Maybe BERNARD GUASH IS GOD STANDicon_smile.gif

no Barcelona this time - instead it's a trip to Montpellier versus Wigan

no Barcelona this time - instead it's a trip to Montpellier versus Wigan

or maybe 'LITTLE FAT GIT STAND' !

Thats the way it is my friend although i do have the feeling currently its like Ducci loved by many for years then dragged through the streets and left to rot on a meat hookicon_smile.gif when the real reality of whats been going on for the last 5 years sinks inicon_sad.gif to the general public

BG has done loads for french RL - that cannot be taken away from him tho' his selfishness or caution (whichever way you want to look at it !) regarding denying Goulding the french national team players is frustrating
My good lady and I sat near him at a recent UTC game and he was obnoxious,probably because BOTH his teams were beaten - he was rude to my wife (she is handicapped) which is a sign of bad manners
He has given RL in france five good years but that's no excuse for acting like a self-appointed oligarchy

SPOT ON however BG is BG and wont change i just hope that the Dragons are able to sort out all the problems that they have off the field as it seems that they are mounting.

how do you mean 'they are mounting' ? they can't be much worse than last season ?

BG will always BG well,he is the president so probably has the right to act as the little dictator but he needs to give the new regime a fair chance IMO

No problem with a dictator most latin sporting organisations have them however the best ones put loads of dosh in which is not the case with the Dragons board without the SKY monies Maire/Department would be in a bad way nothing against BG he has taken a small village team to SL which is fantastic however the real catalan money men (Barcelona) will never get involved witn the current regime a sad fact but true why was USAP so successful it wasnt just local money the Pujol family in Barcelona became involved i know because the only person who ever put any large personal money into the Dragons (Same person who found all the sponsors for SL Engage/Gillette etc) took them to the SL final a couple of years ago and they loved it.
Again nothing against BG but the club will never compete with the big boys until things change.

see your points canagoo - it's a common fact the Cats are under financial pressure,now I understand better why this is.Most clubs seem dependant on SKY money to keep them afloat - a handful could probably survive but probably not that many...

did i miss something?

There's a press release on the Catalans website today saying that 500 000 Euro has been made available by various govt bodies to fund works, including a new stand as well as club offices and a shop.

yes JonM but read on,the total cost will be 6.8 million euros split between three separate government offices with almost half of it being financed by the city of Perpignan.The state is financing the rest.This is unusual for the state to finance a rugby ground though the reason given is that it will improve the area around the stadium and improve living conditionsgenerally ie improvement in local infrastructure etc
All this to add 2560 more places for fans plus space for reception & administrative areas.

Let's just hope the team justifies this investment in 2011 on the pitch...

seems a shame that there'll still be that one end without a grandstand. Oh well, better than nothing.

11,000? Ready by April? Sounds like the perfect venue to host the mid year international with England I think.

yes,seems strange to me they built a swimming pool at one end !!! mind you,it's facing due west so a real pain to be sat there in the hot months,in fact probably unbearable from mid-june to mid-september - maybe it was for that reason ?

I believe the Stade Toulousain is perfect for internationals as in the past with it's easy access etc

The swimming-pool was built in front of the stadium because the ex-mayor of Perpignan hates rugby league and the catalans dragons. He's a rugby union fan, particularly for the local club, USAP.

Although, this is official, the new mayor wants to build a new stadium of 25'000-30'000 seats at the periphery of Perpignan because USAP needs more money to survive in French Top 14. But the problem is financial, the city haven't got the money to built a new stadium.

thanks or the insight - the ex-mayor sounds a nasty piece of work !

I don't suppose Aimée Giral can be extended any more following the previous work over recent years ?

I think the debate about Dragons generally should bear in mind how tough Usap are having it this season.
Tenth in the league and until yesterday struggling in the Euro cup.
Lots of moaning on their forum and a coach and owner under pressure.
Will that put more pressure on the local administration to help them out?

what's the difference in USAP being 10th in a 17500 seater or 30000 seater stadium ? would they really be able to fill a 30000 seater ?

If the top14 is more widely known in France, it is important for Perpignan the town to have a strong team in that competition... I think.

For Dragons it could be an opportunity if they are struggling. Or the council or whomever might want to offer Dragons less support and USAP more.

USAP thinks they be able to fill a 30000 seater because for the play-off and grand final (2009 and 2010), they was about 40'000 catalans in Paris to support them. A major part of these group didn't live in Catalonia, but around Paris and Versailles for work.

They're just dreaming.
They are in a bad position this season -sportingly and financially- and who will help them? The town hall...

yes,the Grand Final night in 2009 was an unforgettable experience - we were at the Quins game (If I recall ?) which was switched to a afternoon kick-off and ate in town just opposite the Castillet during the showing of the game on the big screen - it was a great night - there must have been about 5000 people in the square (or am I exaggerating ?) - I enjoy both codes so it's sad to see any team in difficulty.
But it's tough times everywhere at the moment in sport but in life generally - I know,having just received notice of redundancy (licenciement économique) after 14 years - Merry Xmas ! ?

Dreaming? They're confident of getting at least 40,000 into the Camp Nou in April.

blimey,40000 would be a great turnout - is RU that popular on the spanish side ?

Fully professional league. National team games, weekly union programme and at least one live English Premiership game a every week on freeview. An attempt to run a Super 15 style competition failed badly but the game is going from strength to strength over here. The Catalan RL seem to have given up the ghost after only two years. The website hasn't been updated since July and I haven't had a reply from anyone at the CRL since June.