IR80 wrote:who was that directed at?
Adler is a complete buffoon who normally I wouldn't waste my time and energy replying to. However, there is one line I agree with him on. That is ...''The game is in a shambles''. I've played the game as a young guy. Supported Rovers since 1968 when I was just a very young boy, and watched the game of RL generally both here and in Australia.. The fools who currently are running the game here in the UK are absolutely clueless in my opinion, they are taking the game backwards in this country and are actually making the whole sport look amateurish in my view. They seem to go from one disaster to another , whether its from an expansion point of view or a marketing point.
With regards especially to the marketing aspect of the game. I remember the last world cup when I tried to introduce my Rugby union loving brother in law who was, and still is a marketing manager of a large sports company up North, to rugby league. I got him to watch a few of the televised games which to be fair he said he thoroughly enjoyed. However, there was thing that he said to me which I completely agreed with him on then and still do now. He said to me .....'' Who the hell does all the marketing and general promotion of your sport''? He said whoever they are need to do much better. He said that had I not informed him of the RL world cup and the televised games that were to be shown, he wouldn't have known that there was a world cup actually taking place. That summed up the situation as far as I was concerned. Here we were playing a world cup and a perfect time to showcase what a great spectacle rugby league was, and yet millions probably weren't even aware of its existence. On that Score the game hasn't moved forward at all in my view. In fact the administration of the game has gone backwards in some respects, and if the powers that be don't get their fingers out, it wont be long before we see a decline in attendances and major sponsors. If that happens the game could end up going into decline and possibly even end up back as a part time sport played mostly down the M62 corridor with one or two others up in the Cumbria area.
Rugby league as a sport really does need to start, not only looking professional but actually been professional. That starts at the top and it must start NOW!