Yes, I saw it too and it was much much worse.

I believe that Hull hold the record by retaining possession for 78 minutes in a Challenge Cup game, and I remember plenty of attempts to do the same, rendered ineffective only by handling errors. The game was transformed by the introduction of the four tackle rule initially, later modified to six tackles. Never was five.

I'm not sure you can call it much worse! teams could defend then unlike now some of our basketball scores, with the belief we can score more than you. I can't remember any games teams holding the ball for the time period you quote! as it was a winter game, not that I would like to go back to that, the ball got spilled and then we had Scrums and hookers yes hooked for the ball, remember when Saints signed the real old Wigan boy Bill Sayer for Wembley and he hooked the ball every time! whichever team was putting the ball in.

But the game has moved on and is still not perfect will it ever be, but we can get it right off the pitch, but this is going way off Staying the the stoop, all we can do now is wait see what next season brings and what we are saying in September 2013!

I think that the greatest influence I ever had on any game was on the occasion when my cousin and I barracked so successfully from right on the perimeter fence at an "A" team game, watched by maybe 100 people, that we managed to persuade the ref to send Sayer off for punching in the scrum. He was a right dirty s*d. Was only in the A team because he was coming back from injury. Hope his suspension, if he got one, set him back a bit further.

Regardles of what some may think, I don't make things up to paint someone in a bad light.....


[urlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyleague/article-2138549/London-Broncos-play-home-games-Leyton-Orient-Gillingham.html[/url

I can tell you this now for free......if they don't spend some serious time, effort and Money on a NUMBER of plans for Marketing and Promotions, with specific budgets for each game, we will be discussing the move to Gillingham, the departure of David Hughes and the possibility of dropping down to the Championship in 2015......


The employment of "interns, students or junior level people" in the marketing, communications and sales positions, together with the appointment of a PA to the CEO points to Gus attempting to take on all the responsibilities for all the off field roles at the club.....that is not the role of a Chief Executive Officer.

David Hughes seems to have decided to spend his last 3 million on the park........enjoy your next 26 "home games" guys and gals.....they could well be the last in the clubs colours unless somebody else steps in and takes control of this fiasco...

Thats the crucial comment- unless someone else steps in

Lets face the facts nothing significant is going to change. No point worrying about it as we cant influence it.

There needs to be some radical shake up in ideas and attitude in the back office. Square pegs in round holes does not cut the mustard.

100% correct!

I know GF and myself may not agree at times but he knows as well as I do that whatever you do, ideas, introductions there never seems any interest, it was way back at Charlton and the early days at the stoop first time around there was real contact with the club and they always followed up on leads given etc.

Complete tripe. Do you not have concerns about anything beyond your own day to day life then? Utterly selfish.

I'm not accusing you of making things up but is indisputably true and is a long way from "blaming the team".

Thanks for treating us to another inspiring photo of Rob Powell in that link BTW.

Bronc...not wishing to split hairs but that isn't Gus's actual quote (it was the reporters).

Gus actually said "What has happened on the pitch has had an impact off it". (quite right, imo).

I heard an interview on Radio London where Gus said the same thing...it didn't come across as slagging the team off or laying wholesale blame at the teams feet.

On subject of The Stoop, the gossip at Quins game last week was that we were staying at The Stoop for 1 more year and that the RFL had blocked our move to Gillingham.

I think the writing is plainly on the wall that we will not be at The Stoop after 2013. TBH, I'm actually coming round to the idea of moving...just not to blimmin Gillingham!

While i love the Stoop as a ground - the cost, income generated there (including attendances be it actual or what the management think we will ever get there) in comparison to other available grounds, has to be the overiding factor. I am surprised the RFL has blocked the move to Gillingham if the owner thinks its economically the best way forward for the clubs survival.

The likely attendances there are hypothetical. Orient and Brentford would be more likely to suceed in most peoples opinion because they would retain most of the current fanbase, so Gillingham is a strange choice if thats what DH wanted.

Is it Fri Listy!!!



The RFL didnt block the move to Gillingham, TR did.

:110n75t8
What? It was in the Daily Mail, so it MUST be true!
Right thanks.



Now over to Aotearoa to see how gf squares that with Gus blaming the players for the failure of the Broncos re-launch.

[My spellchecker thinks that Aotearoa should be spelt "Tearoom".





The RFL didnt block the move to Gillingham, TR did.'"

From an outsider looking in I don't think where you play is the issue, we are forever hearing about the number of grass roots players in the London area (which is in itself very commendable) but the club should be asking why these players, their families and friends aren't coming to watch you play week in week out as for me they are an obvious target to boost your attendances.

The re-launch was a falure from the moment Gus came up with the idea........there was nothing wrong with being known as Harlequins...the supposed confusion was a myth.

David Hughes has employed a number of "yes" men......that has been hi #1 failing.....IMO that is.

woolfie
Nah its not as easy as that the club tried it a few years back all registerd players got free season ticket!! problem being am game played on a sat, and london in whatever guise play on err sat!! so a waste really
A fair few of the kids who play turn up but again there is an issue, lads who play at medway play then have to get over the other side of london
The stoop is a good stadium! its not the stadium! thats the problem!!

No response from the Tearoom. Must have run out of Assam.

Well, the answer does has to do with the venue.

Firstly, the players playing junior and Open Age RL in London and the surrounding counties are playing on Saturday's and the vast majority of home games for the Broncos are scheduled for Saturday's. Would their be a mass influx of players spectating if their games were a Sunday or Broncos played Sunday? I'm not so sure.

Also, you commend the grass root players but the venue of The Stoop and their clubs is the issue. There is junior rugby all over London & the South East such as Southend, Sussex, Brentwood, Guildford, Medway and Elmbridge. the travel times for those places are as follows;

* Southend to Twickenham via train - 1hr 56m
* Hove (where Sussex Merlins play) to Twickenham via train - 1hr 30m
* Brentwood to Twickenham via train - 1hr 53m
* Guildford to Twickenham via train - 1hr 13m
* Chatham (where Medway play) to Twickenham - 1hr 31m
* Claygate (where Elmbridge play) to Twickenham - 47m

These journeys are on top of spending the morning/early afternoon travelling to where those junior teams are playing thus making the day very long.

I'm not saying that its the Stoop's fault but due to the vast amount of clubs spread over such a large area it will be a long way for some to come and a few minutes for others (like the players of Richmond Warriors for example). Its not as cut and dry as the northern sides. I doubt that many kids or adults in Wigan support Leeds and go and watch them on a regular basis. That's the sort of travelling distance many people make to go and watch the Broncos.

Sorry Moe, but the details you rightly give do show that most amateur club players will Not travel so far to Twickenham, perhaps when we have say two amateur clubs with all age groups from youngster upwards playing in TW12 but can we and the game wait so long?

Do you think that is a full list of clubs or that any other location in London would not have the same problem.

Where ever Broncos play the issue of travel time will remain for all the amateur teams. There is also an issue with many of the youth players not able to travel without a parent who may not like league and will not go to any first team game.

It was a comment on the list that Moe listed that is all! it is a problem most northern clubs do not have!

The problem is simple the club needs to resolve how we attract fans to the Twickenham area, do you first go for fans within a radius of the stoop? 15-25 miles and concentrate on that? all Amateur clubs and open age players are aware of us by now. Younger players may not be fully aware but how far will they travel. This next season we have to see everything done possible to increase fans no excuses and then if it does not work, perhaps we have to re-think! it is the last throw of the dice in TW12.