I don't think any RL fans are anti-expansion but what many do object to is expansion at the expense of long established clubs with better support who have been supporting the game and producing its players for over a century.
Remember, if it wasn't for the 'heartland clubs' who have kept the game going all these years your club wouldn't exist at all.

Well ...you got to 8th

Quins i will agree with Cru i dont there obviously good enough for the league there crowds are more then Quins,Wakey and maybe even Salford.

With the shambolic off season and pre season preparations you had I expected nothing other than rock bottom for Crusaders this season. I'm very happy I was wrong.

Good luck for the rest of the season, I hope you can hang onto your playoff spot.

Hopefully you can build on this for next season on and off the field.

How can anyone congratulate this team full of Aussie ringers? Unbelievable. Surprised the RFL don't fly a plane full of Aussies over to boost your hideous attendances.

It's quite easy really. I mean this in the nicest possible way, a team of misfits and other clubs cast offs with virtually no preparation before the season started have managed to get into a playoff position against SL clubs that have had far more experience, preparation and time to gel.

That is quite amazing and deseving of praise whatever you might think about the Crusaders project.

Crusaders average - 4,499
Wakefield average - 6,018

Would you like them to field a team of 16 year old Welsh players every week where they would get battered and interest would be low. In order to gain interest you have to have a successful side whether its full of Aussies or not. They have a core fan group of around 2,000 so give them 5 years and they should be averaging around 6000 - 7000 and the young Welsh players should have integrated into the team nicely.
Many of the heartland teams are still fielding alot of Aussies and they have been going for over a hundred years. Don't need to take a shot at Crusaders all the time because the franchising is coming up. Cas will be fine dont worry

Not bitter then?

[del[/del

You have to take into acount the games they play in south wales these are basically away games to Cru now as nobody or hardly anybody is intrested in league in the south of wales but in the north they pull in decent crowds plus there crowds will be down because of the fact that away fans have to travel vast distances compared to the clubs in the heartlands.

But i am sorry

it was hardly a snatched win and the reason there was hardly any people there is because it was down south, nobody new it was on unless they were already fans and it was at 6oclock on a friday night so theres no time to get down for fans unless they finish early or are unemployed.

ooooh someones not happy about bein pushed out of the play offs by these " aussie ringers and team rejects" sounds like a bit of sour milk to me

Funny how at the beginning of the season we were laughed at for having a team of has-been journeymen Ausies who couldn't get a job anywhere decent. Now we have won a few matches, they suddenly become "ringers". Hmmm sounds like sour grapes to me.

Just wondered why the Crusaders played the game at the Gnoll instead of at Wrexham??
Or was it to bring the game closer to their (supporters) in South Wales where the are actually from therefore boost the crowd figures.
Dont give me all this about fans not making the game because of the early kick off etc you were originally based in South wales so the majority of your support is there not in Wrexham.
Also it made it easier for the Larnden contingent to get there as its practically one straight road instead of P***ing about getting to wrexham.
Before long as it is going Crusaders will be playing in Chester to make it easier for the HEARTLAND supporters to get there.

Why do you not also take off the one off novelty value matches where you got ONE 10,000+ crowd (which you will never get again, to which the rest of the season's attendances are testament)?

"Hardly anybody is interested in League down south"?

In like for like matches you guys average 3900 attendance. The Celtic Cru were only 566 lower. Consider that you are now on the doorstep of the "heartland" teams so are probably getting at least 50% extra travelling fans. Considfer also that your foreign legion actually won a lot more matches than we did in 2009 and that TINY difference in attendances does not seem very impressive eh?

You would not HAVE a RL team if it were not for South Wales. Every team YOU tried to start up failed because you weren't handed a SL license.

You had to take OUR team to have your tiny limited success.

=#FF4000Gimp!

If you actually renamed yourselves Chester-somewhere near wales-Crusaders you would still have your franchise because youve still got Wales in the name!!!

You really should know what you are talking about before trolling. You and grendal, He's just bitter because the crusaders were forced to move up north after no one wanting us down south. If it wasn't for wrexham we wouldn't have the crusaders at all you dumb idiot.

Wallet mouth - The games were played in south wales because of a contractual obligation. The majority of our support does not come from south wales anymore. Do you really believe that >2500 travel to wrexham from south wales for every game. Don't be such an idiot.

Also grendal, when you see the figures that the crusaders will bring in, in the last two home games of the season, i believe you will have absolutly nothing to say. Considering they have sold 4000 tickets allready for the saints game, i wouldn't bet far from a sellout. Again hull take their fair few to away games, and it could be all or nothing for a play-off spot. Again will be a bumper crowd.

So say you get 8500 at saints, and a conservative 5000 at hull, thats quite a considerable upgrade on the 3600 we had on average at the brewery.

*and before you ask i'm from bridgend*

You mean Rovers, Robins or KR not Hull. Hull is Hull FC!

heh heh, my bad

Wow insults and why are you refering to you as in Crusaders i dont support them im a FC fan and also i belive you are an old Crudaders fan and its true in the south of wales you were a huge flop that won 2 or 3 games i cant remember but now in the north they have decent crowds and are in 8th a huge improvement.

Gimp

Take it from someone who actually lives here there is a great interest in Rugby League here in South Wales.
Go into a pub here on a Friday night when the SL match is on and there plenty of people watching it often over whatever football might be on as well. Unfortunately the Celtic Crusaders was the vicitm of poor timing and bad financial managment in building too quickly enough , why Heartland fans expect a club in a non traditional area to suddenly compete with them in terms of attendances and set up is astounding to be honest. The Celtic Crusaders was not given enough time to settle and establish local support and playing foundations either , I sincerely hope the Crusaders are on both fronts. Then we might finally be able to see some real long term benefits and establishing Rugby League professionally as a Sport of choice for the people of Wales, North or South.

The great Behemoth that is Union here can't honestly testify to that yet either.

I will take your point but the fact was the south Cru were brought into superleague to soon and should of been in NL 1 for a couple of years to build up a good fanbase bring in some welsh talent to get rid of the team full of aussies argument. But the RFL are expansion mad and forced a ill prepared Cru side to take a leap about a hundred feet to far for the club at that time.