Firstly, the years are always the same. The run from the same time to the same time. They are the same 365 days, any timing issues relevant one year, will likely be relevant the next year.

Secondly, It is telling that you accept that when the stats don’t back up your bias, you make excuses for them. You tell us why they could be wrong. Why we shouldn’t look at them in isolation. Why such a small sample size can be affected by one off issues and outliers. When the stats back up your bias however……………………………………………


You really do a fantastic job of arguing against your own standpoints.

A game isnt a fixed cost event. The more people who attend, the more it costs to stage. Not to mention the actual and fairly obvious cost of going out and attracting these people.

Surely you cant have got to the advanced age you have got to without someone explaining diseconomies of scale to you?

Now, neither I, nor you, know the scaleability of the Leeds Rhinos current business plan, we don’t the know the economies or diseconomies of scale, we don’t know the revenue streams or the profitability of different types of customers.

What we do know, is that with lower attendances in 2012, Leeds made more money than in 2011. What we also know is that Leeds posted these record profits having won 5 grand finals in the last 6 years, having won 6 in 9 years, having appeared in 7 in 9 years, having appeared in 4 challenge cup finals, 7 World Club Challenges, That they have done so whilst investing in a stadium they own, a stadium which makes them money. Having done so with one of, if not the, best youth development system in the country. We know this has happened and that the Rhinos have made profits doing it. We know that in that time Leigh were promoted to SL and won 2 games. We know that they very nearly went kaput and should have been relegated to the lowest semi-pro level of the game.

Given what we know, Im pretty sure that Gary Hetherington really doesn’t care if you think he would have made more profits had he done something differently. Im sure your critique and advice is filed under ‘know nothings moaning’-

[size=200Shock News[/size

Wire V s Giants crowd lower than last year.

Wiliam Eve says this is proof that attendances are down although no reason given why.

RL Bandit states it was not snowing in 2011 therefore any comparison is worthless.

Starbug says prices of tickets may have put people off but change in attendances does not affect profits as more money made.

Smokey criticses Starbug in large post. No one reads it as they feel it is unfair to take sides in a divorce. Starbug wants the chiuaha but Smokey will not hand dog over unless he gets his Robert Kappa print back.

Giant Daz says our support is getting better not fair to blame decent Giants fans


Ferocious Aardvark emphasises a single point although not sure why.

Leaguefan says attendances are a product of Souperdouper league.

Wigan fan blames salary cap.

Littlerich says lack of P & R is the problem and if Halifax were in superleague it would be better.

20 other RL fans blame RFL to moving to summer rugby for making fans soft and not prepared to go out in cold weather.

Durham Giant says Baa.

But despite that the thread goes on for another 60 pages.

Martyn Sadler reports that game in Warington goes ahead as hot air spouted by RL fans raises temperatures by two degrees and lifts snow from Pennines area.

You don't really understand accounting do you? Have a chat with Nigel next time you're cleaning his office, he'll explain it to you.

Go on then superstar, explain to us why ‘timing issues’ would lead the Rhinos to declare a record profit?

This should be funny

er, let me see ... amortization schedules, depreciation, interest, revenue recognition rules, etc, etc etc. Off you go back to Business Studies class.

No, you silly billy. You really should add something about improving your comprehension skills to those wonderful SMART objectives of yours. I didn’t ask HOW a timing issue would lead to Leeds declaring a record profit. I asked WHY Leeds would allow a timing schedule to lead to a record profit.

Leeds, like all companies, will pay tax on their profits. Why would they engineer, or allow, a timing issue to lead them to declare profits higher than they otherwise would have been? It seems awfully strange for the best run RL club in the country, one which has a history of minimising its tax exposure and working with other companies within its group to do so, to allow themselves to be over-exposed to tax because of “amortization schedules, depreciation, interest, revenue recognition rules, etc, etc etc” I.E things they were aware of and able to plan for.

Do you know? Or was ‘timing issues’ just a guess, a hope, a punt, just a reason which meant you didn’t have to look at your own bias, and not in anyway grounded in evidence or logic? Just something which allowed you to ignore results that didnt fit with your bias.

Well Langtree Park is reduced to 10k capacity tonight, so you can start gloating William

Why?

Snow rendered the terraces unsafe
God knows why it's going ahead

Leaf blowers , or perhaps even brushes ?

It's still blizzard-like now. With modern health and safety, just not feasible for the terraces to be open

Incredible that over 5000 turned up in those conditions. Braver souls than me!

Hose pipes?

I can't even remember what bias I'm accused of this time. Are you now saying that it's good that Leeds attendance is falling because it makes them more profitable? Am I biased against or for this phenomenom? I'm lost, I really am. Can we just stick with my bias against the RFL? It's all too confusing trying to be biased against everything.

We really are in the twilight zone here...attendances are just fine, but hang on, even if they're not, it doesn't matter, because you can make just as much or more profit with less fans. You're talking utter bilge.

UPDATE...
[uSL Round 8 attendances - comparison to same fixtures last year[/u

St Helens V Salford in 2013 = 5,348
St Helens V Salford in 2012 = 15,537
Percentage decrease in attendance = -65.58%

Warrington V Huddersfield in 2013 = 9,797
Warrington V Huddersfield in 2012 = 10,550
Percentage decrease in attendance = -7.14%

38 out of 50 SL fixtures in 2013 have now registered a fall in attendance compared to the same fixtures between the same teams last year.

Total attendance for 50 SL fixtures in 2013 = 428,552 (Avg: 8,571)
Total attendance for same 50 SL fixtures in 2012 = 487,148 (Avg: 9,743)
% decrease = -12.03%

I am hoping William declares this particular game void from the statistics given the extremely strange weather conditions , he should put it as a ' draw ' with last years

William , you should do the honorable thing and declare this weekends matches as ' Void ' due to the 50 year winter we are currently experiencing

Sorry, but the prevailing weather conditions are no excuse for the poor turnout. Nigel Wood himself bragged about SL attendances last year when he said, and I quote... [url=http://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id=6801&type=news[i"In what were atrocious weather conditions, it shows how committed our supporters were in turning up in massive numbers for the opening weekend of the 2012 season"[/i[/url.

Anyhow, I wouldn't want Smokey accusing me of fudging/voiding the figures now would I?

He should go to a psychiatrist

How many games will you go to this weekend?

I'm flying to Sydney tonight to catch the Warriors at Shark Park tomorrow..........a balmy 30 degrees expected.

Good stuff, hopefully a long overdue Warriors win to stop the rot.