The Scarlet Turkey
The Independent Salford Rugby League Fanzine
#26
salford respond to licence criticism from widnes and Leigh fans So long suckers!
John wilshere’s goal: greatest moment ever? death of a stadium / scarlet Turkey Awards 2008 salford vs. The Kangaroos / The Shed Swingometer This is a fanzine, written by fans for fans. It attempts to be amusing and occasionally serious. It is not Hello!, OK or an official programme. It may not be suitable for people who lack a sense of humour. Mard types may find some of the contents offensive, so they’d be advised not to read it.
Editorial the Scarlet Turkey PO Box 128 Manchester M25 3BQ zine@scarletturkey.com www.scarletturkey.com The characters, events and situations portrayed in this publication are entirely fictional; any similarity with events or persons past or present is purely coincidental. Most of the contents are lies, half-truths and complete bullshit. No animals were injured in the making of this fanzine and no genetically modified organisms are present. The opinions expressed in this fanzine, unless stated, are not the opinions of Forever Reds. This fanzine has no official connection with Salford City Reds Rugby League Club and they therefore cannot take any credit for the quality and ideas of the content within. Inspirations The crappy 1998 season Fans’ opinions George Orwell Red Issue The late great fanzines: The Tangerine Dream House of Pain and Wally Lewis Is Coming Been and Gone since issue #1 Paul Carige The Fat Slags The gay devil The Boulevard Aussieland Malcolm White Jason Critchley Tiger-print thongs Garen Casey Luke Robinson Andy Platt Neil Tunnicliffe Joe Bloggs Sportspages Karl Harrison The ‘iconic’ stadium Andy Gregory Steve McCormack Pete Waterman Karl Kirkpatrick Central Park Wilderspool Bobby Goulding Paul Terzis ‘Big’ John Harvey James Lowes Valley Parade The Corvos Hudson Smith Greg McCallum That pub in Dewsbury Daredevil Duck The Valley Hilton Park Alf-Red South of Shed bogs Advertising This fanzine is read by a fair amount of rugby league supporters, the vast majority of which are Salford fans. If you want to advertise your business with us, either in the fanzine or online, then we’re sure we can come to an arrangement. ScarletTurkey.com is a member of the RLFANS.COM network: The Worlds Most Popular Rugby League Website.
2008 was an odd season
Welcome to issue 26 of the Scarlet Turkey—another free online edition—we’re like the Radiohead of the fanzine world. The print version may be back one day—if you’d be interested in contributing please contact us through the forum. Anyway, we’re ten years old! Ten and a bit years ago the Reds had turned in another dismal display at the Shay and a few of us made the decision that we’d start a fanzine. The issues have been a bit sporadic over the last few years (we do have lives away from rugby you know—well, apart from KOTS), but we’re just about still going. Since we’ve started there have been plenty of goings on: the Reds became the City Reds. Gregory was replaced by Harvey who was replaced by McCormack who was replaced by Harrison who was replaced by McRae. High profile names like Offiah, Goulding, Hancock, Paul, Hunte and Carige have donned the red shirt. Leigh beat us—then we beat them 11 times on the bounce. Paris disappeared, Gateshead and Sheffield got screwed, Catalans arrived (and have yet to score at the Willows). Central Park, Wilderspool and the Boulevard have gone (amazingly Belle Vue still stands), and of course, in 2002 we ran a sizeable article about our forthcoming Stadium at Barton. I’m not going to say much about the stadium here, but I will point out the fact that it was on the drawing board in 2002 should pretty much shut up the nuggets who insist it was just fabricated to get a franchise in 2008. I have confidence in Peel delivering (look at the speed that MediaCity is going up), I just hope that the architects are talented enough to realise that eye-catching doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. 2008 was an odd season—both on and off the pitch. There was always the nagging thought in your head that winning had no bearing on promotion so who cares if we lose—but some of the games we saw, and particularly the ‘dead rubber’ Grand Final, show that both players and fans simply want to be the best they can. In a sport as parochial as RL, bragging rights are very important. On the pitch I think it’s safe to say that most of us were surprised at the level of competition we faced last season, although I don’t think we really did ourselves justice on quite a few occasions. My main concern looking ahead to 2009 is that, in my opinion, we played below our potential too many times last season, and next season we’ll really need to overachieve in a lot of games to finish any better than 13th. I suppose we can take some encouragement from the fact that in 2008 we really did win when we had to. (Although you still get some Widnes fans bragging that we couldn’t beat them; yeah, I’d swap the 3 trophies and franchise for a victory over Widnes!) The Franchise affair was quite surreal. As a sports fan, you get used to the momentous occasions happening on the pitch, and being linked in with a spectacle. Traditionally, whether you win a grand final or not, you still get to ‘enjoy’ a game of rugby first. Back in July we all had the odd feeling of waking up, knowing it was effectively grand final day, but not having anything other than a news broadcast to watch. It was tense in the Tavern, with Richard Lewis prolonging the agony with a protracted introduction—but when John Wilkinson walked in with a smile and a thumbs up the tension was lifted. Although, slightly sadistically, I kind of regret not having that tension built up further so everyone could have gone ballistic for real when it was read out on TV, instead of faking it for the TV cameras. As they read out the successful applicants in alphabetical order, I do wonder whether there were any Widnes fans watching as they announced Warrington, thinking to themselves: ‘OK, so it’s us or Wigan.’ That said, the Widnes club came out of the process with a lot of credit thanks to the ultra professional way Steve O’Connor took the decision on the chin—the same
can’t be said for the dummy spitters from down the East Lancs, who, ably supported by some obsessed fans on the internet, have made themselves a bit of a laughing stock. Apparently Super League next year will be a non-event, but if Leigh had made the cut it would be stronger than the NRL. What is pretty clear judging from the World Cup so far is that the NRL is still some distance ahead of us in terms of quality. For me, the World Cup has been great entertainment (with the exception of England) despite not necessarily having quality in abundance. Let’s face it: two teams going at it hammer and tongues and dropping the odd ball is usually more exciting than a ruthlessly efficient team grinding another into the ground playing with a 98% completion rate. I reject the suggestion that the Aussies are boring—a team containing players of the skill of Inglis, Slater, Folau, Lockyer and Thurston is going to produce some spectacular stuff. The Aussies seem to have skill levels high enough to have high completion, low missed tackles and still be very creative with the ball in hand. England have been unable to match that for years, aside from the odd game where we have a good day and they have an off day. We simply are not producing enough talented players. Yes, they have far greater numbers playing, but they develop players in a different way – putting kids in weight divisions and concentrating on skills over tackling when kids are young. That way you don’t get a big kid who can just get by on size—all players have to learn a bit of skill and guile to compensate for the fact that nobody has any real physical advantage. In the UK, a big kid could stand out through all the youth grades (and, judging by the England team, even Super League level) without having any real skill. Then once sizes start to even out or they meet someone who can tackle they can’t just stroll over a defence, they don’t know what else to do. We’ve been obsessed with copying things from Australia for years, but by not changing junior development, we’re ignoring what could make the biggest impact. Anyway, that’s enough of me on my high horse for now. Enjoy the fanzine and we’ll see you in 2009. Enjoy your Scarlet Turkey, The Ed.
David Myers 1971–2008
It was certainly a shock to hear about David Myers’s tragic death recently. At the relatively young age of 37, he died on 20 October after his van hit a bridge support on the M6. The tributes from Salford’s end were melodramatic, with John Wilkinson, ever the gentleman, quoted in the Salford Advertiser as saying Myers made ‘an impact’ with the Reds. Sentiment aside, he didn’t make much of a mark at The Willows. By our reckoning he started a couple of games and played a handful more off the bench. This was when, during the centenary season, Phil Ford had effectively gone AWOL. Salford needed cover on the left wing and Myers, then 24, was coming off a reasonable season at Bradford, yet was still available. However, at that time, Salford had a burgeoning back line: with Rogers and Sini flanking Naylor and McAvoy, and Scott Martin also in the mix. Probably as a result, Myers’ chances were limited. That said, Myers has left an indelible mark on the game, especially during stints Widnes and Wigan—as a 1991 Challenge Cup final try scorer (effectively winning the spoils for Wigan against their bitter rivals, St Helens) and Lancashire and Great Britian u21s representative— it’s for these contributions that he should be fondly remembered.
