User avatar
By Latecomer
#12542
It comes as no surprise that Steve Lansdown will strongly argue against a reduction in the salary cap and the removal of Marquee players on the grounds that it will stifle ambition.
He obviously has no concerns whatsoever about the less well off clubs in the Prem.
I do begin to wonder how Bristol are fitting the likes of Radradra, Sinckler, Piatau, Hughes and the like into the salary cap framework ?
By A38
#12546
As I understand it, any agreement about marquee players and the salary cap has to be unanimous within PRL - so if one club says "no change"....
User avatar
By west brom warrior
#12549
I don't blame Steve Lansdown for fighting his corner he is trying to put Bristol on the rugby map and is using high profile players to boost his chances of doing that, a a result they get good crowds and have shown this season they are among the top teams in the league.

As a club Warriors used the marquee signing to do similar with Latham, Goode and a number of others (sadly on the field success did not follow). The fact is now we have owners who don't have the money to attract top stars does not mean other clubs should not be allowed too. If Premiership rugby wants to become a popular sporting league with bigger attendances then big name players are needed.

If we scrap the marquee signing clause and reduce the salary cap then many players will depart for overseas and the league will become much weaker.
By A38
#12553
WBW: That's very much the "Cavaliers" argument and totally understandable if the PRL clubs had resources of their own or of their owners to pay for the marquee players etc.

But alas they don't and if there is to be a competitive league in England it must have viable clubs competing in it.

Viable in the sense that income - from whatever source - covers outgoings.

This is not to say that the PRL should stay at 12 clubs with a13th consigned to the Championship for a season.

It may well be that financial reality will see some PRL clubs culled / amalgamated.
By Van Cannonball
#12554
BBC article suggests it needs 75% backing to change the rules, so possible but unlikely.

I would personally scrap the marquee rule and keep the cap at current level. Based on the number of players now on more than 300k compared to before it was introduced, it does seem to be an inflationary pressure on wages which is not surprising.

Players can still be paid a good wage, just needs to be managed within the cap.
User avatar
By GoldFinch
#12556
Wouldn't the change have to be phase in as players left clubs or it would cause mayhem..
By A38
#12558
Van Cannonball wrote:
Tue May 19, 2020 11:02 am
BBC article suggests it needs 75% backing to change the rules, so possible but unlikely.
My information came from The Times: "Lansdown's opposition would be enough to derail any immediate change to the salary cap level because that requires unanimous support from the leagues' 13 member clubs"

So not clear but maybe the key word in The Times is "immediate" - because any change as regards marquee players would surely have to await current contracts unwinding.
By Van Cannonball
#12566
Well I wouldn’t necessarily trust the BBC for accuracy on anything related to rugby, but it says 75% for any changes to salary cap or marquee players etc. and to be fair it wouldn’t be sensible to need a unanimous decision on things like that.

Agreed that presumably would need to be some kind of phasing or change set for a following season based on any reduction as otherwise hard to plan for. I wouldn’t go so far as based on a player contract though as could push out the change too far and be inconsistent across teams.
By FlipFlop
#12567
Not a surprise that the deep pockets want to spend more. We might do in the same position. This could effectively financially ring fence Prem rugby, and bring in a reduced Prem with the big spenders, and the poor ones creating some former Prem / Championship hybrid league and the bottom rung Champ clubs potentially folding.

Not sure trying to buy World All Stars is the answer to getting bums on seats. Plenty visit Sandy Park with a very effective team. Briz may want to go another way. Good luck to them. Don’t think we’re able to afford a ticket to that ‘Party’ unfortunately.
User avatar
By TeflonTed
#12568
We’ve had the “Bristol attendances” discussion before.
Two things need to be remembered..
1) The population of Bristol is more than 5 times that of Worcester
2) There are 3 generations of rugby union supporters who have been supporting a (generally) very successful Briz team over the years.

It isn’t as simple as they’ve hired a few famous older players, (and some young ones), it has more to do with success on the pitch and long term local rugby tradition.

