This is the clearest as it has Saint, Wigan, Wire and Widnes all within their respective counties, Laughing Gravy, you need to move with the times and stop holding on to the past.

Lancashire County Cricket club should think about changing their name back to what it first was Manchester Cricket Club.

:1zst4cch

=#BF00BF:1zst4cchIt could do that, yes, but unless someone can provide reasons why it would be any better received than previous, similar efforts it seems to hold no greater attractions than, say, the Exiles games.:1zst4cch


Other measures are needed to increase profile and reach in other areas. My basic plan would be:
- Reduce SL to 10 clubs. (Takes 6 games off the season. 4 regular season & 2 after the split)
- introduce a 2nd cup competition early in the season. (Max 4 games for SL clubs)

=#BF00BF:1zst4cchNot for me, though others might feel differently. I reckon a new cup comp would be poorly attended and the temptation to revert back to a 27-game league season with each of the 10 clubs playing each other 3 instead of 2 times would be too great. Either way, a 10 club league comp would seem very stale to me.:1zst4cch

- introduce a 3 game Roses comp run alongside the regular season. All qualifying players to be made available for selection. If they're not then clubs to be sanctioned and players to be made unavailable for international selection.

=#BF00BF:1zst4cchSee above. I'm not averse to the principle of a 3 game series - I'm in favour - just not a roses one.:1zst4cch

- take £3.6m a year from the TV money to be invested in the game. £1.8m to be targeted investment in one or 2 areas (my preference being Newcastle and/or Manchester) to both help Salford/Newcastle grow and to grow the game at grassroots level in these areas. The other £1.8m to go toward grassroots growth in other areas.
- A regular mid-season international series established involving England, Wales and France.

=#BF00BF:1zst4cchBoth get my vote although I haven't the faintest whether £1.8m is an appropriate sum. But Newcastle and Manchester, definitely.

I am from Manchester proper, not a born & bred RL Fan but have been for 34 years now, I would still care about Lancs v Yorks, more so than I would a 3rd Wigan v Saints, Widnes v Wire - Magic Weekend game.

Drop 2 uncompetitive SL Clubs reducing SL to 10 teams, *there's your mid season break*
Championship stays at 12 with 2 uncompetitive Clubs relegated to League 1
League 1 goes from 15 to 12 Clubs with a new League 2 introduced, 3 uncompetitive teams relegated.

Introduce 1 up 1 down straight P&R *creates excitement & [icould[/i bring back fans to the terraces*. Get rid of or reduce the 8's (all of them), why should a team that finishes 8th in SL be crowned Champions ? Ludicrous!!!
Reduce it to Top 4
Have 2nd bottom SL & 2nd Top Championship play off for promotion/relegation.
This reduction in end of season 'Novelty Fixtures' creates yet more room for Internationals/Roses etc games within the regular season.

Above all, market the CARP out of it & create a buzz.

Unfortunately the success of such a venture would require leaders with a backbone & not the half A$$€D
bunch of invertebrates we have currently presiding over RL.

Re Clearwing -
I understand what you mean, I was previously against reducing the comp down to 10, like you I thought it would get stale. I probably still think it would. I think the benefits of it (larger squads for the 10 clubs, more tv money for each club, higher intensity/quality games) might be starting to outweigh the negatives. Though that's partly why I suggested a 2nd cup comp to liven the season up a bit.

Quote JonB95="JonB95"Indeed.. when was the last time you heard fans of Saints/Wigan/Wire et al chanting Lancashire? In fact, even the good people of Yorkshire couldn't get up for it before it was scrapped - see the paltry attendances for yourself here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_Lea ... _the_Roses Here's a wacky idea, how about we improve our international team (England) by playing a full international mid season with another international team (France) and stop trying to revive dead and buried fixtures from the bygone past.'" looking at all the attendances from 1895 onwards it is pretty clear to see that nobody gives a damn about this series. pointless exercise bringing it back.

Quote JonB95="JonB95"Indeed.. when was the last time you heard fans of Saints/Wigan/Wire et al chanting Lancashire? In fact, even the good people of Yorkshire couldn't get up for it before it was scrapped - see the paltry attendances for yourself here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_Lea ... _the_Roses Here's a wacky idea, how about we improve our international team (England) by playing a full international mid season with another international team (France) and stop trying to revive dead and buried fixtures from the bygone past.'" looking at all the attendances from 1895 onwards it is pretty clear to see that nobody gives a damn about this series. pointless exercise bringing it back.

yeah, but we will still get a thread on it here at least once a year though

Lancs v Yorks discussions are one of a few reasons our sport won't grow, too many parochial ideas, not enough national focus.

Even the rfl daring to putting a game in Liverpool and people lost their s**t; and we actually have a team from Merseyside too ffs.

It's not just the rfl that hold us back, it's the dinosaur fans with chips on their shoulders, it's going to take at least one more generation to get rid of them too.

Don't even get me started on BARLA.
Wannabe CEO types who think they are running a club like a billion dollar industry.
Thinking they are important and matter, they are usually just fat loud mouths with too much time on their hands (like amateur versions of Leigh).
Hold the game back something chronic.

Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester. They are not bloody real places it was Lancashire for a 1000 years have some sense of history and pride

If you wanna be more specific, Lancashire as an established county was that formed until the late 12th century. It was part of the kingdom of Northumbria starting in the 8th century which also incorporated the entirety of Yorkshire and small parts of Cumbria. A little while after that (cant recall exact time (little while since I did my studies)) barrow was also part of Lancashire. Approximately 1000 years ago, Lancashire was ceded to the newly formed kingdom of England.

So point is, if we go just a little earlier than 1000 years, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northumberland were the same place and so were parts of Cumbria which means that we couldn't have a series cos we would only have one team, anyway this isn't a history lesson hahaha

Pretty much spot on yorksguy, (sorry Yed I'm and always will be from Warrington Lancashire), but what is this Cumbria that you speak of?

As far as the RL War of the Roses is concerned I'm saddened, ("sorrowful" not the poster) but I don't think that there's an appetite for it and certainly not a three game series. Maybe a one off game for international selection as the other code's Probables v Possibles?

The county of Cheshire, which has always included at least part of Warrington, may well be 145 years older than Yorkshire, and 262 years older than Lancashire, yet it isn't a 'real place'!