Just make sure you are going ' upstream '

A few weeks ago they slagged Wigan off after a defeat for the way they walked off the field. The video they showed was in 2008. They even mentioned Barrett FFS.

These people of which TIW has some, saying stuff super league are stupid! We need to be competing at the top level. Our history says so, ou facilities say so, our coaching and off-the-field management team says so.

Our town says so. It's one of rugby leagues strongest places, still.

I want us in the top league stealing games and taking names. I want to see a buzz about the town again. I want us to stamp our mark on the game like we know we can. We deserve more than what we get, we've been let down and we deserve better.

From super league we can assemble a squad to take the challenge cup, not just hope to get a big team and put up a good show.

From super league we can offer more attractive terms to our youth team, the promise of playing for your home town club in the top league will be enough to keep a lot of them and we cannot offer that right now.

From super league we can attract more fans. Yes they are stay aways, but that's the nature of people. You can't blame them. We have die hards, and we have potential customers. We'd like those back and can get them if we offer them bigger matches. Asking someone to pay around £50 for their family to come see us is easier if we're playing St Helens than Doncaster, with all due respect to our friends down there.

In super league we will be more of a presence. We will make more headlines, we will be more of an influence. This will bring in more revenue and make our future more secure.

I want super league, gentlemen. We want super league. And they may not know it, but super league needs us! We would do a damn site better job than many currently inside!

Like i say mate, I'll believe it when i see it. Nothing stupid about not giving a right now. What is stupid is building my hopes up only to have my heart ripped out for a fourth time. Right now i'm enjoying the moment and that's all that matters to me. You all carry on pinning your hopes on the 'box ticking', i'm happy just pinning my hopes on us being a winning team given events over the last decade or so.

I still find the Championship boring to attend eight times out of ten. The SL days were brilliant. Packed crowds, great atmospheres and a real buzz at seeing the likes of Farrell, Sculthorpe, Long and the like strutting up to Widnes again.

I don't disagree with you - it's the "balls to Super League" issue that I disagree with which has been said in some quarters. We need to be there and rather building our hopes up we've just got to get on with the job and do the right things, be it on the pitch or off it.

Good post, and whilst I do echo your sentiments, I do feel you tend to meet some really great rl people along the way in the lower climbes of rugby league, and some great little days out. ie Batley, Donny etc.
But obviously we miss the big game atmospheres such as W**e, Sin Tellins Leeds etc.

I hope so Chris.Let's be honest,apart from the first year we never really set the competition alight last time we were there.

Leeds brought less than Leigh though.

It's a shame as their is stil good quality rugby played in NL1! But with no advertsing or funds for gounds etc people lose interest! Hemce low crowds atmosphere etc!

As longs as the RFL simply presses people to go to their local 'SUPER LEAGUE' side and not simply their local pro side it's gonna stay the same unfortunately

Lets not kid ourselves, we want to be in SL.

I love visiting new grounds and on the whole you dont get as many morons at Championship level Rugby but it does not make up for the lack of Atmosphere and general lack of Emotion during some games. Our recent Home game to Doncaster being a good example.

You dont get games and Atmospheres like that in SL, Even when a club brings few fans they far outdo anything the championship provides.

And i Want to watch Widnes Play against St Helens, Wigan, Wire, London etc. Not because they are better clubs then Keighley or Leigh but because they are a higher standard at the moment and i want us to be competing with the best. If in 10 years time saints are in the Championship and Keighley have the team and Support for SL then i would rather be watching Widnes at Couger Park than Knowsely Road.

circa 99-2001 I'd say Leythers brought as many to Widnes as Lids ever did in SL. Although I could be wrong, don't recall Leeds ever bringing more than 1500 to the hallowed turn tbh.



As for the fella who said he'd rather go to Knowsley rd than Cougar park, I bloody wouldn't, have work within spitting distance, hate the god damn place

Too many pros than cons for us to play in Super League.

Main ones are bigger crowds and more Rugby League banta.

