Anyone would think the rfl was a democracy.

To start with it's not about stadiums, finance is important. Then finance is significant but it's also about facilities - they don't have a bloody clue themselves! How do we stand a chance.

"it's a credit to those clubs that have got off their backsides and delivered on the promises that they made in 2008" - how many clubs have actually done that?! Fax are one of the few that have.

Then Eddie pipes up with the sole financial backer congratulating him for putting the sport first - yet we've got a club that doesn't run at a loss, is run as a business but that's not worth shouting about cos it's not one man and his wallet?! WTF are this lot on?!
Anyone else more confused than before the announcement?!

What confuses me is this. If Wakefield were going to lose their Super League place due to having a poorer application to Crusaders and now it transpires that Crusaders are going to struggle to finish the season let alone carry on for another 3 seasons, how in gods name was the Crusaders application deemed better than Wakefields in the first place? The whole system is flawed or not looked at in any detail whatsoever or clubs are lying in their application!
Although when Mr Indipendent himself is on the panel you can see how it goes wrong. I remember the infamous lets have fans decide on the new Halifax name, vote in the paper and the rest, then ignore it all and call them Bluesox opening us up to ridicule to every other club and news paper headline wrote there on in! for Christs sake this man is now running the game. I wonder if he has still got a garage full of the CD's of that crap song as well?

Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah NahNah Nah Nah Nah Nah Bluesox.

INSPIRED!!!!!

i did find the interview rather amusing. I thought one question and its non answer in particular were informative.
Question: (and im paraphrasing) "nigel, what mistakes has the RFL made with its expansion policy in wales and the franchising system in general, and what can be done about them?"
Answer: Blah blah blah repeats the usual line about about the amateur game thriving in Wales. Thats all well and good btw. but then goes on to say "(we) THE SPORT need to look at whats gone wrong and learn from these mistakes" WHAT THE ACTUAL FECK??
not only does he completely fail to answer the question. he completely avoids any admition of responsibility, its not "(We) THE RFL" who need to look at the wales expansion policy in particular and franchising in general, its "(We) THE SPORT". when its very much the case that its the RFL who needs to look at this.
Your idea, your mess, your failure. At least admit it and stop trying to rope in the clubs and everyone else involved in the sport to share the blame.

Maybe it wasnt.

Why did any of us get conned into even slightly believe we might have got the nod. The licensing process is just a charade to make it look like everyone has got a fair chance. In reality it is just a red-tape process when the outcome is already known. They even change the rules along the way to ensure their preferred outcome is achieved. And history of the process proves this

The first licensing – if you had been in administration then you were not wanted (supposedly) – this really meant a safe passage for the preferred Welsh and Salford, sorry Manchester clubs over Widnes. But Mr O’Connor then offered them guarantees should Widnes get the nod which they couldn’t overlook. So lo and behold once the on-field box had been ticked the RFL announce that a championship club will definitely be promoted next time. But how can that make sense - what if the existing SL clubs all had better bids. And had Widnes not ticked that box, what’s the betting that they wouldn’t have made this decision? And that they don't stick to it next time around!

Then another rule change mid franchise – if you go into administration, not only do you no longer get kicked out immediately you can still apply for a new franchise. All to protect their expansion clubs, when both were rumoured to be on the brink at the time. But they shot themselves in the foot as by making this change it meant they had to apply same rules to Wakey.

And then to Fax and why the encouragement by the RFL for us to apply. All part of the charade to make it look like there was a contest. Why can’t they just be honest with us - whilst Bradford and Davyfield are there, we won’t be considered.

And then we get the guff about improving the game –

They say we are producing more home grown talent – what? Where did the players come from before, did they just drop from the sky. So SL clubs don’t still sign players either not good enough for the NRL or at the end of their NRL careers? And usually fill key positions with them. And internationally we haven’t closed the gap and are no nearer beating the Aussies then we were in the late 80’s.

The games profile is worse now than ever. We don’t have any household names like Hanley, Offiah, Edwards, Farrell that non RL fans will have heard of. We can’t even fill a 20,000 stadium for a game against the Aussies, I remember us getting 60,000 plus at Wembley and two 40,000 plus gates at OT and Elland Road in the same series pre SL!!

We get told that the SL chairman have the best interests of the game at heart. Rubbish - they are only concerned about preserving their clubs place in SL and why shouldn’t they? And they have created a feeling of “I’m alright Jack” amongst SL clubs and fans. Amazing how some of these believed in promotion when they needed it to get in SL (and without the salary cap restraints the Championship clubs have now), but now favour franchising and dictate on how many clubs can join their party. But when the likes of Davy no longer want or are able (or are no longer around) to put money in, I guess their views will change.

If you listen to Fat Boy (not a pretty picture on my 40" widescreen) he states they took advice from the professional assessors and applied it "Holistically". What this means is that they can now get away with saying that the 14 teams were not the best individual cases but what is best for the league. If it is ever proven that our application was better than those of the teams granted a licence then all they have to say was that the admittance of the worse team was for the good of the league in THEIR opinion. Classic slopey shoulders speak.

I still cant work out how a Championship clubs application can be judged on a par with SL teams. We are at a 1.5M shortfall to start with so unless you can find someone to pump that money in ala Widnes then we have seen the last team `promoted` from the Championship.

Unless they make guarantee of at least one championship club to gain entry from 2015

Not a hope in hell. After this last farce, there's no way the RFL will make any promises that are set in stone.

I think they will do this but they will raise the criteria so it is unachievable for CC teams. The great thing is though that they clearly state that teams have to have an average attendance of 2500 which Crusaders will never get. Unless they change the rules for them.

Changing rules IS an rfl rule isn't it?

2 important questions that should of been asked to fat basteward is when he went on about the teams with c grade, sould of been replied with what were halifax graded? if c then why did wakey get in over us and if d then why were we told are bid was successful in march.
the other should of been when he went on about this expert panel, eddie shouldof said was these the same experts who came to agree it was the right time to put celtic in super league 3 year ago

when people say clubs cant take legal action
as Halifax signed any contract stateing that. Also if rules have changed then why should that one stand think they need to look in to it and not take it lieing down