He complains about not having an application process, it seems a fairly logical step to assume therefore he'd want to use said application process. Not seeing how that's jumbled. But okay if you say so. He complains the process has been amateurish, yet, if he were to of used said application process and a chairman from one of the clubs ran the sport, it would be like days of yore (you know, amateurish) or were we as a sport ran by first class individuals in the days of Maurice?

Now of course, if he had, say, tried to lead a breakaway from the rfl with other chairman for himself and others to run over the offseason it would lend credence to the assumption he might of wanted such a job (and thus use the aforementioned application process) ... Oh wait.

Or, it's a personal vendetta against Blake Solly, but that's a whole other "jumbled" trail of thought.

Or we should just run the sport like he says, ignoring what the other chairmen have voted in, like the 3x8 structure, and bow to his superior knowledge on how to run the sport (hint, this would be hinted to in that little outburst) - but that would really just be doing what I said previously, without giving him the title of it

I'm tired of chairmen "hitting out" at the rfl when they don't get their own way. They can't seem to accept majority rule.

Ps, Blake Solly got a promotion, not all promotions are advertised

Oh dear,lenaghan's coming into season again.

My dog's the same when she's coming into season

Blake Solly did not get a promotion, Blake Solly was director of licensing and standards for the RFL, he didn't even work for SL(E) ltd as he does now.

It's a hell of a leap of logic to decide that Ian Leneghan wanting a say in the selecting of the successful candidate is because he wants to be the candidate, there is a possibility he wanted a say in the appointment because he well..... Wanted a say in the appointment.

There are two ways of looking at it, SL chairmen 'hitting out' against the RFL, or the RFL being incapable of building any sort of consensus. You can call yourself a leader but if you can't get people to come with you willingly, you aren't much of one.

Who knows if Blake Solly was the best man for the job, the way the RFL have gone about it however has simply made a rod for his back and made him 'the man the clubs never wanted in the first place'

Promotion?
Sounds more like a 'create a job scheme' to get another body in place at the SL table to me.

Also Solly states “I want to thank the Super League clubs for supporting the appointment, and look forward to working closely with them to ensure the continued growth of their competition.” Which begs the question, which clubs were they then Blake?

When Ian Lenagan speaks, people should listen.

Rugby league is a business. Ian Lenagan is an accomplished businessman, which Nigel Wood and Blake Solly are not. Ian Lenagan is also a talented playwrite, which needless to say nobody involved in running the game is. But it is Lenagan's talents as a businessman, and his obvious high intelligence, which make his opinions worth taking seriously.

It is obvious that the provincial accountant Woods is running the RFL as his own personal fiefdom, and making wild and often reactionary changes to the operation of the game in Britain without consulting the key stakeholders. The restoration of promotion and relegation -- a system that has been tried and failed before in England, and is not used in the most successful rugby league competition in the world, the NRL -- was the key element in all the reforms that were considered last year. Nobody was given the choice to vote on retaining licencing. While it was obvious that the number of Super League teams had to be reduced from 14 to either 12 or 10, it was not obvious that licensing had to be abandoned. But Wood and his cronies decided on their own that it would be abandoned. It leaves no guarantee that rugby league will be able to expand, or even that it will not retreat completely back to the M 62 corridor. This foolishness is typical of the autocratic style of Wood, and reflects his personal intellectual limitations.

Ian Lenagan is a man who loves his club and loves the game of rugby league. He is a renaissance man and a man of vision who wants to see rugby league grow throughout Britain and Europe. Nigel Wood appears not to care about expansion at all. He does care to appoints his cronies to key positions without consulting key stakeholders in the game.

Meanwhile people on this forum should try spelling Ian Lenagan's name correctly before they start questioning his motives.

As we've discussed before, perhaps if Lenagan made a better effort of making his own club a viable commercial concern we would be interested in hearing or implementing some of his thoughts for the wider game.

What are his specific failings in that respect?

Don't the SLE members (ie the clubs) get to vote for who is on the SLE board and who isn't?
Which is why all the whinings about certain people like Nigel Wood are just a load of hot air. They can vote him (or anyone else) out if they want to.

Wigan RLFC remains technically insolvent?

It was my understanding he was remaining within the rfl? Even if not, not all jobs opportunities are openly advertised so the point still stands



I didn't think it was that greater leap of logic, as it put forward, he has suitable previous for wanting to, and personally read his comments as a "I'm more qualified to do it than them" more than anything else. There was no other need to bring their personal credentials into it.

