Leigh RMI are no more...

Leyther_Matt · Post by **Leyther_Matt** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:14 am

A new beginning for the club as we finally ditch the 'RMI' name that has dogged us for so long. Must say that the impression I've got so far is very good indeed, it seems a really strong brand already and it's the perfect time to implement it with the new stadium on the horizon.

David Lee's Hair · Post by **David Lee's Hair** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:20 am

Sounds quite Americanised.

Whats the view of the new Chairman from the fans?

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:29 am

Leyther_Matt wrote:A new beginning for the club as we finally ditch the 'RMI' name that has dogged us for so long. Must say that the impression I've got so far is very good indeed, it seems a really strong brand already and it's the perfect time to implement it with the new stadium on the horizon.

Hang on, Matt. The club's originally from Horwich and was formed by the loco works institute. Why are you so keen to dump the RMI bit? There's even talk on that site that the club will be ridding itself of "the shackles" of the RMI name. It's hardly the fault of it's founding fathers that the club has gone into freefall in recent years, is it?

Do the cricket club blame their name when they play like beginners?

bobo the clown · Post by **bobo the clown** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:37 am

A very, very, very sad day.

As a former HORWICH RMI player (OK, for half-a season in the late 70's when they were virtually bust and had to let their contract players go ... but nonetheless) I always feared this would happen.

The move to Leigh did little to increase gates or profile & even in the staggering 2000-01 season when they ended 5th in the 5th division the locals barely turned out.

"Not only will the club lose the ‘RMI' title that has proved to be somewhat of a Horwich-related burden, with the incorporation of the new Genesis name, but the club will also bear an innovative new crest on a new-look black and white home kit"

From my, very Horwich-biased, perspective it wasn't that Leigh that was "burdened" by the old name, but Horwich RMI which came to be embarrassed by what Leigh did to it.

Blue & White stripes, blue shorts, white socks and a sloping pitch with wooden goal-posts made with flat sides ... all those thing apologise to Leigh for having been such a burden.

Finally I can stop looking out for their score each Saturday.

Shame on you Leigh, shame on you.

Leyther_Matt · Post by **Leyther_Matt** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:41 am

The RMI bit had made us a laughing stock in our own town considering we haven't had a train station in years - the new chairman (incidently previously involved at BWFC) and his staff have worked their socks off and are full of enthusiasm and ideas for the future. Just hope that it catches on as the club deserves a big rise in profile and crowds for having the balls to do it.

bobo the clown · Post by **bobo the clown** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:46 am

Leyther_Matt wrote:The RMI bit had made us a laughing stock in our own town considering we haven't had a train station in years

Matt, you were a laughing stock because you were getting gates of about 250 to watch performances which the Rose & Crown Reserves would have been embarrassed at ... the name was a piece of history. You've just pissed on it.

Beware any society which fails to see the importance of history.

That the local MP & 'minister for culture' fails to grasp this, I'm afraid, surprises me not one jot.

He should be interrogated for 42 days on this ... released and re-arrested as he leaves the building, subsequently undergoing a further 42 days questioning.

David Lee's Hair · Post by **David Lee's Hair** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:51 am

Leyther_Matt wrote:The RMI bit had made us a laughing stock in our own town considering we haven't had a train station in years - the new chairman (incidently previously involved at BWFC) and his staff have worked their socks off and are full of enthusiasm and ideas for the future. Just hope that it catches on as the club deserves a big rise in profile and crowds for having the balls to do it.

Aye, arranging the travel for the club

Was actually speaking to his brother recently about it, and he said Dom was really enjoying it. Good too see the fans are behind him as well

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:00 am

Leyther_Matt wrote:The RMI bit had made us a laughing stock in our own town.

See, maybe it's just me but I've always considered it to be a Horwich club that found itself playing in Leigh rather than it being a Leigh club. Hey ho.

