Quote: happyjack "Choose which way you look at it, there's always going to be a bottom 5, they can't really have a top 4 play off with 12 teams in it, granted the 5 you mention are the main suspects but not always, and as the 2 championship sides mentioned they are really the only 2 worthwhile contenders, so I'm not sure what point your trying to make, apart from stating the obvious.
I'm absolutely certain that your average British person would have even less of a clue as to where to find a lot of football clubs, especially all those in London, and as for rugby union ask your average British person who Wasps and Saracens are for example, and ask them to find them on a map, once again,what's your point?
Not surprising really when the game is run by two different bodies, one being super duper league filled with greedy owners, and the other filled with part time chairman with no crowds very little money who rely on player loans to top up they're squads while at the same time the top clubs take advantage of this by keeping the fringe players fit
I don't think you could argue that the RFL hasn't tried to expand with all the teams that have failed and gone out of business, if you don't know them or can't remember them look them all up there are plenty of them, this particular sport has enjoyed success for well over a 100 years, maybe it's time some folk realised that maybe it's generally a northern game enjoyed by northern people who understand and enjoy the game, and that's all it's ever going to be.'"
You ask me " What is your point"?
There were a few.
Relegation is futile in a sport that other than for a handful of clubs can't stand on its own 2 feet. Unlike Soccer, where players wages are insane, a SL club needs maybe £4 million a year in income to survive, but if you cut off the SKY cash now, I reckon 5 might survive. I am not saying Union clubs are any different, just that in terms of 'other forms of income' we do suck!
The location thing? Wasps play in Coventry. I know where that is on a map, but Leigh? Saracens are somewhere in North London, so London would suffice....Wakefield though is a mystery to many? I'm not being a wind-up merchant here, but ask a UK based sports fan with no affiliation to either Union or League about Andy Farrell and you'll get "my point". Again. What do we want and how do we think is the best way to get it?
As for the RFL trying anything? Do not make me laugh. They've thrown money at lost causes like Wales and even London in terms of the barnet sweetener cash, but always too late. They spent more oney on Bradford than they have on any amount of expansion. I am well aware of the number of clubs that have come and gone or are going and not many had any meaningful assistance from the RFL.
Your last point is spot on though. I came to the game late in life and I love it, but I am in a minority. British Sports fans (and probably fans in general) will watch any sport when it's on and RL is a cracking "filler" for SKY, but it'll not be any more than that until either we go all in and spend central cash to expand or we contract and make it a truly SUPER league with 10 viable clubs