So now we know , this year does count , well it does according to that nice Mr Cullen on B n A tonight

It made me a hell of alot more optomistic hearing him say that tonight

This year is the best chance, next year we will be dealing with a team who have a larger salary cap and a parachute payment. We have all seen consequences of uneven playing field. We have previously been 2nd best to Huddersfield, Salford and Castleford when they were relegated.

Nigel Wood said recently, on the subject of a Championship team getting a SL place in 2015 [i"That wasn’t just the rule for this time around. A lot of clubs are making progress off the field and with their facilities, and you look at places like Leigh and Halifax, and they are playing at facilities that three and five years ago were not finished, or in some cases not even contemplated.”

“We’re not looking to pull the drawbridge up in any shape or form – it’s a really important linkage between Super League and the Championship.”[/i

We have to win one of the two comps this year then.

It's good to see you happy for a change


Get it sorted from the off then you can work on other years with 'SL potential' hopefully able to keep / recruit players without paying over the odds

Think Starbugs wink may indicate that he thinks Cullen is talking through his ass and assuming that this year gains a tick.

Is there owt official from the RFL?????

Oh no Dickie boy strikes again news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 457466.stm .....forget 2015?

Oh no Dickie boy strikes again news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 457466.stm .....forget 2015?

To be fair, we were about 8th best to Castleford

Quote ="DemonUK"Oh no Dickie boy strikes again news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 457466.stm .....forget 2015?'" Maybe getting 1 Super League club in London would be a start! (obviously I mean in more than just name).

Quote ="DemonUK"Oh no Dickie boy strikes again news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 457466.stm .....forget 2015?'" Maybe getting 1 Super League club in London would be a start! (obviously I mean in more than just name).

Shame on you, bagging a valued (?) fellow member of the elite

Especially as the current one play in Middlesex and not London itself!

Apparently they only play in Middlesex when you are talking about crowds, and how difficult it is to get there from London etc...

When you talk about franchises however, they do of course represent the nation's capital and are vital to the sport.

How very true! Mind you, they got much better crowds at Brentford and that's still Middlesex, isn't it?

I think they need to look at somewhere theres interest in RL , bet they are hoping one of the Rugby Union clubs fancies having a league team to maybe Leicester

Except the Harlequins experiment has shown that there's bugger all chance of competing in an area that is already saturated with RU, especially as Leicester are the biggest club of the lot. Coventry on the other hand...

minor point, but as a soft southerner, i feel obligated to inform you that Middlesex as a county does not now officially exist, it has been incorporated into Greater London. i speak as a saddened old man who was brought up in Middlesex, and very sorry to see it go. But originally the county of Middlesex started in the centre of London and spread North and West of the Capitol. hope that geographical lesson helps chaps.

Fair enough. In that case I will reclassify it that Twickers isn't on the Tube so isn't London

Geography lesson number 2 Matt, there are 394 stations on the 'London Underground' many of them not in London. They head north to Cockfosters (unfortunate name) or Amersham, West to Uxbridge and East to Upminster, thankfully they dont head south, thats bandit country. Twickers prolly not got a tube cos not considered important enough, or already had trains before the tube arrived. I should start charging for this info

Dare I Stoop (get it?) to the level of the postcode situation?!

i get it, Lesson number 3. London was losing a load of its population as they were moving out to the suburbs (to take advantage of the tube i guess), so london moved its borders out to keep its population around the 8 million.
It therefore 'gobbled up' many towns that had their own postcodes.

A man of many talents, you should do this for a job

The only argument with the 'no one likes RL in London(/Middlessex..)' is to look at where the strongest increase in children playing RL is.

Oh yes. That would be London and the South East, wouldn't it?

That said, I still think the London team to watch will be one of the others that is working it's way up in strength. Once they hit an acceptable level - ie competing at our standard - then the mat will be pulled out from under Quins if they've not improved.

Quote ="DemonUK"Oh no Dickie boy strikes again news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 457466.stm .....forget 2015?'" couldn't listen to all of it, he is such a RICHARD, i HATE him, i really do. clueless ponce.

Quote ="DemonUK"Oh no Dickie boy strikes again news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 457466.stm .....forget 2015?'" couldn't listen to all of it, he is such a RICHARD, i HATE him, i really do. clueless ponce.

OK Nik I'll bite.

No doubt you have facts and figures to back your statement up.