So the area's producing them, not the clubs? They're born in WMDC, but not developing through the Cas or Wakey academies?


Hang around: didn't you say you were talking bout players born in the area but who don't go through the two clubs youth development?

Is this the very meeting where your chairman told Leigh that the Widnes meeting with the RFL was absolutely pointless, and a complete and utter waste of time ?? !!

I dont think the RFL would have been too bothered about that to be honest , in fact lets face it , the clubs in Championship 1 need the financial support that a bigger away following would bring than clubs like Widnes and Fax

It is quite simply ' convienient ' from the RFL's point of view with us finishing above Toulouse , basically everybody is happy

So, if it is Wakefield as many on here seem to be rubbing their hands (or other things) at, what is the point of the Franchise process when the CEO of the RFL and his board have already made the decision behind closed doors two years in advance?

And if that were to be the case, would Wakefield not have good grounds for legal action, as would all the other clubs, having possibly committed to spending money to support their application when the whole excercise was just a bit of window dressing anyway, and theyneedn't have bothered as all along it was Wakefield who were getting the boot.

But it was the Board of Directors that voted Leigh to gain a reprieve wasn't it?

Well the last process was a bit of window dressing to promote Celtic. Franchising is nothing more than a way of the RFL being able to cherry pick their 'faves'...
Let's get back to Promotion and Relegation!!!

We have not been ' reprieved ' , we were relegated

It is a re organisation of the leagues

Either way this is not the place for this argument , there are bigger issues to discuss here

Which is exactly the argument Widnes had after the debacle last year [ what exactly was the point of them applying if the RFL were going to use the administration from the year before against them ] , quite simply whoever gets the chop will be set back years , possibly forever

And while fans can accept what happens on the pitch because it has happened in front of their eyes over a season , a decision behind closed doors will decimate their fan base

Progress

The RFL board , which is not a specific group of club Chairmen/Directors

What this does tell us , is that he already knows the next TV deal will not be increased on what it is at present

Therefore to honour the promise he made to the clubs in the Championship [ basically Widnes ] somebody is going to be sacrificed

Is it a good thing , well ?

So how does this all fit in with an honest licence criteria being the method of promotion and relegation?

Is there any longer a reason to trust the integrity of the current system?

Well here,s my contribution.

Any heartland club kicked out of Non Relegation League will be on a downward spiral from which it would be hard to recover.

I don,t see much point in guessing who it could be or who would replace them.

Any team leaving the Championship would be one of the better supported clubs and this would impact on all other Championship clubs from the view of average attendances.

The RFL have introduced franchising and must give it the 3 years allotted. After that they can admit their mistake abandon it and go back to Promotion and Relegation.

This would give all clubs something to aspire too and might stop some going out of existence.

I have nothing against expansion but a new club should start in Championship 1 and build that way.

It would also be a good idea for the Championship leagues to start 2 months earlier than Superleague. That would give the club at the top of the Championship enough time to negotiate contracts unlike the scenario we were faced with when we won admission to the top league.

Dont be stupid Frank

The trouble is they haven't given it three years, in the interview he states a club will go down. So what is the point of a club applying for a licence if it has already been decided.