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Post by worsleyreddevil on Jul 4, 2023 21:24:08 GMT
Its curious how the RFL can grant Bradford an Elite Academy License less than 7 years after they went into liquidation. Yet Salford submit an application in 2021 and are told No even though our club in the past five years has been much better run than Bradford. I remember now, didn't the RFL infamously pay £1.2million around 2012 to buy the Odsal lease from Bradford Bulls, guess it should not surprise they succeed where we and others have failed in being granted an Academy License by the RFL.
Big tick on the IMG criteria, still Odsal is a shitty stadium.
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Post by russ on Jul 5, 2023 1:47:00 GMT
And so it begins ...
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Post by JJR on Jul 5, 2023 8:19:19 GMT
Newcastle London also have them but can we afford one?
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Post by worsleyreddevil on Jul 5, 2023 9:15:41 GMT
Newcastle London also have them but can we afford one? Funny that two teams who no doubt the RFL will want to see in the upper tier of new IMG format. As for us if Bradford a badly run club over the past ten years can afford one then surely we can. And Yes, I do believe the RFL have an agenda here. BTW JJR nice to have you back.
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Post by JJR on Jul 5, 2023 9:28:34 GMT
Leigh have got rid of A team to cut costs, ( and have no Academy); we have no money to bring in players when we desperately need them ( according to Rowley) Are we going down the route of developing players via A team at the moment ?
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Post by BDD on Jul 5, 2023 9:37:14 GMT
The RFL buying the lease was a joke. Other clubs don't get that type of support when they are in the toilet. I do believe they want Bradford in the top flight. They been down for a decade. Other teams have won promotion in that time but they haven't come close. But with criteria you technically don't have to perform on the pitch.
In what other sport could you finish bottom of the Championship and get promoted to SL because you suddenly graded higher because of a new stadium or LED boards or some other non-performance related action? It's obviously a theoretical example, but it's a possible scenario. You could also be a B grade and finish, let's say 4th in SL, and conceivably be relegated.
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Post by russ on Jul 5, 2023 9:52:56 GMT
It's little more than a ruse by top clubs/ those with a backer while IMG is used as the sort of pretext for its taking place at all.
Those clubs that run on the shared success at the top with better crowds tend to look on all the others as badly run and unable to change.
In other words everything that will take place under the IMG guise is what Hetherington as said should happen all along, much the same as all the other times the top clubs cocked it up in an effort to preserve their place in the programme.
Tons of fans buy into this and, like the worse sort of Brexiteer, no matter hiow badly it turns out they'll still be there singing its praises.
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Post by worsleyreddevil on Jul 5, 2023 10:13:22 GMT
Leigh have got rid of A team to cut costs, ( and have no Academy); we have no money to bring in players when we desperately need them ( according to Rowley) Are we going down the route of developing players via A team at the moment ? Yes its Reserves for the moment, as for money Rowley said post Wakey no players had come across his desk, he did not say we were lacking funds.
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Post by russ on Jul 5, 2023 10:17:27 GMT
It's not by accident that Total has the headline eight ways SL clubs can be deducted points under IMG points system.
Watch carefully which clubs have significant points and in what areas!
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Post by worsleyreddevil on Jul 5, 2023 10:18:13 GMT
The RFL buying the lease was a joke. Other clubs don't get that type of support when they are in the toilet. I do believe they want Bradford in the top flight. They been down for a decade. Other teams have won promotion in that time but they haven't come close. But with criteria you technically don't have to perform on the pitch. In what other sport could you finish bottom of the Championship and get promoted to SL because you suddenly graded higher because of a new stadium or LED boards or some other non-performance related action? It's obviously a theoretical example, but it's a possible scenario. You could also be a B grade and finish, let's say 4th in SL, and conceivably be relegated. Agreed BDB its farcical and if your scenario happened I'm pretty sure there would be a legal challenge from whichever club was omitted. As for the RFL and Bradford what happened was disgraceful. In terms of the criteria implications then SL needs competitive teams otherwise the games done. Being honest I am nervous about the grading, bar an Elite Academy which the RFL has said No too, our Club has pulled out all the stops with the community investment and drive to increase attendances. Are Newcastle/London/Bradford or York in a a better position than us right now, No - they'd not cut it in Super League.
