I dunno how good a one-off "sub world club challenge" would fair. The cup format did not work with the treize tournoi.

I agree with you in that I am not pleased with the view that TO is in the Championship with a view to SL, would be better to have a French club that aspired to be a Championship club. Then again, TO can trial it and see if it works, if it does then another LER club could join the championship, this time without the need to look to SL as the next step. So in this trial way TO is good for the SL, beyond the media attention they generate.

I would say, further, that if Celtic (I assume they're who you're talking about) were not in SL now, then they would be drawing in for the Championship now. All the media attention that they currently get in SL would be attention going to the Championship.

Part two ...

We know that Catalans succeeded in joining SL straight off, there was no need for TO to join via the Championship if the only aim was to get them to SL. Sure it would help but the Catalans showed that it is not essential.

The reason TO were added to the Championship was not to put them in SL, but rather to help the Championship by adding an international aspect to the competition.

...Or because the RFL had guaranteed an NL1/Championship club would be given a 2012 SL licence?

If that is the case then I think it is a mistake and one that is to cost a lot of money , money that is in short supply in the Championships , notice I said Championships , not [ithe[/i Championship

I dont see how thier inclusion will help clubs in Championship 1

Also having a team excempt from relegation is wrong and will cause resentment and dissolutionment from fans especially should they find themselves in a bottom two spot

No because if Celtic were not in SL they would most likely not exist , or if they did they would end up being very similar to how Gateshead were 6/7 years ago , starting from the bottom up again but sticking to the same rules as everybody else

The other option would be for them to continue having rules ' bent ' for them which would be damaging to the credibility of the competition they were in

Sorry ' pet ' or ' gimmick ' clubs dont fool anybody , they make our so called ' sport ' look ridiculous in the eyes of people we are trying to attract to our clubs

The site and this thread gets better. I have just spent half an hour poring over it ('cos I can't read very fast).
But on a serious note, there seems to be very little incentive for the teams to get to the top of the league at the moment (No promotion from NL1 to Super League). Come back at me if you want and say I am mad, but with £24.5 million being brought into the game from Sport England, much of it should be fed down through the leagues, so that all teams can look forward to the future. What about a play-off series for the NL 1 top 6 teams, which would generate interest and revenue, Toulouse or not Toulouse- that is the question. With a substantial cash prize and Cup for the winners of the competition. This money then to be invested through the club, in order to prepare it for an application to Super League? The best team wins and there can be no argument of fixing or teams being prepared for Super League. Just a thought ?

to get to the GF

This would be the Gateshead thunder who have 7 overseas players would it? playing by the same rules are they?

its clear where you prejudice lies, you might aswell be honest about it you fool no one

It could be. It would be absolutely shocking if they did, I would go so far as to say it would be an outrage. If TO join the SL in 2012, fine, but the spirit (if not the word) of the deal was that a UK Championship club would get promoted and if TO join in the place that was reserved for a UK club (as oppsed to "along with"), then I will join you in recrimanations of the RFL.

Of course, 3 years is far ahead from now, TO could fall on their face or they could prove to be the dominant side in the Championship, while all other clubs underacheive spectacularly. In that (unlikely) scenario it would seem odd to add one of the other clubs at the expense of a curent SL club - but this is crystal ball stuff, so pointlessly speculative.

We will have to see whether they lose or generate cash over the next 3 years - possibly the credit crunch was not the best time for this move, but who could have predicted that.

Championship 1 get a share of TV revenue, the TV revenue is based on what SKy decide it's worth, which is influenced by having a French club in the top tier.

A team exempt from relegation is not wrong, if you're ann oyed about the travel costs for a Championship side, what would it be like for a Championship 1 side? If they could be relegated you'd be complaining about that too! Anyway, this isn't something we need to discuss until they actually use their relegation immunity.

Celtic in the Championship in 2009 is very much crystal ball stuff from both of us. Would the big money have walked or would he have stuck it out for another 3 years? I reckon the latter, you disagree, we will never know. Not really worth arguing about.

Not ' over the moon ' about it no , I was aware they had this many yes , are they paying out for recent SOO players on amatuer terms ? no

But to tell the truth all I care about at the moment is the survival and future growth of all the clubs we already have in the Championships

Maybe I have more sympathy for a club that has ' done its time ' in the lower league , I will not apologise for it , it is expansion of the sport much more than Toulouse or even Celtic for that matter and if they eventually do find a big money backer and go on to SL then fine

As long as the clubs in the ' lower ' league are in good financial positions then no problem