I'm just looking for a solution that will limit the damage already done, a 1 year deal with 5 named players is close enough to what we have already done in recent years to hopefully not result in loss of fans and income , along with goodwill and trust of the administration

Steve sort it out as soon as you can . I'll ask the other committee members too . I will make time for this as like yourselves we are thinking about the future of our club.
Let us know .

She would have to do a lot of grovelling and convince me that this is a one off and will never happen again, before we share a bed.

Also, the timing of this, with 2 games at the LSV people could attend, should they choose to, over the holiday weekend, is stupidity beyond belief, seeing as they're so short of cash...

Be interesting to see what Mondays attendance will be!

Alan a few years back under the previous administration, we had a Partnership with the local amateur clubs, unfortunately like a lot of things it got dropped when the AT crisis hit.

It was all about improving links with the amateur clubs, it was run by a joint committee, with representatives from each club, the community department, it was supported by Ian Millward and Allan Rowley.

We had a programme of Leigh players doing training sessions at the clubs, we had John Duffy wanting to bring Ashton Bears to the programme as they were ignored by Wigan.

We were once given free use of the South stand, on a cold Thursday night and out sang the North Stand with a couple of hundred screaming kids.

All the people on that committe still go watching Leigh, and as far as I know are still involved at their clubs.

The only thing it needs is a couple of phone calls and to make up with the communtity trust. We even have LSV offering the stand this time.

Well Glow , all that sounds great to me , why not try to get it up and running again , im sure you would find someone ready to try to do it , as Duffy is still at the club .

So, a recap.

-We are doing fairly well in the league with a squad most would be pleased with (alright we've been outpalyed by Fev and Eagles but its early days).
- crowds are down (but in fairness many think the Board massively overestimated and at least L.I.S.A and the Touchdown club showed the support we have is ultra commited and so we get by as they make up a shortfall),
- our reserves are showing promise
Aside from a hope the weather brings back more fans and the club needing to lead more , get some basic marketing skills and be 100% more pro-active I honestly don't see a major problem (as per what Hunslet/ Swinton /Rochdale had before they had to form a partnership).

So we then announce we will become a partner club of Wigan Warriors - just like South Wales did.
Surely the worst most bizarre and shocking thing any owner of our club has EVER done in its entire history.

We now have....
- Established fans now walking away (the ones we need to exist)
- Established fans threatening to cancel subs to L.I.S.A and Touchdown (money the club needs to survive, as demonstrated not 4 weeks ago)
- A totally demoralised and fed up and totally divided fan base.

For what.....
- So Paul Rowley can potentially use 5 DR players if he needs them (he currently doesn't and many repeat he probably never well) ,
- The Wigan and Leigh borough (not the club) might (only might, nothing guarenteed) get more kids into watching Leigh or Wigan (Hmmm, how many 7 year olds will pick Leigh after Sam Tomkins has been around ?) or playing the game (ignoring that Miners , East etc are the best at doing this in anyhow).

Whatever your view on this you'd have to say did our CEO , Coach and board of directors really think this through as for me its crystal clear the 'benefits' don't seem worth the huge risk to the clubs long term existance.

John Duffy will take your call on this and speak to Rob Parker also I've recently spoke with both they are very keen to reignite the community spirt.

Both are at the club pretty much every day from 9am.

It's not Duffy it needs its Hannah and her community team.

I think till something changes from what I can see we have what we have.

JD is working his socks off and would take your call as is Rob but likewise is very open to any ideas that will benifit the community as well as the club

Are they still involved with the club ?

We're skint & then we partner with the pies it's quite apparent what this is really about. As they say money talks however damaging the result can be.

I don't understand how we become a feeder club when in reality it's us being fed by having access to some talented young lads who have nowhere left to play ?

Because this " Partnership " has only been announced so late in the day none of the DR players will play in enough games to qualify to have any part in the business end of the season , giving PR the option to exploit this arrangement by resting some of our key players to freshen them up for the final push .

Now I would like other posters views on this scenario .......

A lot of our U20's squad are aged 17 and 18 as we signed them to play in our U18's team that the RFL in their wisdom scrapped which has left 100's of young lads aged 20 - 23 in limbo without a game ........

Would it be possible for some of OUR registered youth to put the boot on the other foot and play as DR for Wigan in their U19's team at their own age level to gain more experience in a more competitive competition than this seemingly friendly U20's comp at present , yet WE retain their registration ?

Opinions please .

I would be impressed if "for the good of the game in the borough" samkins accompanied John and Rob and extolled the virtues of centurions and watching your local team.
After all ,Samkins wants Leigh in SL

Samkins as you call him , watches Leigh home games on a regular basis , ive seen him at most Leigh games this season .

He come to watch his mate Thornley not Leigh

I know that Lynda , im trying to get Thornley to play Poker





.

I forget who his buddy was that was playing for us at the time but Sam was a regular at the LSV .

Do you not think the 5 should be flexible. From a Leigh POV if a player in a particular position gets injured and Wigan have somebody who could replace that player for x weeks / months then would it not be better to have that flexibility? Likewise Wigan may / may not need player X but later in the season they do.

The key issue for me is when for example Spencer is recalled and not subsequently used due to the RL regulations. The player has lost the most in that scenario.

I think some fans are naive to think that Wigan and Leigh did not have an arrangement last season albeit verbally. The way the DC system has evolved has necessitated some formal agreements. Fans can say why not last season. The anser would be for the very reason the likes of Leigh, Fev, Fax, Sheff did not create an agreement then!

