He might have a mouth on him but he has run his rugby club well and achieved his target so well done to him.
If only we had someone as good as him - I would put up with his antics but please not Koukash as that is too far for me.

If Derek is guilty of anything it's an excess of passion, and if that's a crime we're all guilty. He's moderated that side of himself quite well this year I think. Since the Rowley / Brierley episode at the start of the year it's been "knuckle down and get on" over there.

We went over on Saturday as neutrals, though we leant in Leigh's direction. We were welcomed with open arms and had a great time. No mirth or excessive mick taking over our situation, just genuine well wishes before and after the game. Great bunch of people. I wish them well but I'll be a little sorry if I don't get chance to go back next year.

We'll be there in the playoffs




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[size=85[i=#0000FFNote to the hard of thinking: the above is an OPINION. It is stated as if it were a fact, but, if you think about, it, it must be an opinion, as it is a statement about a future event, and I am not clairvoyant, however much it may seem that way to you. [/i.[/size

The shame of it all is that in a normal promotion and relegation, Leigh as the consistent top of the championship over a few years weren't promoted whilst they had a youth policy, and hadn't to hive them all off to buy retiring (but quality) ex Super league players to get a shot in SL.

If this proves the 8s is a working plan that is going to revolutionise our sport for the future, god help that future? The orchestrators of the plan (see policy review document written and published by the RFL in 2013, but written in 2012 by NW in conjunction with others including Ralph Rimmer) have looked at a written document and patted each other on the back, saying what a good plan it is?

How many of the paying public actually agree with the perpetrators of this useless situation the game is in at the moment? Crowds and interest is at it's all time low, clubs are financially strapped, coaches are being sacked Players are leaving (or haven't a choice once they hit 19-20 and haven't been picked for the first team squad) many players in the lower 4 in SL must be wondering whether they should get themselves into the Job market for next season?

If anyone remembers the legend of the "Emperors New Clothes" that can be applied to Nigel Wood, and all those around him who are saying it's a fine suit Nigel, whereas we all know he's been gullible enough to wear this invisible suit thinking it was the finest material ever made? All we need is that one person to shout out the King isn't wearing any clothes!

PS Don't ask John Kear to do it though, he thinks it's working!!!

The thought of a naked Nigel Wood is enough to spoil my weekend

Last year Leigh weren't ready as proved in the play off's this year they are and RL needs team that have a chance of staying in super league the following season also the play off system brings much needed revenue into smaller clubs and will enable Batley to invest for next year. Some teams will chase the dream without the money and this will lead to problems.

A championship team with the finance in place will get promoted this year and one still could be in the MPG but I think it will be Hudds and Salford. Out of the teams in the play offs I would say all of them from the championship will like the system as it has either given them a shot or more money. This year (maybe because we aren't in it) has been the best most exciting playoffs and has been more exciting than the dull super 8's.

You finished second last year and had a shot at it and were very close but couldn't beat a poor Wakey team (that isn't a dig it's reality) This year Bradford made a massive mistake and signed quantity rather than quality, if you do that you need a good general to get you round the field e.g. London yesterday. Each year the money gets smaller in what chairmans are able to invest. With greater quality but less of it you may challenge but don't push the one up one down too much as that would not have helped you in the last two seasons and I fear is will be sometime before Bradford are going to be the strongest team in the championship. If Hudds or KR go down thier rich chairmen will really push to bounce straight back and they are both in a better positon than you.

All in all be it for money or chance of promotion the current system is best for you, even though in time it will more than likely mean we are relegated.

just dropped from SL, our biggest problem was maintaining intensity and concentration; largely induced by the knowledge that we 'only' had to make the top four to qualify for the play-off series. We knew exactly what was required and did just that, and very little more than that, in the early season. IF the carrot had been direct promotion, I strongly suspect both concentration and intensity would have been much better than it was during that early 'league' bit of last season's fixtures, with a corresponding lift to our final position.

Definitely agree that, without some serious money lining up behind us, we won't be even near to being favourites next season. The new cap ruling has changed everything in that regard.

Which teams wow you consider to be more favourites than us next year? London definitely.

Salford look like the team coming down and if they do, look like they are heading for total oblivion.

Batley and Fev finished above us by 3 and 1 point and that was with us playing with Mathers and Addy at 1 & 7 For much of the season.

Reading fax's board they could be losing some key players. The mighty Toulouse might not even be in the championship next year.

Don't think we'll get promoted but I wouldn't say we're nowhere near being one of the favourites to top the championship. I'd say we'll definitely be up there.

Also London were in an even worse state than us 12 months ago, not even being good enough to win the shield

I would say the team that come down and London may be better placed. I think you will fair better and finish 2nd or third and have shot so this is my point where I think the current system works for you rather than one up one down.

This year the middle 8 has been very positve for the concept.

The team, or even teams, coming down, even if one is Salford, will be way above us in the financial stakes, assuming Koukash stays, of course. Both, we have to assume, will also have the same advantage we had in the first year of having a number of ready made SL players still in their ranks and start with an SL mind-set. Unless Leigh snaffle some of them, of course, which is standard practice for promoted teams.

I think London have come on as well and would probably also be above us with the bookies. Actually, I think not being favourite could work to our advantage. Knowing we are the underdogs, ranked maybe only third or fourth, might just bring some of the mongrel out in our players.

Not sure i agree.

