Quote: Mr Churchill "Two posts containing the most stupid ideas I've ever read. We are talking about sport. Sport in the UK. Soccer in this country is the best lesson we could have for RL, right on our doorstep English League Football used re-election until 1986. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Re-electio ... all_League) It was used until more recently than that in Scotland, iirc. How do minor counties get first class status in cricket? Tbf, it has only happened four times - Worcestershire (1899), Northamptonshire (1905), Glamorgan (1921), Durham (1992), so they perhaps don't need a system. And RL itself has never had much of a pyramid itself - one big league, for most of its history and then make it up as you go along in the summer era. There's a lot to be said for P&R, but there are complications and difficulties with it (As examples - what happens if Catalans get relegated? How to narrow the financial and sporting chasm between divisions to make relegation less potentionally catastrophic and promotion less likely to be a poisoned chalice? What to do with administration-newcos?). Don't get me wrong, I'd be happy enough with well thought-through P and R. But we have to deal with the world as it and re-election in some ways offers a simpler path. Not 'fairer' or offering as much sporting interest as P&R - but better than what we've had so far in the summer era.

Quote: Mr Churchill "Two posts containing the most stupid ideas I've ever read. We are talking about sport. Sport in the UK. Soccer in this country is the best lesson we could have for RL, right on our doorstep English League Football used re-election until 1986. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Re-electio ... all_League) It was used until more recently than that in Scotland, iirc. How do minor counties get first class status in cricket? Tbf, it has only happened four times - Worcestershire (1899), Northamptonshire (1905), Glamorgan (1921), Durham (1992), so they perhaps don't need a system. And RL itself has never had much of a pyramid itself - one big league, for most of its history and then make it up as you go along in the summer era. There's a lot to be said for P&R, but there are complications and difficulties with it (As examples - what happens if Catalans get relegated? How to narrow the financial and sporting chasm between divisions to make relegation less potentionally catastrophic and promotion less likely to be a poisoned chalice? What to do with administration-newcos?). Don't get me wrong, I'd be happy enough with well thought-through P and R. But we have to deal with the world as it and re-election in some ways offers a simpler path. Not 'fairer' or offering as much sporting interest as P&R - but better than what we've had so far in the summer era.

There are positives to this structure, and the good news is that they will be immediately apparent.

The bad news is so will the obvious issues which will be so broad as to cause them to be addressed very quickly. The attendances in the bottom 8 will be appalling. Nobody will care about being the 17th best side in the league, pretty much that entire league will be a dead rubber and if as suggested there is relegation from that league. That will be an entire competition solely designed to find out who is the worst, it doesn’t even have the legitimacy of a plate competition. It’s a competition where you just simply try not to be the worst. A battle of the s.

The middle 8 risks being an absolute walk over, where very quickly there is nothing to play for and we have a procession of walk overs by better funded, better prepared, better players.

The top 8 also risks very quickly having no point, with so few games there is very little opportunity to turn things around, and there is also a possibility that we could see teams in that top 8 who quite literally have no mathematical chance of progressing from it and a very good possibility that there will be teams who start that competition with no realistic chance of progressing.

The biggest problem in gaining legitimacy for it is that there is a clear and obvious comparison. If for instance Hull KR (who finished 8th last year) finish 8th, the 7 games they have to play have already been played that year. Their three home games have a clear and direct comparison to live up to. It is likely that these games will be ‘extra’ and not included in season tickets (would you risk paying SL prices for a third of your season to be in the championship?) they were 9 points from 4th, 1 loss (and a 4th place win) and they are 11 pts and 4 places from 4th with 12 pts to play for. How many HKR fans are going to pay full price, for a ticket to see a repeat of a game they have seen, only this time with nothing to play for? If, like you would expect it is very few, you are left with a clear comparison showing a big drop in crowds.

There is no 'bad news'. You have simply set out your opinions - which are without foundation or consideration of the likely reality.

Take your comments about the final 7 matches that the third 8 will play. Consider what those clubs play for now in the last 7 league matches under the current structure. Nothing. Their fans are disillusioned. Gates are very low.

What will differ in the new structure for those particular clubs? Plenty. Just a few:

- Clubs will be fighting to avoid ending in the bottom 2 as it will mean relegation out of SL2 into the third tier
- The finshing positions in the 8 will determine how much SKY money the clubs will get for the following season. (i.e. I expect the distribution of SKY money in the following season to be graded - so that the higher a club finishes between places 1 to 24, the more SKY money they will get the next season). So directors will be able to offer appropriate player bonuses for the higher they finish
- Finishing in the top four will qualify you for the play-offs. OK nothing really at stake apart from pride & player bonuses. So, a bit like the old Premiership play-offs. But fans will be keen for their club to get to the play-off final even at that level - to enjoy a day out at a double header along with the middle 8 play-off final.

There are supporters of clubs outside the top 5 in the game who might win the Super League you know.

Just giving a heads up as to what is likely to be announced later this month with regard to the new structure from 2015 season onwards once agreed by the clubs next week.

If anyone is so against it, they'd better make an appointment at RFL HQ quick, and let Ralph Rimmer know why they're wrong and what your alternative is.

Oh yeah, I know its going ahead. As I said, It means my club will spend the next 5 years at least competing for trophies with the big boys, everyone else will be pretty much irrelevant playing in competitions even they think are irrelevant. Sadly the league will then be cut to ten and your club will be even further away from SL, playing in a lower league competition which will have been absolutely destroyed. Its not the big SL clubs like my club who are going to be damaged by this if anything we really will be strengthened, we will be on a different level, it’s the lower league clubs and the lower SL clubs. Don’t be naïve and think this is an expansion of SL, it isn’t. It’s a huge contraction. Its sharing 2 SL clubs TV money with the entire rest of the league and guaranteeing them they will never be top clubs ever again. This is a ringfencing of a top 6.

That would be catastrophic.

SL2013
1 Huddersfield Giants
2 Warrington Wolves
3 Leeds Rhinos
4 Wigan Warriors
5 St Helens
6 Hull FC

SL2012
1 Wigan Warriors
2 Warrington Wolves
3 St Helens
4 Catalan Dragons
5 Leeds Rhinos
6 Hull FC

SL2011
1 Warrington Wolves
2 Wigan Warriors
3 St Helens
4 Huddersfield Giants
5 Leeds Rhinos
6 Catalan Dragons

SL2010
1 Wigan Warriors
2 St Helens
3 Warrington Wolves
4 Leeds Rhinos
5 Huddersfield Giants
6 Hull FC

Indeed, it would be terrible. With any luck Hull FC and Les Catalans will both be able take that next step and we can have our top 7, Bradford can get themselves sorted and we can have our top 8 and accelerate the move to a better structure.

That would be awesome.

What a surprise to many who have posted on here. All the RFL money pumped into the Bulls + all the license financial checks + the financial check in may 2013 + checking two lots of potential owners in 15 months and we end with...administration.

How fortunate for the RFL that this did not happen a couple of weeks ago when the bulls helped give a 7-6 vote to the rfl plan.

Be interesting to see if any RFL board members will resign.

Naturally the bulls should have a 6 pt deduction. Why should Carter cut players to stay solvent while bulls pop into administration and keep everyone! Why should Hughes put his hand in his pocket and see the exodus of players to stay in business while the bulls 'work with creditors' at keep their squad.

Will Nigel Wood ever man up???