Well in Lynda , dats da guy

I agree we could manipulate the " arrangement " to suit our own needs and to rest some of our players towards the end of the season and still give talented young lads a game in a more competive league .

Everyones a winner .

That`s ok as long as it doesn`t cause problems amongst players that are selected to be dropped , most players would not like it for a start they lose money. Why on earth would anyone want to give game time to another teams player when you have signed your own reserves for that very job. They may end up going elsewhere to get game time even dropping down a division would be preferable to being overlooked for someone who plays for another team.

This is so damaging for a club already struggling. I am tired of the lies, being mislead and the underhanded way the board do things.

Leigh's board of directors dont know the first thing about openess, honesty and intergrity as this among other things proves it.

Do you think when Trevor came to empty LISA's bank account if he had been open about this he would have got the money? Doubt that very much thats why the club only announce this after he had the money rather than before.

Like the contract with the LSV, the one nobody knows what its about, including Trevor as he said at the LISA meeting we now have a contract with Wigan.

If we are not going to do anything with it then why have it in the first place? Wigan unlike our board are not stupid and have signed it for very good reason. Shaun Wayne will insist at least four of his players, play for Leigh each week, that has already been stated.

It gives him the option to rotate players to keep them match fit, I think you all need to realise that 95% of Wigans 1st team squad are under 23 yrs old. This is the best contract Wigan could ever wished for, and one I am sure they will ensure is followed to the letter.

This is the thin end of the wedge. If Trevor Barton and Andy Burnham would ever tell the truth the LSV was not builf for Leigh it was built for Wigan RLFC and this is simply part of the process to amalgamate Leigh Centurions into Wigan RLFC to play at the LSV or it should be WSV.

The board are doing everything they can to distroy this club. In the last 18 months the have lost more than 50% of the fan base and will continue to do so until it gets to a point where it makes it so easy for them to merge Leigh into Wigan RLFC, just watch this space!

From the day Trevor Barton came to Hilton park with Andy Burnham they have had this plan. Everybody on this forum is begining to realise what is happening. Anyone who keeps saying they are transparent, truthfull and open you know they are just the opposite.

Its a sad day for the club, I am afraid with what I have read on this forum and heard in the town last night this is a massive blow and might just be a step to far.

The best thing for the future of the club is for the board of directors to resign and allow LISA to take the club over in the interim. Hold a private equity share offering to raise capital then appoint a management team to run the club on behalf of the shareholders, the fans!!!!!

I did propose this some weeks ago when the board announced its financial problems.

Unless something like this happens I cant see how the club can survive. A large percentage of fans have said they are walking away, I know quite a number of people who have said whilst this board is in place they wont go to watch Leigh again.

Its great isnt it Trevor and Keith announce their plans to get 400 fans back and 20 businesses involved and what do they do a week later lose around 400 fans!!! Its a bit like the budget they simply havn't got a clue what they are doing and are so out of touch with the fan base its a joke!!!!!!

We are not a feeder club (to do that you have to give the parent club players) , we are turning into nothing more than a reserve club at best , training club at worst for Wigan Warriors.
I agree we will probably only use 5 Wigan players in the first team squad this season (and even then fleetingly), next season (and lets 'guess' the RFL allow 7 DR's next year - its gone up every season since it started and now more clubs are adopting it) we could have a possession of Wigan players turning out for Leigh of varying degrees of suitability and age.
I'm sure if we have any youth left (would you stay at Leigh - or would you go elsewhere, train all week and then a hotshot kid from Wigan rolls up at the weekend and takes your spot based on nothing more than he signed for a 'bigger club' and he needs game time to get back in his own team) they could technically play for Wigan in a reverse role, equally I'm sure if there is any youth with potential remotely thinking of signing for Leigh Mr Radlinski will be quickly in his ear (as now) so chances are he'd be there already.

The thing is I don't see Leigh Centurions as the main club in charge of youth in this area, Bury FC don't develop the football players of Greater Manchester (neither do Bolton etc), its a collective with each club affording what it can.
Wigan will always hoover up the best (pure hard cash decision), they however now have more players than teams (or am I being cynical in wondering why Wigan have taken so long to be 'concerned' that the youth of the borough can't play RL) so need a dumping ground.
Step forward Paul Rowley and Leigh Centurions.
Now in fairness to Rowley he knows like most coaches in RL he's 6 bad games from the sack so in his eyes it makes perfect sense as it gives him a pool of (at least) 5 quality Wigan players chomping at the bit - did Rowley think of the borough kids with 'inadequate training' when going with this or his own position ?
Maybe he did but I wouldn't knock him if it was his own long term security he looked for as he's got a young family and he's a pro coach wanting to remain in employment in volatile industry.

The thing that rankles with this 'partnership' is the way its been dealt with, leading figures at the club stating it would never happen and then it does.
So when the same leading figures say its only going to be 5 U23 Wigan players I think its safe to say many of us can be forgiven for thinking that that could /will change, afterall the clubs whole position changed on this in a matter of 8 weeks and not a word of it was brought to the table at numerous fan forums.

Leighs current board have lost lots of credibility with the way this has happened and tbh with each passing day that becomes damaging to the club which 7 days ago wasn't even likely to happen as people discussed our on field perfomances rather than what has happening off it.

How much more money came in out of the 44k they wanted?
As far as I know we got £22200 altogether.
Since that deficit has gone up with 500 fans down on budget for the Barrow game..
So we need £20000 approximate guess now to cover shortfall up to date.
Monday will now incur at least another 600 and I think given they are competing with Chelsea v man u for species that's a tad optomistic
Worrying times ahead I'm so sorry to say !