Recently I was asked my thoughts on why the RFL did what they did in 2014!
You remember when they decided with the full? Backing of the SL council to decimate the game by: reducing SL to 12 teams by relegating the bottom two clubs, plus of course relegating 5 championship clubs, to balance the books. Then of course the 3x8s system, foisted onto the League structures after much consultation with clubs-supporters-journalists etc., which of course no one knew anything about it all, until the actual vote on the policy review document that laid out the plans, ( written I might add in 2012/13?)

Coincidentally a parachute sweetener was given to all SL clubs (except the Bulls, of course as they were still in special measures?) in the run up season to the changes,
This I believe was £300k as part of the SKY contract money, which of course didn’t kick in until 2017, (how many of us thought it had already happened?) In the mean time no more Championship games are shown on any sports channels, even though SKY said some games would be shown in 2015/16.

Now if logic had to take over the question would be how the RFL would afford all these financial improvements to the elite 12 Super League Clubs. Perhaps that was/is the answer i.e. relegate 2 clubs and save the previously agreed SKY money of £1.2 million per club or £2.4 m, plus bring in the middle 8s to bring back P&R, which of course is a bit of a misnomer as it is not a like for like situation as the Championship clubs have to step up at least 3 gears to match a SL club who have been playing at a far higher level and intensity all the previous season. Not to mention the additional finances available to them, which allows them to cherry pick players before the so called £m game. Another joke as if the SL team playing this final game wins the status remains as quo, and if by some fluke the Championship team won, where is this £m, well it’s an upgrade of the SKY contribution that the deposed SL team would have got over the following season. Incidentally the Championship team if successfully promoted would need to strengthen the squad considerably within that next season, before being the whipping boys for relegation at the end of the season?

I don’t wish to be negative, let’s say it’s the worst scenario that’s all> The thing is I do believe the RFL statement that over the last two years the Finances of the game have improved, probably because they were looking at their remuneration as the yardstick??

I’m with you Marwen, let’s find a better way before there is no way!

The trouble is, I don't think the mad doctor has any idea of what to replace the RFL with. He seems, in the main, to just want them replaced with a body who'll let him get away with whatever he likes rather than promote the game as a whole.

The fact that he's kicking up a stink after Salford basically got away with cheating the salary cap for two years running shows what his mindset is

I totally agree with you roofaldo. However it sometimes takes the "elephant in the room," to coin a popular saying, to begin a process that other more sensible people should begin to adopt for the good of any organisation. I don't think he will get the other chairmen to give him what he wants, but a few of the better chairmen might think he's got a point that would be worth pursuing, but maybe in a different more sensible way that will get the RFL into a proper discussion about the game, and perhaps a couple of resignations at the top wouldn't go amiss.

Don't forget that his suggestion is that SL should go it alone. This would be something along the lines of the Premier League in football. However, this debate is purely academic as far as Championship clubs such as the Bulls are concerned.

The problem is that a very good point or accurate opinion can be diluted and ignored when it's spoken by a lunatic.

When I read his statement I actually thought he was referring to the Bulls (and other championship clubs) when he stated the RFL were more concerned at promoting the game in France and Canada, as a result strong Rugby Towns/Cities were now in decline (from a rugby perspective).

I think he has a point, and I don't think the doctor would go public without the support he needs. (If he did, it would confirm he is

)

The problem with Marwan's position is that he did it after the salary capping saga. If he had done it prior to the salary cap investigation, he would have had an easier time convincing the world of RL that this wasn't just a knee-jerk reaction to him not getting his own way. Again. As it stands, I can't see how anybody should be supporting him, because although his reasons might be that of RFL incompetency, it comes across as spoilt brat syndrome, spitting his dummy out because he can't get his own way.

Furthermore, with the imminent departure of Blake Solly, he is effectively calling for a vote of no confidence in a regime that he has no clue about, unless I'm mistaken. Of course, I'm assuming here that a change of general manager will see some form of governance change. Even if it doesn't, we have no way of knowing what the RFL will do next season and beyond under new leadership, so how he can have a vote of no confidence is beyond me.

In summary - perhaps right to question the RFL, but definitely for the wrong reasons.

He spends most of his Twitter life posting about how much he hates the RFL. As Roofaldo correctly points out, he just wants to be able to do what he wants when he wants, without some governing body telling him he's not allowed to. Any reasonable point his rantings raise are lost because everyone thinks he's mental and just wants his own way.

I don't think we, or anyone, should take the ad hominem approach in things like this: listen to what he says, if he's right back it, if not ignore. We really must check the message and ignore the messenger.

That could be argued if he had done it before the salary cap saga it wouldn't have had the same effect. He's using the breach as an example of the RFL's failings under the current regime as in restricting the progression of the game, yet turning a blind eye to the likes of Catalans.

The ‘no confidence vote’ is a wake-up call to the RFL that the current system needs to change regardless of who is at the helm. The split being a very real possibility, if things don’t change.

From a selfish point of view, the split might help us back into SL

Which superleague though?

The 'official' a-little-bit- one, or the megalomanic Koukash one?

I'm finding it hard to look past this as anything other than Dr K spitting his dummy out because of the whole salary cap decision. He's clearly fed up of the RFL because he's not allowed to do what he wants, when he wants. I have to agree with Roofaldo that he doesn't seem to have any idea what to replace the RFL with, just that he wants rid.

