Well glad someone else said it. I used to look forward to all games home/away, opposition didnt matter. To me, if as long as I was there, didnt matter if there were 3000 or 20000 win lose or draw.

Last couple of years, I really couldnt care for some of the games. Even the Widnes game on Friday felt flat as a pancake to me. I thought it must have been me but clearly I am not alone.

Yesterday was an (ok) training session. Nothing more.

yup, especially by those who, like myself,care about the game they love being slowly killed off by the present format

Or by people slagging it off!

Can people who have such a huge gripe with the current format please suggest a sensible alternative?

Don't just say "Top of the table should be champions" because without the jockeying for play off positions a lot more games over the course of the season would become meaningless. More often than not only two, maybe three teams have a serious chance of ever finishing top.

Promotion and relegation is one idea of course, but giving London a relegation threat wouldn't have made our game yesterday any more exciting from our point of view would it?

In any format a routine win for a good side against a poor side is going to be a bit dull to watch, and we'll have them regardless of league format. Competitiveness is the key, and the narrow points gap between first and seventh position in the table with ten games played (and Leeds still having games in hand too) suggests Super League is currently very competitive at the top end.

-its called- ppl voices their opinions rather than slagging it off--well -->imo anway

Is it competitive because the lower teams are getting better or because the higher teams are playing weakened sides to rest for the end of the season cup comp?

-this-

The topic is the reason why I never renewed my season ticket. Last year was the final straw, far too many games over at ht, poor quality RL, no atmosphere. Just got very bored.

Only Catalans away and grand final for me this season. Overall quality of SL is poor.

It seems a great shame that since the idea of finishing 5th was first discussed there is a great suspicion among rugby supporters that they are being short changed on the field on match days . I would hate to think that maybe supporters would start to drift away because of this suspicion, but i would be even more disgusted to find that our game had sacrificed its integrity on the altar of sky tv with the intention of delivering mediocrity to the spectators. Once spectators start to drift away the clubs will find it hard to get them back so clubs need to get their collective acts together. The weekly rounds need to be made more important, either by laying the law down to sky or by bringing back winning & losing pay which would make the games much more competitive.

1# I would reduce the number of teams in the league back to 12 maybe even 10 teams and revert back to top 4/5/6 for play offs.

I dont have an issue with the playoff system so much, but there are clearly not enough capable elite level players for SL to remain competitive with 14 teams.

As long as we win that "end of season cup comp" I couldn't care less how we do it.

I used to enjoy watching Warrington when we were useless because win, lose or (occassionally) draw, it didn't really matter. It was just a chance for a pint and a laugh on the day watching the match. Victories were enjoyable and defeats were easily shrugged off.

Now expectation has been markedly raised I'm so utterly desperate for that top prize that I can't relax and enjoy a thing because every little set back just makes it seem that little bit less likely that it's going to happen.

Frankly if we had beaten Leeds last October I'd be loving it now no matter what because I'd philosophically accept that we can't win 'em all. I only need one!

Thanks for wrecking my enjoyment of godawful rugby Tony Smith

And yet we were well beaten by last season's 14th club on Friday?

i don't think the format is to blame really... i remember in 03, 04, 05 (when the format was the essentially same) we were an average side stocked with journeymen who occasionally played out of their skins and pulled off a brilliant performance

when that happened there was no better feeling

and when it didn't happen we either got stuffed and all enjoyed shouting at the ref or ended up in a tight game that could have gone either way which of course was entertaining

and the atmospheres were generally better because we were all willing them on so much, whereas now they only really need willing on in the games against the other top teams (with the occasional exception eg widnes)

is it the case that in superleague in the middle is exciting but a team at the top is simply boring?

wigan speccies are famed for disappearing early

didn't bradford's crowds start dying after season on season of smashing everyone?

Exactly, and from an off the field point of view there was over 9,000 people in attendance at a decent standard ground, so that 14th club obviously have something to offer.

Reality is there will be flaws in any format, and moans amongst fans regardless. If you don't like watching Wire then don't. Personally I just about still like it, despite the stress I mentioned above!