We have, relatively, none of the above.
patgadd liked this
By SimonG
#12570
Van Cannonball wrote:
Tue May 19, 2020 6:28 pm
Well I wouldn’t necessarily trust the BBC for accuracy on anything related to rugby, but it says 75% for any changes to salary cap or marquee players etc. and to be fair it wouldn’t be sensible to need a unanimous decision on things like that.

Agreed that presumably would need to be some kind of phasing or change set for a following season based on any reduction as otherwise hard to plan for. I wouldn’t go so far as based on a player contract though as could push out the change too far and be inconsistent across teams.
How dare you criticise the BBC's sports coverage. I would write more to defend them but I have to get ready to go to the first day of the Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire Championship match starting on Friday as listed in the BBC's cricket section.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/sco ... 2020-05-22
By FlipFlop
#12572
Can't see why the cricket can't continue personally- they're all at least 2metres apart, come to the ground in their sponsored cars and whites, and crack on with it, especially with this unusual summer weather we're experiencing. Think the Beeb still have it
User avatar
By TeflonTed
#12574
FlipFlop wrote:
Wed May 20, 2020 12:53 pm
Can't see why the cricket can't continue personally- they're all at least 2metres apart, come to the ground in their sponsored cars and whites, and crack on with it, especially with this unusual summer weather we're experiencing. Think the Beeb still have it
And they could borrow umpires’ step ladder seats from Wimbledon, they’re about 2 metres high.
User avatar
By west brom warrior
#12575
FlipFlop wrote:Can't see why the cricket can't continue personally- they're all at least 2metres apart, come to the ground in their sponsored cars and whites, and crack on with it, especially with this unusual summer weather we're experiencing. Think the Beeb still have it
The wicket keeper cannot stand up to the stumps against spinners as they would be to close to the batsman. Slips would have to stand 2 metres apart. The ball cannot be polished and each bowler would have to have there own ball to use or wash there hands after every ball as it will then be thrown by the keeper to another fielder. Then who holds the bowlers cap and jumper when bowling or are the bowlers going to have to take them to the boundary edge at the start of every over? It would the game very slow if so.

Cricket maybe one of the easier team sports to restart but it is still full of complications and issues.
By FlipFlop
#12585
Sandpaper removes the shine and the need for saliva and sweat to be applied, spinners to be abolished to necessitate up to stumps, adopt TT’s suggestion for Umpires or make all decisions from the comfort of a TV booth, fielders being able to catch ball with their caps as originally permitted not just hands and a BP if you’ve got 3 Pears on your club badge ( just for you TT!). Really don’t see an issue.
User avatar
By TeflonTed
#12586
FlipFlop wrote:
Wed May 20, 2020 8:50 pm
Sandpaper removes the shine and the need for saliva and sweat to be applied, spinners to be abolished to necessitate up to stumps, adopt TT’s suggestion for Umpires or make all decisions from the comfort of a TV booth, fielders being able to catch ball with their caps as originally permitted not just hands and a BP if you’ve got 3 Pears on your club badge ( just for you TT!). Really don’t see an issue.
All very sensible and practical stuff. And I’d trust the cricketers to make the right call, as they have done with the badge.
By Fuzzy Dunlop
#12777
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/52875739 - 'Premiership clubs agree salary cap overhaul after Lord Myners review'

"However changing the level of the cap, currently £7m, and scrapping the two marquee player allowances were not part of the official recommendations.

While former government minister Myners did call for the marquee rule - which allows two players to be paid an unlimited amount outside the cap - to be reviewed by the clubs, he did not go as far as to recommend that it should be removed."
User avatar
By TeflonTed
#12783
Mmm, when you read it as summarised in that article, the word “greater” features, well, greatly.

I sniff a major fudge coming along.

(bloody) spade

I had assumed that when focus on attack was mentio[…]

Team vs Exeter

Is Reed on the naughty step (I thought he was go[…]

The full back berth is the one I'm more concerned […]