just because you're an old man now,no need to act like a miserable old git ok ?

the RL set-up in europe is unusual to say the least - a real minority sport which should be working together instead of infighting
we all know your great desire to stay as a dinosaur league playing your cosy little parochial second-rate game in the northern wastelands but not everyone thinks like you fortunately ! believe it or not some people actually want to see the C/C1 progress and not just stagnate as it seems to be doing now woith people like you who cannot see further than than the factory wall and the disused pits etc etc -
for me (with or without french teams) the inevitable answer is P & R and as I have said many times,this will return one day when the game is really on it's knees.
By the way,I suppose you have already booked your flight to Toulouse ?..........

You draw this conclusion how exactly ?

No , as it is too expensive costing about the same as attending all the other away games put together , so I either give my money to Easyjet/Ryanair and the hotels /bars of Toulouse or have 13 days out watching 13 games of RL in England

Patronisation of the highest form right there. Shame on you for posting this drivel. People worrying about the future of their club and hoping to safeguard its future does not equate with wanting the game to stay in a "northern wasteland" (a discriminatory term if anything). What you have posted above is quite typical of the attitude of people Starbug has been highlighting.

People don't want to watch a lame duck competition. They don't want a competition which is uneven, capped at a low level, and artificial. They especially don't want the second tier to be nothing more than a feeder league for the top tier. Where is the motivation?

These people are the existing fans of the competition. It's suicide not to listen to them. No point to the sport without them.

Im sure the game in all its forms would survive if you stopped watching. The fact is the game was dying, it needed to change to survive. it would be suicide to have listened to them.

pity,I was really looking forward to buying you a beer and discussing the finer points of the game - i'm sure the other faithful Leythers will enjoy the trip on your behalf

yes,discrimininatory it is,well done for spotting that one at least !

the fans are the fabric of the sport at C/C1 level especially,you're right we should be heard but it's difficult when the powers that be consider these leagues as second-rate don't you think ?


generally you and your mate are typical of the numbskull attitude that will continue to drive our sport down even further - the 'lame-duck' competition is exactly what you will all be left with in your own little world up there in the wonderful, pulsating,vibrant (yawn yawn) northern paradise if you continue to resist some kind of progress - it's sad really...

If you think I'm going to bother playing your games though you've got another thing coming. As you've already brought this down to a personal level I might as well respond in kind. I haven't the time nor the inclination to indulge a prat like you in a game of pointless one upsmanship. We're done btw.

Now you are just trivialising all the issues and repeating the drivel about northern numbskullery earlier. You haven't a bloody clue and my opinion that you are a troll strengthens with your every post. None moreso than this one.

that's the answer to everything isn't it,call someone a 'troll' who doesn't agree with you - the easy option as usual - it's juvenile stuff,try something more original or are you one of the blinkered people never have been south of Watford ? bet you can se te M62 from your front parlour?

The problem is you're the one who attacks where people are from, not me. I've travelled all over the world. You're certainly a troll. Certainly. This post proves it. You're getting more obvious as time goes on.

i hadnt brought anything down to a personal level, simply said the game is bigger than you or me. Nice to see your lack of self-esteem shining through though. Its been a while since we have had a Dalton trademark hissy fit. Its like the good old days.

what is a 'troll' by the way ?

my years in the Merchant Navy where I really DID see the world (the good old days when sompe of he world map was still pink) taught me a lot and often ran into narrow minded numbskulls such as yourself - if you have indeed been about you will realise you are talking absolute nonsense except for the occasional lapse into sensible speak - I respect your worldly views but don't have to agree with them,or do I ?
no offence meant CD,it's good to see the passion in our great sport coming out in all it's forms....

yeh,he does get in a bit of a tiswas doesn't he ? must be all that travelling that's addled the old grey matter..

btw,it's not a lack of self-esteem,just a lifetimes build up cynicism coming through

I dont worry too much about the ' finer points ' of the game , it is just entertainment to me , you however are just becoming annoying , your constant use of ' a return to P and R will sort out our problems ' and a refusal to answer simple questions like the one I asked earlier is leading me to think you are a troll also , so once again how do you come to the conclusion below ?

and for the record, the North of England is not a wasteland, which even if it was would have naff all to do with any point (however vague and nonsensical) you have attempted to make. and simply saying you are not making it personal when you clearly have does not make it true. the three biggest holes ive ever had the misfortune of visiting are in france btw. and ive lived in Soweto and the Bronx and visited the barrios of Rio. so forgive me if im a little annoyed at the wasteland comment, coming as it has from someone in france.

sorry to annoy you - it's the only fun I get nowadays - you obviously don't have a sense of humour and you sound a very bitter animal with one heck of a chip on your shoulder - lighten up mate FFS !

