Edinburgh Back with SRU

[ecks tartan army]

The SRU have today announced that they have "mutually agreed" with bob caruthers to retake control of Edinburgh Rugby. Hopefully this will be the end of this saga and scottish rugby fans can get back to looking forward to the season ahead (a promising one from Glasgows point of view)



TBH, the only people who will loose out in this (except the lawyers) is Glasgow Warriors, who will no doubt have their funding cut. When the SRU closed the borders 5 months ago they said they couldnt afford to run 2 pro teams - anyone know whats changed since then? I wonder how long till another scottish team is facing closure, and sadly i think the SRU would get rid of Glasgow (despite us being officially the best scottish team)



but for now, the main thing is we will have 10 Magners Leauge teams next season, and maybe the SRU could turn their attention to Glasgow season tickets now!

 

[An Tarbh]

and it looks like the Larkham deal will be a casualty of this agreement as the SRU don't want to fund the transfer.

 

[Prestwick]

And as if this couldn't go from bad to worse.

I guess the whole idea of redeveloping that Athletics track with Edinburgh Council into a 12,000 - 15,000 stadium is now dead as a dodo.

Boy, I bet the tiny little Edinburgh team sure are looking forward to playing in front of 200 or so spectators who are either fanatical Edinburgh fans or bemused tourists only watching because the SRU begged them to come in and take a look.

Pro rugby is dead in Scotland, more dead than JFK after they reconstructed his head. Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh is just signs that the corpse is experiencing rigor mortis.

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

I don't see why your moaning about Glasgow's funding being cut. Glasgow play infront of even less fans than Edinburgh, in a horrible part of the city and there's doesn't seem any real room for rugby to develop in the West. Football will always be the sport of the masses in Glasgow. The Old Firm's strangle hold of the city will not slip for quite some time. I've argued this time and time again. Glasgow should be moved up to Aberdeen, where there is certainly room for pro-rugby to grow. Glasgow have had so much money thrown at them that we're not allowed to sign Larkahm any more! How exactly is that fair?

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

Scottish Rugby should never be allowed to touch the goddamn clubs anyways. Let the clubs go private its the only way they are both going to succeed. Or let the clubs do their own thing and allow them to pay players.

 

[ecks tartan army]

I don't see why your moaning about Glasgow's funding being cut. Glasgow play infront of even less fans than Edinburgh, in a horrible part of the city and there's doesn't seem any real room for rugby to develop in the West. Football will always be the sport of the masses in Glasgow. The Old Firm's strangle hold of the city will not slip for quite some time. I've argued this time and time again. Glasgow should be moved up to Aberdeen, where there is certainly room for pro-rugby to grow. Glasgow have had so much money thrown at them that we're not allowed to sign Larkahm any more! How exactly is that fair? [/b]

gunner, think back to the borders being cut? why was that?



ok, i may be disapointed we wont get as much funding as was though in may, but i can live with that. (we have a good side now as it is) the borders were cut because the SRU couldnt afford 2 teams, so whats changed? i'm worried that Glasgow's funding will be cut to a level where they will inevitably go the same way as the borders.



canadian rugger, they tried that and look where it got them!

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

No...they can afford to run two teams. Problem was, Borders weren't getting the punters through te door. Glasgow don't fare much better, but Edinburgh can have decent attendences from time to time. There's alot more potential for pro rugby in Edinburgh and up North than there is in jakieland...sorry, glasgow, or the borders.

 

[ecks tartan army]

erm, who holds the Scottish record for an attendance at a pro-team match? oh yea, Glasgow (6,000+ back in 2001)

seriously though, im starting a campaign to raise attendances at Firhill this season, because the SRU dont even know the meaning of the word "marketing". Ive set a target of achieving an attendance of 5,000 before the season end, with a personal target of introducing 5 new regulars, so heres hoping that this time next year Glasgow are a lot more deserving of their funding.

any word on which hooker will be traveling along the M8 by the way?

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

You know what though they gave Carruthers the team but then they thougbht they ha dthe right to go in and dictate how it was too be run to him. Its like hey thanks for your money but we are still in control. If Rugby is going to succeed you gotta realise its not all just about Internationals. There needs to be interest at the grass roots level as well.



The clubs and the unions need to sit down together and hammer out a designated international period and a designated club time and its going to have to satisfy all parties. I think the SRU managed to make a huge mess of this whole situation they should of tried to sit down and negotiate with Carruthers and tried too make something work. Now we are left with one pro team in glasgow and a less than average team at edinburgh with no stephen larkham coming. Real f***ing good that does us all.

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

Dougie Hall is going to Glasgow...as far as I'm concerned he might aswell. Stands around on the wing for most of the game anyway. Andy Kelly is a popo with gas!!

