In my first article of the new season I complimented the Ulster Branch on their blitzkrieg marketing tactics which were a more pro active approach than previously encountered. Central to this was the theme of purchasing your season ticket on the Terrace since the capacity of the venerable old concrete steps would be greatly reduced once the redevelopment of this area got underway in February next year. There was a clear message that not purchasing a season ticket for the Terrace could mean you missing out on watching Ulster matches after January 09. I am fairly certain that many more people were pervasively seduced into buying a season Terrace ticket than might have otherwise.
I was surprised to read Mike Reid, Ulster’s CEO in the last match programme, state they were entering a tender process for the redevelopment of the Terrace which may or may not produce a result. This got me wondering was there a sign of back pedalling on the proposed redevelopment which is not all that it seemed. Simply a case of a tender not producing a competitive price. For if ever there was time to tender construction work, it is now, with the construction industry in free fall and contractors desperate for work.
A MAZEY STADIUMMMMMM PLOT!!!!!
Up at Stromontow the Politburo has not met in anger since last May due to an internal power struggle amongst the comrades. The Comrade with the portfolio for sport is one Grigor Campbellski. He had been pencilled in to make a decision on the National Stadium in September when the politburo not meeting wasn’t a problem in the decision making process. Two months later and the decision making process on the Maze Stadium is now being held up by the Politburo not meeting, or so I am led to believe.
Comrade Campbellski’s appointment followed the toys from pram throwing departure of Comrade Edvard Pootski. Amidst a hail of invective aimed at Civil Servants, he accused the Mandarins of ‘sabotaging’ his attempts, (his view) to push through the National stadium project.
To go back to the origins of the National stadium project, is to revisit the government’s attempts to circumvent policy by implementing a strategy that flew in the face of its own policy. The principles of value for money, whole life cost appraisal, environmental sustainability and many others enshrined in government policy were conveniently set aside to facilitate a Stadium at the Maze..
Sustained pressure, from civil servants whom Comrade Pootski characterises as being counterproductive to his views, brought the Maze stadium project under the spotlight of government policy and it has been found wanting. Chief amongst these has to be value for money and the long term sustainability of the Stadium at the tax payer’s expense. A climate of political decision making on the project meant symbolism and posture politics have been uppermost in most politicians’ minds. It has been the much maligned civil servants who have reined in the worst excesses of the Stadiums financial foibles and brought realism to bear.
To conclude. The comrade for sport is making a decision, (one hopes), on the projects viability based on real economics. No decision appears imminent for the National Stadium and as a consequence Ravenhill’s redevelopment timescale appears to be straying off course amidst the uncertainty. Are the two still linked? It’s certainly is shaping up to be that way.
Now I don’t have the inside track here, unlike the FRU’s, Insider, who appears to be a bug in Mike Reids office and a fly in the players Vaseline. Therefore one has to read between the lines, add conjecture to facts and hope that 2 and 2 will make 4. Sometimes it makes 5 but in the vacuum of solid information one must call it as one sees it. You can check back here in February if the redevelopment doesn’t proceed as planned and say how sadly I got it right or badly wrong as the case may be.
Footnote: Laughably a character associated with the construction industry, the other day suggested the Government might like to activate projects such as the Maze stadium to stimulate the construction industry. The same industry by the way that helped fuel the inflation busting boom in housing which has resulted in the current economic bust.
Help the construction industry now by building the Stadium and pay for it for years to come!!!!
A REFFING DISGRACE
Many years ago there were five of us sitting in the changing rooms at Civil Service with 5 minutes to go to kick off and no sign of the rest of the team. The ref came in and enquired were the rest of our team were. A teammate who will be known only as T. Wat looked insolently under the bench we were seated on and shrugged nonchalantly to the ref. He inspected our studs, departed in silence and in the resultant game, (played with 15 a side by the way), we lost by a cricket score. Most of the points came from a ridiculously high and extremely one sided penalty count against us. We laughed about it afterwards, it was so absurd. Those referees have ways and means of making you suffer.
It was Ulster’s turn to suffer on Saturday with a first half of 8 penalties, 2 free kicks, i penalty try and 1 yellow card against 1 free kick awarded to them.
I know Ulster weren’t exactly early at the ground by professional standards and I doubt they brazenly rubbed the ref up the wrong way. He was rattled though and Deano Richards professed afterwards to see no evil, claimed he’d analysed Ulster as undisciplined and doubtless he was being helpful to the ref by probably pointing this out before the game. Well he would claim to see nothing wrong with the refereeing since his team was the one and only unequivocal beneficiary. In the first half at least. I’m sure the whistleblower, (I don’t mean Deano BTW) was amazed at how friendly and helpful the Quins boss was. After all Deano made a career on the pitch helping the ref out….why stop now?
RORY BEST AND CAPTAIN KEITH
Back on the Bering Sea meanwhile, I was reminded of Ulster when Captain Keith, the bearded and ‘fair employment’ minded captain of the crab fishing vessel the Wizard, encountered a slight problem . It all started when the last tank or hold in Captain Keith’s Wizard was being filled with crab as they mounted a huge push for crab at the end of the Opilo season. The tank or hold simply refused fill up with the normally docile crab. No matter how many kilos of the pincered beasties they tossed into the tank it simply refused to top up and fill to the brim.
Captain Keith pondered were the crab escaping out a hole in the side of the boat. “The boat wins,” he pronounced to camera at one stage. Eventually the hold or tank filled up and the captain was almost washed overboard in the celebrations that followed as he steamed to port. Hours later and the hold was back to two thirds full. When the tanks had been emptied of crab in port an inspection of the tank revealed a hole about two thirds of the way up. The crab had indeed been leaking back into the sea. Mind his crew still took home 68,000 dollars for about 6 weeks at sea!!!
The leaking tank reminded me of Ulster when Rory Best commented that they had a few more areas to work on after the Harlequeens game. Seems this area is the bottomless pit similar to the Captain Keith’s holed tank. Fortunately like the Wizard the Ulster team’s leaks are above the waterline and therefore are not terminal. For now though, no matter how many points we pile in to the good ship Ulster, it’s leaking many more. It is to be hoped that we can come back into port during the November recess and make the running repairs necessary that will see us keep our haul of points and not concede too many.
1 READER ACCOUNTED FOR…..
A bloke I have known for a long time through work and rugby confirmed to me at the Stade match that he was a reader of my blog. Hurrah, my first confirmed sighting of reader of this blog. Apart from the long suffering ed. Mr. Barnes, I had begun to think I was having a dialogue of one on this blog………with myself. So if you do read this, let’s face it, you’ve nothin’ better to do, So please type a wee word of confirmation in the comments slot below this article.
So to conclude, my thoughts for today are as follows:
Ravenhill Redevelopment –
will be surprised if it starts in February!!
Maze Stadium –
It’s stuck in mud as deep as the stuff that pervades parts of the site. Ravenhill redevelopment stalled as a result.
Reffing disgrace –
Did Deano talk to the ref before the Quins game?
Rory Best and Captain Keith –
Can Ulster plug the hole that’s causing them to leak points?
1 Reader Accounted For. –
Are there any more out there that read this stuff? Answers on a postcard please.
This articles title was compiled with a tip of the hat to the late Clifford T. Ward and his poignant song and album, ‘Home Thoughts From Abroad.’
BJ Botha will be I’m sure keeping a weather eye on today’s Currie Cup final as his old alma mater go head to head with the Bulls. Go Sharks!!!!
Corrections, comments or questions?