Sod Wakefield, Dodgy Dave should make him his new 'Alastair Campbell'.

One query, why is the planned stands etc gonna start in August?



I read it'll take a month, why not do em end of season, surely there'll be problems on match days in August

James Elston announced last night and confirmed in a press release that Wakefield Trinity are now running at a profit!



Given that stadia and finance were the two blights on the club how can the news that we are now profitable and the announcement that we will be improving the stadium to the RFLs satisfaction possibly be a bad thing?



Newmarket is still the clubs focus and by March next year we will know the results of the PI. If we get the go ahead we can be playing in the new stadium by 2013. In the mean

In the meantime Belle Vue will have been vastly improved and will be far from the worst ground in SL.



The infrastructure of the club, junior development, community work, commercial and marketing as never been better than it is now and is set for more investment in the coming months, so its far from being neglected!



I understand the scepticism, this is Wakefield isn't it, but it's not a Wakefield Trinity that's under the same ownership as the last 20 years and some supporters need get their heads around that. Andrew Glover has been in charge for three months and everything he's said he will do has been done!



There's nothing to be gained from trying to con the RFL, the club have worked hand in hand with Savilles and the RFL in order to formulate the redevelopment of the ground and everything they've asked for has been done!



I'm also lead to beehive that legally binding contracts have been or will be signed before the franchise decision is known. The only clause allowing Wakefield to cancel the contract is if they do not receive a franchise, this was insisted upon by the RFL to prevent any possibility that this might not happen should Trinity get a licence.

The Clan & Turfedout - I think you are both massively over-estimating how strong the club currently is. You are both basically suggesting that in 3 months everything has gone from awful to wonderful and that Wakefield are now suddenly a SL standard set-up simply because Andrew Glover has taken over. The ground is still a vital issue. Long term is still far from sorted and is the most uncertain of all the clubs. Short term ie Belle Vue is still as bad as ever and a £500k facelift will do sod all to cure that, don't be lulled into thinking that Belle Vue will suddenly become an adequate stadium, it won't.



Yes demotion would lead to lower revenue, it would also lead to significantly lower costs and, more importantly, less of a pressure to put money into the first team. I think if Wakefield were to stay in SL I think it would take them longer and cost them more to make the necessary changes to become a real force in SL than a period or 2 in the Championship where there is less pressure. Wakefield can't just go back to how they were ie scrapping at the bottom of SL and not challenging at the top. If the club is going to last and prosper long term it has to do more than that, which in my opinion means quite a lot of changes are necessary at Wakefield in all sorts of areas.

I tend to agree. Widnes were not happy when they didn't get in three years ago but they are a much stronger outfit now. The three years gave them breathing space to put everything right.

In other news, Architects released the first images of the plan for the Away Stand at Belle Vue....

And with that last post I'll exit this thread as any chance of adult conversation has disappeared.

Yep, if Widnes had been in SL during that time I'm 99% sure the temptation to sign Aussies/Kiwis/south sea islanders to bolster the first team would have been too great to ignore.



As you say being in the Championship gave Widnes the breathing space to focus on areas other than the first team and I think Widnes will emerge stronger than they would have been if they'd been in SL for the same period.

You obviously have little knowledge of the club.



Everything wasnt awful.eg community side

Both Wakefield and Castleford are both far from sorted(see millions of other threads)

£500K will address some of the stadium issues that it falls short on.(see the rfl stadium criteria)



How exactly does demotion mean theres less pressure to put money into the first team?Do you not need to win a certain trophy to be eligible to re apply for super league?You are already going to suffer a significant drop in attendances,so you still need to invest in the team,added to that the club has already confirmed that if they fail in having their license renewed,they will keep a full time squad in the championship(although quite how that works on 400k ive no idea).By not investing in the team will lead to even lower attendances.





But its ok for Salford to just hang around the bottom and not challenge?



Why not try and be more specific -- What are these "lots of changes" in "all sorts of areas" Thats about as vague as vague can be.



You think you know better than Glover -- fair enough.



I will pass on your advice to him.

