I would like to add my condolences to Tony's family and to the Widnes club.

Of all the Rugby League club Chairman I ever dealt with, Tony was one of the most genuinely enthusiastic both for his club and for Rugby League as a whole. He was a fierce defender of Widnes, but was always ready to talk about how much the club meant to him. Given that he wasn't a native of Widnes, he had the zeal of a convert. He was a genuinely decent bloke for whom the fans were very important.

Just in case you didn't read it the first time:

RIP Tony.

Genuinely gutted to hear this.

I did see it the first time, and I had a bone to pick with that report in the Liverpool Echo.
I didn't "back" the RFL's decision. I merely explained their logic in making the decision.
As I wrote then: "I have received many anguished emails from Widnes supporters, and I have great sympathy with them. I would love nothing more than to see a strong Widnes club in Super League, and I'm quite certain that they will be there before too many more years.
"Since Steve O'Connor became the owner of the Vikings at the end of 2007 they have probably become a stronger club than some clubs that have been awarded Super League licences. The trouble is that sports governing bodies these days come down heavily on clubs that become insolvent."
Tony's letter argued, quite correctly, against the criteria that the RFL had used to deny Widnes a place in Super League, and which I had set out in that article.
He pointed out that it would have been better for Widnes to go into administration in 1997, and it's hard to dispute that view.

Lets win the final for him, he will be looking down on us god bless him.