McManus..........

“[i I propose a mini-licensing system to get a twelfth club for next year. Let the RFL and SLE CEO Robert Elstone come up with the criteria, but they could invite some of the more ambitious clubs that are currently outside Super League to make applications. “St Helens will abstain from any vote pertaining to the inclusion or otherwise of any constituent member club of Super League, or as to any other form of sanction which may be levelled at any fellow club. There is an unacceptable level of conflict of interest involved for us and for any other SLE member club".[/i

As if the the RFL and Elstone aren't in Superleague's pocket anyway................

This comes just as the Championship mini comp is set to collapse with only five clubs interested........

I like how you just cherry pick one quote out of the entire article.

Why don't you include all his comments, including the quotes where he supports Toronto?

Toulouse are the obvious choice, flights are cheap and hotels plentiful - cant wait

Sorry should be Featherstone who have done everything right. Improved their ground, built the team up in strength over the last two years and have done everything to deserve a ‘punt’ at SL.

I always liked going to Post Office Road cheaper than Toulouse and don’t give you a Steak or burger that’s still moo’ing

Worry not about the trolling, It's not gonna be any guest club, it will rightly be a member club and Featherstone are such members. I like the sensible comment on TRL about how this mess is of Ralph Rimmers making, after all he sold Superlegue the dud that was Toronto.

So the idea is Ralph does not sell us another dud



Ralph can run round the championship clubs and see who can fit the bill and not collapse like a pack of cards, with Elstone making sure that whoever he offers fit the SL criteria, or will fit it come 2021, or even work towards fitting it 2022. Finances, ground, reserve side etc with my guess the queue will be Leigh, Fev, Newcastle, Widnes, London, Bradford.

Newcastle would bring enough headlines, especially real expansion ones, to help the phoney TWP memories pass quickly, but I've always had a soft spot for Mr. Beaumont whose efforts for Leigh have been admirable.........

Because that doesn’t fit his narrative. Let’s not forget the amount of times he told us “I know for a fact that McManus wants Toronto out of SL”. Thankfully, those who actually heard McManus speak at forums, knew this was complete garbage.

You talking to yourself again

Was it not Nigel Wood that sold the RFL and SL on the idea of Toronto ?

As for "promoting" any club who hasn't "earned" the right to play in the top flight, with cash being so tight, maybe we should just open up an on line bid or something.
Maybe Bradford could win the bid with a similar amount that they were "gifted" for their iconic stadium.

This has all the class of the current exam debacle.

Is that the Fev whose head coach sits with Agar in full Leeds kit. On preseason in Spain I asked him how they would do, His response was depends on who Leeds loan us!!

That’s fair enough I wouldn’t object to Leigh, Widnes, London, Newcastle or York either so long as the process by which they are selected is robust.

In fairness, that's a very honest response.
You cant bemoan a club for taking advantage of "loanees", it's the system that allows such "abuse" that is wrong

Going off last season's events which I doubt they will have to anyway because Toronto will be allowed back in or stay in super league, depending on which way you look at it. It should be either London who Toronto replaced or Featherstone who lost to them in a final who are the twelfth club. (Leigh fan)

That would be the right / fair response.
However, this is Rugby League and with certain parties desperate to fit Bradford in to SL, by whatever means, suggests that "fairness and good sense" wont be the deciding factors.
IF a particular club is favoured for whatever reason, the criteria will be "adjusted" to accommodate them ie "success during the SL era" or, "playing in an iconic stadium".

Having said that, who ever gets selected, it will cause problems and complaints from those who feel they have been overlooked.

It is difficult to see too far beyond London and Fev but, Toulouse would be a great addition and would allow the first proper French derby game in the professional era.

No mate not at all. He was ready to leave for the RLIF when they came a calling. The Championship clubs were happy to have them as they are happy to have Ottawa and Toulouse.

if you want a proper French derby then relegate Catalans and get the clubs to play French players.