scarlet turkey snapshot #26
Despite his claims of ancestry, Iestyn Harris failed to earn a place in Papua New Guniea’s World Cup squad
AWAY TRIPPING
a tale of two (beered up)
grand finals Salford City Reds vs. Celtic Crusaders NL1 Grand Final @ The Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington (28.09.08) Started to seriously look forward to the Grand Final midweek. When I say look forward, I mean I had the butterflies. I was a bit worried. Salford were going into the game as the bookies’ favourites, despite losing their previous two matches against Celtic—one of those being a drubbing at home just a fortnight before. It was by no means clear cut that Salford were going to win; it was an even call. Good job promotion to Super League wasn’t riding on the game then. It wasn’t meant to be like this. At the start of the campaign, though we heeded the warnings (opposition fans— even the Leigh ones—had short memories; we’d been down there before) and we were fully aware that the quality and intensity of National League One had improved, I think we all believed, in our heart of hearts, we would still walk away with everything silvery quite easily, just as we did in 2003. And whilst we weren’t exactly taken aback by how much the league had improved in our absence (we still scooped the lot as it were), it was more our lack of conviction that Salford were playing to their potential regularly enough. Probably arrogance on our part but what are you gonna do. We’d missed the Warrington away trip this year. It’s dead easy to get to, cheap and quick on the train too. Full of pubs. It ticks all the boxes. Crosses the Ts. Dots the Is. And any other buzzword, analogy type crud you fancy. There was no deviating off the beaten track to a real ale joint or gastro pub for us today. Said beaten track being: train station → pubs towards the ground → watch the match → pubs towards the Hop Pole → Karaoke → anywhere that’ll have us → kebab house → train station. Call us old fashioned, but it’s never let us down. The pre-match game of killer pool at the King’s Head was only interrupted by the start of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, the first under floodlights (oooh). Since there were no crashes after the second bend, the interlude was brief, and probably the last F1 we saw until the last few dramatic laps of Lewis Hamilton’s Championship victory. Before kick-off, at the Lord Rodney, we spoke with some buoyant Doncaster fans, celebrating promotion to NL1—themselves baracked by a few bitter Oldhamers—whilst watching the Red Devils’ parachutists gauge the conditions for their jump. Or rather, secretly hoping one of them would end up landing on the roof, or in Wilderspool, by mistake. Yes, we’re sadists. The game was… Well, you know what happened. How many rugby league matches have you been to that went to extra-time? Goonage the likes of which has rarely been seen greeted John Wilshere’s equalising goal. Still on a high, the extra-time period were a blur. Salford were always going to coast to victory after Johnny’s inspired kick. It’s a good job too; there wasn’t much nervous energy left to go around. With the majority of Salford’s faithful heading back to the Willows to toast the victory with the players, we stayed the course in Warrington town centre. Usual karaoke fare at the Hop Pole: Elvis, Chas and Dave, complimented by northern soul in the Prince of Wales. As I said, a well worn path that’s never let us down. St. Helens vs. Leeds Rhinos Super League Grand Final @ Old Trafford (04.10.08) The morning academy match at The Willows was a treat: Wests Magpies’ teenagers pipped by Salford’s promising Academy lads. A still tankish Harvey Howard was there; no-one had the bollocks to ask him whether he thought he was over-rated. Steve Prescott plus entourage also did a couple of laps of the pitch before heading off to Old Trafford. Which is what we did, relatively dry but windy as owt. I’ve never seen the head of a Guinness fly out of the pint pot and hit someone else a couple of metres away. Extraordinary. Then it started to rain, big time, which blurred everything that happened later. The overriding memory was being piss wet through for the following week. A moment that does stick out was of two Salford fans making their way out, giving the wanker hands to people they thought were Saints fans. After a quick double take, they realised they were aimed at a certain Phil Leuluai. Cue instant grovelling. CB
World Club Challenge trophy
Seperated at birth Salford City Reds Supporters’ Player of the Year trophy
Boot of G Is John Wilshere’s last gasp penalty goal the greatest single moment in Salford’s recent history?
God
As do or die acts go, John Wilshere’s Grand Final equalising goal has to be right up there with the best. Forget that it happened in a lower level of rugby. For those watching on television or listening on radio, it was pure drama; for us Salford fans, it was of a season’s worth of frustration and joy encapsulated in a brief moment. There aren’t many matches that go to extra-time, never mind finals. So as events go, it was quite unique. Of course, if you were a Celtic Crusaders fan, it was pure hell. And to think there were forumistas who weren’t up for the Grand Final, who felt it was nothing special, or that it meant nothing in the grander scheme of things. Sod the grander scheme. This was about winning the title. No doubt that even the most blase Red that day
was eventually brought round by the scenario Salford faced in the final minutes, and exploded too when the ball sailed through the uprights. It might be because Salford have endured more desperate scenarios than title winning ones, certainly in modern times, if the definition of modern times is post-Snape, that most of our greatest moments are those where a result, or situation, was salvaged. Check John Wilshere’s goal for instance. Salford were almost dead and buried, the National League title almost gone, before he levelled the game. Look at some of our other most memorable plays. Alan Hunte’s try at Wilderspool in 2002, the goonage after that try is part of our folklore. Again, that was a release of pure elation after 60-odd minutes of nail-bitting tension. Hunte’s try staved off relegation, if only for a week. What about Chris Charles’s placed goal which salvaged a point at Whitehaven in 2003? Or Greg Austin’s drop-goal at Wheldon Road, ending a seemingly never ending losing streak in 1986? There’s always Karl Fitzpatrick’s try at the same ground in 2004, which pretty much secured our survival and pushed Castleford towards impending relegation. And we’ll never forget when we all saw Wigan lose in 2001, when Graham Holroyd’s late drop-goal earned an injury hit Salford the spoils, shortly after the Warriors’ Matthew Jones hit the post with a similar effort. Does John Wilshere’s goal better the above? That’s a matter of opinion. However, we bet that even if Salford win rafts of major honours in the future, these moments will stand up to them as equal.
Five more dramatic do or die goals
1. Ian Watson’s late night show The Reds’ first foray in Super League (1997) started brilliantly—maintaining a 100% record after five games; however, their next opponents, Sheffield Eagles, threatened to end it under the floodlights at The Willows. A tight, tense affair called for Ian Watson to slot over a late, long range drop-goal. Salford won 17–16 and moved into second place behind Bradford Bulls. 2. Greg Austin ends losing streak The opening 11 matches of Salford’s 1986– 87 campaign ended in defeat. A first and most unlikely victory came at Castleford’s Wheldon Road, with Greg Austin slotting over a drop-goal to sneak a 20–21 win. The Manchester Evening News reported: “Players mobbed each other and spectators joined in as the Reds savoured their first victory in seven months.” 3. Darren Brown sinks the broncos At Kingsmeadow—the London Broncos’ temporary home—Salford faced a seemingly unassailable deficit with 77 minutes on clock. Martin Offiah sparked the comeback with a trademark try. Then in the last minute, Jason Webber touched down,
bringing the score to 21–20 in the host’s favour. Brown coolly slotted over the conversion to put the Reds into the quarter-finals of the 2000 Challenge Cup. Cue the hooter and the inevitable old-school pitch invasion. 4. Danny Orr pulls it wide (2001) Not strictly a goal scored but a missed one. In a see-saw encounter at The Jungle, Salford hit back from 18–12 down to lead 18–24 with barely moments left. Ex-Red Darren Rogers broke the defence to score a try, leaving Orr with a touchline effort on the hooter. He missed; Salford won 22–24. 5. Kerry converts Hadley’s leveller Going into March 1991, Salford had a perfect record with just a third of the 1990–91 season remaining. The run came under threat at Lawkholme Lane as Keighley led 21–14 with ten minutes to go. Steve Kerry scored a penalty goal to reduce the deficit. Barely a minute remained when Salford launched a last ditch effort to score: winger Adrian Hadley cut inside and sped away from the chasing defence for a 55-metre try. Kerry kept his nerve to slot over a vital conversion Cue the hooter and… yes, the inevitable oldschool pitch invasion. Final scoreline: 21–22.
