I don't know if Hughes was serious about his 5k target but it is a sensible one if the club is to become sustainable.

It would also be realistic if we were a competitve SL side and had someone other than Hughes making decisions over how the club is run.

I believe I first mentioned that particular number in 2009. Wire-Quin will find the post....it mentioned flowers in a Railway Station (not a round-a-bout

)

Not had that since 2005 when we finished 6th. The following year at The Stoop we finished 7th (3 points off 6th and ahead of Wigan) and Rea was replaced by Mc Dermott who never delivered higher than 9th.......and not close to play off football once.

This was my point earlier. If he is committed to the club, then it is time to lodge the funds for the next 4 years in a trust account and step back because his decision making in terms of the Football Club has been borderline criminal.
Loubser has to go. Replaced with a young enthusiastic General Manager who can illicit support from volunteers and community groups. The Club needs to return to being just that....a club, not a team with an emphasis on trying to surround the owner with enough sycophants in the gold lounge that he doesn't notice the shambles everywhere else. I am 100% convinced there is a direct link between trying to get the corporate area full and Loubsers job security.... it's vanity and narcissism driving the push there, not an extra 2k on game day revenue.

Hughes needs to write a cheque and rock up on match day. EVERYTHING ELSE needs to be run by a Professional.

SEVENTY TWO DAYS away from our New Home in a season that is 284 days means we were MIA for more than a quarter of the season........whomever signed off on this needs to be removed from any part of the negotiating process. 4 Grounds where we pay rent with the main one unusable for a quarter of the season, a figure bandied about of 200k a year and we've added not one fan and only managed to upsell a few corporate day tickets all because we didn't get enough of the cut from Trailfinders? You cannot ever convince me that Trailfinders wasn't a better deal for the club, especially when we had decided to go part time, so Hughes either pushed this through or Loubser/Milner pushed and He signed off on it, but either way, they are all responsible and all should never make a key decision about the club again.

Watched Boris' resignation speech today and what a ramble it was. He rambled over a myriad positives that are not in fact positives and clearly still thinks himself a hero.

Watch it again folks then look up Hughes' rambling statement last November and compare and contrast.

No shame!

Nail on the head there buddy....on the head

If only if he resigned we had as many people waiting in the wings to replace him as the political party seems to have.

I think about now I’d welcome some kind of communication from our leadership team, rambling or otherwise. It’s all random. Our squad is great but people leave and people join. Sometimes acknowledged sometimes not. Our coach is great then he leaves. We’re going to recruit a full time coach despite part time being great then nothing......

Silence from Hughes is deafening. Is he still interested ? Lobster probably waiting for hockey season to start.

Can anyone confirm if Hughes attended either game in Ebbsfleet?

I do not know if he was at the Sheffield game, but David Hughes was definitely at yesterdays game.

So he will have witnessed a defeat in front of 500 fans at the tail end of the first year of his brave new dawn, seeing us remain 3rd from bottom and with fewer fans than we had in Ealing.
When will he admit he got it wrong?
What is it that prevents him realising that he has destroyed the club?
Will he bother next year?

He's not destroyed the club yet but he is presiding over a steady decline through mismanagement. How many ground moves will it take before he realises that is not the issue (and in fact counter productive) ?

Most fans have lost confidence in the owner. He does nothing the inspire confidence and has a real blind spot with decisions to revitalise the club. The spiral down the plughole will continue until he vacates.

His 5 year plan, if we base it on a starting figure of 1,000 average at Ealing, which is what we had pre covid, would have required 37.5% year on year growth.
After 20% of the time line has passed, that figure is now 50% year on year over 4 years.
Year 2 he needs an extra 500 x 13 fans through the door.....then another 750 x 13 the following year, then + 1,125 then 1,650......
That is the simple compound maths.
At the start of this season they needed 375 new fans......they've delivered zero.

The target was actually 5,000 in 3 years.

You sure Buzz it wasn't 3 fans in 5000 years?

Seems to be what Lobster is working towards.

I’m going out on a limb here I think we can do it! @thebroncosway.

It’s funny ‘cause it’s true.

It's a Greek tragedy, wrapped up in a Shakespearean farce sprinkled with a large helping if "carry on"!
Nobody does panto like the Brits.

Oh yes they do!

So it looks like Toulouse will be re-joining us in the 2nd tier next year. This means there will be Newcastle and the French full time, with Featherstone (carefully) budgeting to the stage where they are able to spend above everyone else......Fax, Batley and Barrow will all be able to attract better quality unless we significantly out spend them.......Widnes & Bradford will be loking to improve on their abysmal performances this year...so....
...if we are to challenge for Superleague, we need to start making moves now, because one of the sides above will be looking to replace Leigh/Wakefield in 2024, or maybe 2 of them will be looking to join an enlarged SL?
Either way, we need to be aiming at a top 6 finish next year, so we need to strengthen our squad now....
Questions that need asking and answering A.S.A.P.

1. Will Toulouse be clearing the decks? If so, is there anyone we could pick up on a 12 month WELL PAID part time contract?
2. Are we planning to scout the RLWC squads when they are here and have we been scouting the NSW/QLND cup comps this year? There are plenty of Aussies/Kiwis who are now opting to play for their heritage islands....would any of these like a years adventure in the capital at the tail of their careers? Any NRL or 2nd tier Aussie who comes to the RLWC off contract should be considered, but what about fringe players coming on a 1 year loan deal?
3. Are we sticking with Eccles or are we on the look out for a new coach?
4. How many of our current squad are on 2 year deals...and who are they?
5. How soon can we announce the on the road game next year or will we be booted off the pitch for 11 weeks in mid summer AGAIN?
6. Will the pricing for next year reflect reality, or will it again be a case of fleece the sheep we have, then discount when we realise nobody else is coming?
7. Will there be a statement from the owner/ceo on the "progress' made this year, or will there be silence until it's time to fleece the sheep we have again?

The more this season unfolds, the more I think that Hughes should have instructed Loubser in Mid April to put together a plan for 2023, 24 & 25, with a detailed explanation of every action, the expected outcomes, the reason for the action and the costs associated. This plan should include a revenue stream target......because the short term gains of flogging a ticket at 13 quid more and throwing in a plate of food will have been exhausted now. The offering of the plate of food for only 3 extra quid over the last 5 home games has shown how desperate Loubser is to be able to show an upturn SOMEWHERE IN 2022.

Failing this, Hughes has decided to spend x in the years up to 2026.......he's just spent 20% of it for no reward and he cares little, because if we do get relegated over that period, it makes it easier for him to walk away with less guilt (in his mind)......
...he really needs to employ someone who dares disagree with him. Loubser allowing the blocking of 2 new appointees mid season shows how timid our CEO is.

A lot of questions there & all quite reasonable. Sadly Broncos are not very efficient at answering them so guess it will be a very long time if ever before they do.

In all fairness they are busy working out a cogent strategy for 2022 season. Our announcement on the 2023 season is scheduled for January 2024.

It would be funny if it weren't true.
Hughes needs to decide what he wants and advertise the role for the person to deliver it.....Paul Blanchard is delivering exactly what was asked to do at the commonwealth games......Danny Ward was an excellent coach.....the global head of golf at IMG was our marketing person.....all were shown the door at the Broncos....Hughes has to see HE is the problem.

For non Twitter readers, Mike says we only have half an eye on next season. In which case hope it's the half that is open & not the half that is closed.