It's hard to criticise the Leigh owner, without appearing to revel in the woes of Leigh fans - which I most certainly don't...

BUT

This is the guy who oversaw a massive project to buy his way into SL, which failed, and now he's jumping ship and leaving the club in a parlous position; and with Salford in a similar state, it does call into question the viability of allowing mega-wealthy individuals to use RL clubs as their latest hobby. There's been a catalogue of failures in recent years, including the Pro-Biz conman at Cas, Glover (who was only pretend wealthy) at Wakey, various people at Bradford, and now these two pillocks at Salford and Leigh.

I'm not sure what the answer is - but surely the governing body has a role in controlling the worst excesses of these people?

Some strange takes in this thread from that statement. Gutless pond life?
Derek might be outspoken at times and as a Bradford fan I have plenty of reasons to dislike the bloke, but he loves Leigh and all he ever wanted to do was see the club prosper.
God only knows how much of his own money he has invested in the club over the last few years and whichever way you look at it, the squad Leigh put together this season should have been enough to see them make the top 4.
Yes they probably paid over the odds for some players but that is the risk you take in this league structure as I have already commented on in another thread.

These will be a difficult few months for the Leigh club and its supporters. I've been there before only too recently and I know how much it stings so they have my sympathies.

Bodene Thompson to Wire confirmed

Rumours are...

Hanson and Hall to Widnes

Matautia and Thompson to Cas

Crooks and Hood to HKR

Just goes to show how bad the current administration of the sport is. How can a man like that, who's business model with Leigh was basically a roll of the dice, be allowed to run a club? They can let idiots like him in, but are talking about rejecting Toronto because they're not sure about sustainability?

His continual bleating about increasing the salary cap looks so bad now doesn't it. Perhaps if they'd left the cap for the Championship where it was, we wouldn't be about to lose another NW club? Salford and Leigh are both on life support, the IV lines into them are infected and there are no visitors giving them moral support either. How about the RFL grow a pair and tear up the registrations for both clubs and auctions them to the highest bidder?

Makes those criticising Elstone and his mob look rather silly too

When your league standings determine your future funding - to such a drastic level as we're seeing here - every single club in the lower leagues is rolling the dice to some extent.

Thompson to Leeds

No he doesn't love Leigh, he loved the reflected glory. I love Wakefield and I could go in there with a load of borrowed dosh and for a few month all would be great then bang that would be it. I'd have thought as a Bradford fan you'd know this kind of club ownership doesn't work and would have learned a lesson - clearly not which frankly beggars belief.

Rubbish and certainly not like this posturing fool.

Leigh won't be the only club taking risks, but you only ever find out when it goes wrong. Like I've said elsewhere this league structure was a disaster waiting to happen.

I don't think it does in the slightest. Unless you want to keep using the RFL as a lightning rod for problems at club level (which, granted, seems to be a popular thing to do).

There's a common theme across all of the clubs that have recently issued financial distress calls - they aren't generating enough revenue, not enough people are watching them, and they're spending too much.

What Elstone and Lenaghan have proposed doesn't change any of that. They're pinning their homes on improved sponsorship and TV deals that I genuinely don't believe will materialise because these changes don't address the fundamental issues as to why we don't have those things in the first place - that the TV and advertising landscape has changed, and we don't have the audience to be able to demand those things.

There's some merit in what Elstone and his puppet-master are proposing, but there are also enormous flaws that they have failed to acknowledge or address.

Not been a great week for RL news wise. Just makes you wonder if there is anymore trouble brewing on the horizon?

Feel for the Leigh fans. I don't know if it's a massive dummy spit or he genuinely can't sustain the club, but always thought DB was a bit of a (door)knob.

Take the personality out of this and we are left with Leigh, Salford and Maybe Widnes, all struggling.
It does seem like the dream of SL is a very costly dream indeed and the games administration have made a right royal mess of creating a pathway into SL.
With some clubs overstretching themselves chasing the dream and others having to do likewise to prevent relegation, perhaps we should indeed "raise the drawbridge" once again.
In the three seasons of the current format, we have seen Bradford drop like a stone, Salford on the brink and now Leigh in trouble plus, Widnes struggling badly.
And the solution "found" by Big Nige, is/was to spread the jam ever more thinly and expand SL to N.America ??