10 4
7
1
2
12
27
5 11
18
17 13 14 16
15 21 8
9
22
6 26
25
20 23
3
19
the 2008 shed swingometer We’ve heard the chants, the snipes and the jeers all year. Here’s our take on the players who are most popular...and those who aren’t
Jordan Turner (below) Current Salford and future Bradford player
1 Karl Fitzpatrick Arguably received the most grief behind Gardner. Struggled to live up to the form of previous seasons, even at a lower level of rugby. Appeared to have lost his quick burst of pace and as such barely exploited broken play—a crucial aspect for a full back. However, this could be due to his continued recovery from a damaged Achilles’ tendon. Fitzy did put in some encouraging displays near the end of the season and he claims the quicker nature of Super League play suits his game better. In all honesty, it’ll have to, especially if he is to bring his critics round. 2009 is a big year for him. 2 John Wilshere A muted start to the season and meandered in some matches; yet in others, namely the important ones, he was a class above. Particularly against Celtic, where he was sensational. The goal that put the Grand Final into extra time was the cherry-topped icing on a particularly fruitful cake. 3 Stuart Littler Solid, if unspectacular. Typical Littler. Seemed to have regained confidence lost when forced to be a bit part player under Karl Harrison’s latter period. May need to find the line-running prowess of 2004/5 if he’s to start at centre next year. Either way, he’ll always give 100%, plus the odd penalty for petulant back chat. 4 Mat Gardner This year’s scapegoat despite scoring 23 tries. More of a battering ram rather than a pacey winger, unfortunately he had a tendency to fuck up in vital games, at the wrong end of the pitch. Although he was fairly solid in plenty of matches, it’s for these bloopers that he was, and probably forever will be, remembered for most. 5 Paul White Did exactly as promised: shit off a shovel from a dead start and knows where the line is. This was most evident against Sheffield, where a mere shuffle of the feet gave him the edge to speed past his opposing defender. No wonder he was our top try scorer with 30 to his name. Yet, during several attempts in Super League, he never really made a mark. No doubt will be targeted in 2009, but he is going about things the right way. If he has improved his all round game significantly, White could be a sensation next year. 6 Robbie Paul Everyone’s favourite Super League legend/media whore was Salford’s marquee signing for 2008, but did he
still possess the goods to perform at a reasonably high level? Sort of. Considering his pedigree and that he missed a substantial chunk at the start of the year, he did alright to avoid being the scapegoat. In some matches, he was undoubtedly influential; in others, he looked ordinary. In a few, he was abysmal. Notably at Featherstone away and against Wakefield in the Challenge Cup, the latter played after a busy day commentating for the Beeb. Hmmm… A cracking and honest bloke though. 7 Richard Myler Touted to be one for the future, nothing much was expected of this teenager. He was, however, a sensation. Thrown into duty early doors due to the injury of Robbie Paul, Myler took his chance and never relinquished the no.7 jersey, scored 25 tries and garnered a lot of hype. So much that it earned him a start for England’s senior side against Wales—arguably his greatest performance to date. Next year is a big test for him; he isn’t a phenom in the way Alex Murphy and Andy Gregory were, but he has passed every test thrown at him so far with aplomb. Salford will have a job keeping hold of Myler if he has an equally good 2009. 8 Phillip Leuluai You can’t but like rugby league’s Big Phil, although he has split Salford fans this year. He is a nice bloke and plays in a style that’s easy to love: that of the trademark rambunctious ball running style akin to the Michael Korkidas’ and Gareth Haggertys of this world. A style that does, however, have a tendency to flatter to deceive. This was reflected by polarised opinions on the forum. Nevertheless, he did put in some very good performances and if he’s allowed to let loose on his offloads, he’ll be a key player next year. Actually, he’ll probably need those off-loads to satisfy some fans. 9 Malcolm Alker The club’s talisman and a future hall of famer, if we had one. However, there were perhaps the first realisations of chinks in Alker’s well worn armour this year, particularly in the first half of year where opinions varied, to the extreme of being relieved of the main hooking/ dummy half duties in favour of Robbie Paul. Like Fitz, Alker’s performances picked up at the end of the year and perhaps motivation was more a factor than father time. Again, like Fitz, as startling as it sounds, he could be under The Shed’s pump if he fails deliver early doors in 2009. 10 Craig Stapleton Stapo is the architypal modern day prop forward; he excels in one thing: his job. He doesn’t pretend to have the hands of Wally Lewis; he doesn’t aspire to be the star turn. Yet the value of a player like him is sometimes best observed when he isn’t on the pitch. And it was noticeable that when Stapleton was off the field, Salford lulled in both attack and defence. Thus, he deserved the plaudits throughout the season. As big a compliment this is for Craig, it is a concern for the team next year. Hopefully, Ray Cashmere will take some of the go-forward dependency off Stapleton’s shoulders. 11 Stephen Bannister Like Myler and Ratchford, nothing much was expected of him, but he impressed for a sustained period of time. Bannister punches well above his weight and has the potential to be an exciting attacker. Pity then he was
released (or effectively sacked) for being a dick. 12 Andrew Brocklehurst Tough year for the Brock. Never recovered after being dropped along with Fitzy in what looked like a statement by the gaffer. With the newly injected Bannister, Adamson and Sidlow holding their own, there was scant opportunity for a way back into the fold. 13 Jordan Turner A good, solid year from a guy who has a lot of potential. He certainly seems to be well respected by supporters of other clubs. From our end, there’s still a doubt about where is best position lies, yet McRae is adamant that locking the pack is where he’ll stay. Like Myler, a good 2009 will have the championship calibre clubs calling. 14 Paul Highton Glad that Highto got the testimonial he deserves. Sentiment aside, however, his best Super League days are behind him. This was reflected more by the younger or newer fan element on the forum, who perhaps haven’t seen the best of Highton in the last couple of seasons. Even though we found out about his departure in the ‘papers before he did, he didn’t throw his toys out of the pram. And it was certainly good to see him going out in style against Whitehaven. 15 Luke Adamson Seems to be developing well as a packman but also impressed as a deputy at centre. Not much to quibble over with Adamson. 16 Adam Sidlow Despite being in and out of the team, seems to have really impressed the Salford faithful. He earned a lot of ScarletTurkey.com Player of the Year points from forum users during his prolonged playing spell. That said, it’s clear from the coach’s end that Sidlow has a lot to learn. Will his potential be realised in 2009? 17 Stefan Ratchford Clearly the most improved player of the year, to the point that now he very well could be the most gifted footballer in the squad. But, having all the tricks in your locker doesn’t neccesarily equate to sucess. It could very well be the case that with Jeremy Smith’s inclusion next year, Ratchford could be squeezed out of the starting seventeen, as sad as it sounds, or rather be seen more as a jack of all trades. Yet Salford did manage to persuade Ratchford to sign up long-term after being allegedly courted by St Helens near the end of the season. So perhaps there is a role the club see him fulfilling in 2009. 18 Lee Jewitt It wouldn’t be a surprise if we learned that ‘Aggression’ was Lew Jewitt’s middle name. His battle at present is controlling that aggression and channelling it in the right way. With the pack sizing up to be the most contested area next year, 2009 is a huge season for Jewitt. 19 Ian Sibbit Sib is little like Fitzpatrick in his injury tendancies. But he did show glimpses this year of his effective running and a sustained playing period next year could easily see him a key attacking threat again. 20 Chris Borgese Nice bloke, good laugh by all accounts. Injuries aside— of which he was stricken—didn’t really show he was up to the task. Perhaps the last time Salford will be signing
players on the basis of a YouTube clip. 21 Stephen Nash Did alright, well enough to get a Super League contract. He is an honest grafter; but is he weighty enough, or is he able to gain enough weight, to be effective as a Super League prop? 22 Andrew Ballard Bestowed with the best attempt at a ‘Viva Ronaldo’ adaption, Ballardo was the star of the early part of the season, especially in the Northern Rail Cup matches. Certainly exceeded expectation and his points per games ratio was quite astonishing—quality of the opposition granted. However, he cracked under the pressure in Salford’s first real test of the season against Widnes and looked bad against Wakefield, in a game he probably shouldn’t have played due to an injury, one that later needed operated on. He never recovered from said injury and the highlighted foibles; although he could be a real success for Oldham next year. 23 Daley Williams Earned a reprieve after Jiminez cried for home. Didn’t feature much and seems to have commitment problems. As such, not part of the 2009 squad. 24 Leon Walker Doesn’t even get a place on the Swingometer because we can’t recall him playing a match. Not at The Willows next year either. 25 Jason Walton Rated at Academy level, he’s not quite broke into the first team setup. Unfortunately for him, the moment most remember was at Widnes where he missed an important tackle against Stephen Tyrer, conceeding a try. According to Steve Simms at a recent Forever Reds meeting, Walton has a few personal issues he needs to sort out if he’s to feature next season. 26 Luke Ambler Excitable was Luke Ambler. Revelled in his few first team opportunities and impressed many. He won’t be playing at The Willows next year, however. Salford offered Ambler full-time terms but he turned it down, prefering to stay part-time. Leeds Rhinos then stepped in to take Ambler as a part-timer, for a small fee of course. Either that says something about Ambler’s commitment at Salford, or the size of the contracts for fringe players, especially when somebody prefers to supplement their income by working alongside maintaining a professional rugby league career. 27 James Jiminez Jiminez was hyped up as a decent, young Australian player with potential to go further. In the few games he played for Salford, this was indeed true. Unfortunately for us, Jiminez didn’t take to the place, longing for the surf and golden sands back home. As Simms pointed out: how much surfing can you do in mid-winter? Perhaps The Scarlet Turkey was the final straw. It was after we won a quiz—where the prize was to present the man of the match bubbly to Mr. Jiminez—that saw the end of him (and the end of the quiz, it was never run again. Champions, Champions etc.). The loss of his services may have had a bigger effect than we give credit for. People at the club really rated him and earmarked him as a central figure for Super League. Last we heard, Jimbo was breaking his back at a steel mill for a crust.
