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Re: St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus pens extraordinary statement taking no prisoners in RFL, Salford, Nigel Wood debat
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2025 3:52 pm
by BriH
DaveO wrote: ↑Sat Mar 22, 2025 2:14 pm
McManus is now part of the problem. This is a move is to prevent any interest from the NRL coming to anything in my opinion.
He is not the first chairman to sing Wood’s praises and he even mentions the TV deal as a good thing!
When it was made it was negotiated three years early and was for a further five years. The reason it was made is because it secured an immediate cash injection which Wood’s went for as two clubs, one which was Bradford, were in danger of going bust mid-season.
It was snort term thinking with the deal put to SL clubs at the last minute as a take it or leave it option motivated by that cash injection. IL voted in favour but the day after said he felt railroaded into it and regretted he voted for it. Koukcash who owned Salford at the time was also against it because like IL he was furious the deal was not put out to tender particularly as back then BT Sport was throwing money around to build up a sports TV offering.
Wood’s reaction to the criticism was patronising and did not address that concern but said more or less there is democracy in the sport to tough luck. And that “democracy” is what lies behind this move again in my opinion.
With Hetherington, Beumont and now McManus backing this move they clearly are happy to have the sport to be effectively governed by referenda. That is they are giving power to every club in the RFL to vote on whatever proposals come up. For some reason Leigh, Leeds and Saints seem to tnink that is Ok. Perhaps because they see themselves as big fish in a small pond and are happy with that this means the tail can wag to dog.
I was unsure about the idea of the NRL buying SL but thinking about it I hope it comes off. The elite level of the sport needs to get away from one run by the likes of Wood who will sell it out to secure a cash injection to save a championship club.
I don’t think there is another top level sport out there that does not separate the elite level from the next tier down and it is about time SL was in that position. Having to rejoin the RFL after covid has led to this current situation but if the opportunity arises to go with the NRL they should go for it.
I did think that would make us a feeder league for the NRL but thinking about it, that would not make any sense as killing off SL in that way would be stupid. It would be in the NRL’s interest to nave a strong SL if they actually own it.
An excellent summary of the events! Exactly as I remember it: particularly IL's reaction to the hurried deal with Sky. If my memory is correct, SL ended up with less money!
Re: St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus pens extraordinary statement taking no prisoners in RFL, Salford, Nigel Wood debat
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2025 5:22 pm
by moto748
I fully agree with DaveO's analysis on this. This is hypocritical in the extreme from McManus, and reflects poorly on him IMO..
Re: St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus pens extraordinary statement taking no prisoners in RFL, Salford, Nigel Wood debat
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:07 pm
by MjM
BriH wrote: ↑Sun Mar 23, 2025 3:52 pmAn excellent summary of the events! Exactly as I remember it: particularly IL's reaction to the hurried deal with Sky. If my memory is correct, SL ended up with less money!
Super League ended up with... the largest TV deal ever. Approximately double what they are on now.
But yes, Nigel Wood doesn't know what he's doing.
Re: St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus pens extraordinary statement taking no prisoners in RFL, Salford, Nigel Wood debat
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2025 12:40 am
by moto748
The fact that we have a lousy deal now doesn't mean that that deal was good.
Re: St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus pens extraordinary statement taking no prisoners in RFL, Salford, Nigel Wood debat
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2025 1:56 pm
by DaveO
MjM wrote: ↑Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:07 pm
BriH wrote: ↑Sun Mar 23, 2025 3:52 pmAn excellent summary of the events! Exactly as I remember it: particularly IL's reaction to the hurried deal with Sky. If my memory is correct, SL ended up with less money!
Super League ended up with... the largest TV deal ever. Approximately double what they are on now.
But yes, Nigel Wood doesn't know what he's doing.
He did not put the TV deal put to tender. Do you really not understand how stupid that was?
IL’s argument at the time was BT Sport were chucking money at sport and even just putting it out to tender would have secured even more money even if they went with Sky in the end as it would have forced them to bid higher.
Wood knew exactly what he was doing when he went to Sky and Sky alone asking for an immediate cash injection to save two clubs from going bust. Sky bit his hand off as back then RL had a higher profile than today with one of the Burgess brothers supposedly off to RU and players like Sam Tomkins nationally known.
He sold the sport short with short term thinking to bail out two clubs. Those idiots Beumont and McManus conveniently do not mention that.
I have now seen several clubs statements singing Wood’s praises that look like a cut & paste job from a political party slogan. You would think he was the messiah the way they are going on.
Re: St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus pens extraordinary statement taking no prisoners in RFL, Salford, Nigel Wood debat
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2025 3:36 pm
by fozzie58
Listening to McManus on the Eddie and Steve podcast was mind blowing he clearly believes Wood is going to deliver a deal so ground breaking it’ll blow everyone’s mind it was bordering on delusional listening to him
Re: St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus pens extraordinary statement taking no prisoners in RFL, Salford, Nigel Wood debat
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2025 4:06 pm
by moto748
The one thing McManus was right about is what a poor decision it was to pitch the England women against the Jillaroos. But even that, I suspect he only mentioned so as to cover himself from charges of being indifferent to women in the game, whilst he's dismissing allegations of misogyny.
Re: St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus pens extraordinary statement taking no prisoners in RFL, Salford, Nigel Wood debat
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2025 9:16 am
by the pieman
i commented on a facebook post about Woods return, saying most fans were unhappy because he pushed the last deal though for less money to bail out clubs
apparently, from someone who was in the room (within RFL is how i read it)
"Nigel signed the deal in his capacity as CEO of SuperLeague and RFL. The advance payment did bail out 2 clubs (dont need to be a rocket scientist to figure out which ones) but the deal was for substantially more than the deal it replaced. Some owners were unhappy because of BT Sport's interest.
The deals signed for less money were under Ralph Rimmer"
so it seems like the guy who responded to me is clearly in the Nigel Woods camp.
which ever way we look at it, the game off the pitch appears to in turmoil, and there is a chance that there is going to be lots of self interest / preservation going on. I only hope, that we dont play to the lowest common denominator as we have done for the last umpteen years. We need positive change, if we need change, and that needs to drive up standards on and off the pitch, not bring it back down. I get that people by their nature dont like change, but if we are ever going to get decent media coverage and TV money, then it needs a broader spectrum than the M62, and our flat cap and whippet / ferret perception.