I'm not an apologist for the RFL. Neither am I a tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorist. I give them credit where it's due and criticism where they deserve it. My post you quoted was neither - it was merely the statement of a fact for someone who seemed to be unaware of it.

Neither Wakefield nor Halifax should be in Super League. Ideally we would have one more strong club, or the RFL should have looked at going back to a 12 team competition.

Halifax's opportunity to secure a licence was when they were up against Widnes and Barrow. At the time the decision was announced that Widnes were in - it was somewhat of a suprise that Halifax were to be reassessed with the current SL clubs - at no time before that announcment do I recall the RFL ever saying that if two of the elgible championship clubs met minimum criteria there would be a second bite of the cherry.

IMO Halifax were kept in as an insurance policy - the RFL probably knew Crusaders were struggling and were not sure what the new Wakey regime had to offer at that point.

The Halifax chairman appeared to accept that they were not getting in if Crusaders were (a club IMO with a worse application than Wakey), but kicks off when Crusaders are out and were in.

The comments he made today about Wakey, I would expect to come from a Fax fan on here not the main man at a professional sports club.

Funny that because until todays announcement you were one of those papping on about how good Crusaders were.

No I wasn't, I was simply challenging morons who were making unfounded claims about the club. Crusaders are a joke and their withdrawal is for the best. That doesn't mean Wakefield or Halifax are any better. When interviewed on Sky, the Halifax chairman came across as an absolute dinosaur who seemed to think that his club had some sort of right to a Super League place simply because they had been in the competiton before. Wakefield have continually failed to deliver on their promises, to all intents and purposes they are a Championship club and they must be one of the luckiest sporting entities in the world to have so narrowly avoided dropping out of Super League on so many occasions. Neither club is good enough for Super League.

Not heard that for years



But your quite right he is one of the half dozen idiots who constantly defend the indefencible.

Oh you mean like those that have just been proven to be true?

Im glad our chairman is a Fax fan. Hes also a solicitor so i would imagine that his comments wernt just made on a whim but who knows. Not like its going to come out in the wash is it.

No, I mean the ones that were unfounded, such as that the club were massively exaggerating crowds to try and impress the RFL, or that the team was made up entirely of Australians and contained no Welsh players. I never once defended the owners or made false claims about the financial status of the club, if you weren't so ignorant you would have seen this.

You have no idea , so you admit to being stupid ? , sounds about right

The Crusaders were doomed from the start , you did not have to ba an accountant to see they were unsustainable

probably never, but wait about 2 and a half years and they will promise to have it done for the next round of licensing !

I admit to not [iknowing[/i why the insolvency criteria was removed. I doubt you [iknow[/i either, but I also doubt that you're able to admit it or tell the difference between knowledge and speculation. You also appear to be unable to converse like an adult.

The RFL made it very, very clear that if sufficient progress was not made then they could de-franchise said team(s).

I take this to read that if a suitable candidate appears before the application date and if a "C" team is behind on its promise the RFL could "do a swap".

It will be interesting to see what happens if Halifax correct all the franchise "issues" and get a backer with some cash.

God I wouldn't want him representing me :

(1) he has made all sorts of assumptions based on limited knowledge of another clubs situation (afterall he hasn't seen our franchise application)

(2) says the RL have ignored their own rules re clubs going into admin, despite an announcement when Crusaders went into admin that it would not preclude clubs applying for a SL licence in the future (the clubs agreement to this was also probably with one eye on the image rights tax issue which if it goes against the clubs could push some other clubs down the admin route)

(3) Slates our ground but it is clear we have announced plans to upgrade it for 2012 and if the PI on NM goes our way, that will start being built next year. Plans seen and clearly approved by an independent firm of professional property consultants

(4) Says your results on the field have been better than ours - failing to recognise you have been playing in a different league and against part time opposition.

So to summarise, I would say he hasn't thought through his comments before making them today and may well regret them on reflection over the next few days.

Yes you do know , but because you have a penis stuck out of your head you won't admit it

I'm not sure that's strictly true but it would take a lot of effort (and it appears that the Scorpions, having started at the bottom, are making some progress).

It will need someone with money, who understands what appeals to the Welsh, who can produce some genuine welsh stars (and or some big name converts from RU who take well to RL in the mould of Davies, Gibbs, Quinnel etc), and who can win (at least their home games).

A big ask , but not impossible.

That will only happen if Wakefield or Cas do hit a major obstacle in their stadium plans. As such, if the the PI does fail next March (which looks unlikely), Wakefield will struggle to get an alternative stadium sorted within the franchise period and could dip out a year early because of this. I think Cas will have the full three years because their issue is funding and it could take a couple of years yet to get planning for Tesco on WR, but think it will happen. The RFL have to give them both chance to succeed and if they don't, then one or both are out on their ears.

And if both succeed , no more Championship clubs going up

Not sure they were always doomed but I think they were doomed when Moss and Roberts (I love the Wrexham FC fans version - Mo$$ & Robber) were allowed to do a phoenix with the club and the financial issues around Wrexham FC grew.

Talking of people who couldn't see the true picture... where is SmokeyTA?

That is not what the RFL have said! If I were a Bulls fan, I would be maybe thinking about setting up a fans stadium action group in the near future! Plus, lets not forget Quins, they need a massive turn-around if the RFL don't have the Wakey and Cas as whipping boys next time!

Also, lets be honest. If Featherstone & Barrow get sorted, which looks likley, then maybe you could bring back P&R.... just a thought!

The Wrexham move was grasping at straws , but straws won't keep you afloat

Wrong terminology Starbug mate... to have pointed out that Crusaders may not have been a sustainable club prior to today is apparently called 'death riding'... no straws involved!

Halifax, Leigh, Doncaster and Rochdale all have very good grounds.

If they could find a good backer and tick the boxes there is no reason why they couldn't challenge for a place.

Wakefield have been a good contributor to this league with the way they've played and the way they've managed to find room for players rejected by other teams.