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Thread: Where have all the fans gone?

  1. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by paulx2 View Post
    He has nerve, you've got to give him that. May be he could arrange a visit to see the Donald to up the games profile.............15 million people, it's gonna be a beautiful thing, a beautiful thing.

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    And the Mexicans are going to pay for it.

  2. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suttoner View Post
    And the Mexicans are going to pay for it.
    It was Nigel who started the post factual era not the Trumpmeister

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    Quote Originally Posted by doghead View Post
    Big Nigel said on Twitter

    Tomorrow sees the launch of the 2017 season campaign with 15M+ people that will see it over the next 3 weeks.
    Well I got the email that I imagine most of you got, with this new tag line

    THIS IS DIFFERENT. LEAGUE

    which at first glance I thought was utter rubbish. It doesn't actually make that much sense and to the untrained eye is not going to lure you in IMO.

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    Like stated on another thread the club need to do offers on tickets to get more fans in, think more for the games against Catalan or Wakefield to increase a little bit of revenue. Club only need to do it for areas they don't get as many fans in such as for the Catalans game they can open up the east (did this first season in the new ground) offer it up for 10 quid say or for the Wakefield game and what not offer say blocks A and G? In the north for 10 quid. Club could also offer 3 games for set price or even Thursday games they could lower prices? There are ways the club can offer cheaper tickets without taking a hit to revuene and increasing attendances. Another idea could be free kids tickets with paying adult or even 2 to get more in? Or offer up family tickets of 3/4 for deal price.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sthelensawaydays8 View Post
    ...the club need to do offers on tickets to get more fans in...
    It's a tough call for the club though. They don't want to upset season ticket holders by throwing around special offers for one or two games.

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    I think there are a few reasons why fans have turned away from the game.

    Standard of Rugby - I must stress this is not an incident that is solely happening at Saints. The vast majority of Super League sides get themselves into the 'grind' and play a much more conservative brand of Rugby and it can be mind numbing to watch. I could also go into the fact we, IMO, play too many games and not enough high quality games and I can see why people will only turn up for games against Leeds, Wire, Wigan and a couple of others but that's a separate debate.

    Ticket prices - £30 for the best seats in the West Stand is excessive, no matter how you attempt to dress it up and I don't think "well it's more expensive to watch Liverpool or Everton in the Premier League" is a comparable argument to make. I know clubs are desperate for any form of income possible but £25-£30 in some grounds, again not just Saints, is far too much for some and that's why they choose to sit in pubs/at home instead of going to games. For £15 you can get a few pints and a pie and sit in a pub in the warmth rather than sit in a cold stand.

    Standard of refereeing - This is my biggest bug bear about Super League. Our officiating is beyond woeful. I know there is a small pool of ref's in this country and even fewer full time but games are being spoilt by bizarre decisions and video referee decisions that are just plainly, wrong. It causes alienation and people don't bother watching. I didn't watch the Grand Final, I didn't watch most of the Four Nations (I only actually watched half of Scotland v NZ) and I'll select my TV viewing carefully this year because of such decisions made by refs who turn games into their own one man shows.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dos Cervezas View Post
    I think there are a few reasons why fans have turned away from the game.

    Standard of Rugby - I must stress this is not an incident that is solely happening at Saints. The vast majority of Super League sides get themselves into the 'grind' and play a much more conservative brand of Rugby and it can be mind numbing to watch. I could also go into the fact we, IMO, play too many games and not enough high quality games and I can see why people will only turn up for games against Leeds, Wire, Wigan and a couple of others but that's a separate debate.

    Ticket prices - £30 for the best seats in the West Stand is excessive, no matter how you attempt to dress it up and I don't think "well it's more expensive to watch Liverpool or Everton in the Premier League" is a comparable argument to make. I know clubs are desperate for any form of income possible but £25-£30 in some grounds, again not just Saints, is far too much for some and that's why they choose to sit in pubs/at home instead of going to games. For £15 you can get a few pints and a pie and sit in a pub in the warmth rather than sit in a cold stand.

    Standard of refereeing - This is my biggest bug bear about Super League. Our officiating is beyond woeful. I know there is a small pool of ref's in this country and even fewer full time but games are being spoilt by bizarre decisions and video referee decisions that are just plainly, wrong. It causes alienation and people don't bother watching. I didn't watch the Grand Final, I didn't watch most of the Four Nations (I only actually watched half of Scotland v NZ) and I'll select my TV viewing carefully this year because of such decisions made by refs who turn games into their own one man shows.
    You've hit the nail on the head with standard of reffing. I'ts ruining the game in most sports

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    Talking about reffing.. I went to the Cas friendly and the ref was allowing the Cas players to lay on for so long I thought they'd actually fell asleep a couple of times.

