over the last couple of season whereas we just havent changed at all. We may be a professional rugby club but I feel we are still being run as an amateur club. I cannot imagine he likes of Wigan, St Helens etc letting all what is going on behind the scenes at our club carry on without dealing with it quickly and finally.

I am not asking for miracles just a well run club with strong leadership so that people will know and understand that this sort of lack of professionalism will not be tolerated both from players coaches and office staff.