Quote: vikingsmurf "could everyone whose argument it suits please stop ignoring the oft stated fact that administration was ruled out as a barrier to a franchise in order to protect Crusaders, this happened some time ago now and was much discussed on these boards.'"
No sorry I think you are missing the point.
3 years ago when the criteria was announced administration would exclude clubs.
Widnes fans above all people should remember this as you were unfairly booted out with this as the reason to allow Crusaders in.
Likewise stadiums were high on the agenda, so of the clubs go with this in mind and work their socks off to do what the RFL has told them to do,and this is the point.
Sometime into the process the RFL then change the criteria without explanation or consultation, not once or twice but just whenever they please.
The reason for this was clearly so that their favoured clubs that were failing to do what the RFL had deemed necessary had the criteria amenda so that they were now ticking boxes that had never been there at the start and boxes that were there at the start suddenly dissapeared literally overnight.
Halifax have been told both in the past and more recently by the RFL what they had to do
and they have done it.
The reward not even to be given a grade C license, this means either the advise that was given was bad advise or they were being used to suit the RFL's appearance of fair play.
Either way the RFL not Halifax have directed the ship and it's now run a ground.
Missing out on Super League has not caused all the anomosity if we don't qualify against a fixed un tampered with set of rules on a level playing field then fair enough.
Being lied to, having our intelligence insulted as if we don't know, hell everyone can see it then that's a different matter and if anyone thinks that this type of conduct by any governing body is acceptable then someone has just crept in and stolen our game.