Leyther_Matt · Post by **Leyther_Matt** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:01 am

David Lee's Hair wrote:
Leyther_Matt wrote:The RMI bit had made us a laughing stock in our own town considering we haven't had a train station in years - the new chairman (incidently previously involved at BWFC) and his staff have worked their socks off and are full of enthusiasm and ideas for the future. Just hope that it catches on as the club deserves a big rise in profile and crowds for having the balls to do it.
Aye, arranging the travel for the club

Was actually speaking to his brother recently about it, and he said Dom was really enjoying it. Good too see the fans are behind him as well

I think his dad was on the BWFC board around the time that we got back in to the Premiership.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:05 am

Leyther_Matt wrote:The RMI bit had made us a laughing stock in our own town considering we haven't had a train station in years - the new chairman (incidently previously involved at BWFC) and his staff have worked their socks off and are full of enthusiasm and ideas for the future. Just hope that it catches on as the club deserves a big rise in profile and crowds for having the balls to do it.

Bolton haven't "Wandered" in donkeys years, but I'd be mightily miffed if we became "Bolton Phoenix" or somesuch, to suit the whims ofa new entrepeneur manager. They should be bloody proud to be wheel-tappers and shunters, not ashamed of it. Tradition and history are all too quickly swept aside these days.

David Lee's Hair · Post by **David Lee's Hair** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:11 am

Leyther_Matt wrote:I think his dad was on the BWFC board around the time that we got back in to the Premiership.

Now that you mention it yes I think he was. I know the club do all there travel through the family travel business, or at least used to.

Leyther_Matt · Post by **Leyther_Matt** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:12 am

But there isn't any tradition of train-building, or indeed anything rail-related, in Leigh, with research indicating it to be one of the reasons why we've failed to gain support in the past.

spraggy · Post by **spraggy** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:31 am

How's the sports village coming along?

ratbert · Post by **ratbert** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:34 am

Sorry to see the last vestiges of Horwich RMI vanish completely, especially for something that sounds like a washing powder. But I understand the reasons, and some people do cling on to history for the sake of it...

blurred · Post by **blurred** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:41 am

Absolutely shocking decision - who the feck wants to be reminded of Phil Collins when their team trots out onto the park each week? Genesis? F*cking awful name.

Leyther_Matt wrote:But there isn't any tradition of train-building, or indeed anything rail-related, in Leigh, with research indicating it to be one of the reasons why we've failed to gain support in the past.

So you're not getting support because the locals are stumped with the logic of being called RMI as opposed to Genesis, or some other name? I'm not sure people are that arsed whether there's train building in Leigh when it comes to supporting a footie side, any more than people are campaigning for the Owls to only play midweek matches in Sheffield, or for a side in Leyton to start signing a bunch of Chinese players to match their name.

F*cking daft decision. Awful.

warthog · Post by **warthog** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:42 am

Ugh. Give me RMI anytime.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:49 am

ratbert wrote:Sorry to see the last vestiges of Horwich RMI vanish completely, especially for something that sounds like a washing powder. But I understand the reasons, and some people do cling on to history for the sake of it...

Isn't that what it's for? Er, Bring back the elephant.

ratbert · Post by **ratbert** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:05 pm

You can't keep looking back, as you can't change anything about it. The future has to embraced at some point to move forward...

...otherwise we'd all be riding penny farthings, using a handle at the front of our cars to get them started and having boiled beef and carrots every meal. Some might like that, I don't.

Agree about the elephants though

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:25 pm

Leigh Genesis FC is a fecking stupid name. It's the kind of thing you get when you pay a PR/marketing agency £50,000 that you'd have been far better spending on something useful.

And if the reference to the railways being such an issue (though the RL team seem to get by in spite of no roman soldiers for a while), perhaps something more in keeping with what you'd find in Leigh now would have been better, such as

Leigh Chavs FC
Leigh Doggers FC
Poundstretcher Leigh FC
Leigh Canal Toepath FC

BTW, 11 paragraphs, approximately 1,000 words and just 11 sentences?

Athers · Post by **Athers** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 2:03 pm

Don't like Genesis but it never did feel like Leigh's club, because it wasn't I suppose. That cup game against Fulham got 7,000 out and it made no difference to crowds at all.. It's a hell of a job to get the dads from taking their kids to Skybar to watch Ronaldo play at Old Trafford down to watch Leigh. Good luck to him anyway.