Not usually one to put a negative spin on things but there's every chance that the extra 300 were mainly Saints fans coming for a last look at The Willows.

I thoroughly expect every away following to be 10% bigger this year for the same reason.

First game of the season always sees a few extra as well.

We have improved in certain areas such as community since the last bid, but in others we have gone backwards.

Karl harrison put many of the structures in place for the acedemy and shop etc. Th academy under Hunte has gone from strength to strength but the marketing and merchandising is poor.

The on field performance is vital as it adds to the bid in so many areas, community, finance, awareness, marketing.

This is why we need to get rid of McRae, build to the new stadium from strength not the weak position we are currently.

I am sure the club recognises this and will address the issues and McRae won't walk away.

Let's be honest the marketing dept at the club must be tearing their hair out at the moment. The team performances are damaging the clubs marketing and merchandising sales opportunities. Hopefully if results improve they should have something much more marketable when we move in the new stadium.

[iUnder the present franchise system of course the Salford City Reds deserve another three year deal.

But when we move over to Barton I feel we will have to improve in all areas both on and off the field in order to stay in the top flight come 2016.

It looks like the Widnes Vikings are to be invited into the Super League this time around and quite righty so but at who's expense?

The ways things are going off the field the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are in a bad position and could face the chop sadly this time.
[/i

Anyone who really thinks that it's wakey and wakey only as dead certs to go down are seriously deluded. We are on a par with them in every area. Going into administration doesn't lose you brownie points anymore so IMO it's going to be a tighter decision than a lot of you seem to think it is.

[iWELL THEN "Fungus The Muffin Man"
Which club do you think will be kicked out this time then ?

[/i

I haven't got a clue. However It IMO is between us and Wakey. I think the only difference between our bids is that we have started groundwork on a building site and they have been consistently more productive on the field of play.

People are touting Cas as well, but for some reason I don't see them as candidates at all. Plus also the RFL have a long memory and I'm sure they would like to pay us a lesson for the way RCD suddenly folded the day after the last franchise was given. Lets face it we've never been at the top of the teams the RFL like list. Just look how easily they dumped us out for the beginning of SL.

Yes I saw the steelwork start to go up today on the webcam so well done on that score.

Just because we are getting a new stadium and the fact that we are the only club in the area will not matter a squat if we are bottom of the league with crowds of 2k come July.

Makes you wonder how we ever got a franchise in the first place, what with all the accusations of inpetitude mustered here.

How cruel that this club's greatest business/ticketing/marketing/coaching/playing/investment/training accumen is all stood in the stands bleating-on about what they deserve...

No

, not if it were purely based on our overall performances and our ability to deliver an entertaining brand of RL .

thankfully the franchise system has a wider scope than the one field , and outside of the risable 1st team performances the club [uhas[/u been going forward, in an Unparalleled economic downturn ( 2008-2011 )


Commercial & community
Player performance ( Academy sides & reserve team development )
Facilities - stadium development

if we are awarded another 3 years on the top table ,yes it will be more with a sense of relief than the unbridled joy we felt the last time round , but anyone who witnessed the under 20's beat St Helens with Style on friday, and can see the visable signs of the new ground emerging in Barton will stand testimony ..

Totally agree, 4 weeks ago we were all preparing ourselves for a busy September of play-off RL. Now that we have started very badly, its panic time and were all looking over our shoulders again. I for one am twitchy after Wakey's unlikely drubbing of Catalan. But yes i do very much think we deserve a licence.

On the whole licence thing im trying to be positive, on the field we have started badly but im sure the RFL are aware of what we are doing off the field. Solid commercial, player dev, marketing and community activities take time to come to fruition and i know the club is doing this well - you only have to hear the Rock Radio promos to see we are really branching out and spending a lot of time and effort nurturing partnerships to do a job for us.

Lets not forget licences are about what you add to the sport. A new stadium, excellent community work, good commercial/ marketing partners and proximity to Manchester/ Media city all bode well for the future. We still have some very good players in our squad - lets get them firing on all cylinders over the next 25 SL matches and we will be there or thereabouts of the playoffs, hopefully looking back at this time and laughing. Id be more worried if we were struggling in 12 weeks and have no quality in our squad.

Lets be honest....it should be Harlequins who don't get a license. They only had 1776 at their last home game and at that rate will be in financial strife very soon. Salfords crowds aren't great, there were plenty of Saints fans at the Willows on Friday and the crowd would have been increased by the recent Rock FM promotion to get a free ticket.

In all honesty the RFL aren't going to lose an expansion team so it's between Salford, Cas and Wakey. With the ground started it's Cas or Wakey and at this moment based on the criteria (excluding finance which is no longer an issue thanks to Cusaders plight) I would have to say Wakey.

Rest easy..........

