Echo Bullseyes comments. The uncertainty is the worst. If you follow Mick Gledhill on twitter (or similar "in the knows"icon_wink.gif I would mute them for the next few months. There will be plenty of "I'm hearing a billionaire is in talks to take over Widnes" only for nothing to happen.

The next 12-18 months might be hell. You may have to endure a depleted squad getting battered every week as you head towards inevitable relegation.

But at the end if you can get some honest owners, who re-engage with the fans, hopefully you can enjoy the club and rugby again. Good luck!

One of the best memories I have from RL was due to the generosity of a Widnes fan. In the 1989 Premiership final, Hull KR v Oldham (2nd Division final) was the precursor to the Widnes v Bradford Northern match. At halftime in the Rovers match, I went to get a drink and while queuing a Widnes fan slightly bumped into me( I was a kid at the time) so he bought me a drink to say sorry. Always had a soft spot for Widnes after that.

Unless the RFL bring in what they did with Crusaders, where salaries and oversees status was scrapped to enable the players to continue to have an occupation. Hull KR got Lincoln Withers and Ryan O'Hara as a result of the Crusaders colapse, and the majority of the Crusaders squad found new teams. It would be a shame for Widnes to lose their top players in this way, and will only add to the disaster that unfolds.

Good luck and i genuinly hope you come out the other end in a better position, as most have mentioned, Widnes is a hotbed for Rugby League.

It's just a little gut wrenching, like the Bulls fans know all too familiar, we were in the same boat 11 years ago. SOC takes over and talks nothing other than sustainability but the last 4-5 years have been painful.

I know there's a place for the people of Widnes in profesisonal rugby league whether that's Superleague or Championship. The fans in Widnes love rugby more than anything but you can't choose your own owners i guess. We're currently fielding 10 home grown players week in, week out in our 17, that will probably have to be 17 soon enough.

They were granted exemptions from any overseas/fed quotas, but they didn't 'scrap' their salaries.
Any club looking to sign a Widnes player will still need the funds available to pay them!

Can't believe that Widnes have had to postpone the Sheffield game...makes our (Leigh's) situation last season, not seem so bad. Really hope they can get out of this mess 'soon' although administration and a 12 points deduction looks likely. When I was a kid went to so may Widnes games in the 7o's and early 80's (even though I am a Leigh fan) and Naughton Park was rammed full with spectators, and a constant stream of fantastic players. Lots of local talent (Mick Burke, Keith Elwell, Tony Myler, Ray Dutton etc) plus all the ex Rugby Union stars. Guess it's a bit like Bradfod Northern/Bulls, used to be a massive club, lots of trophies, but now it's a totally different ball game.

I started watching rugby league in the 90s.

It may be that my memory fails me, but I do not recall Widnes ever doing anything of note on the pitch, nor having a fan base of note.

Sort of one of those clubs that dines out on former glories.

Will be a shame to see them go but would rather have someone like Catalans / Toronto / Toulouse bringing in half decent attendances and adding to the profile of the game, rather than yet another M62 yo-yo team playing in front of one man and his dog.

Latter part of the 1970s through to late 1980s was their best period. You missed it.

Totally agree with the two Bulls' fans on this. As a Leyther, I can vouch that it is painful and distressing. Personally, I found the words of these guys comforting, during our recent troubles. And, touch wood, they were right about us. Here's hoping for a similar miracle coming the Vikings' way.

Huddersfield, Wakefield, Widnes, Leigh, Salford, London.

I do not recall any of these sides ever generating a decent average attendance and they have had about 4 good seasons between them in the last 20 or so years.

What exactly do they bring to the game? Would we miss them if they vanished?

Are you just attention seeking?

Ironically widnes got a fair few players out of that arrangement.

Superleague 2022 will clock you up some real air miles in guesssing. It’s a vision of the likes of Toronto I really don’t blame, they’re doing nothing wrong and will become a success. But the sport I fell in love with growing up was travelling to the likes of Leigh, Saints, Castleford, Halifax, Leeds. Etc.
Proper rugby places with full on rugby league folk. The atmosphere between fans of this game is like no other. Soon, you’ll be travelling to places on a regular occurrence that don’t even speak the same language. The m62 corridor doesn’t sound like the most flashy/appealing system but it’s for me something I’ve loved the pleasure of growing up witnessing.
Times are changing and if you haven’t got the money to mix it at the top with the big boys, then you’ll yo yo around before making way for more expansion.

2 actually *Leigh didn't go bust or into admin* which is why we have no points deduction yet DB took us to the edge in a successful attempt to restructure the business, however I get your general drift !

I hope that there are backers waiting in the wings *maybe for admin to get the Club for a song* & that Widnes rebuild towards former glories.

And didnt Bradford go ' bust ' in SL before relegation ?

They bring opposition to other teams. If they went bust who would replace them? Barrow and their 16 fans which would result in you posting “what do barrow bring, would we miss them if they vanished?” What do you want? A league with saints, Leeds, Wigan and hull kr? How long would that last without the sky money.

Stop being an Imbecile

Haven’t they gone bust since though a couple of times

Yeah the point I was sort of making is although we all want promotion and relegation it doesn’t help the clubs as all have had serious problems like I said we recovered because our owners stuck by us and the fans bought into it and we went straight back up luckily but I still remember the 90s when we were a right state and the BBC did a documentary on us we came close on a number of occasions of going under and seemed to be in administration all the time

No, twice whilst in SL and once while in the Championship

Yeah and during the licencing period no club went bust or
got into serious financial difficulties. P&R is a complete red herring.

12,700....that was the 2018 average of Cronulla Sharks......in the imaginary Rugby League heaven that is Sydney.......do one bazza.... 2016 champions and out-drawn my the friggin Melourne Storm...

Widnes benefitted massively from licensing. It gave them the opportunity to build steadily and get their youth systems going without having to worry about the immediate threat of relegation.

The middle 8’s were done away with because they dragged too many clubs into a relegation fight. Leeds being a perfect example last year. Leeds were making short term decisions and signings to try and safeguard against the disaster of being relegated instead of putting that money to better use for medium and long term growth. Leeds is big and healthy enough financially they can withstand that. Most RL clubs would be seriously affected by it.

You’re going to get clubs who are daft and overspend. In my opinion licensing significantly reduced the need for that and so provided much needed stability and surety for clubs to grow. P&R doesn’t provide that, however is better than the middle 8’s as it only drags 1,2 or 3 clubs into a relegation fight rather than 4, 5 or 6.

Don’t get me wrong I want P&R the problem is the sport isn’t cash rich so when a club does get relegated because of the massive gulf between SL and the championship money wise you end up having to do what Leigh have done and gone part time to survive

Not necessarily go part time, that would depend on how deep a particular clubs pockets are.
KR coped very well and came back stronger.

Leigh have had to go part time due to failing to gain promotion and failing to make the top 4, which leaves you with little cash to spend on players.

It looks like Widnes are in for a torrid time but, relegation itself doesnt mean going part time.

If you get the chance go to Perpignan to see the Dragons. No, they don't speak the same language but they are as passionate and as traditonal as League fans get, anywhere. OK I',m fortunate that I speak reasonable French but I've taken non-speaking friends with me and they love the atmosphere, too.