I honestly dont know if smokey just wants to provoke an argument or he just doesnt get it,the people of castleford and wakefield (and fev for that matter) want to support there team in the top flight but not as much as they want to support there own team. Smokey seems to think that since we share a (innept and universally despised) council we feel some affiliation towards each other, even though anyone who lives or has spent much time in that district know that isnt the case. The people of cas feel no more affiliation to wakey than they do leeds, bradford, huddersfield or anywhere else in the county, and i've never met someone from wakefield that feels any affiliation to cas. No merged team can work unless it has the fans support and there is no support for the idea. Some people seem to think that a merge team would make rl stronger in the district, when everyone who is from the district knows that it would make it weaker, so many fans that rl cannot afford to lose would be lost to the game for ever and the damage to one of rl's strongest nurseries would be all but irreversable.

Anyway this argument has been done to death a thousand times and i cant be bothered getting into one of smokey cut and paste-athons

There was a thread on here listing what every team posted, Cas were making a profit of around 20 grand.

Not spending the full cap is good business sense no? they still made the playoffs 2 years ago and just missed out on a crap decision against Hull KR last year, building a stable club with a profit is far more important than spending the full cap, doing nothing and making a loss (half the teams in the league).

rugby league has a lot of money in it at some parts, and very little in others.

The fact that some clubs still arent spending the SC which was set 10 years ago and hasnt risen since highlights very clearly just how far behind some clubs are.

Really? Why we get around 7,000 for an International and RU clubs get 80,000 and the Union club game getsa full 2 page spread when they play and we get a tiny little bit at the bottom. You want RL to expand, it isn't going to, sorry but it's not because no-one cares for it that much.

So there is no actual evidence for it.

It is good business sense, but it shows the huge difference in size between Cas and some other clubs.
Im not arguing some clubs in SL arent been run in an unsustainable manner, they are.

And im not arguing Cas should spend more than they have. Im saying they are quite a way behind the other clubs, and playing catch up, and not in a position to be turning down growth opportunities. They have to do something or be left behind.

No, its because the game was run for a long time by people who got caught in meaningless personal battles between parishes and ignored the greater good of the game, thankfully an end was put to that and we have seen almost unfettered growth since.

And we dont get 7k for an international, we (as in england) generally get between 12k and 40k depending on the opponents.

So spending more money each year building up to the full cap isn't good, but merging with a bankrupt club with no fans is a good idea, when said merger WILL lose more fans compared to what it would gain?

And as for being quite a way behind "the other teams" what other teams are they then? Bradford? Hull FC? both of them do brilliantly spending the full cap don't they?

And they're hardly being left behind are they? consistently mid table without spending as much as the teams above them? how good will they be in a year or 2 in a new stadium spending the full cap? Cas don't need a merger, Wakefield do - so it wont happen because both parties will not gain from it.

Why would we be so ridiculous as to only compare the last two years? And then why would be so ridiculous as to only compare one of the two clubs you mentioned.

Since the advent of SL and since Hulls merger, both Hull and Bradford have been superior to Castleford in pretty much every facet.

I think some of them would yes, i think it would be niave to think otherwise. I have been to games at Wakefield, and Castleford and Bradford when Leeds arent playing because I enjoy RL. If Leeds ceased to exist for whatever reason I wouldn't stop enjoying RL. I would simply go watch one of the other clubs in the area.

You may believe that, but it simply hasnt happened in the professional era. We are getting on for 20 years of a fully pro game now and neither of the clubs in the district have achieved anything of note. Castleford have been relegated twice and Wakefield have bombed along the bottom.

Castleford may have been doing just fine before, but just fine isnt good enough anymore. It isnt the 1960's anymore.

ive thought long and hard of the pros and cons of a merger with wakefield.

my take on it is that its probably a non starter,rugby league is more than a game to the people of castleford its our identity and a way of life and to rock the boat would potentially cause greater dammage than people think,all the talk is of wakefield fans wouldnt follow a team based at glasshoughton but i also believe some castleford people wouldnt watch a wakefield district team based at glasshoughton.

most supporters see winning a grand final or getting to wembley has the pinicle of their club and whilst thats what every cas fan would love to see i think the majority are happy to follow a team that provides a career for local juniors and thrives on seeing our own on the field "something we are doing now" and im not too sure where wakefield fit in with this.

for my money wakey need to start a fresh and re-build in the championship and hopefully progress from their,clubs like eastmoor,stanley and crigglestone are good providers for wakefield and this where they need to concentrate and get a team full of local lads and the supporters will stand by them and they may also be very suprised by the standard of rugby in the nl,teams always bang on about super league but lets be honest the rfl are turning it into a circus where the colour of the seat and location on the map are far more important than the game and in the long run this will dammage the sport.

only my opinion.