McManus is proposing "criteria" for what he says will be a "Mini Licensing" excersise. I suppose it will include.......

1, Ground
2. Finances/commercial partners
3. Player development
4. Business plan going forward

So doesn't look like it will be done on whoever missed out because of their antics. McManus wants the strongest club with the best plan going forward out of those who apply.

Kind of happy with the part time team Widnes are assembling next year in the championship

Marty Smith
Logan Tomkins
Matt Cook
Lee Jewitt
Deon Cross
Danny Craven
Jack Owens
Ste Tyrer

Happy to earn our way there. Sheens will get us back where we belong.

Send Toulouse up and give them a crack. Just bin off TWP, the comedy train needs to be end

If that’s the case based on all 4 I’d say the front runners are Leigh/Widnes/Toulouse. Fev possibly, do they have an academy/reserves ? Seemed to have heavily relied on DR with Leeds the last few years. Leigh not having an academy could go against them potentially

The last licensing round didn't go too well and "business plan going forward" is generally pure conjecture.
Ok, nobody should offer the back of the fag packet that Halifax did all those years ago but, any club getting a spot in the top flight should be based on on field performance and not "conjecture".
Player development would probably mean that Fev, who have been heavily reliant on dual reg players from Leeds, should be excluded.
The best ground in the Championship is Leigh.
York will have a brand new ground but, dont as yet deserve to be in the top flight.
Bradford, who the hell knows - currently ground sharing at Dewsbury and they have some grand plans but, they are mid table and ground sharing at present..
London have a very small ground, regarded as some of their own fans as a "wedding venue".
Toulouse, have a tidy ground and competitive squad and would bring something different to the comp.
Widnes, excellent ground and plenty of home grown talent.

Right now it would be wrong to look beyond the current top 4 in the Championship but, as I said in my previous post, criteria will be tailored to enhance the credentials of whichever club is most wanted and quite frankly, that stinks the house out.

Really it should be either Fev (as beaten finalists in the last play off) or, London as the relegated club from last season.
Anything else would have the look and the smell of some kind of fix.

Not a bad post to be fair and can’t really disagree with the summaries of the teams.

The whole Fev/London situation should be the choices because of last season doesn’t really make sense to me. Your potentially booting TWP, a product which isn’t sustainable with another team that may not fit the bill and be sustainable, but they deserve it based on a losing GF performance played 15 months prior to the 2021 season. ?

If TWP are withdrawn next year the RFL need to know that they’re instating a team capable of full filling the season and has all the fundamentals in the background to make a good go at it. Not because a team “deserves it” because they were runners up. TWP knocked Toulouse out of the play offs that season, is it not unfair on them too in that instance ?

Mcmanus comes across really well here.

Should be Featherstone if life was fair, ......I have chosen the Bulls. It will be the Bulls.

He didn't leave until 2018 by which time TWP had already been part of the "Eurpean" pyramid, with Rimmer followin on from the big fella.
It certainly seems that Wood was the "matchmaker" and the person primarily responsible for getting TWP into the game over here.
Happy to be proved wrong, my grey matter is getting more grey by the day.

I don't need to "prove you wrong" on anything, don't make every discussion a fight. All I am saying is Wood was heading for the RLIF and he just waved TWP through and the Championship clubs were happy with that. Superleague as a separate organisation left them all to it, as they are now doing with Ottawa who are already backsliding on their commitment to use Canadian players.

I'd be interested to know how many actual French players would walk on the pitch for the start of the first French Superleague derby between Les Catalans and Toulouse that you advocate??

Give me a number??

London have a terrible ground and Featherstone don't do player development they do dual Reg. Seems like it is your choices that stink?

Toulouse? They are guests of the RFL and Championship?? What would you say to member clubs with SL ambitions if you hoisted Toulouse into Superleague?

Whatever English clubs do or don't have on the player development side they can bring it in. AFAIK going forward reserves are compulsory, NOT academies. Leigh don't have any Reserves but can just create a reserve team. If Keighley could do it.....