It's easy. Pick yourselves up a Steve O'Connor and by-pass the queue. Good on Widnes i say but that is THE ONLY reason they're in.

No they rent a shiny stadium aswell, that also helps.

I thought it was because they got themselves in the clique!

I'm not saying they've simply sat back and done nothing. They have worked at every aspect of what the RFL wanted them to do. They couldn't have done it without O'Connors backing. That's they key element any RL club needs. You won't get the rewards by winning trophies anymore. Like it or not, that's the game now.

I dont think thats entirely true. There is the small matter of the largest crowds in the league by some distance, the club facilities, other factors. I don't doubt O Connor has been great for us, but he's not the single reason we're on our way up. More one of them. One team was definitely coming up, can you think of any other team more suited right now?

We can waffle about championship winners all we want to, but there is the fact that were we all playing under old rules people's squads would look very different. We wouldn't have this salary cap either you'd feel, it's a tad on the short side and doesn't benefit the biggest clubs in any way.

It's important to leighs accountant

The RFL can, do, and have to justify their decision. You may not necessarily agree with it, or with the reasons behind it. But they still do it.

I disagree...after winning the semi-final at Leigh, we were overwhelming favourites to win the GF so, although it was a historic day, it did in the end, feel like a bit of an anti-climax.
On the other hand, THAT Thursday morning at the end of March when we got into Super League was THE most Nerve-wracking time of my life.



If Halifax had better crowds, a better stadium, and a sounder business plan, then they would be in too!



Halton Borough Council have given the club a 99 year lease on the stadium, but considering that site has been the clubs home for more 100 years then, I don't think we'll have any problems keeping hold of it.

And it was a nervous day for me when I was waiting to see if the RFL were happy to allow Leigh in to SL for 2005.

But after that decision we had to then go on and actually win a final. On the field. With Rugby League players. Remember them? Remember when it mattered what those players could do?

In 3 seasons time Widnes could find themselves outside super league again. And it won't have mattered a jot what the Widnes players achieve over the next 3 years. Because it's not really sport any more.

There are two distinct competitions, and movement between them is arbitrary and unrelated to sport. Clubs are given licences based on whatever criteria is motivating the RFL at that present time. Of course, the RFL will sugar coat the criteria for public consumption.

But when the RFL are willing to do things such as excluding a stadium that is a couple of months from completion from their scoring system, then its plain to me that the criteria are being manipulated to suit.

And if the Crusaders still manage to get a licence this time then it shows that despite the protestations of the RFL, the system is neither fair nor level.

We'll strive to beat Harlequins attendances - hasn't done their SL status any harm


We'll borrow the business plan used by Cusaders - twice! Didn't do their SL status any harm


We'll borrow Castleford's Wheldon Road Colliseum blueprints - hasn't done their SL status any harm



I see your point. Follow the example set by other incumbents and we'll be reet

I agree with you that the whole process is flawed & unfair, but, rules are rules, and for the moment anyway, looks like they're here to stay.
What annoys me is the fact that supporters from other championship teams (and some Super League teams, may I add), seem to take great pleasure in putting the boot into how Widnes gained promotion to Super League, at the end of the day, The RFL set out the rules, Widnes followed those rules to the letter, and guess what, we got in.
If Barrow & Halifax had bothered to put the effort into their business plans, and academy set-ups, instead of trying to "buy" their way into the top flight, then maybe, just maybe, they may have been given the nod ahead of Widnes.

I'll be 110% honest with you, I'd much rather see Halifax in Super League with us, than either Quins or Crusaders.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for expansion, but when "expansion" clubs who are clearly struggling, are getting preferencial treatment from the powers that be, then its time to stand up for what you believe in.

Stop sniffing the fumes in your neighbourhood. It's hard to "make a Widnes million" without the right sugar daddy. Widnes have done what the RFL wanted but have been able to do so with the surety of finance. This is a good thing but they couldn't have done all that they have without SOC. You suggest that other clubs could have done exactly as Widnes have done and that actually, they couldn't be bothered to put the effort in?? Are you for real? Couldn't be bothered? I can just see the Halifax Directors sat on their boardroom sofa smoking a joint and chillin' out and generally goofing off because they can't be bothered.

I completely agree with you, Without SOC, Widnes wouldn't have had a cat in hells chance of going up, but, hey such is life.

I'm not saying both Halifax & Barrow boards didn't put the effort in, I'm saying they didn't follow the criteria properly.
Whilst Widnes were being quite poor on the pitch over the last few years, Halifax & Barrow, with their better quality & more expensive players, were fighting it out for the honours.

Oh dear.

Im sick of it all now, be glad when were gone.

Halifax met the criteria thats why they are still in the process.

And when you get knocked back you'll get told to improve your yoof and probably boost your attendances.

So will I! Gone gone gone...

...to super league

And that didn't happen with P&L?
Why does being a competitive championship team mean the above?

get rid of the NRC....


bring back the lancashire & yorkshire cups for championship,championship1 & super league under 20's sides

So, are you saying everything we now have in place, which got us a SL spot, is entirely due to Steve O’Connor?

Didn’t we have the biggest attendances in the Championship/NL1 before the O’Connor era?

Didn’t we already have a ‘World class’ academy set up before the O’Connor era?

Didn’t we already have a new stadium before the O’Connor era?

These are all aspects which have been talked about as being the major assets that help bring SL, and we already had them before Steve O’Connor arrived.

All Steve O’Connor has done is bring us on even further, after an initial large investment of £1.2 Million, and negotiate advantageous agreements with the local council. He has brought in a plethora of excellent sponsorship and runs the club far better than we have ever been run before. This ensures that, what we have always had in place is now sustainable and not likely to drag us into administration again.

The fact is, it would have been far more difficult for him to have done this, for the money that he has spent, at any other Championship level club, including Halifax. Because they do not have in place, the things Widnes had when he took over. You could probably include some current Super League clubs in that too.

Weren't you about to go titsup before the O'Connor era?

Yep. And they forget that. Good things in place or not they wouldn't be doing any of it if SOC hadn't bailed em out. Fair play to em but I don't get the point of pretending otherwise!

nobody is pretending otehrwise. the annoyance comes because statements like that are often wrapped up in the implication that we ONLY got a franchsie because our chairman IS rich and therefore influential, as if he is applying pressure to the powers that be through his financial clout.
yes its true we probably wouldnt have existed without him, so wouldnt have been around to apply in the first place. but many of us rightly feel its a bit misleading and disingenuous so say or imply (which is often the case) we only gained a franchise BECAUSE our chairman happens to have money.
No, we still EXIST because a rich guy bought the club. We gained a place in superleague ON MERIT.

Thankfully the SKY commentary team yesterday didn't go overboard with the ' tick ' , maybe it was because it wasn't Eddie,Stevo and Phil

Hopefully a sign of things to come , then again it's looking like we won't be on the box much anyway so we can all hopefully get back to watching it live