Re: 2016 pre season : Sun Apr 22, 2018 1:26 pm
Steve May wrote:
Sorry, but must disagree. There’s no way that squad, in normal circumstances, should have struggled in Superleague. It’s a comfortably top four squad.
There were two things that happened
The first you identify correctly. It happened, and maybe it could have been dealt with better. It brings to mind one thing I remember Alex Ferguson saying when asked if he had one piece of simple advice to share about team building - “Get rid of the cnuts”.
The second is different. The club had had three or four good seasons - in the league we’d been the most consistently successful team over the previous three years (add the tables together and we’d top it). But no trophies. All the talk at the time was whether the club could step up to the next level - and a lot of people were doubtful.
There are very few opportunities in rugby league to step onto a bigger stage, to reach for something magical, to create something big. To go back to Alex Ferguson - he once said that the thing that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end were “the big European nights under the floodlights at Old Trafford”
At the end of 2015 there was the chance to grab some of that. It was there in our grasp, but the club didn’t want to step up.
I still find it difficult to believe that there was a chance to host Huddersfield Giants vs Sydney Roosters and the club didn’t want to do it. More than that, the club were relieved to not step onto that stage - supported by many fans on this site.
The message that sent out to the entire RL world was that we are a small club that lack the balls to step up.
They didnt fight for that match (which was awarded to lower placed St Helens off the back of “commitment to the World Club Series) because it was too expensive.
And how much money has that timid, small minded decision cost now? Far in excess of the £185k the RFL wanted the club to invest.
There were two things that happened
The first you identify correctly. It happened, and maybe it could have been dealt with better. It brings to mind one thing I remember Alex Ferguson saying when asked if he had one piece of simple advice to share about team building - “Get rid of the cnuts”.
The second is different. The club had had three or four good seasons - in the league we’d been the most consistently successful team over the previous three years (add the tables together and we’d top it). But no trophies. All the talk at the time was whether the club could step up to the next level - and a lot of people were doubtful.
There are very few opportunities in rugby league to step onto a bigger stage, to reach for something magical, to create something big. To go back to Alex Ferguson - he once said that the thing that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end were “the big European nights under the floodlights at Old Trafford”
At the end of 2015 there was the chance to grab some of that. It was there in our grasp, but the club didn’t want to step up.
I still find it difficult to believe that there was a chance to host Huddersfield Giants vs Sydney Roosters and the club didn’t want to do it. More than that, the club were relieved to not step onto that stage - supported by many fans on this site.
The message that sent out to the entire RL world was that we are a small club that lack the balls to step up.
They didnt fight for that match (which was awarded to lower placed St Helens off the back of “commitment to the World Club Series) because it was too expensive.
And how much money has that timid, small minded decision cost now? Far in excess of the £185k the RFL wanted the club to invest.
Have to agree with that to a large extent.
But would add what message did it send to the players and potential players.
Huddersfield is somewhere you can go or stay but you will not ever get to the pinnacle of the sport. To do that you need to go to a a big club Leeds Wigan or go to Australia.
There were many other things that went wrong but that was a big one about ambition or more correct a LACK OF AMBITION..
There are loads of other examples much of it was because of small minded and blinkered attitudes within the management to do anything to build things.
How many times do we see some planning about away shirts or heritage shirts etc.
Look back at every season for the last few and the same complaints made by fans on here about the club are regurgitated year on year .
For Christ’s sake it does not take a genius to think oh the die hard fans are complaining about the releases of away shirts lets get it right next year. Then we have deja vu again and again.
Only a small issue but symptomatic if a malaise in te club which then gets developed by some supporters with the old lines.
Huddersfield is not rugby town !
It’s the supporters fault !
The fans don’t get behind the club !
It is up to the club to build and develop that is how you start a business.