Looks pretty much nailed on Koukash is leaving but even if he doesn't, all Salfords players will be able to move if they're relegated. I can't imagine that many wanting to stay looking at the body language on Saturday. Unlike us, we had time to prepare for the championship which enabled us to tie up current players and sign others who were available. Salford won't have that luxury. There won't be a huge amount of players to choose from and how attractive an option would Salford be for players?Also we had the fan base to continue to support the club. Salford got 1800 on Saturday. That will probably be around 1000 next year. I don't think Koukash is prepared to bank roll them if even if he decides to stay.

, that's for sure. It's certainly going to be interesting in the off-season!

The way I see us for next season is, we won't be underdogs many times.

Gutted that in our 3rd Championship season, we are back to square one, rebuilding-wise, and so whatever the team does, it will get better over 2 or 3 full seasons (assuming we are still here - I take nothing for granted).

But, the issue we have at the moment is a mixture of pointless fixtures, new players, departing players, young debutants and lack of team cohesion due to so many new faces new systems and new coaching staff. So erratic performances will be the norm, as we have more changes to come. As Yoda might say, "settled carry on will we have not".

That said, those of us who go to games know what we ARE capable of, even if much of it is individual brilliance from especially the likes of Ethan, Dane and Kieren, and that something is BETTER than anything any team in this division can come up with, on attack. Including Leigh. When we click, it is awesome to watch. So I think no team will be looking forward to playing us and we will be favourites as the norm.

But we have on several occasions last season been bullied, and found short of the necessary desire. Including the desperate loss at Workington. You just have to get the mix of players right where that never happens.

With that in mind, I was very pleased with the performance of the pack yesterday, they dominated from start to finish and ultimately that is what destroyed poor Sheffield, and created the opportunities for the backs to run absolute riot. So my hope is that we can start the season with a big and ugly enough pack to be able to compete with the best and biggest, meanest packs in the division. If we can hold our own up front, then nobody - and I mean nobody - can come close to Rohan's firepower. People were at it yesterday dissing the opposition and making excuses, but we have put 80 points - EIGHTY points - on 2 opponents at Odsal in quick succession and that is a feat that can't be dismissed, however glass-half-empty you may be, but more importantly it was the class and style with which many of the tries were scored that is equally as impressive as the score itself (which with someone kicking the goals might even have been a century).

You don't score a whole bunch of tries at that level of quality by accident.

Oh, I totally agree we won't be underdogs that many times and we should be [as this year, Lol shoo-ins for the top four. My thoughts are really that we'll be underdogs in the games that matter, but obviously that depends on how well funded the relegated team[s is/are. As I said above somewhere, I regard [inot[/i being the favourite for promotion to be a positive, in that it may sharpen our attitude in other games.

Which games will we be underdogs in, though? There will not be as good a team as Leigh in next year's comp, so the way i see it, if I can rely on Rohan to assemble a hard enough pack (that Kirk is one big unit, and the lad from Keighley is bigger) so the backs get a chance to play, then we should be pretty mean, if unavoidably green.

I'd suggest both [if two come down of the SL sides would have stronger, on paper, squads than us. With the latest incarnation of the cap rules and sugar daddies in place, they would have no need to shed players when relegated [some, of course may want to leave anyway and it's always nearly impossible to keep 'pressed' men,and to be honest I'd say both Salford and HKR have better squads than Leigh and certainly far more expensively put together than us.

All that obviously assumes that both keep their respective fonts of money, though clearly that's not a given. I think London will also be ahead of us with the bookies given their form this year. I'm not dissing our squad. I suspect we'll do far better than many [especially outside the club expect, but I very much doubt we'll be favourites to be top or go up. As I said before, whilst it's going to be a very interesting winter break, I'm pretty cool with the idea of Salford and/or HKR taking our mantle as the, "big bad SL Giants" in the division. As for us, Knowing they have to play above themselves occasionally, rather than thinking, 'we should win anyway', may help to focus minds at Odsal.

Aren't you a bit rash in assuming that relegated clubs will just keep their existing squads? Is that realistic? May be more or less unrealistic to some extent depending who it is, but many claim if a team gets relegated all SL contracts cease. I should think at bare minimum the "best" players of a relegated club are in serious danger of being cherry picked and of the rest, any who can get a much bigger wage and offer to play in SL will surely be offski?

Then, the relegated club needs to factor in much reduced income, and finally the chances of financiers and sponsors reducing or even walking away.

I could see Rovers mirroring what happened to us very closely. They would have next year to try and get back up based on keeping a strong core of their squad. I wouldn't fancy their chances, and thereafter they stay down with us until the system changes. They don't have genuine wealth behind them just the same as us.

, with Sugar Daddy, needs to factor in, 'reduced income', in exactly the same way that the guy at Hudds factors in getting very little from gate receipts. In other words if he's prepared to fork out to cover it, then it makes no odds. So, whilst I'm far from, certain about anything, I think it's a good chance of working out that way.

So basically, at the whim of the guy with the chequebook, with the proviso he'll need to start writing bigger cheques. How it is that we can't ever find one of these guys is a mystery to me, even if Mr. Green undoubtedly is pumping in some measure of sugar, whatever he may publicly say.

Indeed.

You'd imagine a city the size of Bradford would have someone - but then you check out the demographics and realise it's a very small number of available people with the sort of money needed.

Yep. It's a £1m shortfall in central funding for the relegated club. So either a big pair of scissors for some serious cloth cutting, a bigger cheque from the chairman, or a mix of the 2.

how about this, If Leigh are found next season to have broken this seasons salary cap what happens then?

Same thing that happens to every team in this country found guilty. A tiny fine that makes no difference to a minted chairman and a points penalty that might help them into the Middle 8s next season where they'll start on 0 points again.

Players want to play in the top division. And, preferably, at the club which gives them the best chance of winning something.

Money's an issue but not the only consideration.