Sweet Jesus, some of you Wakefield fans aren't good at making friends and engendering sympathy towards your clubs' plight are you.

I've heard much about this wonderful community programme yet seen little evidence of it actually being so amazing. Just repeating the phrase over and over doesn't make it true.

£500k will do sod all to make Belle Vue a reasonable 21st century stadium to watch elite sport in.

You need to win either the Championship Grand Final or the Northern Rail Cup once in the licence period. Since Batley managed it I'm sure it's not beyond the means of Wakefield. Yes there is less pressure to sign Aussies/kiwis/south sea islanders, partly because of the quota, partly because of the salary cap and partly because in SL there is pressure to not finish very low down and to perform on TV in an elite league. Average teams get found out much more in SL than in the Championship due to the full time nature of SL. In the Championship, as Widnes have proved, you can concentrate on other aspects of the business whilst your academy can provide an "adequate" team alongside a few choice signings and dual registrations.



You have, for some reason known only to your paranoid little mind, assumed I was somehow having a dig at Wakefield, I wasn't. I was stating my opinion as to what I think would be the best scenario for Wakefield and the best way to come out of the current situation in the strongest position possible. I've never mentioned Salford so I don't quite see why you have brought them into your argument.



The entire infrastructure of the club needs an overhaul, from the boardroom on down. Marketing, community, youth development, finance ie additional revenue, all need attention in some form or another. These should take priority over the first team in the next few years since they are areas that have been sadly lacking in investment in the past and they coupled with a suitable new stadium are what's going to grow the club and make it a force in the future. If you don't believe that just take a look at the 3 "biggest" clubs in Wigan, Leeds & Hull FC.



Kindly quote where I've said I know better than Andrew Glover. If we don't debate things because of the charge of "well you think you know better than...." then this website would be a very dull place. It would just be full of Damo's lists and Phipps irrationality.



Pass any advice on to anyone you want. Patronising tw[ia[/it.

It's obvious to all and sundry exactly what you are, and that's an ex-wakey fan who jumped on the Rhino's bandwagon.

It's clear from your barely disguised loathing of all things Cas and their plans for the future to all on here that you jumped ship for a bit of glory hunting. What's the matter? Wakey not good enough to fit in with your high flying lifestyle (Lufthansa cost me three hours of my life, but it felt like six....

), you admit to being raised and educated in the Wakefield area, and continue to live in the area as well.So come on, be honest.

I suppose with your track record you will be disappearing soon, only to turn up in a new guise as Vulpine Armadillo or something similar.

For what it's worth I hope the RFL see this statement by Wakey for what it is, and that's just smoke and mirrors. My grannie used to say " Iv'e heard ducks fart before " when she didn't believe something, and this definitely sounds like a duck fart if ever I heard one.

Once again you show you know sweet fa about the club.



Who said anything about the £500k making Belle Vue a 21st century stadium - its about ticking boxes and the club have admitted that.



You say its not ok for Wakefield to scrape around round the bottom of Super League -- hence my referral to Salford - they have.



The community programme has been commended by the RFL - you want evidence - go do your own homework.There are even Leeds fans on here that admit to their own community programme "mirroring" Wakefields.



Our youth development is doing just fine,the academy won the league two years ago - the problem we have is hanging on to them.Dropping down a division will not stop that happening.



Widnes have proved nothing - they were already in the championship when they started their overhaul and i dont remember Steve OConnor saying"no leave us in the championship for 6 years whilst we rebuild"They wanted out straight away!But im sure you would have told Steve OConnor what was best for him as well.

Not looking to make friends or gain your sympathy,i didnt even think you were having a dig.

I just thought you were a clueless oath passing of your opinion,an opinion that has little or no factual base.

I dont mind you stating your opinion,feel free to carry on passing on your opinion of a club and its infrastructures(that you know nothing about) - - its just that its a $hite opinion.

You arrogant t/wat

Its not, and never has been about ticking boxes. If Glover has said it is, he either int competent or is spinning like a waltzer.