2009 Gains Ray Cashmere (N. Queensland Cowboys) Mark Henry (N. Queensland Cowboys) Dean McGilvray (St Helens) Rob Parker (Warrington Wolves) Jeremy Smith (South Sydney Rabbitohs) Luke Swain (Gold Coast Titans) Willie Talau (St Helens)
2009 Losses Luke Ambler (Leeds Rhinos) Andrew Ballard (Oldham) Stephen Bannister (Released) Chris Borgese (Redcliffe Dolphins) Andrew Brocklehurst (Barrow Raiders) Mat Gardner (Harlequins RL) Paul Highton (Oldham) James Jiminez (Released) Leon Walker (Released) Daley Williams (Sheffield Eagles)
Top Five
Things you don’t see at The Willows today
1. That chimney near Winterbottoms If you were born or lived in Weaste prior to the mid-80s, you’ll probably remember the big f–off chimney that was in the vicinity of Eccles New Road and Winterbottoms. We did ask a couple of local history boffins to try and get a name for the thing. But we couldn’t be arsed waiting. Hence, the best thing we could come up with was ‘that chimney near Winterbottoms’. It may have not been near Winterbottoms at all, but from the North Stand, it looked like it did. Today, the most recognisable landmarks from the terraces are Salford Precinct flats to the left, the green top Catholic church and the luminous glow from The Trafford Centre complex. However, for the majority of The Willows’ life, that big f–off chimney loomed large. Eventually, of course, it was demolished. Or rather, gradually shrunk from top to bottom, brick-by-brick. And watching the end of the chimney’s existence at numerous home games was quite poignant. 2. Salford supporters in the North Stand The description of that big f–off chimney is, of course, based from standing in the North Stand. Bar the awkward ones, a Salford supporters’ life cycle can be gauged from where they watch the match, following the Never Eat Shredded Wheat mnemonic. The informative years are spent in the relative safety of the North Stand. Curiosity of The Shed’s hard core support takes you to the North Stand corner/Jeb end. Then comes the gumption, finally, to step into The Shed. Apathy and disillusionment takes you to the Club End, then comes retirement into the Main Stand. And then death, where you endure matches from the half-way line. It was a well trodden road. Until fairly recently, where said path is askew; because the North Stand is now effectively where the away support is penned in. There are a few hardy souls that remain, winding up the visitors (fish, barrel), but largely, the North Stand is now an alien environment. Shame really, because it’s the best vantage point to watch games from. 3. Away supporters in The Shed Unless they stopped coming altogether, the exodus of Salford supporters ushered from the North Stand probably settled in The Shed. Because equally, away supporters are now a rarity in the Popular Stand. Making it a less hostile place to be. Unfortunately, as a result, it’s probably killed The Shed’s infamous atmosphere. There used to be a defined left-side right-side banter war between the Salford mad heads and whoever turned up to be visiting on any given Sunday. Unless Leeds and Hull were in town, both with touchline populist terraces, who regularly took over The Shed. We spat our dummy out in an issue from a few years back, when Hull F.C. smothered the left-side in one particular encounter, and called for segregation for certain matches. To be honest, in retrospect, we were narked that we couldn’t get a decent place in the stand, and nothing was going to make us cut our pre-match drinking time. However, since then, unenforced segregation has become the norm. Away supporters tend to stick to the Family (nee North) Stand. And now it’s much harder to maintain an atmosphere of note in The Shed, to the point where we have a left of the left-side and right of the left-side schism. 4. Radio commentary trucks Whether it be BBC Radio Manchester or Piccadilly 261, radio stations used to need puny tow trucks from which to broadcast from. So you knew there was a big game on when said vehicle was parked up on the running track. The modern day equivalent is probably Sky Sports’ big screen. But you know in advance that they are coming. The radio truck was a pleasant surprise.
4. The blue Reliant*
Reliant’s three-wheeler cars were the most uncool vehicles you could possibly own. The butt of the jokes, heightened from their usage by Mr Bean’s arch-nemesis and Trotters Independent Traders. Although economical and very cheap to insure, they were barely a step up from the Sinclair C5, and marginally behind Smart cars. But one particular Salford fan trumped the stigma and turned it on its head. A regular sight for many years, the blue Reliant was allowed to be parked inside the ground, and probably outside said fan’s seat. How cool is that? Not even the Chairman can get away with doing it.
* We’re guessing that it’s a Reliant. For some reason, looking back, we thought it was a Reliant Robin. It obviously isn’t. Three-wheeler enthusiasts are welcome to shoot down our assumption. Answers on an email to tellsomebodywhogivesafuck@scarletturkey.com.
Page Thirteen
Gossip, rumours, complete bullshit and the rest of the crap we couldn’t think of anywhere to put. We remind you that Page Thirteen is best served with a pinch of salt
☻ The news of Hilton Park’s condemning flew relatively low under the radar. The first we heard about it was via an FC United email communiqué. They were due to play there recently, only to find that the local authority had forbade any more events taking place. Yet barely a month earlier, it was hosting rugby league matches with thousand(s) in the stands. Ummm… To be honest, we could have told the suits it was in state of disrepair 10 years ago. It’s the only ground we’ve ever been to where you fear the next piss could bring the toilet wall tumbling down. ☻ Ever been on Facebook? It’s the social networking website where you tell all and sundry what you’ve been up to, who you’re ‘poking’ and ignore requests to join your school reunion group. If viewing photos of professional sportsman having a good time in various bars winds you up, don’t bother joining. Several RL players boasted about their holiday plans before the season had finished. One Salford player even updated their status about how many sleeps they had until the end of the season…the night before Celtic Crusaders drubbed the Reds at The Willows. ☻ With his Grand Final equalising kick, John Wilshere won more than just the hearts of the Salford faithful. A Betfair bookie offered the draw at odds as high as 100–1, risking £700,000 of his own cash. Some of this wad was earned by offering the same bet on previously televised games. In doing so, winning every one, he pocketed around £12,000 a time. However, plenty of punters felt he was getting cocky and took him on his offer for the NL1 showpiece, and of course, they
the things they say about yorkshire ‘[There’s] a place called Castleford, in Yorkshire, You’ve got no idea. I think that and a town next to it called Pontefract, they rate in the worst towns to live in in England, I’ve heard it rumoured. It’s dull, always grey, everyone just goes to the pub and drinks themselves silly, there’s nothing for young people to do. It’s really ugly. They’ve got rotten teeth, need a bath, run around drinking, [with a] big beer belly [and] just watch the footy. For someone coming from the coast and moving there just kills you.’ Ian Henderson, New Zealand Warriors’ and (cough) Scotland’s hooker. And brother of Andrew Henderson, exCastleford hooker. jurrasic bark Apologies in advance for the Dermot O’Leary expression, but, OMG! Kevin Ashcroft’ has a new book out, his autobiography in fact, entitled Last of the Dinosaurs. Not only that, it’s ghost written by the housecorpses favourite, Maurice Bamford. How apt is that title? And how bitter will it be about the modern game? By plenty, most probably. Last time we heard about Ashy, he was complaining about not getting any recompense from the RFL for having a damaged body due to playing the game. He was in danger of becoming rugby league’s Tommy Smith. Though it should be interesting what he says about his Salford years. A real mixed bag we’d have thought.
Here’s Kris Smith—ex-Salford, Swinton, London, Eccles etc.—with his new beau, Dannii…something or other. Apparently she’s on some television programme. The tabloids had a field day over the pair; to the point where he must have changed his name by deed poll to ‘Kris Smith, 30’. Anyway in true tabloid ‘build ‘em up then knock ‘em down’ fashion, the News of the World ran an exclusive ‘exposé’ claiming that he used to be a Class A drug abuser. To which he probably thought: ‘And? So what? I’m shagging Dannii Minogue.’ Fair doos.
duly won hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of pounds. The bookie, of course, lost the lot; his current whereabouts and mental state are unknown… ☻ Wigan’s Stuart Fielden is to become the new face of Max Skincare’s male grooming range. Nowt wrong with that, especially for hairy bastards, for whom the term ‘beard chaffage’ is never a compliment. ‘We live in an age now where men take just pride in their appearance, ‘ says Stuart, in company spiel mode, ‘it’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s a good thing’. Although coming from Stuart, decked by Willie Mason in spectacular style and having the sturdiness of Bambi on ice ever since, we’re not sure whether that’s the type of appearance we want to be showing off, nor have any pride in. ☻ In the week leading up to the World Cup in Australia, The RFL unleashed a fervent press release: RFL plan for 2013 World Cup. ‘I think the UK is the right place for it to be and I’ll be making that case with confidence,’ said Richard Lewis. Well who the fuck else is gonna host it? Australia are only doing the honours as part of their game’s centenary. Of course Britain will host it in 2013, they’ll be virtually unopposed. It’s like Leigh’s local authority exuding about their bid for hosting the World Lobbygobbling Championships. ☻ Apparently, the reason the RFL are planning to hold the Rugby League World Cup in 2013 is to avoid clashing with the London 2012 Olympic Games. When was the last time a northern hemisphere based Olympics was staged during the autumn? And if we were the RFL, we’d be as worried about clashing with the publicity for the World Lobbygobbling Championships in 2013.
rip it up a start aga
and ain
As Red City Developments enters into administration what now for Salford’s vision of the future?
