Some will point to Ian Leneghan being forced to leave the club by the RFL.

Or that gimp Gus being appointed as CEO.

If you ask me it all went wrong when the Cowgirls put their pom-poms away.

Bring back the Cowgirls I say.

Scantily clad women is the way to attract people to Ealing.

One of many reasons sadly............................................................

When it stopped being a family day out and great value for money:

The family used to arrive early and kids had face painting, bronco challenge, met Buck and Dusty and met the players and had photos, posters and tickets signed.

The fans were able to sponsor players at a realistic price, sponsor tries, join in the golf days and were able to purchase tickets to the end of season do.

When fans forums were abolished

When the team stopped coming in the bar because they didn't want to meet fans when they were continually losing games.

Raffle tickets offered some good prizes

Coaches to all away games

Before game entertainment

Half time entertainment

Full time entertainment

Kids having a kick around on the pitch while parents spent money in the bar and stood chatting to other supporters

Cowgirls

A team who challenged

When we became a rich man's toy instead of a sporting club business

Basically it changed when it stopped being a a club, I know these entertaining things don't happen up north I have been to enough away games to see that for myself but they are established clubs with long term supporters and kids who have grown up with the game.

We needed to keep control of the above and bring in new fans through kids and their friends - they eventually grow up and become young adults who come along with a group of people and this enables a fan base to grow.

Too true!

In a nutshell citizen!

Loved the Stoop a real " All Day Event " from the young kids playing on the main pitch from 11am onwards thru' to the band playing at night in the bar till dark o'clock . These days were unique in Rugby League . Sadly an event that is no longer with us and was not marketed enough to reap its true potential.

Regards , EW

I have to agree. We were a club then. You were made to feel welcome and as you say if you wanted, a full days entertainment was there to be had.
The kids were catered for. My kids loved the junior broncos, there were,Christmas parties, BBQs. They were good times. In fact you do not see many kids at the games these days.
I have never felt that we are made particularly welcome at The Hive. And without doubt the club is detached from its supporters.

Can't disagree with the above.

After all the damage caused by the mistakes and disappointments of the past few years, maybe our new venue will have an 'ealing effect?

Sorry.

and yet I get put on ignore?
We're a strange bunch we sullen few, that's for sure!

Look at me. Poor me.

Occasionally you make succinct, quality posts, nail hit firmly on the head here.

You really depressed, gutters? Hope not.

Are the sullen few the same people as the clique, in your opinion?

Not at all.
The Clique harp on about how negative posts have destroyed this forum and how there's nothing we can do about the utter car crash Hughes has made of the club and are thankful that we still have an owner who will continue to invest in the destruction of the club.

The Sullen few are realists. They know what's happened, they know why it's happened and more and more of them are drifting away from the club because it is now to painful to watch!

Understand now.
Clique and sullen few are surely both strange bunches don't you think?

And also there's me and jaybs and a few more.

Not sure I entirely agree with the consensus, what when wrong for the Broncos in the Soopah Leeeg era isn't much different to what when wrong in the Fulham era, and for me proves you can't build on foundations of sand, because no matter how gorgeous/brilliant your creation it WILL eventually collapse!

When the RFL stepped in and (all too briefly) took the reigns during the Crusaders era, the opportunity to do it properly was missed, and yet more short-termism was seen as a 'solution'.

We didn't need to be gifted out to Brtisbane, nor "gifted" a top-flight berth for a brief flicker of glory. We needed a stadium, a place of our own (which at that time could have been obtained fairly cheaply) we then needed sustained investment (and I'm not talking millions, far from it) in grass roots RL in London and the wider South East.

Instead we got an "ersatz" franchise, cheerleaders (not that I minded the view) face painting and a plethora of "stuff" with no real FOUNDATION!

It's not too late, uif Hughes is still prepared to throw £2M a year at his hobby, perhaps we should have fewer Full time pros, and use the monies saved to build the grass roots (It's 'prolly too late to get our own ground for anything like a reasonable price, so we'll have to continue renting, though perhaps we could actually "Buy in" to a shared stadium).

Never one of the Clique I can assure you, to think back how many posters we had back in the early days here on RLFANS.COM but the Clique did not want them, they wanted it to be exclusive lol and so many left, they attempted it with me, but no luck! lol

Maybe somebody could define this clique and identify its believed members? Personally, I don't believe that there's any such thing, until someone is able to prove otherwise.

What he said

DRONE

were never that well populated and I doubt many more users now than then. Obviously names move on, that's life, but rose tinted glasses always wear so well.

Now why do you think Big G had so many alt nicks?

We never used to have to scroll so far down to reach our forum though.

I've said it before. The appointment of Powell as coach was a real mistake. That year we had a full SC spend. If we had appointed a top quality coach that year we would still be in SL.

Must agree, we appointed the wrong Powell. Daryl Powell was at Fev at the time, should have got him. Where would we be now?

Powell/GM

GM was not just a bad appointment, he was a joke.