To pretend Wakefield is or could be seen as strong in anyway is a complete nonsense, they struggle in every area. Their youth development isnt strong, Leeds, Wigan, St Helens, Hull's youth development is strong. Wakefields might not be the worst but it isnt 'strong'.



The fact Wakefield havent made themselves indispensable to SL is Wakefields responsibility, the fact that even at best they are looking to scrape in to SL is Wakefields problem. There is nothing, in their history of SL, that Wakefield have done that proves they are on the track to making themselves indispensable to SL and that is down to Wakefield.

I get the cynisism and critique... I live in Sydney and got up early to follow the meeting on line... when I heard the news I theought..."oh F*** not again " I was, as a 40 year trinity fans fed up with the crap.... everything I had heard before!!! time and time again.



then I started to see the context and thought... this is a reputable business man who's reputation in West Yorkshire is central to his business being succesful...



the progression in the club since Glover took over has been nothing short of phenomonal... the club are doing this which no other club is (e.g. television advertising)... he is covering every base, every option and every eventuality... he will do whatever is required and he says he has the money to back it up and can prove it!... including the ability to spend the full cap next year... without risk to the viability of the business.



then I thought 'what if Andrew Glover can actually back up his plans?' and finally I thought... damn with everything at stake he wouldn't even submit to the process if he couldn't... he has too much to lose.

in a nut shell.



things were not all wrong before the takeover.



the community program is and was outstanding. if anyone wants proof look under community on the website, or try googling wildcat dolls, wildcat kittens, wakefield wildcats netball team or the wakefield wheeled cats for example.



the academy set up is very strong, this is pretty much summed up by the fact that they won the grand final a couple of seasons ago and look like being amongst the top teams again this season, and have a good record of progression into the first team.



the clubs sponsorship is good. the shirt represents one of the top 25% in the league for shirt sponsorship.



corporate facilities are also very good. whatever the block of flats look like from the outside, they are in actual fact very nice inside and offer excellent facilities.



then there are the areas that were not good prior to the takeover.



finance and general proffesionalism of the owner. epitomised by the very dodgy sale of belle vue, which in turn led to the tax man coming to look for the proceeds (which could not be found). in short a cowboy who needed removing.



belle vue itself. everyone knows that BV is not a long term solution, but also getting something like a stadium built is not easy and takes a lot of time and money.

the club has done EVERYTHING that it can to deliver a new stadium. the plans are now in the hands of the secretary of state. there is NOTHING MORE that anyone except him can do. had he not called it in then building would have started by now.



in the meantime andrew glover is prepared to fork out to upgrade BV to the tune of £500k. and good of him imo.



personally dont really care what division we are in from next season. the club is now genuinely moving forward, which is more than can be said for the rest of the sport.

Agreed with the last section.



Who said the youth development was strong?

I dont believe it is - i think its fine,ok,not bad and dont doubt it could be improved.

Once again Turfedout you show a remarkably naive and blinkered view of your own club.

The Community work done by Wakefield is merely adequate for the only sports club in the city, not excellent or amazing or world class, adequate. It along with other areas can benefit from extra investment.



I never said it wasn't ok for Wakefield to do anything whatsoever. I said Wakefield will want to make the best of the situation and come out of this as a force in RL and not merely scraping along the bottom. Since we were talking about Wakefield, I don't see how Salford was ever brought into the debate. You thought I was having a go at Wakefield and so responded in a defensive manner by basically bleating "but, but, but what about Salford!"



Again the academy is adequate, not good or excellent and as you admit has issues, so why were you so averse to my suggestion that more money should be spent on it?



That's because Steve O'Connor had already had a couple of years in the Championship to do some of the things that needed doing and even then it was deemed not to be enough. So they've spent another 3 years fixing up the remaining issues and now present a far stronger case for SL than they did 3 years ago and will be a stronger force because of those extra years in the Championship where the first team took a back seat to off-field issues and youth development. If they had been in SL from the date they went into administration they would not have got those issues sorted as quickly and would be a weaker club right now.