Typical Salford is an adjective that has blighted optimistic Salford fans for decades. A term thrown in their faces by friends, downtrodden supporters and nonbelievers. We’re sick of those words, but after the latest debacle in the new stadium saga, it’s hard not to feel that they are destined to be entwined for some time. They are hard to repel and hard to resist saying yourself. Next year is a milestone for our new stadium project: a long 10 years since the idea was first muted in the Reds’ boardroom. Yet we’re no closer to knowing what the bloody thing will look like. It has encountered more hurdles than Red Rum, and like him, cleared every one (well…apart from death). Yet there always seems to be another lurking round the corner. You can be forgiven for being fucked off with the whole episode. As is, we’re not quite sure what’s happening with the new stadium; the official line has been noticeably mute. We do know that Red City Developments is in administration. Paul Stanley, one of the appointed administrators from Begbies Traynor, commented about the issue on his company’s website: ‘The investors were faced with a situation where a private investor was unable to fulfil his obligations under a funding agreement which led to a cash hole. The other investors were not prepared to give an open chequebook without the matter being resolved.’ Bear in mind, this statement was made back in July. Salford Advertiser’s expose in September entitled ‘Icon…gone?’ contained a quote from ‘a source’ who said: ‘Salford will end up with a scaled-down version of a stadium... It will be nothing like the original plans that were so impressive. The timescale is now very different and it will be a surprise if it is delivered in time.’ Yet in the same article, John Wilkinson reiterated: ‘We are very positive that with the City of Salford and Peel Holdings we can deliver the stadium on time. It’s still going to be an iconic stadium.’ The rest of what we’ve heard is hearsay: from the probable to the hysteric. We believe Peel are currently going through the process of procuring the building rights from RCD’s administrators. But how thick is that red tape? One supposedly informed user on our forum claims Peel are hoping to be on site ‘as early as next summer’. Early? It’s plausible. Peel and Salford City Council have to agree on the rehashed stadium design; our inkling is the Council won’t accept anything less than ‘iconic’. If that’s the case, Peel would have to deliver the stadium from flat in around 8 months, or 14 months if Salford aren’t to spend the whole of 2010 at The Willows. If you’ve been keeping an eye on Media City, you’ll realise that Peel don’t hang around—those structures are flying up. Nevertheless, from the unqualified eye, the timescale looks like a big ask. We also believe Salford City Council will only approve stadium plans submitted by Peel to build on the Barton site. So no other company can buy that land for other purposes; not that they would in the current economic climate. Apart from that, we’re in the dark. We can probably add a good portion of the club’s staff into that. Presumably, we’ll have no consultation either. It certainly feels like we’re at the behest of Peel. Whether they are using us and our ground as leverage to get what they really
‘The investors were faced with a situation where a private investor was unable to fulfil his obligations. The other investors were not prepared to give an open chequebook without the matter being resolved‘ Paul Stanley, Administrator, Begbies Traynor
The Original concept design (above) was published in Graham Morris’s book A Willows Century (Vertical Editions, 2002). Proposed by FWP Architecture and Project Management, it too had a capacity of 20,000. However, the commission was later given to Arup, who designed the plans we’re more familiar with
Red City Developments wanted the new stadium to be utilised every day of the year. Arup’s concept (below) included space for a casino, retail outlets and a hotel, the latter of which would be built into the raised stand. This stacked side would also face the M60 flyover—a design feature that would give the stadium design its ‘iconic’ edge.
‘We are very positive that with the City of Salford and Peel Holdings we can deliver the stadium on time… It’s still going to be an iconic stadium.‘ John Wilkinson
want—namely their Port Salford and Salford Forest Park developments— is a matter of opinion. Lest we forget that, originally, they were opposed to the Reds’ stadium plans and offered Salford City Council a scaled down stadium in replacement. The recent twist in the stadium plot has probably damaged our club’s reputation too. The news of Red City Developments entering administration broke a day or two after the RFL announced the Super League licences for the next three years. Unfortunate timing, whichever way you look at it. Some RL supporters, notably from those clubs that missed out i.e. Widnes and Leigh, believe we’ve stitched them up. Although it’s a common misconception that the licence criteria— including minimum stadia requirements that the aforementioned clubs meet better than Salford do at present—counted for this round of selection (it’s based more for 2011 onwards). Local magazine, Salford Star, were also sceptical about the timing and have been sometime critics of Peel and John Wilkinson’s dealings with Salford City Council. Regardless of how you feel about John Wilkinson, it’s hard to believe that he has purposely led us down the garden path, so to speak, which is what a few Reds’ supporters have suggested. He, along with Howard Clague, have sunk millions of their own money into the project. That’s aside from the affection they have for the club, whom without their intervention, could have expired some time ago. The biggest gripe Salford fans have voiced, on our forum at least, is that no news, whether good, bad, or ugly, has surfaced for months now. And the longer that goes on, the more sceptical Salford fans will become. Or rather, more Salford fans will flip from optimistic to pessimistic. What will the new design look like? And what will we miss out on? Well we know that Peel have already said there will be no hotel or conference facility in their plans. The big concern is that without these and the casino (let’s be honest, the conference space was just a remnant this), will the retail units (assuming there will be retail units) still provide us with enough income to be a genuine force in Super League? That’s the model we, the fans, were sold on. Otherwise, our club’s long-term future is no sturdier than it is now. We’d just be watching the Reds miles up the road in a white elephant. From a structural perspective, if the design is to be scaled down, the first concept design by FWP (top left) was tidy enough to be content with. It was similar type of look to Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium or Gold Coast Titans’ Skilled Park, both of which are models that have been suggested on our forum as desirable options. The loss of the ‘iconic’ aspect of the ground isn’t so much of a blow. Granted, there was a design aesthetic behind Arup’s stadium (left); but design alone doesn’t make a stadium truly iconic. History, events and atmosphere contribute in building an aura that deduces whether a stadium is iconic or not. As supporters, we can help build that. The Empire Stadium, a.k.a. the original Wembley, and Rio De Janerio’s Maracanã were marvels of size and structure when they were built; yet both, in recent times, are recognised as design relics. That hasn’t diminish their iconic standing in the stadia
world. Their histories surpassed their architecture In the eyes of sports fans around the world, they are iconic stadiums, and always will be. On the other side of the coin, architectural beauties such as the Sapporo Dome in Hokkaido, Japan—with retro futuristic sheen and retractable pitch—and Braga’s Municipal Stadium in Portugal—cut into a quarry, exposing it’s sheer rock face—are unique in design terms, but are they iconic? Are they recognised as great stadiums by global or national populaces? Having an iconic design, therefore, isn’t the be-all and end-all of a truly functional stadium. And let’s not kid ourselves: opposition fans would have taken the piss. We were fully prepared for derisions like ‘you’ve only got one stand’ and such. So many supporters mightn’t have shouted from the roof tops about how the stadium’s shell looked. However, it was the plans for inside that would have had them eulogising. The views from each seat were, apparently, excellent. Rated better than the vast majority of stadia in the UK (although there was no promise on the relative quality of the rugby on display). The concourse, which in many new RL stadia are cold and (un)sterile, was set to revolutionise how supporters used concourses; comparisons with Manchester Piccadilly train station and the new Wembley were mentioned. Hopefully, these are two features that won’t be compromised in Salford’s new stadium design. The worst scenario is to make do with a stock Halliwell-Jonesesque clone, which doesn’t generate money, and still residing on the edge of the city. If the club isn’t self-sufficient, we’re still in the same situation i.e. relying on a sugar daddy, and there aren’t many John Wilkinsons and Howard Clagues around to keep us on the fringes of Super League. If this worst case scenario is the realistic outlook, it begs the question: Why bother moving at all? What you have to remember and realise is that ever since John Wilkinson took over the club, he’s always looked to renovate The Willows. As early as 1986, the club planned to rebuild the ground into a multipurpose arena, encompassing Weaste cricket ground, with a plastic pitch. Club reps even went to Cologne and Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road to test whether their solutions would be feasible in rugby league. After those plans fizzled out, ever since there have been moves or work of some variety done to improve the club’s home base. So you have to get rid of the notion that the ground, The Willows as we know it today, was always going to look as it does now. If circumstances were different, perhaps we wouldn’t have the affection we hold for the place. Since improving The Willows was deemed unfeasible, the club has felt for a long time that moving is a must, certainly if we want to be watching Super League rugby. Whether it be for aspirational reasons or for the sake of necessity, it’s unlikely then that Salford will consider staying at their 107 year old home. So we hope—or rather, don’t have a choice but to rely on—Peel, Salford City Council and the rest of the business involved on making the new stadium a reality, will make the right moves to forge Salford into a genuine rugby league force for the near future, and then the foreseeable future after that. First and foremost, however, let’s hope we hear something soon eh…