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Post by steveh on Jul 5, 2023 13:39:14 GMT
The RFL buying the lease was a joke. Other clubs don't get that type of support when they are in the toilet. I do believe they want Bradford in the top flight. They been down for a decade. Other teams have won promotion in that time but they haven't come close. But with criteria you technically don't have to perform on the pitch. In what other sport could you finish bottom of the Championship and get promoted to SL because you suddenly graded higher because of a new stadium or LED boards or some other non-performance related action? It's obviously a theoretical example, but it's a possible scenario. You could also be a B grade and finish, let's say 4th in SL, and conceivably be relegated. Agreed BDB its farcical and if your scenario happened I'm pretty sure there would be a legal challenge from whichever club was omitted. As for the RFL and Bradford what happened was disgraceful. In terms of the criteria implications then SL needs competitive teams otherwise the games done. Being honest I am nervous about the grading, bar an Elite Academy which the RFL has said No too, our Club has pulled out all the stops with the community investment and drive to increase attendances. Are Newcastle/London/Bradford or York in a a better position than us right now, No - they'd not cut it in Super League. ON BDB's point... imagine one of the "lesser" clubs had a blinding run at the end of a season and actually won the Grand Final but were relegated to the championship the following season for lack of an academy/poor ground/poor attendance record. That would be absolutely farcical WRD - the "top" clubs and probably the RFL wouldn't care as they'd have a number of whipping boys where they'd be virtually guaranteed a win when they played them (probably by a "cricket score") and wouldn't give a damn about how ridiculous it makes the sport look in general. Eventually, I can see this going like Scottish football where there are only two real big clubs (one of who went bust not long ago) with the rest of them making up the numbers. In our case we'll have Saints, Wigan, Leeds and Warrington as the power clubs with fringe clubs like Hull FC, Huddersfield and Catalans, whilst the rest just make up the numbers and are interchangeable each season between SL and the Championship (and the best UK talent playing in the NRL)
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Post by john964 on Jul 5, 2023 14:06:40 GMT
Leigh have got rid of A team to cut costs, ( and have no Academy); we have no money to bring in players when we desperately need them ( according to Rowley) Are we going down the route of developing players via A team at the moment ? Yes its Reserves for the moment, as for money Rowley said post Wakey no players had come across his desk, he did not say we were lacking funds.
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Post by Carnster on Jul 5, 2023 14:13:00 GMT
I think people need to calm down a touch with all the IMG stuff. The club behind the scenes has been ramping-up requirements for quite some time in anticipation of this criteria. In the last few years our decent run on the field will be helping matters a lot also. The criteria that was released is only the bare bones and there's a lot that only each club would know that will count towards the total. The academy situation will be our achilles heel but I think most clubs will have weak areas. In the main areas I think we will be fine.
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Post by russ on Jul 5, 2023 16:03:26 GMT
I think people need to calm down a touch with all the IMG stuff. The club behind the scenes has been ramping-up requirements for quite some time in anticipation of this criteria. In the last few years our decent run on the field will be helping matters a lot also. The criteria that was released is only the bare bones and there's a lot that only each club would know that will count towards the total. The academy situation will be our achilles heel but I think most clubs will have weak areas. In the main areas I think we will be fine. Although I agree with your points about the club working at this I don't believe that will matter in the long run. I can't help but be cynical about this as the proposals although pushing clubs to evolve there isn't anything thay wasn't needed, proposed or missing from all the other times RL tried to modernise the game.
IMG do seem to have an agenda that might see Fev, the Bulls and Widnes as part of this along with York, Newcastle and London. However along with their idea of expansion this means lots of clubs their on merit could and probably will lose out.
It is a nonsense to use an academy as one of the criteria if clubs are prevented from having one by the RFL.
Alongside this they do seem to be a bit like an absentee partner for the most part.
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Post by red54 on Jul 5, 2023 18:56:32 GMT
According to the IMG latest rankings we are 10th with a score of 3
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