I think the problem at the time, as I said earlier, was that the Superleague was a new venture the last time it was proposed and everyone thought 'their' club would be one to flourish. With a 15+ year history, this is no longer the case and many are prepared to face up to the realities of the situation. I think it's fair to say there is a straight choice between 'your club' and 'successful club' (if you'll pardon the oversimplification). I genuinely think it's only the hope that 'one day it will turn around' that stops the formation of a potentially massive club in this area. I admire that attitude to a degree. By the same token, I really don't think it's very realistic and the choice is more straight forward than that. If the occassional shot at the play-offs with an equal shot at relegation is the limit of your ambitions and you'd support your team no matter which league they played in, then the choice is to stay the same. If you want a club able to compete for honours, be guarenteed a franchise to stay at the highest level and know that the first choice for the players in the area is to stay with the club rather than look for success elsewhere, then a combined club is the obvious answer. It all depends what you want in the end. Many people are already voting with their feet. How long before the choice is no longer there to make?

Now correct me if im wrong BUT Trinity isnt a nickname they were called Wakefield Trinity, and now Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, the wildcats is their catchy nickname, like ours is tigers..sorry but if its a new start its a new name one that no one side can argue about...................... Calder colts. will do fine.

but lets just hope eh that we are as lucky as the lucky man from luckybridge and stay in SL cant see it myself but stranger things have happened..

dont understand that comment

I think he means that history would get in the way of a commercial decision. I agree that it would, but disagree that in the long run it would make the merged club stronger, more viable financially and as a bi-product, more competitive.
The Sport is a Business now and you can't base commercial decisions on your uncle albert spinning in his grave.

I really don't know why we keep coming back to this old chestnut, we fought long and hard to keep our identities and until our relegation we played our part. All that would happen with a merger is we would lose over half our support, trinity would lose over half their support and the result would be a similar sized club to what we already have, with the loss of two famous clubs who still contribute a great deal to their local communities. Do you think that Castleford schools would continue to dominate schools RL if there was no Castleford club? no way!

There's no reason why both clubs can't still flourish and in fact one reason they do is because of the local rivalry, you might as well say lets merge both Hull clubs, it's well known that KR are struggling with finances, of course FC have been down that road before, haven't they and that didn't work other than to line FC's pockets and get them out of a great big hole!

The divide between Castleford and Wakefield is wider than ever these days, time was when it was the cappers or loiners who were the arch emeny, but I can tell you these days that position is reserved for Wakey these days! I for one would never watch a merged side and I can tell you there are many thousands more who feel the same.

What we need is the RFL to relax the stadium criteria until this recession is well and truly over, then both clubs (and others such as Salford and Bradford) can get on with playing competitive rugby instead of chasing the dream with every bit of cash, ideally we would all like a sugar daddy such as Wire have, but unfortunately they are few and far between.

Mergers eh, mmmmmmmmmmmmm Huddersfield / Sheffield mmmmm Gateshead / Hull

Now they really work dont they

I think we can all see that they were takeovers and not mergers, however, both clubs are now a millions times better off then they were prior to the takeover/merger.

In respect of the thread title, steadygetyerboots-on perhaps has made the most sensible comment I’ve read yet

area to blossom and engender a lost sense of pride and community which has otherwise been consigned to the rubbish tip by successive Tory and (more shamefully in my opinion) Labour governments. Apologies I digress!

If these three points were applied, more importantly point 1, then I, as gut wrenching as it would be, could support a merged team with the pride and passion with which I have followed Castleford Tigers.

You may have noticed that I have left Featherstone Rovers out of the equation, this is purely as the thread appears to me to be talking about Cas and wakey only. They could easily be placed into the equation I have outlined above with little or no problem should they choose to.'"

In fact there were four clubs mentioned. How are the other two getting on since their Super League days?

I'm not in any way convinced that a truly equal merger of two businesses could happen without one becoming dominant and the other subsumed. Hudds/Sheff becomes Hudds.. Hull/Gateshead becomes Hull. With that in mind, entering into a merger means little for the dominant business and death for the other. It happens all the time, not just in sport.

It strikes me that, while both businesses have stengths and weaknesses, Trinity would assume dominance in a merger purely because their name encompasses a larger geographic area. Personally, while I'm not knocking Wakey in any way, it's just not a place name I identify with to any degree. I'm not interested in following a side with Wakefield in it's name, especially when - once the dust has died down - it will likely end up with ONLY Wakefield in it's name, just like the two examples above.

There's already an example of something like this Disco, Emley Football Club moved to Wakey's ground a few years ago, after a couple of years there, they changed the clubs name to Wakefield and Emley, then Emley was dropped altogether from the name and it's now Wakefield FC (a new Emley club has since been formed, but of course, this was well down the leagues).

I'm sure we would eventually finish up with Wakefield in the name, if ever this happened to us and I very much like you, don't identify at all with Wakefield, in fact I would go as far as to say I identify more with Leeds than the merry city (as some call it).

Indeed both Gateshead and Sheffield were left on the scrap heap, Gateshead however were going bust so chances are they would be were they are now anyway and Sheffield the same. Perhaps right now both clubs are better off then what they would’ve been had they kept going . Sheffield in particular seem to be developing nicely and with the move to Brammell Lane perhaps in time they can bid for a SL license as a much stronger entity.

Any merged club can not have any reference to the existing clubs as per steady’s post. It would alienate any existing supporters open to the idea of a merger. The name and colours would need to be completely neutral. There can be none of the ‘Wakefield-Castleford Miners’ compromises as you say the Castleford name would be dropped eventually which would naturally drive away support from that area.

Calder Miners is an option or instead of Calder perhaps another name which encompasses the area. My only hope that if this situation ever arises I hope it’s done right and not halfd where we end up with a name like West Yorkshire Rage or some other equally horrid Americanised moniker.

[sizebuild one stadium and share it[/size......i don't care who uncle albert supported when he was stuck up a pit donkey after 14 double diamonds.......just make sure BOTH CLUBS survive.

That may end up being the case.

I think the fact is if the new team didn't have Wakefield in the title people from Wakefield won't be interested and the same for Castleford and to be honest with a name like Calder Miners that would have no meaning for me personally.