flashback
salford vs. The Kangaroos England and Salford have at least one thing in common: they’ve both won and drawn the same amount of games against Australia. As World Cup fever® hits… Our man Ajax guides you through a brief history of those encounters It’s almost 100 years since the Australian national rugby league team first came to The Willows to face Salford. Since then, the two teams have met on 11 separate occasions, culminating in many historic and memorable moments, and playing host to some of the greatest RL players the game has ever seen. This is the story of when Harry Dally when met Sally Solly. The first ever meeting between the two took place during Australia’s first ever tour to blighty. On 17 October 1908, the Kangaroos arrived at The Willows for the fifth game of their mammoth 46-match tour schedule. 6100 intrigued punters paid one shilling for the privilege, if only to catch a glimpse of seeing a real live kangaroo in the flesh. No really, the Australian mascot was a living, breathing, kangaroo. No men in plastic suits or furry costumes back then! Another rare delight for the local crowd was, of course. the opportunity to clap their eyes on a man whose story was already the stuff of legend. A man who is credited as being ‘the foundation rock upon which rugby league built itself in Australia’. Lining up for the Australians on that historic day was ‘The Master’—Dally Messenger. Herbert Henry Messenger, to give his full title, was the first true superstar of Australian rugby league. His reputation forged by an attacking, creative style of play and an unerring ability to kick goals (placed and dropped) from incredibly long distances. Although, one of his most crowd pleasing plays was his ability to hurdle over oncoming defenders. A convert from rugby union, Dally made his name in the centres after the switch. In 1907, as the sole Australian playing for New Zealand during the ‘All Golds’ tour, he thrilled the British crowds, encouraging five English football clubs—including Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur—to offer contract terms. These, he declined, due to a belief that association football was ‘decadent’. Messenger’s standing in the game has never wavered—this is evident by the fact of being an Australian rugby league Hall of Famer. The Dally M medal—the prestigious award given
to the premier player of each NRL season—is also named in honour of ‘The Master’. If this wasn’t enough homage, a stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) now bears his name in recognition of his achievements in both rugby codes. The Australian visitors on October 17th wore a blue and maroon hooped jersey, representing the two rugby league playing states—New South Wales and Queensland—that sanctioned the tour. (In fact, it wouldn’t be until 1930 that the local Salfordians would get a chance to see the Kangaroos in their now traditional jersey of green and gold.) Salford had there own goal kicking superstar—James Lomas, a future Northern Union touring captain who would one day take Dally Messenger on in goal kicking competition...and win—missing due to injury. This was undoubtedly a big blow for Salford, hampering their chances of victory. Predictably, Messenger dominated proceedings; the Manchester Guardian describing him as ‘certainly
s
Salford’s punters willfully paid for the privilege, if only to catch a glimpse of seeing a kangaroo in the flesh. Another rare delight, of course, was the opportunity to clap their eyes on ‘The Master’—Dally Messenger. the finest player on the field who got through the work of three men’. Despite this and Australia opening the scoring—with two brilliant goals kicked by Messenger from close to the half way line—Salford secured a 9–9 draw, thanks to reds’ winger Jimmy Cook squaring up the match late on. Australia met Salford met for a second time in 1911, this time housing the lowest ever crowd for such an occassion. A paltry 4000 showed up for a December clash, which the Aussies edged 6–3. At the tour’s end, the Kangaroos boarded their boat for home with The Ashes, which they won the first time, remaining unbeaten in the tests. A decade and ‘The Great War’ passed before Salford played the Aussies again. This time travelling under the name ‘Australasia’, Salford were designated to meet the tourists in September 1921—the curtain raiser of the tour—in front of 9000 people at The Willows. A highlight of this particular encounter was the pre-match display from the Australasian team—an unusual and dramatic sight which was described in the following Monday’s newspapers: “‘The colonials walked out on the ground in single file and immediately gave their war cry which very few understood.’” While it is now thought that this type of war cry is only the preserve of the Kiwis—who famously
perform the ‘haka’—the Kangaroos, from 1908–67, also performed an Aboriginal war chant before every encounter. This was mainly to lend their touring matches an extraordinary pull, or rather, to coax as many paying speccies through the turnstiles as possible. Although the match report considered the attendance a poor turnout, claiming it “‘was rather disappointing but it must not be forgotten that Manchester with its many counter attractions is not the best Northern Union centre’”. We’re still using that excuse to explain away poor crowds today! From the 1921 tour’s first whistle, the Reds’ antipodean opponents sent out a clear message that they meant business, by thoroughly routing Salford 48–3. It remains, by far, the Reds’ largest defeat against Australia. The Monday morning match report stated: “‘There really should have been twice as many Salford players against them for it invariably took two to stop one and sometimes three were required’”. Despite this disappointing yet expected defeat, there was at least one moment for the game’s spectators to savour: in the dying minutes, with Salford 48–0 down, Reds’ captain Willie Thomas— in what was billed as his final match after 18 years of service to the club, 12 seasons of which were as captain—went over a for a try. A fitting end to the career of a man who had played over 500 games for Salford and had lifted the club’s first ever trophy in rugby league—the Championship title in 1914. For the Australians, their win against Salford was the start of a successful trip, albeit one that didn’t involve the retention of the Ashes; however, for the Reds, it was the sign of the miserable decade to come. 10 years of which The Willows faithful were notoriously labelled as the ‘3000 mugs’. In a fitting climax to the 1921 tour, with the Ashes delicately balanced at one-a-piece, The Willows played host to the third and decisive test. On a snow covered Saturday in January, the Weaste locals converged for a classic encounter that saw the Northern Union win by six points to nil, thus reclaiming the Ashes lost on the previous tour down under. Just as Willie Thomas ended a great career against the Aussies during an earlier tour, this game also saw the career end of a bona fide RL legend—the ‘Prince of Centres’, Harold Wagstaff. Captain of the great Huddersfield side that won ‘All Four Cups’ in 1914–15, and captain of two Northern Union tours to Australia, Wagstaff brought the curtain down on his glittering international career at The Willows, chaired from the field at the end of the match to cheers of delight from the crowd. In 1930, Salford’s revival under the inspirational Lance Todd had just begun when the Kangaroos rolled into town once again. Unlike our previous meetings this clash happened at the back end of the tour and was Austrailia’s final match of their club-playing itinerary. The match took on added significance as it was just days after their drawn third test at Station Road (0–0) and just days before the hastily arranged forth test at Rochdale (the product of a quick realisation that an outcome for the series was needed). What many thought would be a run-of-the-mill end of tour match was now a game providing vital preparation for the tourists—who fielded 12 of the 13 players that played in the Station
Road encounter. Thanks to this and a Todd selection hampered by injuries to key players, the visitors eased home by 21–5. A hat trick by Australian loose forward Jack Kingston enthralled the 8000 spectators who paid towards a total of £805 in gate receipts. (For the record Great Britain won the unprecedented series decider 3–0.) When Australia’s tour captain Frank McMillan brought his team to The Willows in October 1933, almost double the crowd of the aforementioned 1930 match turned up. Over 15000 spectators awaited a Kangaroo team of talents: including now legendary names such as Dave Brown, Vic Hey and Wally Prigg, versus Salford—as league champions—the finest club the British game had to offer. The swelled crowd must have sensed something: as Salford captain Billy Williams lead his red charges to their first ever victory over the Australians. Salford edged ahead just before the interval and a second half Jack Feetham try managed to stretch this lead to 16-9 by the final whistle. The great Australian tour manager and journalist Harry Sunderland describing the match as “‘a beautiful game’”. The victory was credited to the ‘international form’ displayed by Great Britain test centre Gus Risman—who kicked 4 goals and expertly nullified the threat of the famous Aussie centre partnership of Hey and Brown. The skull cap wearing Brown was known as the ‘Bradman of League’, due in the large part to his extraordinary point scoring prowess for Eastern Suburbs and of course, Australia; but as the Manchester Guardian’s headline proclaimed: Risman’s ‘Superiority at Centre Turns the