Further, does this mean the super league clubs want to be consulted when Doris is being considered for a secretary role? When a company hires/ promotes/ moves an employee, it's not usual for every stakeholder to be consulted on the matter, so why would this matter?

And the majority are happy to remain with the current leadership, that's why there was no break away in the off season. I agree any man who has to say I'm king is no king, but the option to withdraw from superleague has always been open to all clubs. The consensus was to introduce 3x8 structure, because lenaghan didn't like it, he "hit out", the consensus was to not introduce a marquee exemption/ golden ticket rule, koukash "hit out", the consensus was, whilst the refereeing, and disciplinary aren't perfect, there's no conspiracy or hidden agenda, the hull chairmen hit out, because one of their players were banned, but a player with a similar charge wasn't. It's funny how all this hitting out occurs after they lost their arguments.

I can't say one way or the other whether Blake Solly is the right or wrong choice (nor could any of us about lenaghan) but, this constant feet stomping needs to stop by everyone - as does the constant shifting of goal posts and rules. I pray to anyone listening, come up with a 10 year plan, vote on it, agree on it, and STICK TO IT. Don't fine chairmen who speak out against it a year down the line cos it didn't go the way they wanted fine their cap for the following year.

General manager isn't a board position. (Or at least, it generally isn't)

I think he has a point on this one. The game has been crying out (literally) for new blood, new ideas and fresh impetus. A "jobs for the boys" culture does nothing to show that the RFL are serious about changing the game, it just shows an arrogance amongst the senior RFL team that they dont need any outside input or ideas.

Blake Solly might be the best person for the job, and if so, that is great. But there would be no harm in doing an open and transparent recruitment process for what looks like a fairly important position.

why on earth would a multi-millionaire business owner want a full time day job, based in Leeds???

I would never sign up with a Wiganer, but it should have been an advertised job.

Also not sure if Blake Solly won't bite em in the bum in months to come if anything about Bradford comes out as being true.

Indeed.

It is all well and good for Lenagan to point the finger at the RFL over issues like a lack of blue-chip sponsors in the sport - it's a perfectly valid concern - but how many blue-chip brands are on the Wigan Warriors shirt this season? This season, they're sponsored by a social housing agency and last season, they ended up being sponsored by a children's playgroup - hardly Emirates Airlines is it?

Personally, I'm just finding Lenagan predictable and boring, much like Neil Hudgell. Everything is wrong, and everything is someone elses fault in their eyes. It's one thing to point fingers and blame, but it's quite another to actually go out and set an example for others to follow. I'd much rather listen to people like Marwan Koukash - someone who is proactively and positively talking up and trying to change the sport.

not every job is advertised, that's no argument that this one wasn't.

And there wasn't a breakaway, but I have a higher threshold for 'happy' than not blowing the whole thing up and starting again.

You claim there has been consensus but then give numerous examples of that simply not being the case, we have seen criticism of the RFLs decision from Salford, Wigan, Huddersfield, Leeds, Hull, Hull KR and Bradford. That's half the league. Les CAtalans apparently needed an extra push. That's more than half the league.

There is a big difference between a majority and a consensus, it seems the RFL have forgotten that,

Key thing added

it's not a single decision that the clubs mentioned have complained about, all they complain about is the things that they feel wronged by. Which makes them little better than petulant children. If there was one united front between those clubs then fair enough. But it's not.

As I say, if they don't like it, withdraw from super league. If the consensus agree, then the majority leave with them, and we start again. If they don't, then the consensus didn't agree in the first place.

Also, what have Leeds complained about? Or les cats for that matter! They abstained rather than speaking out!

I think it is ridiculous and a clear recipe for disaster for the RFL to take such a my way or the highway approach. Divide and conquer won't work in this situation. The fact SO many clubs are being dragged kicking and screaming is evidence of poor leadership.

You don't want clubs speaking out when the think we are going in the wrong direction, I think the obvious question is why are we moving in a direction so many of our clubs think is wrong.

But so many don't, this is my point, so many are speaking out at the little bits that affect their club and that's it. If lenaghan came out, with 3/4 other chairmen and said we think this appointment is wrong, then fair enough point and we should really look at it, BUT only lenaghan spoke about this appointment (I can't find anyone else, at least in public). Then koukash about the cap, then hudgell for this, and Pearson for that and hetherington for the other etc etc hence, it just appears self interested, and ultimately makes everyone involved with the sport look amateurish with in fighting. That's my problem.