All three clubs could in theory get booted out according to the Super League site

What happens if a Championship club meets the minimum criteria, but is not the successful club announced in March 2011?
Those Championship clubs that meet the minimum criteria but do not obtain a Super League licence in March 2011 still have a chance of obtaining a Super League licence. These clubs will have their suitability for a licence assessed with the Super League clubs who submit applications in April 2011 (see process graphic attached).

Has the assessment process changed from the last round of Super League licensing?
In the last round of licensing, clubs were initially assessed and awarded points on reaching minimum standards. In this round of licensing, clubs will be assessed against A Grade criteria. These criteria are designed to reflect the advancing standards within Super League, and take account of the feedback received from clubs following the last round of licensing.

How are the applications assessed?
Clubs are assessed on criteria in 5 key areas:

a. Commercial, Marketing, Media and Community.
b. Facilities.
c. Finance.
d. Governance and Business Management.
e. Playing Strength and Player Performance Strategy.

Clubs that meet all of the A Grade criteria across the 5 areas will be awarded an A Grade licence. Clubs that materially meet all the A Grade criteria and/or satisfy the RFL that they will meet the criteria in the next round of licensing will be awarded a B Grade licence.

The RFL will then allocate the remaining Super League licences to those existing Super League clubs and/or Championship clubs which applied for a licence and met the Championship Club Minimum Criteria. The licenses will be allocated to those clubs that the RFL board believes are the most suitable, taking into account the:

a. Extent to which each club helps meet the SLE Strategy and the strategic aims and objectives of the Licensing process;

b. Historical activity of the clubs under consideration; and

c. RFL’s reasonable opinion as to future performance of the clubs under consideration.

How are clubs planning new or redeveloped stadia going to be assessed?
=#FF0000New stadiums or redevelopments of existing stadiums will only be taken into account if the RFL is satisfied that the stadium will be open or the redevelopment finished by the start of the 2012 season.

Timeline

December 2010 – Championship club applications due to be submitted
March 2011 – Successful Championship club announced.
April 2011 – Super League club applications due to be submitted
July 2011 – Successful licensed clubs announced.

What utter arrogance.The only club in the area, you over look the fact that the Willlows is now shared by Swinton Lions who have as much if not more history than the City Reds.
Had it not been for the fact you were admitted to the Super league last time round and therefore become ring fenced against relegation Salford would have continued as a yo yo club to good for Championship and not good enough for Super league.
Fact is until third party intervention the Ground at Barton was never going to be built in a month of sundays and quite honestly isn't the sport about how the club plays and not shiney new stadiums and good financial projections.
Every year for the last three seasons and probably beyond Salfords season has been over by the middle of May,agony for the long suffering fans but always made better by the quote "well we are in Super League". If that is what signing a new three year franchise is all about then I will continue to watch Swinton at least we can acheive promotion by our Rugby merits and of course be dealt the ignomy of releagtion.

i dont know if being a Salford fan ever makes you inclined to be arrogant??
Disappointed, embarassed, GSOH, rollercoaster ride, expectations dashed - all yes.
The last time I would consider myself arrogant as a fan would be watching Keith Fielding play on the wing - I knew he was going to score as soon as he got the ball.

Since then, honestly, always humble, it comes with the territory.

Lol i know what you mean...was the same with the irrepresible Danny Wilson

With respect Danny Wilson was a great athlete with a fine step but he played a lot of games in division two with an average team. Fielding in his prime was playing in a superstar team that won championships.

I should have said SL Club.
I forgot about the mighty Lions, cant think why

wasn't questioning the teams capabilities, just the fact that he gave me the same sense of excitment. nothing more nothing less and it didn't matter which team nor division for that matter.

I think that's our ticket, and I think you are all missing a bigger picture. Manchester on a whole is an untapped RL area and with the BBC MOVING THEIR HEAD QUARTERS TO SALFORD everyone is overlooking our power and success in being granted a Franchise.

I think the RL have proved they want to expand the sport as broad as possible and with Salford moving to Barton NEXT DOOR TO THE TRAFFORD CENTRE WE have a foot in due to our possible expansion appeal.

Manchester like London like France like Wales is a vast area and seeing as the RFL want to expand the game into unfamiliar area's I guarantee we are granted a further franchise. I'm not saying it's right or based on performances we deserve it but this is an obvious RFL move that should see us at some point improve and cement our club as top 8. Play off contender for thr next 10 years. Bring on Barton. Bring on the new coach. Bring on the mighty reds. Yeehaaa


PS TO Wakefield and Castlefield. May the most expansive club win

Another ruddy franchise club

We will probably get a franchise because of the imbalance between lancashire and yorkshire sides,however i,m not really sure it will be a good thing for us or the super leagueas we seem to be light years behind everyone else.