Better than any SL game I've seen this year, and I've always enjoyed watching as a neutral (or as neutral as I can be in wanting Widnes to get stuffed

)

Last thing we want this year is the mutants winning a trophy.

Come on Barrow!

Not strictly true Fred.

Minor Premiers...................... & last ever winners of the Transvestite Cup!!

Well i for one would like to see Widnes beat Barrow in the final ,like i said dont want to give the RFL anything to gloat about ,i want to see if Barrow are picked next franchise on the basis they have won nothing so come on Widnes i'm right behind you (well for this match anyway)

Why do you think for a second that Barrow would be ahead of Widnes in the franchise stakes?

Because of the expansion the RFL want ,also think Toulous and Gateshead are up there on the RFL list .

You don't seriously think the RFL would consider Barrow as 'expansion'? They have far bigger fish to fry.

So you think the bigger fish include Widnes?i dont as they would have gone up last time ,the RFL came out with excuses not real reasons why they were not chosen last time but this is just my opinion nothing more nothing less.

Bar location, and that's debatable in itself, Barrow satisfy the sum total of bugger all of the criteria. No disrespect to them, but they're light years away from being a Super League club.

They're light years away from civilisation

That did'nt seem to deter them when Celtic were let in though did it,how many over seas players have they got by the way?(Barrow)it just seems funny that they have recruited well and they are doing really well having just come up ,yet before the franchise teams that came up struggled.

But Celtic are based in another country; Barrow are an hour up the M6 and just as much a traditional club as ourselves, Widnes and the like so why on earth would they get the vote?

See i would'nt put anything pass them lot ,who knows what goes on in their little tiny minds in their little world , i cant see them putting a club in SL from Lancashire or Yorkshire i mean now why would they do that

,if not Barrow though i bet Toulous gets the nod.

Toulouse are a shoe-in, no doubt about that. Should they choose to go with two teams again (nothing to say that they will) then I think Barrow would be far from the front runners, unless they pull £xmillion worth of improvements to their ground between now and then. The lack of organisation when they played Wigan was frightening, I believe.

My views on franchising are well known.

I think I am right in that it has had a detrimental effect on all Non Relegation clubs attendances for clubs based in England. It has also had a similar effect on Championship clubs too.

Should it continue unless a present member of Non Relegation league goes bust who seriously thinks any of Widnes, Fax, Barrow, Haven, or most definately not our club, would get a franchise ahead of Toulouse.

Apart from being opposed to it I think it will kill the professional game which regretably is falling farther behind kick and clap as time goes on. In this regard the RFL need to have a think about spreading TV revenues outside the Non Relegation clubs.

Thats exactly why i think if 2 teams are accepted Barrow seems the only other choice or Gateshead may get the nod depending how well they do in the comp.

Widnes and Toulose isn't it obvious?

Exactly what I was thinking, though a lot will depend on whether they want to expand SDL to 16 teams, as I don't fancy them kicking one team out, never mind two.

Touluse yes Widnes ? not sure the jury is still out.

My interest is already waning now that promotion and relegation has gone. Should the RFL's decisions to award the next round of franchises be as cut and dried as the last lot (whoever gets to finals etc) then I'll most likely be spending my money some other way.

Isn't the guy in charge or involved with the franchise decision last year now 'employed' by Gateshead - Rod Findlay

aye

Toulouse and Gateshead it is then, but they (RFL) have to get them to a GF first or NRC win. It was also stated if I remember that Toulouse still have to earn the right to qualify like the rest of us.

RFL2011 - We said that? Nah you must be mistaken. Now go away and go bust. We only want 8 English teams in 'our' European Superleague in 2015.

If they can't make a European League happen in football, how the hell is it affordable in Rugby League

They probably could, but football actually has strong organisations running the sport, rather than being virtually run by the clubs themselves.