You have to feel for Leigh's fans, who are undoubtedly passionate (if just a little too loud on occasion) but, nobody wants to see clubs going to the wall, there are few enough clubs to begin with.

What really irks here is that the guy who created the "every minute matters" nonsense has ridden off into the sunset, with a huge pay off and been gifted another overpaid role within the sport, its an absolute disgrace.

Clubs in the championship are rolling the dice when we were promoted in 2006 I know if we hadn’t made it we would have been deep trouble probably administration it’s a fine line

Hanson has signed for Widnes

Finn on loan from Wakefield until end of this season also.

Rumours we’ve signed Craig Hall from Leigh along with Charlie Gubb from the NRL

Been here before , but wont criticise derek for chucking loads at trying to get SL at the LSV , we were very unlucky last year to not retain our status , for all but 4/5 games we were competitive last seaon
So thanks for the ride derek , its been a blast , all tyhe best for the future

Barring a disaster against Rochdale on Sunday, Fax will have managed to get in the M8's without "rolling the dice" particularly. Despite the pittance we run on compared to other clubs, money is still tight but we live within our means and have a reserve squad that is feeding players through to the 1st team. We have a set of directors and sponsors that provide generous support, but nothing like at the level of some other clubs. We also have active supporters clubs that have facilitated the loan signing of QLT (that didn't last long) and then Kieran Moss, as well as providing funding towards the reserves.

From what's been said by the Fax players, the most important reason for making the top 4 for them (with the funding it brings next year) was that they are all desperate to stick together as a team, and it's likely that some players will move on if we fail.

The players obviously need to look after themselves financially, but it's that sort of team spirit and camaraderie that means that a team like Fax can overachieve. It also has something to do with the coach. Richard Marshall engages with his squad and they all respect him. He's far from the perfect coach (he's great on defence but doesn't have the best attacking approach), but John Kear had good success at Batley with a "low" budget squad.

And yet you still asked your players to take pay cuts at the start of this season. Everyone is taking risks to some degree.

Catch up. That was last season and they all got their 10% back for making the 8's.

Hi Sparky , congratulations on your excellent season , ' marshy ' has dome incredibly well
But can I ask a question , after visiting the Shay earlier this year , your population dont appear to have bought into this ' vision ' , how have yor attendances stood up the last few years ?

Last season then. Makes no difference, it still happened.

It does though. New chairman this year (albeit he's leaving at the end of the season) who has focused on making ends meet.

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The Top 6 all had 11 games against their fellow High Flyers. At the seasosns start any pudit would have probably seeded the games the way the fixtures came out....Toronto and Leigh being the favourites, London and Toulouse being the other full- time pro clubs and Fax and Fev being the next best sides.....at the seasons end for this mini league of 33 games:
Toronto have 20 points
Toulouse 11
Leigh have 10
Fax have 10
London have 9
Fev have 6

I've heard Leigh fans complain that their 3rd game v Toronto is the reason they missed out, but the reality is that it's their performances against non-top sides that have cost them, because their performances against London, fev, fax and Toulouse have been enough to get them to 3rd...but the loss to Barrow was the real reason they (will probably) fail.

As for next year, if the owner walks then that'll be them spent as a challenging force....it seems the elderado of SL and the hunt for it will be the undoing of another club......

Attendances are not great, but are slowly increasing. It's only a few every week, but getting closer to 2000 home fans. As a part-time club at the top of the Championship, 2000 attending is good. I believe the budgeted figure is around 1400 for Fax to break even.

Slow and steady, but if we can get those extra 600 bodies every week then the momentum builds.

All I've got to say is well done to Halifax, who've (last game permitting) made the top 4. They won't get promoted to SL but I'm pretty sure they are well aware of that themselves. Hopefully they'll continue to get stronger each season until they may be in a position to make a genuine push to reach the top flight.

Unlike Leigh, who've made a pigs ear of it this year & that's the bottom line! DB has caused this mess & now he's walking away. He's the not first & won't be the last, but it's nowt to do with the system, just rank bad management.