Yes you did think I was having a dig or you wouldn't have responded in such a defensive way and responding in the usual manner of a blinkered fan by desperately claiming that anyone who says there are things wrong with their beloved club is "clueless" or "knows nothing".



Yes I will keep posting my opinion, since that is what everyone on here does since none of us are actually members of the Wakefield board and even then people's opinions can differ, it's called life.



Well let's examine your claim that I'm arrogant shall we.

My argument was that areas such as community, youth development, marketing, additional revenue etc can & should be prioritised over the first team because they can benefit from extra investment, and that a spell in the Championship would enable the club to do this better than in SL and forge a stronger club in the future.



Your immediate response was to label me as "knowing nothing" whilst saying these areas were fine. You continually accuse me of "knowing more than...", in which case I assume you've never criticised any part of your club, the team, the coach, the players or any part of anyone else's club or any part of the sport or indeed anything in which you are not a confirmed and qualified expert. You then later admit that these areas can benefit from extra investment whilst calling me a "clueless oath" by which I assume you actually meant "clueless oaf".



Which one of us is arrogant again?

I am not getting into the rest of this... not my place but...



I think you are way out of order here mate. Wakefield's community programme is arguably the best in the whole of RL and more than matches the big boys at Hull, Leeds and Wigan. It is no secret that Leeds Rhinos Community Programme is based on the model that Wakefield started. If you don't believe me e-mail the Sleeve and ask him? I am sure he will say he something along the lines of 'borrowed Wakefield's ideas with pride'.



It is also worth mentioning that unlike the big clubs, who have more money to spare, Davide and the team have had to go looking for external funding opportunities and because the programme is so good, have been very successful in doing so.



You can kick them as much as you want in other areas, probably with some justification, but this is not something anyone from any club can criticise Wakefield on!

Another stalker!



Are you SmokeyTA in disguise or married to ceebeebeeceejames, or whatever her next name will be when she has to take a forced rest again) (Sorry Smokey!

)



If you would like answers to all your questions, you will find them on this forum. They are not a secret, but quite frankly, anyone with only 66 posts to their name who has never 'communicated with me before' can go and find-out.



Finally, what track record. This is my only ever identity on RL fans and I haven't been anywhere!



We can at least agree on one thing though... totally with you in respect of Susanna Reid!

Salford should go too. Damn you both to hell!!!!

I know that elements of Wakefield's approach has been used by other clubs including Leeds, ive spoken with Hetherington a few times and he still refers to the good parts of it that Leeds took on board. He also wishes to do far more at Leeds but the stadium has taken a lot of money that would have been put to that.

I hold a dim view of the amount and quality of community work that rugby league clubs carry out including the "top" clubs which is why I described Wakefield's as adequate. But you yourself admit it has been underfunded by the club. I also know of the excellent work done by Davide in difficult circumstances, I've been in contact with him myself over some aspects of their community work and I know he works his balls off. If the community work is funded properly it could be an awful lot better.



I also want to make this clear, I am not here to "kick" Wakefield, and I don't believe I've done that. My point all along has been that the first team needs to take a back seat to the rest of the club because of the previous ownership where the first team has been funded to the detriment of other areas in the club and it needs a few years restructuring to redress that balance somewhat.



Neither do I think Wakefield are alone in this but they are the club where it has been "most evident" and the thread was about Wakefield not any other club.



As I've said Wakefield can (and I hope they do) become a force and properly compete in SL in the future if this "transition" is handled well instead of merely existing in SL, which is what they've been doing in recent times.

What utter bollox

Come off it Starbug. Wouldn't you breathe easier with £££squillions at your disposal?

HTH

Once again wrong.



Steve OConnor took over in Nov 2007 - they applied for super league in March 2008 -- i make that four months.The decision was announced in July 08 -- i make that 9 months.



May i remind you of your comment earlier:



"in 3 months everything has gone from awful to wonderful"



Yet now you describe the community work and academy as adequate.

So you agree it wasnt awful after all.



Wow,knock yourself out,you picked up on a spelling mistake!!!!!!!!!