Whenever all the chairmen come together and we get a vote, what the majority vote for should be what's implemented - but when that happened the changes we've had are the result - but it's not stopped the whinging. Is that poor leadership? Or is it getting on with what the majority believe is the correct moves for the competition and refusing to give into self interested moaning? Two ways to look at things as you said

Once again a majority isn't a consensus. A vote with 51% for and 49% dead against isn't going to get a successful outcome. Good leadership would get the consensus, good leadership wouldn't have forced through the votes they have against so much resistance.

Isn't it pretty contradictory to criticise the chairmen for speaking out, then say their point lacks validity because not enough have spoken out.

You seem to have taken a stand that if enough people agree with you it's no longer self interest but some altruistic act simply because one or two more agree with you.

Leneghans complaint is that he and the other clubs weren't consulted on this appointment, how would you have liked for him to make his unhappiness known considering the. RFL never offered him the chance to have a voice during the process?

There's a clear disparity between Blake Solly's statement:


And Ian Lenagan's view of the process:


If Solly's statement is thanking the clubs for their support after the appointment was made, and there was no advertisement and no interview process, then I think Lenagan has a point. The league needs fresh impetus and fresh ideas. If Solly is the best person for the job after a a full interview process where all options and candidates have been reviewed then fair enough. If Woods has just decided to move him into that position then it just confirms all our fears, that the RFL are well and truly trying to stuff this sport up.

The clubs do far, far more to "stuff this sport up" than the RFL.

As for the general direction of SL/RFL - the clubs get to vote on proposals such as tv deals, competition structure etc. So only a minority of clubs (ie those who voted against) can be against the way those issues have been resolved.
Whilst obviously it'd be better if all clubs agreed on the way forward, the huge disparity between clubs, their priorities, needs and situations means that is very rarely going to happen. So the only option is to go with the democratic voting process.
If those who disagree don't like it then they either need to persuade other clubs to their point of view or realise they're in a minority on that issue and accept the vote results.

I don't honestly see what the big problem with Solly's new role. In reality it would seem to be very similar to his previous role.

Wood and Solly are already proven failures as leaders of rugby league in the UK.

They are very good at patting themselves on the back for a successful World Cup, yet all the work for that was done by Sally Bolton, who has subsequently cleared out and fled to athletics.

Talking about rugby league in the UK is in itself a joke, because there is no "UK" professional club outside England, and next year there will be no "UK" Super League club outside the M62 corridor.

Last year they couldn't even find a sponsor for Super League.

Under Richard Lewis's full time attention things were progressing well. Lewis introduced Catalans to Super League. He was hopeful of adding the potential powerhouse Toulouse to the roster of Super League clubs. But Lewis was stymied by the objections and hurdles set up by his colleagues. Lewis obviously got sick of dealing with troglodytes and got himself out of the game as soon as he could.

Under Wood and Solly the game will contract even further: London relegated in 2015 means 11 M62 clubs and one French club in Super League. Wood and Solly couldn't care less about that contraction. They still get their salaries and most of the time get to speak only to other people with thick northern accents whom they think don't look down on them. It is a nice little cozy arrangement for them personally, but it is one which sees the NRL slowly taking away all of the Super League's stars. Yet Wood and Solly don't have a plan to enrich the game and stop the exodus, because that would entail making the game more national and international -- a task which they find difficult even to think about, let alone do anything towards achieving.

The fans will whinge when Hardaker and Watkins and other players follow the other real English talents down under. But the fans have to understand that the exodus is the consequence of having a competition which is financially under-resourced, and that in turn is a result of having visionless, parochial deadbeats running the game.

Solly's appointment consolidates the control of northern hemisphere rugby league by the visionless, parochial deadbeats. Ian Lenagan's outburst is just a small expression of justifiable concern about cronyism from a cosmopolitan man who possesses both intellect and vision.

Whilst he does have a point, Lenagan is going to have to re-evaluate his outbursts. Maybe not come across so bitter and angry at Wood and the RFL and perhaps take a few more days before giving his views instead of the quick blasts.

Whilst some like that he's speaking out, others are starting to view him almost comedy character-esque like Stevo. An angry man with a personal feud with Wood whose going to come out within 48 hours of anything the RFL does and slate it.

He might think he's trying to get the public on his side but for every person that agrees with him, it's cancelled out by a supporter who just thinks he's got his own agendas and vendettas against the RFL.

It's not often I agree with you but on this occasion I'll make an exception.