[url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/rugby_league/s/1478475_sale-sharks-all-set-to-join-salford-at-bartonGod help us[/url

So the Leeds yawnian mob were breaking the RU rules, no undersoil heating

plus at our place when will it be installed no close season.

I know having to train at Leigh is bloody disgraceful

So when is it being put in?
If I was the stadium owner, I'd ask Sale for a contribution to this.
Then, on timing, consider to interrupt a local team with 4/5000 fans OR another team with European televised fixtures and attract 6-8000 fans on a cold night.
So we might be playing our final 2012 fixtures at Leigh.

, sorry lads, you have to laugh

Starbug, it's that hilarious I can hardly control my bladder

As i have said before, Take me home Willows road. Our club and history has been sold to the Super league Circus. A very sad day if it happens. If i bump into the Shiek, next match at Man City, i will beg him to save us from sharing our home (even though it now is not) with Yawnion.

FFS it may give us the kick up the back side our club needs , new ideas for advertising etc ( we may , just may learn a little from them). Its still our new home , sir jw wishes only the best for our club ( no matter what some think on here). They may even become our feeder club in the near future!!

Good of the Lions to allow you lot to train at our ground don't you think.It's nice to repay a favour.!!!

Sale fan here,

This has been the worst kept secret in the world. The only people not in on the secret? Us. So let me start by saying please don't think we've all been sat waiting to p!ss on your parade. Because not a single one of us have been informed by the club. That just seems to be how we do things these days. The club are the only ones benefiting from this move as you have good corporate hospitality. That's all they care about.

We initially started looking at grounds when the Premiership criteria was 12,000 capacity and 15,000 for European games. Well it doesn't look like we'll be making a Heineken Cup quarter final any time soon and I'm pretty sure that 12,000 capacity rule disappeared when the financial climate became so difficult.

First and foremost - most of us don't want the move. Nothing personal on Salford or what looks like a nice, modern build ground. But most of our fanbase are from Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke, South Manchester and South of Manchester. For those who don't drive it would be a nightmare to get to. The public transport links don't seem to be much good and unless we do whatever you've been doing, a free shuttle bus seems out of the question. Our club don't even arrange away travel so chance would be a fine thing.

For me it makes little sense other than the corporate side. Do we risk alienating half of our fanbase just so more toffs can watch the game in a box? It seems that way. For a ground with little more than 1,000 extra seats than we already have it seems a lot of messing about.

I'm in no way being negative towards any of you or your club. It would make massive sense in terms of sharing with a Rugby club of a different code. No time clashes, facilities being used all year round. That side I can understand. We're all just a bit annoyed that we haven't even had a meeting with season ticket holders or anything.

If it does happen then the last thing I would want would be the same kind of thing that happened with Stockport. Everybody on the outside thinking we've bullied our way in and that it is somehow the actions of the fans. The amount of we get off Stockport fans, the amount of untrue rumours circulating around every work place in Greater Manchester about things we've apparently done. All not true and doesn't reflect on the fans.

Quite a few Sale fans have already planned on going to your new ground to check it out. Some have also got free tickets through Real Radio and plan on checking a game out. For a stadium in year zero, it could well be we're sharing for x amount of time. So for me personally I can't be doing with another enemy club. Each to their own, but all the "raa raa" this "ruining the pitch" that is a bit boring. Hopefully we can all work together. Judging by the crowd you got on Saturday, the crowds and performances we've been getting. We need to.

Just an observation don't any of your fans come from Sale?

Well, I live in Baguley which is 2 miles from Sale. I'm probably the closest one I can think of.

A bit like Salford being full of United fans, anyone who's been to Sale will know it's the same. I went in a pub for a quiet pint on the day of the Super League Grand Final in 2010 before I went to the game. I thought "we're in Sale, we'll get the metrolink to Old Trafford and have a quiet pint first" - the pub was rammed full of United fans watching the game. If you go in a pub called The Brook near Brooklands station in Sale you'll see a few bits of Sale memorabilia, the same with The Little B. Other than that, Sale is just in the name really. It's a shame. But then when the original move to Stockport happened I imagine the locals were in a similar situation. Sale to Stockport isn't easy on public transport.

That's probably why they think they can move us around so easily. There's a few of us who like to maintain the tradition and don't want to ever change our name or lose the roots from Sale FC. But the club don't really care about history.

Haven't seen you on the union thread for a while Shark J. You mention history so I was wondering, do many of the Sharks supporters (still) follow Sale FC?

Yeah, quite a lot. A lot follow Manchester Rugby Club too. As a lot of people are aware, a lot of Union fans sort of have a local club and then Sale are their big club. One of the reasons why so many people are against the idea of a 3pm kick off on a Saturday is because they either play for an amateur club, follow one or have children who play for one. It's an ongoing argument between fans, some say we're separate clubs, others like myself just see us having different histories from the early 2000's when we became Sale Sharks and moved to Stockport. I'm pretty sure Pete Anglesea who took over temporarily last year and is still involved with us now, also manages Sale FC in some capacity. Our reserves still play at Heywood Road.

Understand your feelings shark j.

I am of the opinion that the stadium must accommodate RL & RU and there will be long term benefits for both clubs.

We have a lot to learn from the Sharks vis a vis Marketing , bums on seats so I see little downside in both clubs using the Stadium.

