Re: Rochdale's inappropriate conduct to French RL is a worry : Mon Apr 25, 2016 11:50 pm  

PS - the reason why the sport is dying in the North is it's association with things sponsors do not want to be identified with in marketing.

Changing the marketing and mentality of people goes hand in hand. Sport is expanding globally, it can be done. There are some great comments in here that recognize the need.

What does the people/market really want - they don't want to be associated with this type of mentality displayed at Rochdale. But Rochdale deserves better - get what i mean ?

Re: Rochdale's inappropriate conduct to French RL is a worry : Tue Apr 26, 2016 3:41 am  

I think this was the ideal oppotunity for the Hornets to promote Rugby League to a new audience, but my first impressions are for reasons unknown to me they appeard to have failed.
More work it appears needs to go into match day marketing, and i wish the Hornets every success in the future is doing this.

Re: Rochdale's inappropriate conduct to French RL is a worry : Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:55 am  

They're going to lose their minds on their free trip to Canada.

Re: Rochdale's inappropriate conduct to French RL is a worry : Tue Apr 26, 2016 7:25 am  

"Rochdale could be a beacon." I cannot see this. I live in inner-city Dale and I cannot see this.
It was possible with the Fiji links but times have changed.

Re: Rochdale's inappropriate conduct to French RL is a worry : Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:27 am  

Huddersfield1895 wrote:

I think this was the ideal oppotunity for the Hornets to promote Rugby League to a new audience, but my first impressions are for reasons unknown to me they appeared to have failed.
More work it appears needs to go into match day marketing, and i wish the Hornets every success in the future is doing this.

Perhaps a step forward would be get Rochdale stakeholders on board and to ask them what they want.

The Rochdale coach talks about lack of funds from sponsors etc. Talk to them in a professional manner and ask them what they require.

Toulouse have to have a strong discipline as one of their sponsors is the the City of Toulouse for it's tourism and hospitality. They would not want to be associated with Adolf Hitler, eye gouging and biting, and on field fights / playing "French" dirty. It may happen, but not by reputation and Toulouse would crack down on it I feel sure.

In Australia, with a great deal of difficulty due to recurring outbreaks of bad player behavior, the NRL strongly markets to "families". Other codes successfully do the same. Those codes fiercely protect the code's branding with a clear set of rules for participating clubs at all levels.

It makes sense. You get families involved, you get the numbers up, you get folks talking positively about the game, you get the player pipeline strengthening, and you create a great game day atmosphere.

Something just ain't right and it needs to be corrected. The US and Canada are doing well developing the sport and fortunately, i think, the RFL are embracing that.

Could the RFL improve it's lower tier education and support programs for clubs like Rochdale?

I'm being kind/soft. How the hell will bad behavior effect the appeal of the sport to countries like the US, Canada and France to grow the game. C'mon [ McEnroe style ] ..... are you serious !!

Imagine a French or Canadian tourist/supporter being confronted with crowd abuse and racist comments.

Not funny guys / gals .... something has to be done. This is 2016, not WW2 mentality or colonial superiority time. Our kids think differently, time to move with the times i say.

Remember the crowds enjoyment around the RWC and the international teams. C'mon.

Turn it into some fun ... not this. What's wrong with some ros bif [ French slang for Englishmen - traditional roast beef ] and a croissant or two.

Re: Rochdale's inappropriate conduct to French RL is a worry : Tue Apr 26, 2016 10:39 am  

Great post Snowman, hit the nail firmly on the head.

Here's hoping the Hornets board are aware of the situation. As it stands the existing coach is doing loads more harm than good. I would love to have a reaction from someone at the RFL. I'm sure the 'powers that be' feel like pulling their hair out when they see such anti-RL behaviour ?

Re: Rochdale's inappropriate conduct to French RL is a worry : Tue Apr 26, 2016 12:04 pm  

Having toured in France, I can confirm I'd rather play a dozen Widnes Cup games in a week, than risk my life playing 3 tour games against them. Reckless animals. We came back unbeaten, but depleted. It's just how they play.

Re: Rochdale's inappropriate conduct to French RL is a worry : Tue Apr 26, 2016 12:35 pm  

Snowman are you a student? Do you need a 'safe zone' to escape from this awful, vitriolic racist abuse.

But seriously, give your head a wobble. So a coach doesn't agree with the structure and direction of the game - guess what, he's allowed to hold and express those views. A helluva a lot of people agree. So he felt Toulouse played a dirty game? He's allowed to say that too. Perhaps they did - anyone who's played the game knows from time to time a dirty team will turn up and go (literally) for the throat. I've played French teams in a couple of sports including rugby - they're hardly known for being squeaky clean.

#Frenchinvasion? Oh please. A marketing ploy. Do you think any players let it affect their game? I doubt it very much. And an independent fan blog with the tagline 'A Proudly Biased Rochdale Hornets Fanblog - Not Taking Ourselves Seriously Since 1985'? I found it quite entertaining!

As for the Nazi comment, are you saying we can't mention history for risk of offending? By the way, the picture is Philippe Pétain meeting Hitler in Oct 1940 - kind of relevant in article discussing the Nazi/Vichy attacks on French RL. I assume you're familiar with these historical events? RL has never been shy in educating the uneducated regarding French RL during the Vichy years (and Mike Rylance's book is excellent).

Unlawful?

If you're not trolling I suggest you switch the internet off, find a dark room and lock yourself in where it's safe. When you eventually emerge go and try an nice sterile sport like snooker or bridge.

Deary me.

Re: Rochdale's inappropriate conduct to French RL is a worry : Tue Apr 26, 2016 12:48 pm  

Some posters are like crossword setters; they include a clue to help you understand the puzzle. So,"and try an nice sterile sport like snooker" was the clue that Cronos can be ironic. Brilliant.
Memories of snooker clubs in the 70's ... wow.

Re: Rochdale's inappropriate conduct to French RL is a worry : Tue Apr 26, 2016 12:55 pm  

Hillbilly_Red wrote:

Some posters are like crossword setters; they include a clue to help you understand the puzzle. So,"and try an nice sterile sport like snooker" was the clue that Cronos can be ironic. Brilliant.
Memories of snooker clubs in the 70's ... wow.

And today, 40+ years later?

At least there aren't many Nazi connections with snooker for people to take offence at.