By Peeps.
December 29 2011

The following is a selection of gossip from around various rugby websites and media, no responsibility can be taken for the veracity or otherwise of these comments.

RFU - the saga continues. Rob Andrew survives another cull this time with a reduced role!! As he couldn’t explain publicly what his initial job was he should have no trouble settling into this role.  No doubt his £268,000 per year and 40% bonus will help.

Another seemingly bottom less pit of official reports and costs contains at least one nugget in the Slaughter and May report.  The RFU 61 members manage to share £1.5 million between them in expenses- no need for comment here?  This cost does come out of the Community Budget i.e the funds that help the clubs from Nat league 1 and below.  Suggestions that the obsolete and largely irrelevant county structure of members should be curtailed or abolished will no doubt be shelved.

Ian Ritchie has been appointed the new RFU chief executive. He joins from the All England Lawn tennis club, another organisation with wealth beyond its dreams but unable to deliver results on the field.  At least he will be going from one over staffed and overpaid organisation to another- he should settle in well.

PREMIERSHIP

It looks likeNewcastleor evenWorcesterare candidates for relegation.  This despite The RFU through (practical help?) goingNewcastle’s way to help them survive.  Is it part of the RFU’s job to effectively bring in an unauthorised franchise system to areas that can never make a go of premiership rugby.

There may still a lifeline as not all of the championship promotion candidates are likely to meet the strict ground criteria, despite some of the existing premiership club also not meeting them.

CHAMPIONSHIP

There is talk of the B& I cup being part of an expanded European Cup competition, but surely only if adequate funding can be provided for the extras costs involved.

Cornish Pirates have been granted outline planning permission for a new stadium at Truro to meet current premiership criteria but will not be ready for some time. PP seems to have got through without a green travel policy in place which is in keeping with previous policy decisions over the A30 retails units debacle and theEdenproject. Pirates have been looking to relocation the 100 miles!! To Plymouth Argyle ground for ground sharing if they are promoted untilTrurois ready.  What the impact will be on Plymouth Albion remains to be seen-compensation I feel.

The first important managerial casualty sees Graham Dawe from Plymouth Albion go after 12 years.  A team that is now struggling in the relegation bottom 4 with crowds halving over 4 years, a new ground still to be paid for, a sterile game plan, and one of the lowest budgets in the division. Not surprising really.  How many other teams are facing the same problems as crowds and budgets diminish in the Championship.

Favourite for relegation apart from PA must be Esher still to win a game and misfiring Moseley. Some brave soul on the Mose website has suggested that they do aCoventry, be relegated and build again.

The reality is that the bottom teams all have the lowest budgets and will always struggle, unless the promoted team can find a total budget of approx £1million they will find it difficult to consolidate in the championship.

Perhaps a lesson to all those aspiring National League 1 sides.

Dual registration or not – well Nottingham one of the prime beneficiaries for many years of their link up with Leicester are having 2^nd thoughts now they have sorted out their financial problems.  They are looking at more permanent signings.  Esher on the other hand state that it is their injury problems that have caused them to be at the bottom, but in reality this season they have been unable to call on the DR systems with clubs such as Quins who have put their youngsters straight into the 1^st team.

A salutary lesson don’t rely too much of the DR system.

NATIONAL LEAGUE 1

Coventry- Michael (Micky) Doyle is rumoured to have left the Coventry club.  A survivor from Andrew Green’s day, a doyen of many jobs and a master of …..  Hopefully Coventry can now afford some new players.

Balcony or balconette?Coventryhave started some ground improvements with a balcony above the refreshments and bar area behind the railway goalposts end.  A good vantage point and great news that unlike a lot of other Nat league 1 grounds it is open to all. I understand that a balconette is a system of firming up and thrusting out so perhaps in future a frilly edge to the balcony would look effective.

Now the news all Coventry fans have been waiting for- Yes Andrew Green has been spotted in various eating establishments in Coventry.  The rumour has it he has been appointed Sales Director for a local manufacturing company and was even instrumental in getting the Olympic torch made here.  At least the RFU are believed to have banned him from any further involvement in rugby clubs.

LOWER LEAGUES

Another figure emerging from the shadows is the new owner of Rugby Lions Mike Alland, he has actually given some interviews in the local media. Evidently there is a scale back to Webb Ellis road for say 4/5 years and once the new stadium is up and running they will relocate there.  The stadium will rely on income from concerts, an international Emerging Nations Rugby Academy, and commercial activities such as hotels and conferences, part of the income will support the rugby club.

Twitter has been going into over drive as some players wages had been delayed initially in Nov- now paid, and also December.  At least Mike Alland gave the great comment that he wouldn’t stand in Neil Back’s way if he was offered a post at the RFU, one way to get out of an expensive 5 year contract!

A good New Year to all those rugby supporters out there- keep the gossip going.

Rugby gossip from around the websites - December edition.

Discussion started by Unofficial Coventry Rugby (IP Logged), 29/12/2011 16:50

Unofficial Coventry Rugby
29/12/2011 16:50

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