Do you find you watch those from behind the sofa? There are several episodes I can't even start any more. I know what's coming up - and that's half the battle.

Yes, he is a weasel. The thing is, if only his first instinct wasn’t to lie through his backside, in order not to upset the vile northern scum, who would be too stupid to understand the need for expansion, he actually could have got what he wanted and genuinely taken the high ground.

I can only assume that the only stupid one is him.

Yeah, yeah. The problem is, that the whole programme needs to be watched from behind the sofa.

i know i'm taking my life in my own hands here,but smokey has been conspicuous with his absence in the last few days.
perhaps he's got his head in the sand,waiting for this undefendable debacle to pass over

I was waiting for Smokey T(alks) A(ss) to drop in with some of his "facts" and get everyone's blood boiling. He's obviously busy.

Pound to a penny he is Dickie Lewis and he's reading through the three licence applications from the championship to see how he can make them worse than cusaders and quins!!!!

Or maybe they are following the old adage - you can't defend the indefensible!

Yes - if they need to honour contracts. Poor souls - gotta give 'em some hope after releasing the trap door to Hell.

No. Why should they? Surely being selected to play in a vibrant competition with national tv exposure is reward enough isn't it? Just hope the teams from SL that aren't successful in applying for the CC survive.

What if Sky asked them not to?

but I though you just needed to tick some boxes didnt you?

Yeah, here he is!!!!

This whole embarrassing mess will be sorted now

they literally dont need to get any points, not one, they could conceivably be admitted to the league with 0 points on the published criteria.

Maybe it is simply your misunderstanding of what actually happened which causes so much animosity towards the process.

The tick box criteria was used to place clubs in to groups of A, B and C.

If there were less than 14 clubs in groups B and A, the clubs in those groups automatically qualified,

The RFL then picked the best from group C in their subjective opinion, regardless of whether the club in group C got 4 points or 0 points. It is perfectly conceivable that the top 14 points scorers, werent the 14 clubs admitted to the league.

they dont need to.

Thats why all the flatcap conspiracy theories and indignation simply strikes anyone who understood the process as idiotic, there is no reason for any of it, they dont need to do it.

I understood that the first time round. However, I would still be interested to see how certain clubs only rated C.

Then why bother going through the scoring process at all?

The RFL announced that they were merely sending down a troubleshooting team but shortly afterwards Richard Lewis (IIRC) was asked a question on the Beeb about having lent Cru money and he went ahead and answered the question without saying "We never lent them any cash just advisors".

'Subjective opinion' and complete lack of transparency is how FIFA go about things. Not an MO to be applauded or copied I would suggest.

so to sum up the last 9 pages: the RFL should be more transparent = the RFL should say thing which confirm my opinions and prejudices and not say things which cast doubt on them.

Things tb. Things.

So you dont want the RFL to be more transparent?

I want the RFL to stop fannying around. But they won't will they because they don't grind the organ.

If you must know, it was my mum's birthday yesterday and we went out for a family meal. Just occasionally there are better things to do than be on here having circular arguments with random strangers.

I was reminded why I don't normally bother posting on this topic as well. I've said nothing controversial or even picked sides, yet my rather mild comments have been met with the usual antagonism afforded to anyone who doesn't think that the RFL are either demons from hell or faultless angels.

It's just impossible to have a sensible conversation about this topic because there are too many polarised opinions on both sides. I shall go back to looking in with amusement and keep my virtual fingers out of the meat grinder in the future.

Have fun!

Exactly.

If the RFL did show total transparency then people would still want to know more.

If they did not agree with it they would make up thier own conclusions and act as though they were fact as this whole thread, or the vast majority of it, proves.

So far Celtic Crusaders breached the salary cap, paid for flights to far off away trips in the lower leagues (even though I know for fact they travelled on virtually all trips by coach and various other 'Facts'. I guess some things will never change whatever they do and I can understand the RFL not being as transparent as some would like as it would not change anything.

If, for example, the RFL came out and said 'We've not given Celtic Crusaders/Crusaders any preferencial treatment or helped them out financially at any point' how many do yo think would believe it. Not many so what would be the point in an organisation that many disbelieve then trying to come across as open and truthful.

If making cock-ups resulted in governing bodies resigning en masse there'd be a constant churn in every sport on the planet. As for the rest, I haven't seen any evidence of collusion in the visa debacle and the other points are pretty subjective.


So the RFL have said that they won't be considering any other criteria in the next round of franchising? Should make the application process a lot shorter and simpler.

Maybe, maybe not.

I will ask again, If the Crusaders get replaced by Barrow next year, would you want to know why?

It doesn't say anything at all about the game's current method of expansion one way or another. All it says is that I wanted Starbug's reasons for demanding the resignation of the entire RFL board over one (admittedly significant) error of judgement.


And there we go. Anyone with a slightly different opinion must have an agenda, eh?