Gateshead CEO Rod Findlay previously worked at RFL headquarters.Why would you give up a job at RFL headquarters to move to a club that is struggling financially unless you know something the rest of us can easily guess at-the RFL won't let Gateshead go to the wall

So what do people think plan B is?

The obvious thing for me would be to re-locate to Edinburgh, think Cardiff Millenium magic & Celtic getting into SL, last year Murrayfield magic or whatever the spin was......

I had a feeling befor all this that they would move to Edinburgh.

Edinburgh.

Riiiiiiiiight. How is that going to be different to Gateshead's struggle to attract crowds?

No-one's watchin' folks.

A move to the Newcastle Falcons ground I recon. Shared costs, not too far for existing fans to travel and a new, bigger, local market.

There's still nobody watching ..................

They have elected to go in Championship 1

Plan B appears to be a drop to Championship 1 and have a team that consists of the remaining local & amateur players.

From my point of view that will result in heavy defeats and even smaller crowds. Some of the current Thunder fans, like myself, have just about had enough. If there isn't the market for RL in the NE perhaps it's time we died with at least a bit of grace and concentrated on the amateur game for now. We could actually have a half decent side in the Conference National with the local players that were at Thunder. Hopefully some of them will be picked up by other Championship sides to further their carreers

For the first time i've actually got a sense of what a Gateshead fan is feeling right now. I feel a bit flat after that. Really sorry about that - sorry for what you've lost.

Some good players locally up there. Its really sad when something like this happens as it hits the fans and Players hard. Thankfully Gateshead Storm and further afield Peterlee Pumas, Sunderland, Newcastle, Whitley Bay and Durham will make sure RUgby League survives at an amateur level. I would hope all the Thunder fans stick with the game and follow local amateur teams if the Thunder do in fact disappear. I am sure if Thunder fans wanted to take a trip then you would be made welcome at Fax

They didn't even do that. Catalans play in a "heartlands" area.

Cheers Si. I didn't even know these teams existed. I miss my RL when I can't get to the mid week games at Fax. I didn't know there was a team at Peterlee which is just down the road from my partners in Hartlepool!

Do you know of any nearer? there is NIL coverage of Rugby League in the local papers.

Yob, thunderstorm.org.uk/links/north-east-clubs Hopefully the link will work, a list of the NE Amateur clubs

Yob, thunderstorm.org.uk/links/north-east-clubs Hopefully the link will work, a list of the NE Amateur clubs