I've no issues with the likes of Catalans playing in SL, but Toulouse and the Canadians need to progress through the competition just the same as everyone else. In our current format, this would mean a top 4 place in the Championship, followed by a top 3 place in the middle 8's or a victory in the million pound game. They should abide by the same rules regarding salary cap, but agree that some leeway on player nationalities needs to be accepted.

I have to disagree completely regarding P&R and the excitement it creates versus franchising. You're in denial if you think that an end of season match between 2 bottom half teams could be "exciting" without the threat of relegation.

The main problem I see is that it's so hard to get back into SL after relegation. Hence my suggestion of 2 up 2 down, with a support process in place to help the promoted teams compete.

Wow!!

Koukash has become a M62 only supporter. I don't support his silly statements.

So what if Catalan don't bring fans. The game has to expand.. Man is just bitter that Catalan are a success.

Yeah, with loads of imports playing for them GET REAL ! English clubs take fans to Catalans, but they can't be d vice/versa ! "The game has to expand" why exactly ???

To be fair, the trip to Catalans is a once in a season trip for UK clubs. We can't expect the Catalans fans to travel to the UK every other week!

Again the only genuine franchising system would need completely new clubs without any historical associations , otherwise it will not work

Agreed, but they could still take more than 10 fans, when they play the likes of Leeds, Wigan, Saints, Warrington etc..

Firstly, you're daft if you don't realise that the current "promotion and relegation" system makes it much harder - nay impossible - for a championship side to enter SL than it was under franchising. Under franchising it was hard work, but possible. Under this system, we will never see a championship club promoted. It effectively makes the current 12 clubs a closed shop until such time as one of them either goes bankrupt (not impossible), or the league decides to expand to a larger number.

Secondly, Koukash is a plonker. This is a man who runs a club based solidly in the so-called RL "heartlands", which has been in existence for 140 years, hasn't been competitive in the top division for 40 years, and averages less than 4,500 crowds. And he's criticising a club which averages crowds more than twice the size of Salford, is highly competitive in both CC and SL, despite - apparently - not being in the so-called essential "heartlands" and yet has only been in existence for ten years. He's a corner shop accusing a supermarket of being unsuccessful. If Catalans left the competition, it would be much the poorer in many ways. If Salford left the competition, it'd make no difference at all in terms of support, sponsorship, media exposure or strengthening the international game.

Before he goes around criticising clubs which have actually made a remarkable success of the most difficult competitive position in the competition, he might first glance at all the advantages of the so-called heartlands which he is so keen to retreat to, which his own club allegedly benefits from, and wonder why, if it's so much better in Salford than Perpignan, he can't manage to persuade even 5,000 people to regularly attend his matches, or put together a squad which will ever challenge the rest of the competition without cheating the cap.

Idiot.

Sorry, but you're totally wrong on your first point. Under the current system, at worst a Championship club has a one-off game against a SL club (the million pound game) to gain promotion. Bradford had a great chance against Wakefield last season, and someone will have a similar opportunity at the end of this season. Tough, yes, but impossible, far from it.

Tough , difficult , unlikely even , but not soul destroying as ' licencing ' is

This

Well said Starbug/Gubrats !

Btw, stand up the fan of a current SL team that would staunchly continue to support franchising if their team wasn't included in the franchise?

Think about it before you answer.......