The match report considered the attendance a poor turnout: claiming it ‘was rather disappointing’ and ‘it must not be forgotten that Manchester with its many counter attractions is not the best Northern Union centre’. We’re still using that excuse today... Scale’. Almost four years to the day later, in October 1937, Lance Todd maintained his impressive record against the touring side. Despite terrible weather and dangerous conditions a healthy crowd of 12,000 people saw Salford triumph once again against the Aussies, this time by a score of 11–8, Salford‘s star performers being hooker Bert Day and, just as last time out, Gus Risman. Day got the measure of Australia’s no.9 Jimmy Gibbs in the scrums secured much needed ball for Salford in ‘vile conditions’. That said, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock after 22 minutes with lock forward Wally Prigg, playing in his second defeat at the Willows, dummying his way over from 25 yards out. This seemed to shock Salford into action, scoring three unanswered tries on either side of half time. The first was created by scrum-half Billy Watkins, who dribbled diagonally through the Australian line before kicking to the corner, whereupon Jack Feetham swooped on the loose ball to collect the three-pointer. Boosted by this try, Salford added a second shortly after when Barney Hudson— who’d kicked ahead and was certain to score—was awarded a penalty try after being on the receiving end of body check by Australia’s full back Ward. This left
Salford with a 6–3 lead at the break. The game looked like being a romp for the home team after 52 minutes with Salford scoring a brilliant try. A thrilling passing move involving Osbaldestin, Gear and Risman created a 2-on-1 overlap with the man over being wingman Alan Edwards. Despite being tackled by winger Beaton, Risman got the ball away to Edwards— who managed to catch the ball with one hand behind his back to go over for a magnificent try. Risman added the extras from a tight angle leaving the Manchester Guardian to comment: ‘This try was rugby at its best, a glorious attack beating a good defence.’ The game was far from over though: the ‘green and golds’ managed to claw themselves to within three points with just 10 minutes to go. One scribe wrote ‘how Salford held out in those last ten minutes heaven alone knows’. A kick from Williams bouncing of the post to safety and a last ditch tackle by the impenetrable Risman on Prigg—who had burst through the middle and seemed certain to steal the match—were just two of the late scares for the Reds; but, eventually, the final whistle went, ‘and the excellent crowd cheered itself hoarse for the last time’. The completion of this 1930s double over Australia was to be the last Salford victory against Australia, to date… After the Second World War, the first tour to British shores saw a record turnout by a sporting and rugby league starved public. The Willows clash of 1948 saw a record 16,627 gate watch the Aussies emerge as 13–2 winners. Looking back, in retrospect, this game has an added significance: as almost 40 years to the day that Dally Messenger played against Salford in Weaste, a man who would later be dubbed ‘The Little Master’ lined up against the famous red men. Clive Churchill, a diminutive New South Welshman, would be remembered as the player who revolutionised the full back’s role. A role where attacking flair was just important as defence courage, both traits of which he possessed in abundance throughout a glittering career that included captaining the Kangaroos first Ashes success in 30 years and winning 8 domestic Premierships at South Sydney—both as a player and coach. Even after retirement and subsequent premature death, the accolades for this great man continued. Churchill was named as one of the original ‘Immortals’ of Australian rugby league; he was also awarded the Order of Australia for services to the rugby league. In a striking similarity to Dally Messenger, Churchill also has a stand named in his honour at the SCG; and where as the NRL’s player of the year is awarded the Dally M medal, the man of the match in the Australian Grand Final is awarded with the prestigious Clive Churchill medal. In the 1948 encounter, a 21 year old Churchill had a solid if unspectacular game; indeed, it would have taken someone with a great RL eye to spot the greatness he would later achieve. The 80 minutes itself was considered a rather forgettable affair, mainly due to the dirty tactics employed by both sides. The Manchester Guardian match report saying: “‘The rugby league match between Salford and the Australians at Weaste on Saturday was marred by many disgraceful incidents in which players struck or swung at each other with clenched fist or booted foot. Several of the Australians particularly the forwards often are rough and clumsy
and make unpleasant use of head tackles and swinging handoffs but this was no justification for the methods of retaliation adopted by some of the Salford players… A great game is in danger of coming into disrepute.’” During this tour, the visitors completed a trio of wins against of Belle Vue Rangers, Swinton & Salford but failed to recapture the Ashes taken by Gus Risman’s ‘Indomitables’ in 1946. As Salford missed out on tour matches for two consecutive tours due to lowly league finishes, it wasn’t until 1959 that Salford could have another crack at the Australians. The ’59 tour saw the Green and Golds arrive in Britain as the world champions—a trophy they won on home soil in 1957. Despite the 1950s being an under whelming period to be a Salford fan, The Red Devils came mighty close to toppling the world’s very best. In one of The Willows’ games of the decade, Salford were in the process of scoring their highestever points total against Australia. With 10 minutes left on the clock, the score stood at 17–12 in Salford’s favour when a misplaced pass was intercepted by North Sydney Bears’ centre Brian Carlson, who raced under the posts to touchdown. Carlson added a further try and penalty to leave the visitors with a 22–17 lead. With a minute remaining and the match looking all but over, Salford’s scrum-half Jackie Brennan topped off a superb individual display with a try that left the Reds’ Syd Lowdon with the last kick of the match to level things up. His attempt sailed agonisingly wide and the Aussies—fielding just three players from full Test side— held on for a 22–20 victory. The Salford public once
When the ‘73 Kangaroos hit British shores, Salford had emerged as the most exciting side in rugby league. The match up was therefore dubbed as the ‘4th test’ again maintained their commendable record of turning out to see the men from Oz, as over 11,000 came to watch and left having seen a classic. After a considerable gap between Salford vs. Australia matches, it would be another 14 years before the rivalry was re-earthed; but it was well worth the wait. By the time the 1973 Kangaroos hit our shores, Salford had emerged as the most exciting side in northern hemisphere rugby league; and the match up against the ‘green and golds’ was unofficially dubbed as the ‘4th test’. In the intervening years since the last meeting between the two teams: Salford chairman Brian Snape assembled an array of talent—the clubs finest team for 35 years—containing the zenith of international stars such as David Watkins, Chris Hesketh, Ken Gill, Paul Charlton and Colin Dixon. Such was the anticipation of this match over 11,000 packed into The Willows—the second highest attendance of the Australians’ 19 game tour of Britain & France (only the 2nd Ashes test at Headingley got more people through the turnstiles). Salford took a break from their league campaign— one that would bring the Championship trophy back to Weaste for the first time since 1939—after starting the season with a sequence of 9 consecutive victories. The Reds took on an Australian side that was brimming with stella names. Names whom have gone down in the an-
front and back of the match day programme for the 1978 tussle at the willows
nals of ‘the greatest game’. Lining up alongside Aussie legends Tim Pickup, Bob McCarthy and Tom Raudonikis were the historic trio of Bob Fulton, Graeme Langlands and Arthur Beetson. The latter three attained places in the Australian Hall of Fame are also each one of seven ‘Immortals’. That said, I bet neither Bobby, ‘Changa’ or ‘Artie’ moaned about the Willows away dressing rooms! In a match befitting its status, the Kangaroos snuck home thanks to a hat-trick of scores from Fulton, all converted by Langlands, proving enough to beat a determined Salford. The home side had lead 12–10 in the second half via tries from Fielding and Holland plus three goals by Watkins, but fatigue took its toll on the Reds—who were playing their 4th game in 8 days—and in the final quarter Fulton’s last try took the game for the tourists by 15–12. As apart of a World Cup warm up programme Salford met Australia in October 1975. Minus test stars: Watkins, Gill, Nash and Fielding, the men from Weaste were always bound to struggle. According to the Salford
Reporter: “‘Australia produced a spectacle not to be missed’”. Ian Schubert produced an outstanding attacking display from full back with future Hall of Famer Mick Cronin causing havoc in the centres. The result of 44–6 was hardly surprising, and despite a young Graham Major jinking through three players for a nice Salford try and Jim Fiddler forcing himself over for another one: “‘Salford were well and truly hammered into the ground’”. Salford last match against Australia took place in 1978. A disappointing crowd of 6155 turned up to watch the world champions win by 14–2 (the solitary Salford points goaled by David Watkins). The Australian’s duly went on to clinch the Ashes series by 2–1. Since 1978, Salford have alas missed out on matches against Australian touring side, due to a combination of adverse league positions and the almost near extinction of full Kangaroo tours. With a new ground on the horizon, we may get a future Ashes test match but certainly for the foreseeable future it seems that Salford’s current record against the Australians will remain.
