... am I the only one who is struggling to muster up ANY enthusiasm for the forthcoming season? Normally by this point the juices are starting to trickle, the air of optimism, hope, expectation coming to life, but right now absolutely nothing. I have normally got my ST, sponsored a player, this year nowt. Maybe the open trianing session on Friday will kick start Broncos for 2018 for me.

There is nothing to celebrate; a weaker team, a less experienced head coach, one less in the coaching team, stronger opposition.......... its a 4/5/6 battle at best

The downward spiral that is London Broncos continues.

Must admit I'm not too fired up. My season ticket has been renewed, obviously the Oxford one hasn't been so it's 100% Broncos for the first time in 6 seasons. Hopefully the bug will kick in again when I see the first game, probably the Army in the Challenge Cup.

At the moment I'm only planning on one UK away game (Rochdale, I'll also watch Wire and North Wales that weekend mind) + Toronto if they confirm a venue at sensible notice. That's the fewest for something like a decade.

On paper, our first choice team is more than capable of making top 4 (3/4 behind TWP and Leigh). problem we have is with the squad, we are a couple of injuries away from being 5/6. We have lost a couple of quality players and a few good squad players. so far we have replaced them with a young 21 yo with a bit of SL experience and a 18/19 yo who a few months ago was deemed not good enough. He may of course tear it up but that is a big hope rather than expectation.
We currently have 1 hooker and a coupe of kids to provide back up (I think one of the u18 promoted players can play hooker). We have 2 quality HBs and then ??. An injury to Cunningham, Sammutt or Api and we are stuffed. We need at least 1 Hooker, 1 cover of HB/Hooker (bit like Barthau could provide) and, like for the past few years, at least 1 (pref 2) bit strong beast props.


A bit off topic, but looking at the TWP squad, how on earth are they within the cap???

I think we are done as far as recruitment this season. We will have to do with the players that we have.
On the roller coaster ride that is David Hughes's enthusiasm for the Broncos, we seem to be on the way down.

Maybe it's the realisation that the jump back to super league is not likely to happen soon, hence the bit of apathy. As for the squad it's difficult, we get players like Rocky who must have made a dent in the wage bill and despite obvious ability did nothjng.
Maybe we might find another gem in the kids that are being asked to step up, we have done it before!!! Think we are a bit light on numbers though.
Toronto, well some would suggest for expansion of the game the same rules should not apply to them as others in the league, but yep difficult to see how they are staying within budget.

Has there been any suggestion that DH is spending less?

He isn't paying Henderson, the Frog, Ackers.........which would suggest he is spending less. Yes he has brought in the St Helens player

Didn't the off field club manager or similar leave recently? Was she replaced?

In the papers today it is suggesting SL is going to 14 in 2019. Will we be in the mix with TO, Toronto, Leigh etc

It depends on what the RFL consider as money that is counted on and off the cap. It is highly unlikely that any of the players of club staff from the UK are paying rent on their digs, so once the club has covered that and the food etc then the players are essentially paid "spending money".
What puzzles me though is the "draw" of a new city like Toronto, when we couldn't get northerners to come 200 miles south to the greatest metropolis on the planet? Maybe Mr H should have invested in a boarding house and given free accommodation as part of the package?

Back on topic......it's a straight Toronto v Leigh for top spot, with Toulouse, London, Fax and Fev fighting for the other 2 spots.....as a full time outfit I think we should make 3rd, but as other have said, we do look paper thin in some positions!

It is obvious that the reigns have been pulled in by DH. He is back in sulk mode.

We're the ones who should be sulking....his track record on employing the wrong people then sulking when they prove to be the wrong people is quite alarming.....




...we needed a quality coach, who in turn would have attracted maybe the 3 or 4 class players we need. Instead we've got an untried coach and a squad with too many youngsters in it.....it's going to be 2015 all over again!

Wellington Alberts (PNG) was the kind of prop I wanted us to get. He apparently had agread to join Doncaster before Widnes stepped in at the last minute. We should have been all over that before Donny (ok we may have lost him towidnes but I suspect we would never have evn tried).

I think I named him as a target well in advance of the world cup...there are a few PNG players who could do the job for us.

There are. Same as in the NSW/Queensland cup. If true and we do not sign anymore players we will get what we deserve.

Also, the paper talk about SL becoming 14 teams in 2019. My guess would be the current 12 plus Leigh and Toronto. Dont see how we get in/make the cut as it currently stands

The only way any club owned by DH will get into SL is by promotion.....

Dog, can't see the point in harping back to the past again and again it can't be changed.
And we get back to the same arguement, without DH we don't get into SL either as there is no LB.

Nah.....my bad. The RFL will welcome Mr Megalomania back wit open arms

Leigh may score poorly on no academy. Possibly location- do we need a Wigan B team? Crowds are nothing special. Im not sure they offer much more than what we have.

The question is do the RFL want to expand geographically?

I think the first question is, can London pull together enough funding to be viable members of the top tier?

Doesn't matter what the RFL want if no viable proposition exists.

Kurt Baptiste Joins Leigh - the big 2 continue to strengthen and no movement from London

WQ the RFL would love to expand graphically, but the problem is without the folk to put the money in it will never happen. London broncos are clinging on by the skin of their teeth to the full time pro game. Skolars keep plugging away. But look elsewhere South Wales! That went well didn't it. Oxford gone!!!! Will they do any better down in Bristol? Doubt it.
Hemel stags had Lots of money pumped into it, where are they? Dewsbury sad thing is especially with stags is look at what they produced when they were a Hemel team. So expand! the game has been trying for over 100 years to expand, will the N America venture be the catalyst? It needs something!
Without folk like Mr Perez, Bernard over in Perpignan and yep DH, or even closer to home with Dr Kougash the game as a whole would struggle to stay afloat never mind expand. If sky get bored of us then its in real trouble. So maybe RFL pinning there hopes on N America and the potential market is what in the long run could save London Broncoos from becoming a short chapter in the history book of RL

Surely, Koukash has bailed on Salford.

The answer is CAMRA!
Seriously! Arrange 11 Beer festivals, each one coinciding with a home game, offer thousands of free tickets and if the cameras present happen to notice swathes of empty stands, just explain it away by saying they were all in the beer tent......do this for 3 years and then you'll receive close to 2 million pounds a year of Sky Money with which to run your club....a club that costs closer to 5 million to run but has only a few hardcore and alcoholic fans willing to pay to watch it........Oh...and have a canon firing free hot-dogs into the crowd, tat's bound to attract the neigbours over their garden fences to watch the game



....I applaud Perez for the razzmatazz and sheer energy he has, but it's very very early days yet