Well you shouldn't worry about getting a franchise next time round then (as long as you pass your own self-imposed ground criteria).

How am i asking for that? all i want is who comes bottom goes down, simple as...if its cas they go down, simple as.

Bet they won't!!!

Yes, but nowhere enough to be a threat or be described as pushing us, therefore irrelevant at this moment.


I’m not skating around anything. All you did is state the blindingly obvious. This cannot be stated as any advantage to anyone until they have actually won the NRC or competed in a GF. Good early form is no guarantee of achieving any of this. Widnes are sitting in 2nd place and have competed in 2 of the last 3 GF’s. Our record in this league has been pretty good so far and I don’t expect that to change. We are now getting some of our injured players back, (a major reason for our poor form imo) so I expect us to improve. Halifax have beaten us twice on their own ground, but narrowly.



The same as what happens to Halifax, if the roles are reversed. All, as yet, irrelevant anyway.



Well I’ll tell you…

Halifax don’t even have a reserve team. Widnes have both an 18 academy side in the ‘Gillette Academy Championship’ and a reserve side. We have also set up a foundation academy team. There is a set up behind them all that is second to none in RL.

I don’t know for sure how many youngsters Halifax have brought through themselves to their squad, but I don’t think there are many, if indeed any.

Widnes have 7 players that have come through our academy system in the squad, 5 of which play regularly every week.


So that’s it?

It’s not a very convincing argument is it?

With all due respect to them, they are nowhere near a threat to Widnes and are not pushing us for a licence at all …..

……..Yet!

I don’t have a crystal ball, so in 3 years time that may be different, but they are a long way off our set up at the moment and will have to move mountains to catch up.


Not about Halifax I’m not. I doubt very much they will be a threat to Widnes’ bid in 2011. I’m certainly concerned we will not get a licence for 2012, because, I firmly believe that Toulouse are favourites regardless of any criterion and Widnes will not get a licence.

If Halifax continue to improve, they could well be pushing Widnes for a licence in 2015.

aray, youve hit the nail right there.
O.K so lets say both Cas & Wake get their grounds.
Who would you say goes down? and who comes up?
Wouldn't be fair to pick a team would it? Surley.
If they dont meet ground critia, yeah our won fault.

So who would go down if we all meet critia, and theres others in NRL1 who meet the critia, who would come up?
Surley the only way would be rel/prom

Why is it not fair to compare football to basketball in the way that I have?

I would rather my team win a bigger competition than a smaller one. Just because it is the top doesn't mean it couldn't be better.

I support RL before Hull and would much rather see the sport reach its potential over my club. If the sport doesn't reach its potential, my club never will. There are many people that fear that the sports growth will dampen their club's ability to ever reach the top, as proven in this thread. Expansionaphobia.

But when it happens to your club you will still complain and blame someone else, as you already have done.

That's what you want, is it?

yeah thats all i want.

Cas and wake dont meet new grounds they go down, I have no proplem.

But lets say we all meet critia....who goes down? This is the only point im trying to get to

If they both get their grounds sorted, and are achieving all of the other criteria, then neither. Pick someone that isn't achieving the criteria.


If everyone meets the criteria in SL and the Championship, then you maybe they should consider bringing back P&R.

OR...

Maybe they should raise the bar as to improve the competition further? If everyone meets the criteria, then clearly the licensing process is working in regards to improving the standards of clubs.

They're bricking it because of the scary prospect that they'll win knack all and therefore bar themselves from even applying.



As for our finanaces - he hasn't a clue - neither do i but they're certainly getting the backing from somewhere. Our crowds have increased only slightly and that is worrying. Success on the field hopefully will bring this number up to Widnes' level. Like i said in an earlier post on this thread, if Halifax (or another team) dominate the Championship over the next three years then it will be hard for the RFL to knock back a licence - no matter how much Mr O'Connor may bleat (if it isn't Widnes).

I fully agree with what you have just said.
I only fear that if we all meet critia then they still pick and choose who they like, theres going to be some unhappy people and wouldnt be a fair.

i think a scottish team would need to be put in the championship by 2011 to get a SL club there in 2015. They need at least 5 years in semi-pro/pro structure before they can be considered.

which city would suit a scottish SL team more? glasgow or edinburgh? glasgow would have a much bigger catchment area but is obsessed by football and it would be tough to crack that

That's very true, but it's important to us all though isn't it?




No it won't, Littlerich. It'll be very easy to refuse who they like.

Are you suggesting foul play by the RFL sir?

IF BEING IN SUPER LEAGUE IS ONLY ABOUT TV DEALS AND SPONSORSHIPS YOU CAN STICK IT UP YOUR A**E

Scottish AND Irish teams into the championship, but there is little point in them even considering putting teams into SL, yet.

The championship already has some good stuff adding Irish and Scottish sides will bring more people to RL.

Well. there's an alternative view

Neither of us will get a licence for 2012 unless they promote 2 clubs. I doubt that will happen.

The RFL will come up with a reason if they just don't want a club in. They just make up an ambiguous summary about attendances and youth development or whatever they think they'll get away with and put in who they want regardless. Toulouse will probably see us both off in 2011.

yeah f**k em if all they want is to forge out new teams from nowhere just for commercial reasons. im having enough fun in the championship

Maybe, maybe not. I just think (and it may not even happen) that if one team were to win the GF thrice and a couple of cup comps then this will be enough to get a ticket. Toulouse have still got to stand up and be counted in terms of 2012. Everyone seems to think they're a shoe in. They didn't get one in the last round because they weren't deemed to be ready. They still have to make themselves ready during the next two years.

Winning the NFP/NL1 and now the Championship wasn't even a guarantee of promotion before the licence era, no matter how many times you won it.



Halifax have a lot of work to do with their attendances and particularly their youth development. Unless these areas are sorted very soon, that's where they'll get knocked back. Even if Halifax do put these areas right, it may be too late or not enough to satisfy over critical eyes at the RFL.

If I'm honest I can see Celtic Crusaders leaving next time round.

A poor first season will alienate the Welsh crowds, there will be no real progress in converting grass roots to the game, and their money man will lose interest.

Much the same as happened in various other top-down expansions; Gateshead, Paris, London etc.

I'd like to see Toulouse replace them.

Piece of p[iis[/is this one mate. In recent years we had an U21's team which dominated the crap out of the competition. There is a lot of talent locally for us to draw upon when we re-introduce the reserve squad next year.

We have to address the poor attendances but if Huddersfield can do it - so can we



Three years is a long time for a club to pull up it's bootstraps and conversely, to cock it all up big style. We are at least currently making sure we are doing the former. The first hurdle is to win something. This is what we are setting out to do this season.

sensible point.it amazes me how many people on here seem to assume that inventing a scottish/irish/portugese/etc team will simply turn up and be sustainable

No chance, id love to see an Irish side but i know that it will take a lot of amateur work first to get people into the game and a lot of work in the community to get people to watch.

Football might get big attendances in England and be the most popular sport, but our Irish league equivelant has pretty poor attendances and very little money. Rugby league would be a viable summer sport here and after a few years an Irish RL team should be able to draw reasonable crowds and dig into a range of athletes.