Championship is boring.

We've won the Grand Final, been to blackpool. Had our win in the challenge cup at an SL side.

Now I'm waiting for my team to lose its attendances, go into administration and die slowly and the RFL will just look the other way and be glad to see us lose the proud history of our club.

Except the result isn't the same, because you'd have never got to SL on the back of a NR Cup win in previous seasons. You've been decidedly average for 3 seasons and under P&R you wouldn't have deserved a place in the top flight. But you can qualify now by not winning a damn thing, so I suppose you did win something at least.

its amazing some people stilll dont get it. Im too tired of this to bother explaining it again.

Don't get what?

That the RFL are hand picking teams for Super League based on criteria that have little to not to do with sport? I think I've figured that one...

Or something else?

They are also hand picking reasons to keep teams in, under the 2008 criteria Crusaders would be well and truly below Wakefield and Halifax. Come 2015 the RFL will simply put who ever they want in SL and make the rules up to fit. Already it's been said that Toulouse going back to the French league won't effect there application for 2015. All very convenient now that they won't after compete with the rest of us riff raff to win the GF or the NRC.

It's easy. Pick yourselves up a Steve O'Connor and by-pass the queue. Good on Widnes i say but that is THE ONLY reason they're in.

No they rent a shiny stadium aswell, that also helps.

I thought it was because they got themselves in the clique!

I dont think thats entirely true. There is the small matter of the largest crowds in the league by some distance, the club facilities, other factors. I don't doubt O Connor has been great for us, but he's not the single reason we're on our way up. More one of them. One team was definitely coming up, can you think of any other team more suited right now?

We can waffle about championship winners all we want to, but there is the fact that were we all playing under old rules people's squads would look very different. We wouldn't have this salary cap either you'd feel, it's a tad on the short side and doesn't benefit the biggest clubs in any way.

It's important to leighs accountant

The RFL can, do, and have to justify their decision. You may not necessarily agree with it, or with the reasons behind it. But they still do it.

And it was a nervous day for me when I was waiting to see if the RFL were happy to allow Leigh in to SL for 2005.

But after that decision we had to then go on and actually win a final. On the field. With Rugby League players. Remember them? Remember when it mattered what those players could do?

In 3 seasons time Widnes could find themselves outside super league again. And it won't have mattered a jot what the Widnes players achieve over the next 3 years. Because it's not really sport any more.

There are two distinct competitions, and movement between them is arbitrary and unrelated to sport. Clubs are given licences based on whatever criteria is motivating the RFL at that present time. Of course, the RFL will sugar coat the criteria for public consumption.

But when the RFL are willing to do things such as excluding a stadium that is a couple of months from completion from their scoring system, then its plain to me that the criteria are being manipulated to suit.

And if the Crusaders still manage to get a licence this time then it shows that despite the protestations of the RFL, the system is neither fair nor level.

We'll strive to beat Harlequins attendances - hasn't done their SL status any harm
We'll borrow the business plan used by Cusaders - twice! Didn't do their SL status any harm
We'll borrow Castleford's Wheldon Road Colliseum blueprints - hasn't done their SL status any harm

I see your point. Follow the example set by other incumbents and we'll be reet