I can't see him getting much support unless he can guarantee TV rights along the same sort of scale as what the RFL have with Sky at the moment. How many teams are reliant on that to keep going? Look what happened to us since we had it taken off us.

There is no point to all this.

The top soccer clubs had the world of big sponsors and broadcasters at their feet when forming the Premier League.

We have Sky (which btw already has the rights for years) and so even before you start, any "breakaway" is dead in the water as any club breaking away would rightly be fulsomely sued with no defence (as all clubs are parties to the deal)

Ignoring that - where would the money come from to finance a breakaway elite league? Pretty much all clubs are technically insolvent already (that is, they rely on loans and largesse to a significant amount).

If it wasn't for Sky, the game would be fscked already, at any rate, as a full-time "elite" sport. Who thinks Sky would be a party to any such shenanigans, other than protecting their own commercial interests, and which broadcaster would pay a huge amount of money to buy the rights to the new competition?

And that's just the very basics, before you even start to think about what sort of a body would run the new breakaway league. Presumably, it would be dedicated solely to the interests of that narrow little incestuous league. The RFL would remain as running the professional game overall. How would that relationship work?

The RFL has responsibilities for a huge range of issues within the sport, not just running a league. If the new organisation broke off, who would takeover all the responsibilities which the RFL discharges?

Marwan has totally lost the plot. It is one thing to have votes of no confidence, and seek change within RL, but a totally different and quite nutty thing to bluster drivel about breakaway leagues. Man's delusional.

I agree with Ferocious .... in particular his concluding paragraph quoted above. A breakaway league would IMO , be disastrous for the game.
The calibre of administration over the past few years has been mediocre at best. I do not think many fans would rush to the defence of Nigel Wood or the current Chairman if a vote of no confidence was proposed by the clubs.
Personally I would welcome such a vote with an open debate and publication of the result.
The biggest success during Big Nigel's tenure was the last World Cup - in terms of administration not results. And the biggest reason for that success was the female executive ( sorry I cannot recall her name)who was the organising force behind it. All the signs were that she wanted to continue involvement with the game.

How?

You mean Sally Bolton. Very talented executive, was appointed MD for the 2017 World Athletic Championships but resigned a couple of months ago. She seems to specialize in the organisation of major events rather than the ongoing management of a sport, nevertheless I'm sure she would bring a great deal more to the role than Wood ever has.

Sadly I suspect Rugby League may not be big enough to attract her back, but you never know.

If I reword to say the 'Top Tier' instead of 'Super League'.

If there is serious interest in the clubs breaking away and creating a new league, it would make sense to "invite" a club with huge tradition and following to play in the new league. The whole middle 8 games would (hopefully) be abolished, meaning there is a case to have a larger top league. Could also be good news for Leigh, who would welcome the idea of having a higher salary cap limit.

Sally was appointed as Head of Corporate Affairs at Wimbledon yesterday.

Marwen K is a typical knee jerk reactionary as we all seem to realise. I believe no one in their right minds would think that 12 clubs in the SL would have the clout to re negotiate a done deal with SKY?
However if his flamboyant actions bring about a vote of no confidence in the present management structures at the RFL, then he may have done some good.
I thought that Sally Bolton MBE would have been a option to keep in the game at a high level, however if it hadn't been for Maurice Lyndsey pointing out that it was her and her team, and not Nigel who were the architect of the success we enjoyed, I don't think she would have been given any credit at all! Similarly when SL said they had lined up a General Manager for the League, the RFL stepped in and appointed Blake Solly, who seemingly created a problem for his boss, insofar that he seemed to believe he was working for the benefit of SL not the RFL. Or so the report in League Express went, when we found out he had suddenly resigned his job with SL.
Certainly many questions need answering and I feel that the least the SL council could do was to call for an EGM ( If enough clubs call for an Emergency General Meeting, they can't refuse)to raise all the issues Mr K has talked about?
But as a friend in the game said, "We shall see, as they don't call him Teflon Nigel for nothing!"

He also doesn't help himself when he wants the backing of the other SL clubs, but then slags them off in the same press conference, as he did with Catalans.

He'd have no chance of Catalans support now even if they agreed with him, after his mental breakdown over them. Although it did lead to an amusing response from the Catalans chairman last night.

Where as that would be logical it would be at the expense of existing SL clubs as the Chairmen have already voted for a limit of 12 clubs in SL. It would therefore mean turkeys (as the saying goes) voting for Christmas. Personally I believe we could not survive in a league where all the other clubs have a rich backer and the prospect of no salary cap.

Knobrash would have a cheek if he had an issue with promoting the game elsewhere. After all, whilst I am no expert, I would not have thought that the surname Koucash was in the top 5 of names in Yorkshire or Lancashire?

I may be wrong, but I find it hard to imagine any breakaway group voting to dilute its share of cash by inviting extra clubs to the party. There may be, as mentioned, some element of forward looking individuals involved in any newly re-formed SL, but in my experience, pragmatic self interest usually trumps any such high falutin' ideas.

The answer is obvious. The RFL should immediately expel Salford from SL. Logic would suggest that Leigh replace them. But the RFL are nothing if not ILlogical and anyway DB is just a Primark version of Koucash. As everyone knows we are the RFLs favoured child so we should be promoted into SL with a 3year dispensation from the middle 8's.