Reds’ record vs. Australia: Played: 11 • Won: 2 • Drawn 1 • Lost 8 Date
Home
Score
Away
Attendance
14.10.1908
Salford
9–9
Australia
6,100
09.12.1911
Salford
3–6
Australia
4,000
17.09.1921
Salford
3–48
Australia
9,900
11.01.1930
Salford
5–21
Australia
8,000
21.10.1933
Salford
16–9
Australia
15,761
30.10.1937
Salford
11–8
Australia
12,000
02.10.1948
Salford
2–13
Australia
16,627
26.09.1959
Salford
20–22
Australia
11,088
30.09.1973
Salford
12–15
Australia
11,064
10.10.1975
Salford
6–44
Australia
5,357
01.11.1978
Salford
2–14
Australia
6,155
scarlet turkey awards 2008 Brace yourselves... Craig Stapleton was pretty much the unanimous choice in player of the year discussions. No shit. He was far and away the best man in a Red shirt this season. But who else was worthy of an award or two? The ScarletTurkey.com Player of the Year award wasn’t the landslide victory for Craig Stapleton that we were expecting; probably because of the way it’s voted for. There’s no doubt that looking back on the season as a whole, Stapo was the stand out player. Numerous award ceremonies at the end of term acknowledged that. Bar the bizarre choice of Damien Quinn as NL1’s top man in the Co-Op’s awards (surely Van Dijk or Duggan as Celtic’s top man for starters), there was much love for Stapleton. None more emphatic than at home— as he swept the board at the club’s official award ceremony—taking the plaudits from the fans, players and bigwigs in the Platinum Club alike. However, given that the ScarletTurkey.com award is voted for throughout the season—after each match by users of the forum, via Man of the Match polls—the nature of the system makes it as a kind of barometer for how fans’ opinion is gauged within a given period. If the award was given halfway through the season, the runaway winner would have been Richie Myler. In the latter half of the year, he barely scored any points, with Stapleton taking the lion share and honourable mentions going to Ratchford, Wilshere and Sidlow. It’s not that Myler’s influence waned particularly in the latter half of the year (nothing said more about his current form than his performance for England against Wales, which was arguably the best of his career); it was probably our expectations of him that had risen. Nevertheless, Richie Myler could have still scooped the prize if he won the Man of the Match vote for the Grand Final. He didn’t —no prizes for guessing who did. On the flip side, this method of voting also gauges those players who aren’t particularly popular with the supporters at a given time. Notably, James Jiminez amassed more points than Mat Gardner for the whole season. Surprisingly, Andy Ballard scored more than Paul White too. Again, perhaps similar to Myler, he surpassed the expectations of Salford supporters early on. The Pride In Their Shirt award also went to Stapo. An unprecedented move, if memory serves. We don’t usually give this nod that awards a ‘never say die’, attitude to the same guy that wins Player of the Year. But to be blunt, there was no other alternative. A mention has to go to Paul Highton who despite knowing he didn’t have a deal for 2009, played particularly well at the end of the year, especially in his last match at The Willows against Whitehaven.
The Scarlet Turkey 2008 Awards ScarletTurkey.com player of the year Craig Stapleton
L’équipe Merde award for services to French Scoreboard Operators Jimmy Lowes
Pride in their shirt award Craig Stapleton
The ‘wah-wah-wah’ award for services to spitting one’s dummy out Leigh Centurions’ ceo
Tries of the year Andy Ballard vs. Oldham (away, in the Northern Rail Cup) & Paul White vs. Sheffield (home)
The ‘receiving the Man of the Match bubbly from the Turkey was clearly too much for me’ award James Jiminez
Scapegoat of the year Mat Gardner
The ‘wonder who it is?’ award for most enigmatic forum poster ronnyjohnson & The Pragmatist
The Bambi award for trying to walk when it’s really not on Jordan Turner (vs Batley) Pass to the shirt in the crowd award Stephen Bannister (vs Widnes) 2008 Posh Spice award for services to anorexia Gareth Haggerty 2009 Pooles Pies award for services to Wigan bakeries Gareth Haggerty The Turner prize for most artistic forum posts Mr. James Rowley Scott Wilson Award James Jiminez Soap on a Rope award Damien Reid Man of Glass, sponsored by Pilkingtons. Paul Sculthorpe ‘He’s never gonna kick this’ award (a.k.a ‘Charlie won’t get this’ award) John Wilshere (vs Celtic) ‘We miss your missus far more than you’ award Luke Robinson
The Nathan McAvoy ‘is he running in glue’ award Mat Gardner v Rochdale (Northern Rail Cup) Salford City Reds 2008 Awards Player of the year Craig Stapleton Players’ player of the year Craig Stapleton Supporters’ player of the year Craig Stapleton Platinum Club Award Craig Stapleton Young player of the year Richie Myler Clubman of the year Ernie Edwards U21 player of the year Sean Kehoe* U21 players’ player of the year Mark Hobson* U18 player of the year Paul Steele U18 players’ player of the year Lewis Palfrey
Special achievement Malcolm Alker (for surpassing 300 matches) * Players could be the other way round. Sorry, we were drinking.
The Co-Operative’s NL1 Awards Player of the year Damien Quinn (Celtic Crusaders) Coach of the year Shaun McRae (Salford) Young player of the year Richie Myler (Salford) Team of the Year 1. Tony Duggan (Celtic) 2. Dean Gaskill (Widnes) 3. Mark Dalle Court (Celtic) 4. John Wilshere (Salford) 5. Paul White (Salford) 6. Damien Quinn (Celtic) 7. Richie Myler (Salford) 8. Craig Stapleton (Salford) 9. Sean Penkywicz (H’fax) 10. Phil Leuluai (Salford) 11. Lee Doran (Leigh) 12. Darren Mapp (Celtic) 13. Neale Wyatt (Celtic) Rugby League World magazine NL1 Awards Player of the year Craig Stapleton (Salford) Coach of the year John Dixon (Celtic Crusaders) Team of the Year 1. Tony Duggan (Celtic) 2. Dean Gaskill (Widnes) 3. John Wilshere (Salford) 4. Mark Dalle Court (Celtic) 5. Paul White (Salford) 6. Damien Quinn (Celtic) 7. Richie Myler (Salford) 8. Craig Stapleton (Salford) 9. Neil Budworth (Celtic) 10. K. Edmondson (W’hvn) 11. Darren Mapp (Celtic) 12. Paul Smith (Halifax) 13. Saia Makesi (W’hvn)
Whinging for the Turkey, as usual. He’s still reckons England can win the World Cup. Is there a doctor in the house? The World Cup has been great to watch. Even though it was written off by plenty of so-called rugby league supporters and critics beforehand. Fuck them. It may be contrived, fake even. But I’ve enjoyed it. It’s pissed all over the Cricket World Cup for one. No RL fan in their right mind could have watched Tonga vs. Samoa and thought it wasn’t the most brutal display of on-field passion they’ve ever seen, well, for at least a generation anyway. It was like watching the early State of Origins, without the class. Cracking television. The big problem is obvious. Australia are going to win the thing at a cantor. Let’s be honest, that was always going to be the case. The big disappointment, however, is Super League. Its two leading lights, namely England and France, have been the biggest let downs. And as a result it makes you question the relative quality of the competition. England and France scraped through their respective victories in the group stage and haven’t competed at the level they suppose towards. We can debate the toss: why England and France haven’t been up to it, why Australia are so dominant and why then have English teams dominated the World Club Challenge in retort. But it’s pointless, overplayed and bloody boring. A more interesting outlook is to mull over how a nation other than Australia can win the World Cup. Yes, really. There have been plenty of upsets in the sport, so let history be our guide. The most obvious conclusion to draw is that Australia are too fast, too strong, too fit, too good for anyone else. Fair enough. How do we stop them? We poison the bastards; tamper with their grub. A bout of unduly food poisoning contributed to England’s downfall in the 1970 Fifa World Cup in Mexico. The only person that came between Brazil waltzing to ultimate glory was England’s goalie Gordon Banks. He’d already thwarted Pelé—a virtual demigod at this point—by pulling off arguably the greatest save of all-time in the group stages. However, come the quarter-final against old foes West Germany, rotten guts caused Banks to pull out. His replacement,
Peter Bonetti, had a stinker, and unfathomable tactical decisions aside, contributed to England’s defeat. Perhaps this was merely unfortunate for Banks? A case of one too many enchiladas. He didn’t think so, claiming years later: ‘The more I look back, the more I believe my food could have been tampered with.’ Okay, okay, so poisoning Greg Inglis and Israel Folau is tad sinister and unsporting. But desperate times and all. Yet, the David and Goliath allegory has come to fruition in sport before, just by playing the game. Against all odds, an almost ramshackle Wimbledon defeated Liverpool in the 1988 F.A Cup final. Cameroon made everyone think differently about African football when they scored a landmark win against world champions Argentina during Italia ‘90. In 1950, a team of amateurs playing under the United States banner beat England in the World Cup—a hugely embarrassing shock for the so-called ‘Kings of Football’. And Hungary, the ‘Mighty Magyars’, the imperious force of the 1950s, fell to West Germany in 1954 World Cup final, arguably the biggest football shock, and injustice, of all-time. Now I realise I am using examples in soccer. Granted, Association football is more conducive to producing shocks than rugby football. Using RL parlance, major shocks have occurred too. In 1983, Featherstone Rovers pipped Hull to the Challenge Cup. Hull were the league champions and previous two-time winners of the cup itself. Fev, however, just avoided relegation. It’d be like Salford beating St Helens at Wembley next year. Unbelievable, I know. We don’t even have to look that far back to find a shock result. New Zealand thumped Australia in the 2005 Tri-Nations final. Not only that, they nilled the Kangaroos. And what about Great Britain turning the Aussies over a couple of years ago, on their own patch no less. In Sydney. Many of the players who took to the field that day, are playing for England and Australia in this World Cup too: 9 and 8 respectively. See, it can happen. I know I’m clutching a huge bale of straws while I utter this statement, but it can be done.
Stop the injustice
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