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Post by Carnster on May 15, 2017 19:19:49 GMT
I think we need to be very careful that we don't derail what could be a monumental season. All this unrest will, if we are not careful affect the players and coaching staff and could impact massively on results. Whether the club pay lip service to the online poll, or take us seriously, we need to think very carefully, before decisions are made.Should the owner decide to change our name, then for me we continue supporting our club Salford, by wearing our colours and singing our songs.We are SALFORD and to my mind always will be. Let's not see 140 years of history thrown away. See you later at the meeting Great post. |
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Post by dixon13 on May 15, 2017 21:58:37 GMT
Somethings are worth fighting for.This happens to be one of them.We are Salford not Manchester.
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Post by Carnster on May 15, 2017 22:21:08 GMT
Somethings are worth fighting for.This happens to be one of them.We are Salford not Manchester. As these proceedings have rolled on with regards to 'the announcement' I've found myself increasingly proud of my Club with regards to the passion shown. When I say Club in this instance, I'm referring to 'us' the fans, the lifeblood of our club. I'm not a Salfordian but Salford is in my blood. I've grown-up, supported, played for, grown middle-aged, and I'll definitely die a Salford fan. I'm proud of the people trying their hardest to make things happen off their own backs and their attitude and stalwart sense of pride in the history that our club has created and been part of for 144 years. For me, the fear I have is a loss of identity. That I've been their for some of those historic moments, even participated in some, has left an indelible mark on not just myself but my Family also. To watch the club struggle for so many years before emerging this season to climb heights we never thought we'll see in our lifetimes is exhilarating and intoxicating so far. It saddens me to see that the Club only get the same hardcore support that it's always had. It's almost not fair. We survived extinction, relegation, and everything the RFL can throw at us but I fear the greatest undoing may be of own making. Hardcore support needs doubling yet we're struggling. We shouldn't, but we are. I just hope that we the supporters can be the ones to turn this around and move forward into the bright future that the playing staff are busting a gut to reach. |
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Post by bandgeekmafia78 on May 16, 2017 7:57:01 GMT
Can anyone who attended last night let us know how it went?
I heard that Rebecca Long-Bailey MP was there along with John Blackburn?
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2017 8:04:52 GMT
Beat me to it, most interested to know what went on and if the club knowingly had any representation (I mean if it was announced anyone was there or someone was there secretly and got rumbled) at the meeting.
Not heard any reports of anyone getting over zellious so that is one plus point, read somewhere yesterday that today is the last you can fill in the questionnaire online, would have been an idea if the club has used it's database of email addresses to ensure they got the maximum coverage of people to fill it in.
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Post by scoot on May 16, 2017 9:10:21 GMT
To be honest, I just think it's a rouse to get debate and a bit of free advertising. Cannot seriously see a name change
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2017 9:46:34 GMT
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Post by Chico on May 16, 2017 9:48:16 GMT
The main outcomes from meeting, which had some impassioned speeches and responses from the supporters who were able to attend, was that a name change is on the club’s agenda and as fans what can we do to dissuade them. This is not to say a name change is certain but the club are considering it along with a number of other options.
In a scenario where the club will not rule anything out, we must assume a name change is a possibility. That’s the gist.
A working groups of supporters there will work on some of the action points raised. I’m sure we’ll find out more in due course.
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Post by aveit on May 16, 2017 9:48:53 GMT
The meeting last night was very good and showed the level of feeling that there is for Salford RLFC. Around 80-90 people turned up, which I thought was quite good for 4 days notice and the fact there was limited publicity about the meeting.
The meeting was chaired very well by Dave Bainbridge a long standing Salford fan and personal family friend.
Dave started off by giving his thoughts on the current situation and explained his passion for Salford RLFC, this really set mood. I won’t include the whole speech as it went on for quite a bit so I will just highlight the main points. He then went on to point out the main reason for organising the meeting, which was on the back of conversation he had with Dr Koukash in early May when rumours of the rebrand first came to light.
Dave bumped into Dr Koukash at the stadium when collecting away tickets. Dave asked Dr Koukash whether the strong rumours about changing our name to Manchester were true and he said they were looking at options to increase revenue and rebranding was one of them. There was a lot to more to the speech and Dave went into great detail about his discussion with the Dr and Dave Matthews and the current marketing (or lack of) from the club, but I’d be here all day typing it up. This is what prompted us to get the Salford forever Manchester never banner done and unfurl at the Wigan away game and also why we got the A4 posters printed out for the Hull KR game. The banner (even though it’s deemed offensive by the club for some reason) will continue to make an appearance at games as it is a visual show of support for Salford RLFC and has been picked up by several members of the press already. Dave went on to thank members of the press that had recently showed their support for Salford and referred to recent articles in the League Express, League Weekly and MEN in particular.
