I'm sure he said " a team would be invited to join Super League from the Championship" , this must point to Toulouse.

rowanandmartinslaughin.com/wolfgang.jpg Very interesting

rowanandmartinslaughin.com/wolfgang.jpg Very interesting

Leigh are the new darling club of the RFL



Only this week Nigel Wood has come out on record to say the RFL are looking forward to Leigh making a strong contribution to the Championship,already having granted them a relegation reprieve.

Not only did they as a visionary club fully embraced the RFL's 'Framing the future' blueprint, they have also fully applied all the recommendations the RFL laid down at the last franchise application process on facilities, finance,youth & community that they stated would assist Leigh developing into a 'future stong SL candidate'.

It's now by no means a co-incidence they appear to be assembling a strong playing squad on the field under the guidance of a world class head coach.

All of which has impressed The RFL and achieved without the need of any SKY handouts.

Whilst during the same timescales some SL clubs have, well you can all judge that for yourselves.....

Just a shame they'll win buggar all and therefore be ineligible for a Super League licence

that hasnt stopped the RFl before.

Quite simple this when Celtic finish bottom for next 2 year it got to be them it would be a discrace if team Likes Cas and Wakie go out of it they are the only area in yorkshire what are producing Super league youngsters not acadamy but born in there areas.
If these 2 teams went out of comp you will loose at least 3 or 4 Players from each England side because the youth developments in town would fininsh thats sound sad but very true.

Seems more accurate



Are these the recommendations that our Chairman collected on your behalf because your board spat their dummy and refused to attend the meetings after the last announcement.
Leigh have been given a reprieve because it suits the RFL.. in 2012 it will not suit the RFL to hand them a licence.

I thought the Featherstone area produced plenty of youngsters for many Yorkshire clubs. It seems that not being in Super League hasnt stopped the production of youngsters there.

Featherstone have only have 1 high school and 1 junior side Fev lions and thats on the border of Cas and most kids there are from Cas any way.

So the area's producing them, not the clubs? They're born in WMDC, but not developing through the Cas or Wakey academies?


Hang around: didn't you say you were talking bout players born in the area but who don't go through the two clubs youth development?

Is this the very meeting where your chairman told Leigh that the Widnes meeting with the RFL was absolutely pointless, and a complete and utter waste of time ?? !!

I very much doubt that to be the case taking into account the way that SOC has handled himself since the decision.

In any case it wouldn't have been a complete waste of time as it didn't show our board to be a whining, snivelling mob.
Make no mistake you're only in this division because what little extra money you bring to a few clubs in this division was a little bit better than the alternative.

I dont think the RFL would have been too bothered about that to be honest , in fact lets face it , the clubs in Championship 1 need the financial support that a bigger away following would bring than clubs like Widnes and Fax

It is quite simply ' convienient ' from the RFL's point of view with us finishing above Toulouse , basically everybody is happy

So, if it is Wakefield as many on here seem to be rubbing their hands (or other things) at, what is the point of the Franchise process when the CEO of the RFL and his board have already made the decision behind closed doors two years in advance?

And if that were to be the case, would Wakefield not have good grounds for legal action, as would all the other clubs, having possibly committed to spending money to support their application when the whole excercise was just a bit of window dressing anyway, and theyneedn't have bothered as all along it was Wakefield who were getting the boot.

But it was the Board of Directors that voted Leigh to gain a reprieve wasn't it?

Well the last process was a bit of window dressing to promote Celtic. Franchising is nothing more than a way of the RFL being able to cherry pick their 'faves'...
Let's get back to Promotion and Relegation!!!

We have not been ' reprieved ' , we were relegated

It is a re organisation of the leagues

Either way this is not the place for this argument , there are bigger issues to discuss here

, quite simply whoever gets the chop will be set back years , possibly forever

And while fans can accept what happens on the pitch because it has happened in front of their eyes over a season , a decision behind closed doors will decimate their fan base

Progress

The RFL board , which is not a specific group of club Chairmen/Directors

somebody is going to be sacrificed

Is it a good thing , well ?

So how does this all fit in with an honest licence criteria being the method of promotion and relegation?

Is there any longer a reason to trust the integrity of the current system?

Well here,s my contribution.

Any heartland club kicked out of Non Relegation League will be on a downward spiral from which it would be hard to recover.

I don,t see much point in guessing who it could be or who would replace them.

Any team leaving the Championship would be one of the better supported clubs and this would impact on all other Championship clubs from the view of average attendances.

The RFL have introduced franchising and must give it the 3 years allotted. After that they can admit their mistake abandon it and go back to Promotion and Relegation.

This would give all clubs something to aspire too and might stop some going out of existence.

I have nothing against expansion but a new club should start in Championship 1 and build that way.

It would also be a good idea for the Championship leagues to start 2 months earlier than Superleague. That would give the club at the top of the Championship enough time to negotiate contracts unlike the scenario we were faced with when we won admission to the top league.

Dont be stupid Frank

The trouble is they haven't given it three years, in the interview he states a club will go down. So what is the point of a club applying for a licence if it has already been decided.

Who are 'Celtic'?

If you're talking about 'Crusaders Rugby League', you may want to consider that we are currently playing in a ground that will be fully redeveloped by 2012. So, if we don't get our own shiny new stadium, we have a contingency plan.

You may also want to consider our development system. Our Under 18's won the National Youth League last season (and have only lost one this season), our Reserve team won their league the previous season. Then there's the small matter of Elliot Kear, Ashley Bateman, Lloyd White, Gil Dudson, Ben Flower, Geraint Rhys Davies, Lee Williams and Lewis Mills. All products of the Crusaders short four year stint as a club, all Welsh, and all European Champions.

I'd hate to see Wakey or Cas out of SL by the way, I liked both sets of fans down at ours, and enjoyed my only away trip this season up to Wakey, but stop posting such drivel.