First match in Super League against Saints always sticks out to me when we returned and made a big impact for our first season back .

You must admit it would be a entertaining league to play in ????

PS Lets move on from the Dick Lewis fook up . he knows he`s fooked up and hes ugly tu boot .

In 2002, Leeds brought around 400 you may remember.

The main Clubs Were always ( to my memory anyway ) Bradford, St helens, Wigan and Warrington. No other teams Filled our away stand from what i can remember in SL, Leeds and Hull Were the most dissapointing in so far as meeting expectations was concerned. Wakey, Quins, Castleford and Hudds were usualy shockingly bad.

Cas used to be really bad i can remember when they barely brought 200, all atmosphere has now gone from the ground but imagine the buzz if we were playing Wire this week

That was our first year and it was live on sky.We hammered Leeds but they staged a late fight back.Didn't Hughes sore 3 or 4?Your being generous saying Leeds brought 400.About half that as I recall.Bradfords following that year was huge,as good as we ever got to the Halton.

Sure do mate. Poor following that, although in fairness i think it was Bulls and Stains who were the dominant forces locking horns at the top in 2002. Still no excuse, i think the most we ever took to Shedingly was about 1200, but thats quite good IMHO, when you consider the size of Leeds in comparison to little Widnes. Leeds fans once said to us at their gaff that we put Hudds, Wakey and Quins away following to shame, that;s some achievement when you consider just how much nearer Hudds and Wakey are to Lids.

In terms of best away followings, Stains are only side to fill out away allocation and overspill into both sides, and then probably W**E and bradford, wigan never brought many.

I seem to recall a trip to Leeds when we got battered, with about 5 minutes left some Leeds fans walk past so we all sing "We can see you sneaking out" they replied with "We are only going to get a burger" there was about 20 of them



Also you have to walk past their end before the game, we got a lovely reception of "Widnes scum" and spitting at us as we walked past even though we had my 10 year old cousin with us.



No wonder they are hated in both Rugby and Football.

Remember the 2003 season I think it was, when we played the first game of the year at Headingley? Took around 2k then - was boiling hot despite it being winter!

Think Wigan have took a few big followings here - particularly on a Sunday.

Warrington once brought about 4.5k, when they were on the up and we were getting whooped. But you're right, Saints have the biggest away following.

I think HKR's is the most impressive though. Brought around 1k for a league game 150 miles away in NL1.

Hooja Nikabolokov: Yes mate I recall having to walk past the south stand in order to get some grub, worth the spitting though, seem to remember Headiingley having a pretty impressive food outlet, not the usual 'salmonella on bread crap' we get at a lot of other stadia.
As for Scum, they do seem to have a fair few, but in fairness LUFC always have done, and as they are on the slide Rhino's probablypicked a few wof these bell ends up. 'Leeds service crew' etc.

pretty intimidating place, especially as there are so many of them too.

Richardviking: I also recall that 2003 game and it was our dirst domestic game of the year, I remember it well, Daryl Powell was their coach at the time, I remember look at the south stand in awe as they sang 'DP's barmy army' for 10 minutes non stop. Didn't it end up about 32-16?

Seem to remember Gary Connolly going the full length in the second half


Are you sure Wires ever top the 4000 mark? Saints crapped on anyone else who came to Naughton park SL era, you're bang on about HKR too mate, fantastic following from them in 2006, probably nearer 1500 tbh, never shut up either. Good fans

Too true but this is the rfl we're talking about. You can bet your bottom dollar that Toulouse will be a higher priority than us next time around regardless of how superior we may be. That is what sucks about this process. The rfl have their own agenda and we cannot take anything for granted. It's only now that we've won something that we are all of a sudden flavour of the month, it just doesn't sit right with me.

Can remember going to watch United at Leeds a few years back, the buses got bricked on the way there and we had to dodge all sorts on the way out it's on youtube aswell. Horrible people.

good man. 'If you follow leeds United then you must be ***king scum!'