As I've said, there appears to be a clear bias towards the gadgies from McKie. All of the funding Edinburgh was owed appears to have gone to Glasgow, otherwise how else could they have afforded such a squad with such poor crowds whilst the SRU doesn't get into more debt?

Though I agree, the SRU couldn't organise a **** up in a brewery when it comes to marketing.

And Edinburgh had similar attendences last year against Leinster, Glouscter and you lot at Murrayfield too. Edinburgh's attendences have been consistently higher than Glasgow's.

Firhill is a dump, been there to watch Ayr play Partick at fitba' and it's just not a nice part of a not overly nice city really.

 

[ecks tartan army]

TBH, ask any warriors fan and they'll tell you we wish we were still at hughenden - but it simply isnt possible and so firhill is the most viable option.

I was hopefull of seeing many more season tickets this season after the end to last, but as they went on sale TODAY (our first game is a week tomorrow - i have visions of having to use the comfirmation email to get in) then that opertunity is lost.

in edinburgh's statment today they say "they are discussing moving Glasgow players to Edinburgh" - I really hope they dont, as for either team to succeed they need to be kept seperate! no-one is going to sign for Glasgow or Edinburgh if they have no garuntees they will be playing for the team they sign for.

Glasgows team (and what a team it is/was) was paid for largley because of the cash freed up with the borders being disbanded - the SRU never maid an attempts to hide the fact this would mostly go towards Glasgow.

Anyway, the main thing now is we will have 2 teams next season and lets hope we both have a good season. Best of luck Edinburgh, Heres hoping for a scottish 1,2. (or more realistically, both teams to be in contention or thereabouts come the buisness end of the season)

Any ideas where Edinburgh will play next season?

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

Murrayfield. McKie spat the dummy and said Edinburgh wouldn't be allowed to play there if Curruthers was still in charge.

Problem is, no marketing really and the turmoil means the season ticket sales will have been very poor.

 

[ecks tartan army]

Murrayfield. McKie spat the dummy and said Edinburgh wouldn't be allowed to play there if Curruthers was still in charge.

Problem is, no marketing really and the turmoil means the season ticket sales will have been very poor. [/b]

look on the bright side, at least theyve been on sale!



Ive seen that Glasgows Marketing Director post is being advertised - I feel like applying for it, after all a 5 year-old kid could do a better job of selling rugby to Glasgow!



I may be through then for Edinburgh v Ulster and possibly a HC match. (cant make the derby unfortunatly as im in Belfast)



Do Edinburgh season ticket holders get entered into the ballot for 6N tickets? if so, do you know if its all games or just the murrayfield ones?

 

[Prestwick]

I have no idea how the arcane system of ticket allocations works to be honest. I find it hard to work on Ticketmaster let alone enter ticket ballots at local rugby clubs!

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

I don't think so. Certainly wasn't advetised when it was ERL who owned the club.

I think it's just the clubs who get an allocation before public sale.

 

[ecks tartan army]

well acording to the email i recieved from the SRU as a season ticket holder you get entrance into the ballot for 6 Nations tickets.

 

[màiri]

Hi There!

Does anyone know what will Lynn Howells do now he's been sackek from ER?

 

[Hoodo]

I think Glasgow should look at playing the HS of Glasgows pitches. The Clubhouse is first class, and the pitch is excellent.IMO, I've got bored of Edinburgh. I prefer to go watch Accies/Currie/Nails/GHA et al in Prem 1.The SRU should never have taken the contracts of the players centrally, they should've been club owned.

I don't like Edinburgh playing at Murrayfield, it just must be so demoralising that they walk out into one of Scotlands biggest stadiums(if not biggest,dunno about Parkhead) and theres 2,000 people there.

When I played at Murrayfield, there were 5,000 people there. Because they did some sort of advertising.Its all in the advertising.

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

Isn't the Bell Lawrie cup free entry? Never been but i know it was for the final of the u18 cup this year.

Also, a cup final like that is always gonna bring big crowds. Friends, family and collegues will turn out for a one off big game like that.

We need to get the first few games free, or very cheap at the least (through some kind of deal maybe? kid for a quid again?), get the the young ones hooked and hope the results come so that ensures the return of the older folk.

 

[Hoodo]

Isn't the Bell Lawrie cup free entry? Never been but i know it was for the final of the u18 cup this year.

Also, a cup final like that is always gonna bring big crowds. Friends, family and collegues will turn out for a one off big game like that.

We need to get the first few games free, or very cheap at the least (through some kind of deal maybe? kid for a quid again?), get the the young ones hooked and hope the results come so that ensures the return of the older folk.
[/b]

It was free entry, but if you think, that my school is a small school of 430 ish at senior school, albeit against Watsons, the biggest school in Europe, then Dollar and H.o.F, 5,000 is still a big crowd.There was a huge amount of advertising done, mainly because they used the boys as distributors of flyers, and people just put them all round where they lived.