It's funny all the Salford fans wasn't calling for this marquee rule last year.

And then when the NRL introduced their own, increased their salary cap and yet again enticed one of Super League's best players away from the UK people started to realise that maybe we do need it.

You could just as easily say that it's funny that Saints fans don't want it brought in when teams like Warrington and Wigan have looked significantly weaker on paper (and on the field so far) this season and Saints looking like they have their best team for a few years.

I've not got my saints tinted glasses on here, I'm looking at it as a rugby league fan. Teams in money problems, on verge of going bust, no teams hardly making profit and you want to give teams the freedom to buy marquee player?

Super league teams voted to scrap the u21s to save a measly 30k a year (youth is the future of rugby league) and now a few clubs want to spend massive amount on marquee!

Sorry mate, it just don't sound right to me.

It's a difficult situation and I can see both sides of the argument. Looking at some clubs you can obviously say we can't afford to bring something like this in, but looking at the state of the game, you can also say we can't afford to just do nothing. No one can deny that bringing through youth is a positive. We need to improve on the international stage and it can only help in that regard, but if we stick with the way things are, we're simply going to be a feeder league for the NRL and rugby union.

We need to somehow maintain a balance between bringing through youth and still having some top players in the league so that it's an attractive proposition for paying fans as well as sponsors, etc.

I wish you would study the facts before posting, Saints are one of the top clubs for youth development and talent spotting for career development. Saints tried to sign Amor many years ago when he was an amateur to progress his career through our development system, luckily we got him in the end and should get 5 years of great service from him.
We could probably compete as a top 8 side without any overseas players.
I think Salford{Doctor} needs to stop looking for the short term quick fix, the club seem to be happy with our ex Saints players of Ashurst, Dixon, Petulia and Meli.
You,ve got Morley 12 years too late took a gamble on Chase and Smith and had a big fail on the pretence of Tomkins and Burgess as "Marquee Signings".
I wonder when the doctor realises you build up the club from the ground.......maybe he isn,t in it for the long haul.

Why would you care if Salford go bust? You' ve said on the Saints forum that you hate the place, you hate the team, you hate the 'idiot doc' and you hope we get relegated.

I know you had a bad experience getting out of the car park but don't you think you're going a bit over the top?

He's never in it for the long haul.

The under 21s should never have been scrapped. It was an appalling decision.

I presume that the clubs that feel so strongly about this are going to push for a vote to have it re instated now clubs have the extra money from the new sponsorship deals?

As for Koukash not being in it for the long haul, it would be virtually impossible for him to leave us in a worse position than the state we were in when he took over.

Another self-confessed expert in his own opinions. Just what RLFans needs eh?

There's plenty of tedium on these boards and I expected a large influx of pointless and negative posts as the season got underway. Surprised me how quickly it's happened to be honest.

Guess again. rlIt was discussed last yearrl.

My thoughts haven’t changed since then1. What is good for Koukash and Salford
2. What is good for rugby league
3. Political motives[/list

Koukash would do without the salary cap tomorrow. We all know that. The marquee rule for him is chipping away at something that has been a staple in rugby league for over a decade now. The so-called golden ticket suggestion, and that cash rich clubs could scoop them up from others, was proof of that. And it was funny too. The Doctor, brazen as always.

Is scrapping the salary cap good for rugby league? Today, I don’t think so. Just as with 1995, the main beneficiaries will be the average rugby league player. Average salaries will probably rise quite quickly, and that doesn’t solve the problem the game is facing in keeping talent. For example, Wigan allegedly spent rl£3.2m on player salaries in 2001rl before being reigned in. I reckon we would all like to see the average wage of RL players rise, but only if the game could afford it. That said, can the sport be seen as progressing if in ten years the value of the salary cap has barely budged? There has to be concessions somewhere down the line.

While McManus makes some salient points, I’m not convinced that this isn’t primarily a case of not letting Koukash stomp into rugby league and get his own way. You only have to go through newspaper and minute archives to see that such squabbles can tend to be exercises in one-upmanship between individual club chairmen or factions.

I noticed yesterday - in the July 2011 issue of RLW,before I recycle it - the following from Margaret Ratcliffe,page45.

[iAgain from League Express I noted a comment that when Huddersfield's players contracts are up at the end of this season,they will probably all want more money since they have improved,etc.
Then Huddersfield will be over the salary-cap and will have to off-load players.How can that be right?A team which has had limited success for a generation gets its act together and its progress is compromised by the stupid salary cap.[/i

It's a shame, I know some really decent Saints fans, but the majority appearing on here really are doing themselves no favours.

Did any of you Salford fans see that column in a Sunday newspaper penned by Garry Schofield?

He absolutely slaughtered your club from top to bottom in the said article if any of you haven't read it.

And???

If true, qoute:

"Thanks big fat Gary for the motivation, keep it up Gary thanks very much"

knowing Mr Schofield's penchant for living in the past, it was probably in the News of the World.