No, prior to this year players were able to come on "holiday and student" visas which had no onerous pre-qualifying criteria. Many of the players in NL1 and NL2 were playing on these.

From this year the rules changed and players must obtain a full employment visa and to get this there were certain criteria including having played at the highest level domestically (in their own country) for a certain number of games or had so many caps for their country in full test matches etc

The only stirring is on here.

Your response alone seems to suggest otherwise.

And I mentioned no club at all, everything else is your own, very paranoid inference.

Maybe you are a little bit too defensive though to be entirely innocent.

And FWIW, from my observation on this forum, Widnes fans, at least the most vocal ones, have far from moved on, limpets cling to a subject less vigourously.

FWIW, I agree. Some are being ridiculous. I can assure you that the majority couldn't give a fook about CC one way or another and are now enjoying both our club and our league. We are far more interested in our cup final in Blackpool than watching the new licence system unraveling before our eyes.



So, which club would that be then, and how did they recruit these players for CC without visas?

I think as a club the Vikings handled it brilliantly. To be honest, the only club I can think of as voicing their disgust was Leigh. I'd say a majority of Widnes fans are still bitter though, yes.

And don't try to play dumb, it's obvious what you were getting at.

What makes you say it is unravelling?

Uh oh not good

Indeed, the Franchise system is actually looking pretty damned rock solid really.

League is hugely competative with no one able to really call any match barring one or two, clubs introducing young players earlier and earlier, and without an injury crisis prompting it, more investment into youth development, long term planning going on, better preparation for next season sooner by established clubs, new clubs not having to risk all just in the hope of getting lucky in their first season.

It was a given that CC would struggle this season, maybe they have struggled more than people would like, but maybe thats down to Salford being more successful (on pitch) than many people thought? Not to mention the horror close season they endured that saw opening game team only having trained together once!

Something is indeed rotten in all this, but it isnt the Franchise system, and I suspect it isnt Celtics off field affairs.

correct - the inept management of one club does not mean that the franchise system doesnt work.

clubs have 2 years to prove they can handle life in SL - Celtic havent done so yet, but there is still plenty of time to turn things round.

I agree with you, the franchise system seems to be a success. Teams like Huddersfield breaking into the top 4 and Wakefield and Castleford getting stronger year by year.

You cant argue though that the introduction of CC may have come at the wrong time. Even their chairman came out and said that. As it is a franchise system, i will only be able to comment in 2 years whether they have been a success or not.

Surely in this situation, if anything is wrotten, its their off the field antics?

Quote: Code13 " Something is indeed rotten in all this, but it isnt the Franchise system, and I suspect it isnt Celtics off field affairs.'" news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 142408.stm news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 137097.stm news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 135198.stm I think we should blame widnes for all of the above

Quote: Code13 " Something is indeed rotten in all this, but it isnt the Franchise system, and I suspect it isnt Celtics off field affairs.'" news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 142408.stm news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 137097.stm news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 135198.stm I think we should blame widnes for all of the above

I blame the Quins myself.

why is it when ever there is a negative story about rugby league some tool like code 13 can't resist trying to drag widnes into the frame. the ill's at celtic crusaders have all to do with us, what will you try to blame us for next, the extinction of the dodo??????



get a ing life pal!!!

i do not know why you are blaming another poster for this when there are enough widnes fans doing it this is the 6th post on a thread on the Celtic board about their difficulties.

Jiffy Davies
Eddie Hemmings's WigPostedFri Jul 03, 2009 5.

seems like there are enough foolish widnes fans dragging their own team into it.

Id guess more than half of RL fans in this country would either not care or hope they go bust