Dave then expressed the importance of preserving our heritage and the history of Salford RLFC for future generations and made an emotional speech about past family members who had played for the club (his uncle played in the 1938 challenge cup winning team), friends he has met through rugby club and what the club not only means to the people in the room last night, but to people of all over the city. We owe it to them, ourselves, the city and those who are no longer with us to preserve the great name of Salford RLFC.
The main message was that although this hasn’t been confirmed by the club and I must stress the point that we’re not saying it WILL happen, but it is under SERIOUS consideration, and until we hear that it isn’t happening we need to prepare like it is and make our feelings known before it’s too late. If we sit back and say nothing Marwan will presume we don’t care and the rebrand will probably go ahead. If we stand up and fight this we have a chance to stop it.
Rebecca Long-Bailey MP then took the Mic and gave a very passionate speech about the City of Salford as a whole and the importance the rugby league team plays in this. She said she will contact Marwan Koukash and express her concern and feelings. It was also mentioned that Paul Dennet (the major of Salford) and Barbara Keeley MP are also very much behind us and have offered their support in quest to preserve the Salford name.
The meeting was then opened up to the floor to suggest action points that could help us get the message out. Not all of them will be used but a working party was also set up with a number of volunteers that will go to liaise with the club and work through the action points. It is hoped that a meeting will be set up with Ian Blease in the very near future.
Paul Coleman than had a few minutes on the mic and urged everyone to get friends, family down the ground as bum on seats would make him have to think twice whilst continuing our great efforts in supporting the current team.
This is (so far) the best season we’ve had in nearly 40 years so none of the above is meant to have a negative impact on the team and isn’t meant to be negative in anyway, it is just to make people aware that this IS high on Marwans agenda and we need to stop it before it’s too late.
Hopefully a win in at Wembley in the cup final will help our cause!!
Anyway there was lots more discussed, but I’ve summarised as best I can. If anyone else that was at the meeting has anything to add then please feel free as I’ve probably missed something.
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Post by dixon13 on May 16, 2017 10:01:56 GMT
The meeting last night was very good and showed the level of feeling that there is for Salford RLFC. Around 80-90 people turned up, which I thought was quite good for 4 days notice.
The meeting was chaired very well by Dave Bainbridge a long standing Salford fan and personal family friend.
Dave started off by giving his thoughts on the current situation and explained his passion for Salford RLFC, this really set mood. I won’t include the whole speech as it went on for quite a bit so I will just highlight the main points. He then went on to point out the main reason for organising the meeting, which was on the back of conversation he had with Dr Koukash in early May when rumours of the rebrand first came to light.
Dave bumped into Dr Koukash at the stadium when collecting away tickets. Dave asked Marwan who was with David Matthews at the time if the rumours of the rebrand were true. Mr Koukash confirmed that he was looking into all options to increase revenue and a rebrand was under serious consideration. Dave went on to have a lengthy discussion with Marwan about the current marketing of the club, why rebranding was a bad idea, how much is it costing to re-brand, why not invest in marketing? etc. Koukash seemed quite dismissive of any of Dave’s suggestions and Dave left the stadium thinking that we really need to do something to stop this as it really was being given serious consideration and this wasn’t just a rumour. There was a lot to more to the speech and Dave went into great detail about his discussion with the Dr and Dave Matthews and the current marketing (or lack of) from the club, but I’d be here all day typing it up. This is what prompted us to get the Salford forever Manchester never banner done and unfurl at the Wigan away game and also why we got the A4 posters printed out for the Hull KR game. The banner (even though it’s deemed offensive by the club for some reason) will continue to make an appearance at games as it is a visual show of support for Salford RLFC and has been picked up by several members of the press already. Dave went on to thank members of the press that had recently showed their support for Salford and referred to recent articles in the League Express, League Weekly and MEN in particular.
Dave then expressed the importance of preserving our heritage and the history of Salford RLFC for future generations and made an emotional speech about past family members who had played for the club (his uncle played in the 1938 challenge cup winning team), friends he has met through rugby club and what the club not only means to the people in the room last night, but to people of all over the city. We owe it to them, ourselves, the city and those who are no longer with us to preserve the great name of Salford RLFC.
