The comfort of the things as they are, rather than the uncertainty of an unknown future. That is what knee jerk conservatives are like, not just in politics, but in life generally.

It is a mental ailment especially strong in west Yorkshire, but also in the other depressed neighbourhoods all over Britain.

The flatcappers are simply frightened little people with no imagination!

[size=117Neither do I[/size.

So you were born a loony then

Look mate. Your Leigh have no chance of ever being in Super League. So face reality and make the best you can rather than trying to drag the others down.

Toulouse is the future -- not Leigh, nor Halifax, nor Barrow, nor Whitehaven nor Widnes. And after the success of Toulouse in Super League (from 2012 on)we will have to keep building on our successes.

That is, if you want the game to spread.

But I guess that you flatcappers don't want it to spread.

Look mate I didn't want Leigh to get a SL place and fully believe that they will never grace the top flight again , not a problem for me

Yes Toulouse will and the sooner the better

As for the game spreading , well if it is good enough it will spread but if it doesn't it will not overly bother me either way

But you are still a loony

AP makes some challenging suggestions, but I hope he's long enough in-the-tooth to remember that most of them were put up for consideration by the saintly Maurice Lindsay when forming SL in the first place. Good old Morrie knew the merger suggestions were preposterous, but used them to divert anger away from the entire change to summer rugby, the killing off of Keighley's ambitions and the sinking of the far-too-skint-to survive Chemics of Widnes provenance.

I'm all for expansion and am a big fan of Quins, Crusaders and Catalans being in RL, but mergers of heartland clubs are a bigger crock of coorape than was old Maurice's claim to have been acting 'for the good of the game'.

Here is the 12/14 team future Championship as I see it, after Toulouse joins Super League, and the little SL clubs with no modern stadium are demoted:

Salford
Wakefield
Castleford
Featherstone
Widnes
Halifax
Leigh
Whitehaven
Barrow

+ 1-2 English development clubs in preparation for SL (e.g. London II, a Midlands club)
+1-2 Celtic development clubs in preparation for SL (e.g. Dublin, Edinburgh)
+1-2 continental European development clubs in preparation for SL (e.g. Paris, Barcelona)

Until we reach the magic number of 24 Super League Europe clubs. At which point we will do a rethink of both Super League and the Championship.

I rest my case M'lud

When do you take up your post at the RFL? Imagine that eh?

But you have presented no counter case!

As I wrote earlier, you need the comfort of the things as they are, rather than the uncertainty of an unknown future.

"It is a mental ailment especially strong in west Yorkshire, but also in the other depressed neighbourhoods all over Britain.

The flatcappers are simply frightened little people with no imagination!"

This goes against my better judgement but here goes

What are we ' afraid ' of ?

Oh dear



What are you doing Starbug !

Being relegated to a second tier, and hence permanent second tier status in the game.

You flatcappers cannot accept that the M62 corridor is not all that important to the little people all over Britain who sustain our game with their TV viewership and Sky subscriptions, and to the big economically powerful people with their corporate sponsorships. Only six M62 clubs have the 10,000 fans minimum support base, and even they cannot sustain their clubs with gate receipts alone!

If we are to survive in the era of economic globalisation, we have to become a national and a global sport!

Not in one instant move, but in concerted steps with a strategic vision in mind.

Not afraid off something we already have

As regarding the national and Global bit , that will have no bearing on my club or it's future so of no concern to me or fans of similar clubs

HTH

It doesn't help at all. You have given no reason -- not no good reason, but no reason --- why you think my expansion goals are crazy.

Just think what northern hemisphere rugby league could look like in 2015 under my plan:

SUPER LEAGUE

Leeds
Bradford
Hull FC
Hull KR
Huddersfield
Calder United
Manchester United RL
Warrington
Wigan
St Helens

Newcastle-Gateshead Thunder
Sheffield Eagles
Harlequins RL
London Olympic
Celtic Crusaders

Les Catalans Dragons
Toulouse Spacers
Barcelona RL

That would be an 18 team competition with 10 heartland clubs and 8 expansion clubs.

Two more French clubs (Paris and Lyon) in the offing.


CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE

Salford
Wakefield
Castleford
Featherstone
Widnes
Halifax
Leigh
Whitehaven
Barrow

+ 1-2 English development clubs in preparation for SL (e.g. Coventry/ Birmingham/Leicester );
+ 1-2 Celtic development clubs in preparation for SL (e.g. Dublin, Edinburgh);
+ 1-2 continental European development clubs in preparation for SL (e.g. Paris, Lyon)

I dont have to help , I dont care what expansion happens to RL , it is beyond my control and yours

Still dont know what I'm afraid of though

So your classing Manchester as a rugby league heartland

Just tell him your afraid ffs, then he'll stop.

Unfortunatley he wouldn't , but at least he's more fun than Smokey

True. Smokey bores the a[irs[/ie off everyone. I'd rather read 100 volumes of Hansard than an hours worth of his drivel. At least Albert's bu[illshi[/it is entertaining. Hooray for Albert.

Manchester United RL = Salford + Swinton + Oldham + ....

That is almost a rugby league heartland, not quite because of the decrepit stadium called the Willows, and the lack of dynamic clubs in neighbouring towns and suburbs. But with the new stadium at Barton it could become a heartland -- one that would possibly rival Perpignan in terms of fan attendance in 2015 (15,000 +).

A good modern stadium, with good views of the playing field from every vantage (like KC), good toilets, and good food, can do wonders for a club.

Once you have a good stadium, all you need is a good front office, esp. the marketing manager, and a capable team of youth development officers.

.........of course the big club wouldn't allow that name to be used. Try Manchester Reds or Barton Barnacles.






but [unot [/uBarton Bluesox.

How could Manchester United FC stop us from using the name Manchester United Rugby League when we have Rugby League in the name? Do you know enough about copyright law to be sure of their veto power? I don't.