    This spoils it for me, it allows a solid defence line to be set and the only option is to give the ball to a big forward to go one out at the defence.

    I just hope the Cas reffing is not indicative of what they are going to do for the season.

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    Quote Originally Posted by KentishBarry View Post
    It's a tough call for the club though. They don't want to upset season ticket holders by throwing around special offers for one or two games.
    That's the key.

    Saints do, however, offer discounted (in the form of kids get in free with a paying adult IIRC) entrance to the sort of games you mention, and in the East Stand.

    WRT reffing, I think it's time that touch judges marked & policed the defensive line for offside, allowing the ref to focus solely on the tackle & PTB from close-up, instead of having to race back to mark the defence 10m line.

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    I can't see any reference to the piece about the start of the season on The Today Programme on Radio 4 this morning. After referring to tonight's game, they interviewed Sam Tomkins. Mention was made to Dave Wood's article about the lack of spark in the current game. Tomkins' dutifully complied with the party line and suggested it was an exciting product!

    Unless the RFL, coaches and players face facts, things can't get better.

    Incidentally, listening to Tomkins made me appreciate Wilkins' media presence. Whatever else you think about him, he is articulate.

  11. #36
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    I don't get the argument about refereeing putting people off the game. When I go to the match I find myself surrounded by people screaming blue murder at the ref for decisions that are absolutely correct. I also find that I myself get angry at a decision only to go home, watch the replay and discover that it was spot on. So no matter how good the standard of officiating is, in the heightened atmosphere of a match it will always draw the ire of a section of support. Of course, referees do make mistakes, and occasionally they turn out to be important ones, but the day we stop that from happening is the day that we no longer have human beings as referees.

    Admittedly it is infuriating when play the balls are allowed to take forever and the 10m is not fully policed - this is an aspect of refereeing performance that can and should be controlled - but as often as not I think this comes down from directives from the top rather than the individual ref.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Suttoner View Post
    I can't see any reference to the piece about the start of the season on The Today Programme on Radio 4 this morning. After referring to tonight's game, they interviewed Sam Tomkins. Mention was made to Dave Wood's article about the lack of spark in the current game. Tomkins' dutifully complied with the party line and suggested it was an exciting product!

    Unless the RFL, coaches and players face facts, things can't get better.

    Incidentally, listening to Tomkins made me appreciate Wilkins' media presence. Whatever else you think about him, he is articulate.
    The game absolutely need to own up to its problems, but I'm not sure an interview on national radio with one of its stars to promote the launch of the season is the time and place to do it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dux View Post
    The game absolutely need to own up to its problems, but I'm not sure an interview on national radio with one of its stars to promote the launch of the season is the time and place to do it.
    Point taken but it got my back up a little. To be fair, Tomkins was there in an ambassadorial role and I suppose he thought it best to sell the game.

    On your refereeing point, I think referees have the power to improve the game simply by applying the current rules at the PTB. However, are they instructed to allow slow PTBs by the RFL in the mistaken belief that scooting from acting half is more damaging to the spectacle?

    You're right about re-watching a game on TV and finding the ref was right all along. Sad but very true.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Suttoner View Post
    On your refereeing point, I think referees have the power to improve the game simply by applying the current rules at the PTB. However, are they instructed to allow slow PTBs by the RFL in the mistaken belief that scooting from acting half is more damaging to the spectacle?
    I think this is the biggest problem with refereeing - a decision needs to be made on how the ruck will be policed and that decision then needs to be communicated very clearly. Supporters will always get wound up by decisions, but I think when coaches and players get upset is when they don't know where they stand.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dux View Post
    I think this is the biggest problem with refereeing - a decision needs to be made on how the ruck will be policed and that decision then needs to be communicated very clearly. Supporters will always get wound up by decisions, but I think when coaches and players get upset is when they don't know where they stand.
    Yeah absolutely. All the refs rule it differently, in championship 1 now there's a small session and details given on the ref and his interepretations so it'll be even more of a focus for the Super League lads. One week you can lie on and get away with it and the next he won't stop blowing his whistle.

    It's spoiling the game as a spectacle though. It'd have to be a gradual progression though because guys are conditioned diffferntly than they were say 10 years ago when the ruck was a lot quicker. The likes of Walmsley would have to increase their fitness levels and that won't happen overnight. I'd say that since 2007 it's been a lot slower and wrestling techniques have been brought into training sessions post that. It's not really recognised by many supporters though so they expect teams to play the way they did on years gone by when it's not really possible. It all generated from Australia though and we end up trying to beat them at their own game now because of it at international level.

    It's the main reason the game is less skilful now though for sure.
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