Quote roofaldo2="roofaldo2"I've been saying since the system was announced that it isn't promotion and relegation. It's just the illusion of it. As it stands, the only way a championship club can push for a SL place is if they get to the MPG and play against a team that is on the ropes both on and off the field as London and Bradford were last year.'"
That’s just what has happened this year.
Just like Muhammed Ali, Shaky Wakey have been on the ropes all year, plenty of the squad didn’t have the guts to see it through & with the finish line in sight a couple more decide to take the rise.
Unfortunately for Bradford they couldn’t find the killer blow & the buck has to stop with their coach, he picks the team & he made the decision to attempt to square up the game late on.
I’m sure I read that Bradford were near to full strength yesterday, maybe they were, but with reasonable fitness? Gaskell wasn’t at the races & Blyth was stuck out on the wing, (though I’m sure if Gaskell hadn’t been included in the seventeen, there would have been howls of derision from the Odsal faithful)
This was definitely the year for the new system to promote a Championship team, but the said team blew it.
I’m pretty sure (based on forty years of misery) Wakefield will be in the Middle Eights again next season. Will they be as appalling as this year, surely not.
But what I still don’t understand is, why the Championship clubs have to have a S.C so much lower than S.L? It’s not like their wanting a bigger slice of Red Halls beloved Sky money & if they can raise the cash internally, go for it I say.