The main message was that although this hasn’t been confirmed by the club and I must stress the point that we’re not saying it WILL happen, but it is under SERIOUS consideration, and until we hear that it isn’t happening we need to prepare like it is and make our feelings known before it’s too late. If we sit back and say nothing Marwan will presume we don’t care and the rebrand will probably go ahead. If we stand up and fight this we have a chance to stop it.
Rebecca Long-Bailey then took the Mic and gave a very passionate speech about the City of Salford as a whole and the importance the rugby league team plays in this. She said she will contact Marwan Koukash and express her concern and feelings. It was also mentioned that Paul Dennet (the major of Salford) and Barbara Keeley are also very much behind us and have offered their support in quest to preserve the Salford name.
The meeting was then opened up to the floor to suggest action points that could help us get the message out. Not of them will be used and not everyone will agree with them. A working party was also set up with a number of volunteers, that will go to liaise with the club and work through the action points. It is hoped that a meeting will be set up with Ian Blease in the very near future.
Paul Coleman than had a few minutes on the mic and urged everyone to get friends, family down the ground as bum on seats would make him have to think twice whilst continuing our great efforts in supporting the current team.
This is (so far) the best season we’ve had in nearly 40 years so none of the above is meant to have a negative impact on the team and isn’t meant to be negative in anyway, it is just to make people aware that this IS high on Marwans agenda and we need to stop it before it’s too late.
Hopefully a win in at Wembley in the cup final will help our cause!!
Anyway there was lots more discussed, but I’ve summarised as best I can. If anyone else that was at the meeting has anything to add then please feel free as I’ve probably missed something.
It was also said a lot of ex players are not happy. There is an article about the meeting in the Salford Star and a petition to sign |
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Post by bandgeekmafia78 on May 16, 2017 10:03:20 GMT
Thanks Darren, much appreciated.
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Post by aveit on May 16, 2017 10:06:02 GMT
Thanks Darren, much appreciated. *Cough* Martin *cough*  |
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Post by mrg on May 16, 2017 10:06:08 GMT
Signing the petition is one thing, we need more bums on seats to avoid a name change.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2017 10:09:05 GMT
So the club didn't have a representative there? Very strange you'd have thought they might want to get out infront of this and not let it snowball any further.
Something did occur to me just now, the Dr is obviously not a foolish business man and must know like us this will have a negative effect on crown numbers, I'm wondering if there isn't already something in place from maybe Manchester council or a backer that will make use of the Manchester rebrand for the club? Can see them wanting the continued improvement on the field and hope that it will eventually start to lead to increased crowds at a venue in Manchester.
Just a thought.
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Post by aveit on May 16, 2017 10:11:19 GMT
Dave has sent me a copy of his notes so people can get a further idea of what was said and discussed:
• Welcome
• Although I know a lot of people in the room I am sure there are a number of you who don’t know me. I don’t do twitter, I don’t do facebook, so my name might not be familiar to you. I am Dave Bainbridge, I will say this, not to be boastful, but to demonstrate I am no fly by night or Johnny come lately. I have missed 8 and a half Salford matches home and away in the last 49 years, so I think that classes me as a regular.
• Having said that, It doesn’t matter whether you have been watching Salford for one year or eighty, if you have come along tonight you clearly care about the club and your contribution will be appreciated.
• I plan to speak for thirty minutes or so to paint the picture and then I will open it up to the floor for discussion.
• I find it so upsetting and annoying when our team are playing their best rugby league football in 37 years, going so well in the league, in the quarter final of the cup with an excellent chance of making the semi that we have had cause to call a meeting to discuss the very existence of Salford Rugby League Football Club.
• I would like to point out that this is not scaremongering or jumping the gun. This is a real life threat of us losing our club for ever.
• Tonight’s meeting has been arranged to allow us to discuss the issue in detail face to face, for every person in attendance to full understand the threat facing our club and for us all to leave knowing exactly what we are going to do to challenge it.
• Ok, so what is the problem? Rumours started circulating on 30th April after the Widnes home game that there were plans afoot to rebrand the club as Manchester Red Devils.
• I would also like to bring to your attention articles written by Gary Carter, David Burke and comments from the Mayor of Salford all supporting the cause.
• Ok, so I have heard it from the horse’s mouth that rebranding the club to Manchester is under consideration. Mr Koukash has had many personal messages sent to him in the last fortnight asking him whether it is true we are going to be called Manchester and as far as I am aware he has not responded to anybody denying it. Consequently, I think, until we get a statement from him to tell us it is definitely not happening, we assume it is. Two weeks has been more than enough to put the matter to bed if it was just speculation.
