yeah they did do ok, they finished 2 points ahead of us. clearly that makes them streets ahead

Yep

To be fair, given the expansion from 12 to 14 clubs and all the extra players which was needed to construct two extra teams, it was always going to be hard for CC and Salford. CC have an advantage over Salford, due to their high quota allocation, and they now have another 3 years to build. I wouldn't write either CC or Salford off just yet.

We need to wait and see how things pan out before it can be either praised or criticised.

tb has 50000 posts. i have no need to try and come up with a witty comeback

No. for the benefit of RL.

those who only care about their own teams or are too stupid to understand what is at stake are voting yes.

for how long are you suggesting it should be a closed shop?
if indefinately, would it not be bad for the game for the sheer fact that 50% of teams in the top two leagues have nothing to fight for?

Here are my predictions of the highlights in the world of SL (no relegation) in the next few years:

[u2008/09:[/u
League Winners: St Helens
Grand Final Winners: St Helens
Challenge Cup Winners St Helens

[u2009/10:[/u
League Winners: St Helens
Grand Final Winners: St Helens
Challenge Cup Winners St Helens

[u2010/11:[/u
League Winners: St Helens
Grand Final Winners: St Helens
Challenge Cup Winners St Helens

[u2011/12:[/u
League Winners: St Helens
Grand Final Winners: St Helens
Challenge Cup Winners St Helens

[u2012/13:[/u
League Winners: St Helens
Grand Final Winners: St Helens
Challenge Cup Winners St Helens

[u2013/14:[/u
League Winners: St Helens
Grand Final Winners: St Helens
Challenge Cup Winners St Helens

[u2014/15:[/u
League Winners: St Helens
Grand Final Winners: St Helens
Challenge Cup Winners St Helens

...At which point everyone has had enough and calls it a day, preferring to watch crown green bowling instead

Wouldn't this happen anyway - even if there was P&R?

It's not a closed shop, and no-one's suggesting it should be. We're on a system of three-year licenses. Did you miss that?

this would happen, but there would be the highlight of the odd relegation scrap thrown into the equation

if you watch the football you may realise many people actually find relegation a much more interesting topic than who will win the championship, for obvious reasons

ok then its a closed shop for 3 out of 4 years, whoopee

Dont you think 3 years is a long time to wait? even after 3 years its upto the shop keeper if your alowed in or not. Can this be really good fo the game?

Yes because competition is about rewarding success and penalising failure

No. It would be the same clubs going up and down all the time which can't do them any good. With P&R there is the temptation for clubs to throw all their eggs in one basket in order to attain instant promotion and that can't be better than giving them three years to get up to scratch before giving them a SL license. Clubs now are run much more like businesses and for that they need a stable environment, something that P&R doesn't provide.

and what happens if after 3 years they still arent up to scratch on the pitch?

No.

Michael.

Ok so lets say, you build up for 3 years...your crowds are up, your grounds good, and you win NRL1 3 years on the spin....and you told...nah were are giving the spot the a scottish team this year "expanstion n all that"

Yeah thats a real stable enviroment isnt it?

hmmm … you are aware that your scenario bears no resemblance to the license system, aren't you?

I think the perception (wrongly) is that Celtic were only given a slot based on their geographical position.

OK Then....Lets say you TICK ALL THE BOXES then. And still dont get your licence, what then?
RFL will do whatever they feel like....simple as

totally agreed, tb's one hell of a smart-ass

That suggests that over the three years they weren't consistently been one of the best teams in the Championship so they miss out.

hmmm … given that ALL THE BOXES that need ticking mount to one: being one of the 14 best (or possibly 15 or 16 best) applications, measured against a number of factors, including onfield performance, then – once more your scenario doesn''t square with reality