No Derek Beaumont at Leigh next year. Hope they come through it, enjoyed our battles in the championship (even if at times it boiled over between the clubs owners) The championship will be a very interesting league, and hard to judge next year. Hopefully we're taking note and continue to build SLOWLY.

Leigh Centurions owner Derek Beaumont has issued the following statement:

It was with a heavy heart and tear in my eye that the realisation sunk in that we would not make the Qualifiers. I have said publicly on numerous occasion and privately to the group that my position as owner of the Club would become untenable should that happen.

The Club will receive circa £200k in 2019 from £1.25m this year and circa £1.7m in 2017 and that is a drop too far to sustain the Club in its current form. To that end I must act in the best interests of the Club’s ability to survive going forward and in the short term to fulfil this season’s fixtures and also to reduce its commitments to make it more attractive to any party that may express an interest in taking it forward.

This week is deadline week and therefore an ideal opportunity for players to be able to secure their futures elsewhere and at the same time reduce the Club’s obligations. I can confirm there will be a large number of exits and that may bring some opportunities for others but that will be ongoing this week right up until deadline.

I am committed to ensuring the Club reaches the end of the season and hope during that time a new investor or group of investors can be attracted to take the Club forward. I will be making a more detailed statement at the beginning of next week and until then will not be in a position to comment further. I apologise to our loyal fans and sponsors for this failing which ultimately has to rest with me.

It's been quite a journey for Leigh. While they were on their way up under Rowley there was a fair bit of arrogance though that was quickly tempered when they discovered just how hard it is in SL.

Not making the top 4 did for us in 2016. They're lucky DB is covering the losses and will make sure they're on an even keel before he goes. Respect to him for that.

Leigh could do worse than build some solid foundation with an academy and reserves set up.

A very open and painfully honest statement from DB. It brings back some terrible memories of our club being stripped of its prized assets and left for dead when we went belly up. At least it appears Derek is attempting to leave them in a fit state and giving the new owners a clean slate.

Perhaps Leigh need to go and see a Dr?

They need a backer that's not going into it to feed their own ego.

Don't we all.

Do we want / can we get any of the Leigh squad, if so, who? Basically, Beaumont is saying the more that leave, the better and with a £1m funding hole that is honest and frank cold hard logic. It isn't really asset stripping, as sadly most of them can't stay there, at anything like their current wage, even if they want to. OTOH any who went in and offered to take a 90% pay cut and play on, could stay. Kevin Larroyer?

This league structure was always going to send some clubs to the wall in this way, it was a disaster waiting to happen.
How on earth are you supposed to plan for the future when you have no idea of future income?
Clubs are tempted with the chance of promotion but just look at that disparity in central funding between the top 4 and 5th/6th. It is absolute madness.

Well they have shown that they will get crowds with a successful team unlike Salford. And wasn't he frenemies with DB.

Unfortunately the message seems to have got lost under the sheer weight of 'Oh it's Bradford and their usual financial mismanagement'.

Degsy seems to have realised very early and is making changes to mitigate.

Maybe the lower SL chairmen have clocked it too and are literally pooping their pants because they know they get one shot to recover and if you fail to hit top 4 you are part time and the dream is gone...

And it goes without saying that although Derek did come out with a few daft statements it's soul destroying to see another team who we had a great relationship with the fans and great, tense games against heading the same way as us.

Fingers crossed for Leigh.

I agree. There will be a handful of players getting fixed up this week with clubs but a lot of them will now be extremely worried about their future. It’s a horrible position to be in, my lad was in the same boat at Sheffield 2 year ago, I know how much worry that caused him, and me.
I hope they can find a new investor and salvage something. I can’t understand how some people, on Facebook, can take any pleasure out of this. It’s the fans and the players that suffer

People are idiots. All this schadenfreude going about online portrays the sport in such a negative light. It comes across as though some fans of the sport revel in the demise of another pro club. Some of the people posting these comments should remember that we were in a similar state not too long ago.

Facebook for you. Full of total tits. You've only got to take one glance at those "banter" groups and it makes you wonder why these people haven't been taken out by natural selection.

Sure there were some Leigh fans who took delight in Bradford suffering. And for those, I don't feel sorry one bit. But there's plenty of really good Leigh fans. I met loads visiting the LSV in the last few years, even though we had a rivalry going, I never met a single idiot. And there's a couple that have regularly come on this board and never wished us anything but well (Bent&Bongser for example). They'll be really worried about the future of their club right now and don't need people laughing in their faces. We know better than anyone how it feels.

Regardless of the cause of the problems (overspending, crap structure, lack of funding etc.), here's just hoping they don't end up in too much trouble and can get things sorted out.

Frying pan and fire ......

Spot on.

Talking on Leigh,,, what ever happened to Lachlan burr

I wasn’t a fun of DB during our verbal battles with him but there’s no doubt he loved his club and was held in adoration by the supporters of Leigh.

This just proves what a poor financial state our sport is in that “sugar daddies” of the sport are now withdrawing their support.

The RFL need to get their finger out or RL as we know it will die, particularly anybody outside SL.

Good luck to Leigh and the people it effects the most, players and supporters, wouldn’t wish this on anybody, look forward to seeing you all at Odsal next year.