you're a dinosaur cos' you can't see further than the end of your street which leads to where ? the game has to expand - it can't expand as it is obviously so the game needs to broaden it's horizons but more importantly,as I keep on ad nauseum,you have to give clubs & fans something to go for,some incentive,a dirty great carrot dangling in front of thier noses - this carrot is the SL - If I were a Leyther my dream would be to play in the SL,not play year in year out in the same league (just hanging on a couple of seasons ago if I recall !) with no hope of progressing to a higher level.P & R doesn't have to even be on a seasonal basis it could,for example be based on a combined points system over two or three seasons results & league placings.Anything has to be better than knowing that your team will NEVER realistically be given the chance to progress to the highest level ?
Widnes deserve their place and good luck to them - don't you wish you were a Viking fan ?

my sympathies go out to you mon ami - never had the pleasure of the Bronx or indeed Soweto so I can't say but I have been to Rio and it's one big tip
whether you like it or not,France,along with Spain was recently voted the two european countries with the best general standard of living with the french medical/social security services voted yet again in the top two worldwide - saying that, parts of Paris,Lyon & Milles to name but a few towns have the same poverty levels as parts of Manchester,Liverpool,London & the like.
But,if you prefer Batley to Bordeaux or Leigh to La Rochelle then that's your prerogative - good luck to you but don't forget to lock your doors tonight,secure the car and keep the kids off the streets just in case,ok ?
What does it matter if a comment comes from france ? do you really hate the french that much ?

interesting response, although thats a rather poor attempt at putting a xenophobic spin on my words. I have not mentioned hating france. some of my best friends are french. I simply find calling the North of England a 'wasteland' rather hypocritical unless you hail from a futuristic utopia like the federation of the star trek universe. as you yourself have touched upon france has its fair share of areas which could be described as 'wastelands'.
and no, i do not prefer leigh or bately to anywhere. Im not even sure where these places are? are they beyond the black gates of Mordor?

spain has a high standard of living? since when? it certainly was not a shining beacon of social service, medical care and high wages when i lived there. wages have remained pretty much static for a decade whilst the cost of living continues to rise.

' It cant expand as it is obviously ' maybe you could explain this statement as I dont understand it

Yes you do , but it isn't me that has removed that incentive , that would be the RFL

My team will never have the chance to progress any higher because of its location , now if you have some magical plan that enables this to happen without it impacting on the expansion clubs in SL , please enlighten us

No I dont , because I dont want my club to be involved in a franchised SL , I fundamentaly disagree with the system wether my club is involved or not

You obviously dont underatand me or my opinions on the sport at all levels , maybe if you read my posts rather than like so many others having pre concieved ideas on them you would understand me and them

*************

the C/C1 can't expand because the clubs can't go anywhere - they are stuck well and truly in C/C1 unless they can somehow do a Widnes which the vast majority of clubs will never be able to do - the present franchise system prevents progress for the smaller clubs - hence the earlier term 'parochial',meaning localised and confined to an area - sounds as though the franchising will mean 99% of all non SL clubs standing still at best.

ok,blame the RFL if you wish,it's difficult to find any other scapegoat isn't it ?

your team,like any other can progress by being good enough in any given season via the P & R system - it needs a backer,like most football teams to invest - if your team is lucky enough to find a SOC type character then all the better for you - most clubs dream of this eventuality - sugar daddies don't come along every day do they ? Delia Smith saved Norwich City,Alan Sugar saved Spurs etc etc

we both disagree with franchising then ?

no,I obviously don't understand your opinions on our sport but I do know what you're getting at tho' I hope I don't have preconceived ideas - apologies if that's your understanding

forgive me for being an out of touch ignorant froggie

? , that isn't expansion ?

It is the sport we are discussing , all of it , not just SL , or the amatuer game

any sport has to be nurtured from the grass roots - SL has seemed to have cut out the 'middle man' ie junior,amateur & league systems - look at Hull K Aussie ...

Can you explain as you havent made a point with that post ?

If it is that HKR havent started to bring through juniors , then quite simply you are not giving them time , 2011 will be their 5 th season in SL , they didn't run any junior development until 2007 , it takes at least 5/6 years to see any juniors work there way through a scholarship/academy system

I would suggest rather than accept what certain posters put on here as ' gospel ' you take time to look at the facts

crucrucrusaders ,

It may be a good idea if there could be some transparency on when the club in Wrexham are actually coming out of administration.

it's not me that included Spain in the list - apparently it was the result of an EEC report - personally I think Spain is a dump and can't stand the bits i've been to

I can however,being half french & half english,confirm that france does in fact have it's fair share of wastelands but the standard of medical care cannot be questioned - just look at the WHO site for the ratings of the french SS & healthcare system
I hail from a cultural desert they call norfolk where,according to reliable sources the main languages are now polish & serbo-croat.
Nothing to do with xenophobia mon ami - lighten up FFS