Its not our clubs decision anyway but if there was an Entrepreneur out there or a few like minded souls with money there could be an opportunity for a deal to buy BOTH clubs - now that would be a way forward & a way for Wilky & Kennedy to get out.

I'm not sure where/how Salford will do this learning from Sale abut marketing. Sale have already said that their administration base will be at Carrington, so it's not as if the two clubs' employees will be working side by side learning off each other. Sale's marketing bods will be (as they are now) in an office elsewhere doing their thing - the difference being, the team, fans and corporates will turn up at Barton every other week instead.

The potential plus for Salford would be that some of those corporates that turn up like the facilities and could maybe be interested in entertaining guests and a more entertaining spectacle. The downsides, apart from the cuckoo factor, would be the pitch issues - Shark J may find it a tedious comment, but did anyone see the state of the Headingley surface after a winter of union on it? If the pitch had to be relaid for undersoil heating or any other reason (I did hear a rumour, which may be BS, that as our pitch contains a proportion of synthetic fibre that isn't allowed in union) you would think it would have to be done in the growing season - i.e. summer. So that's disruption to our fixtures.

Can't Kennedy use his wealth to build a nice banqueting suite at Edgley Park?

Yeah, because that hasn't resulted in city selling their soul, either, has it? I look forward to the day when Salford fans can buy 'loyalty' points.



We need a businessman to buy the club, buy the ground and stick a large percentage of shares in the hands of Forever Reds so we can act as a proper supporter's trust and have a say in the club. Even a PLC structure with the bare minimum shareholding in supporter's hands would work. Long term stability of the club guaranteed and we can then look to build on it. Anything else just leaves us with an uncertain future and not knowing what happens when someone dies, retires or loses interest.

I'll keep dreaming.

GT if a "businessman" bought the club he (or she) would be unlikely to then put control into a supporters trust.

If you really want that to happen and not just be a dream, then the only way is to convince a large number of people to put a (relatively) small amount of money into the trust - e.g. we just need 3,000 hard core SCR fans to put £1,000 each in an bingo there's £3 million quid - probably enough to buy a controlling interest in the club

So if we want to become the Barcelona of the north that's the way to do it!!

I know, that's why I said I'd keep dreaming.



Exactly, but the chances of that happening are remote. There's not enough people who could afford to do that, I'd certainly struggle. Something along the old Shareholders United model would be good, with the annual subscription buying a new set of shares each year with the chance to put a bit more cash in if possible. But if a Manchester United Supporters' Trust can't persuade enough people to put money in to help safeguard the club, then what chance does a Salford trust have?

Having said that, we could always try a Community Shares-esque scheme..

Was a guy in a Sale shirt stood near me on Saturday night - perhaps not the best weather in which to see the ground!

Seem to be struggling here mate as to where he sold Citys soul???? Not getting into a footy argument here, but the shiek have invested alot into the club, promoted the brand of MCFC around the world and seems to have invested in youth and the surrounding areas of Eastlands, more than what Swales, Berstien or Franny Leed did. Wont mention the Glaziers then or Martin Edwards



. Wouldnt mind him propmoting Salford round the world. Would you????

What makes everyone think Sales attendances will be 8000? Their fans may be unwilling to travel over here,then they would be back down to the few thousand they had before the move to Stockport!!!

The same reason as everyone with bigger attendances than ours: [ibetter[/i marketing.

Although, I once spotted an newspaper ad for Sale RU tickets and I didn't get any. Dunno if they put a trainee in charge for that campaign?

I couldn't give two hoots if Sale move in to be honest.... If the RL product is strong enough it will stand on it's own... if it's not... it won't.

The only thing that will destroy Salford RLFC is Salford RLFC and the people that run it... Not Sale.

I'm pretty sure people wouldn't be so worked up and upset about Sale if this club was in a healthy position and we were all confident about where we are heading. Fact is... we've been poorly run for years and people are finally starting to panic a little... and seeing Sale as a threat.

The people at the top of the club won't be worried either due to the 'I'm alright Jack' attitude.

Have to agree with LF unfortunatley at salford the people in key positons at the club dont make the right decitions / show the right leadership / ambition to take us to the next level, i do feel sorry for the people who actually do the work its a uphill battle every day.

People are worried about sale coming and taking over, what they are taking over exactly id like to know, they wont own the stadium, from what i see they are mid table at present and have a quite important month, flop and they will be down near the bottom they arnt the sale of a few years ago most of their "stars" have gone they are a team in transformaton at present and we have seen so many faulse dawns who is to say sale wont do the same.

I did see on Granada tonight sale would play at barton "if the price was right" which is a bit cheeky imo, the stadium was built for the people of the city of salford to enjoy and the facilities with the help of the council if sale arnt willing to pay "full rent" as they arnt salford in anyway and wont bring anything to the city then they know were stockport is stay there where the majority of their support comes from.

Living in sale i can say ive seen more salford shirts than ive seen Sale shirts, ive not met anyone who goes to games yet or seen any presence at all in the town which reaily suprised me apart from The Brooklands pub and the Little bee which both have Sale Memoria in so for me its fair game to advertise our games in local chippys / shops if Sale do end up moving to salford in the future.

We will see i surpose but it does mean EVERYONE involved at salford city reds both players, staff and fans will need to up their game if we are to keep Sale honest and in their place