• Our objective therefore is to show our opposition to this hare-brained idea with a view to getting Mr Koukash to remove it from his agenda altogether. A secondary point, but I think worth raising, is that if and when we are successful in that regard we should then look at getting the name of Salford back on the badge where it belongs. I am sure you will all remember that Mr Koukash removed the name of our city from the badge surreptitiously during the close season a couple of years ago and every time he is questioned on the matter he comes out with the stock answer ‘We will always be Salford’. Will we?
• That, of course, was a precursor to the Manchester name change proposal and most of us have been expecting this for a while.
• So, what have we done so far to show our opposition to ‘The destruction of Salford RLFC?’ Sounds a bit more severe in those words than ‘rebranding’ don’t you think?
• Well, for the Wigan game Darren arranged for a banner to be produced with a clear message ‘We are Salford thank you and don’t ever want to be called Manchester’ or words to that effect. Many thanks to anyone who contributed to the cost. The banner was unfurled again at the HKR game and Darren and Dennis arranged for 2000 A4 posters to be printed with the clear message: Salford Forever Manchester Never and distributed amongst the crowd for display as the teams came out. I felt the reaction at Wigan was pretty lukewarm but it gathered more momentum and enthusiasm last week.
• I have been told that in some quarters the action taken has been described as negative for the club. I really struggle to understand this view as I cannot think of anything more positive than fighting for the life of our club and telling our owner and anyone else who wants to take note that we are strongly against the idea.
• I am afraid there is only one person creating negativity around the club and that is Mr Koukash. If he made a statement tomorrow to the effect that the name change will not be happening we could all get on with our lives and concentrate on enjoying this fantastic season.
• This is not the first time of course we have been under threat of being named Manchester. In 1996, Maurice Lindsay, the then CEO of the Rugby Football League had the barmy idea of merging us with Oldham and calling us Manchester. So what did we do? That’s right, nothing! You must be joking, again, banners, mass protest on the pitch at half time at Watersheddings along with Oldham supporters. Result – Mergers were taken off the table.
• Salford RLFC was formed in 1879. It is our club. It is the club of our forefathers. My Uncle Alan played for Salford in 1938 when we won the Challenge Cup for the only time, he would be turning in his grave if he knew what was happening. We have had some fantastic people devoted to this club who are no longer with us, people like Jimmy Arnison, Jimmy Archer, Doris and Bill Hall, Bill Heath, Ernie Edwards, who worked tirelessly for donkey’s years for this club and no doubt you could all add mothers, fathers, uncles and aunts to the list. Great Salfordians and great supporters of Salford RLFC.
We have got people in this room tonight, marvellous supporters, all lifelong fans through thick and thin, all dear friends of mine who I met purely due to our mutual love of Salford RLFC. Think about it, how many of your good mates have you met at Salford? Do we really want to stand by and lose all this without putting up a fight? In my circle of friends we can be talking about issues like the political situation in North Korea, cyber attacks on the NHS and within five minutes someone has brought us back to Jackie Brennan at Wigan in 1967! Nine blokes in a beer garden in Valras Plage a few weeks ago spending two hours of conversation on naming Salford players whose surname is the name of a place. Barmy I know, but that is what we do. We love it. After our families, Salford RLFC is the second most important thing in our lives.
More importantly than us old buggers, we need to preserve the name of Salford for future generations. Again, we have got young people in this room, wonderful supporters who care deeply about our club and follow them avidly. I am lucky enough, due to my age to have seen us play at Wembley, win two championships, the Lancashire Cup, Floodlit Cup and several secondary trophies, but I would dearly love to see us win something of consequence for all the devoted younger supporters who have yet to see us win a significant trophy. Unfortunately, by younger, I am referring to anybody under the age of 45!
• As Daniel Levy, chairman of Tottenham Hotspur said yesterday after the final match at White Hart Lane, we are merely custodians of this great institution, at the moment, it is our turn to grow it, support it and look after it.
• Ok, almost finished and then I will throw it open. I am sure you are conversant with the phrase ‘silence is assent’ which basically means if you say nothing there will be an assumption you agree. Well if we sit back and say and do nothing Mr Koukash will assume we don’t care and he will go ahead with his madcap idea. Consequently we need to be united in our effort and get every supporter we have onboard and get the message across to Mr Koukash by whatever means we decide, that his proposal is totally unacceptable.
• I am afraid, if we don’t all get behind it, then Salford rugby is gonna die.
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