Wrote this to League Express and Rugby Leaguer if only to stir the pot a little.Concensus please!
You could at least get your facts correct if you print statistics in your leader column. (Rugby Leaguer and League Express 23rd May) Fact: Featherstone are not joint leaders of the Championship. They are second, six points behind the unbeaten leaders, Leigh Centurions.

Also, didn't this weekend prove what a farce the franchise system is. Soccers last day of the season had some fantastic matches, with all to play for by six teams at least, and the adrenillin of all their supporters must have been fantastic, with no-one knowing until the final whistle what the outcome would be, and who were going up and who were being demoted. What have we got? A closed shop franchise for the next three years with literally nowt to play for. Those in Superleague are in a comfort zone for three years and even the leading championship teams have nothing to offer supporters to get excited about ( unless you say that the Northerrn Rail Cup is exciting). Why is it that the jobsworths at Red Hall think that because the Aussies do something (and that is their business) it must be good for our game. This thinking is just arrant nonesense. All we ask is that the RL give us some incentive to aim for instead of three years just watching our fanbase disappear, with the end reasult that the RL will consist of about ten teams playing for a pointless cup or two, all other teams having gone to the wall because no one turns up to watch. Another point against the franchise is that a mediocre side like Widnes get promoted on the strength of what they did two or three years ago, and not what they are doing now. On performance alone, Leigh should be given the opportunity to compete at the top level, because, point proved against Catalans, they are good enough to compete there. Featherstone also have a claim to promotion. Instead, Superleague clubs will just come poaching our top players, as is the case at Leigh with Ellis and Hill already on Superleague teams shopping list. This means that we will have to start rebuilding our team again next year and probably the year after that, ad infinitum, because of this stupid and self interested system that we have now. I rest my case.

Totally agree with you ,said so myself to friends re building the squad year after year ,no wonder AT has stepped down ,why should he or anyone else fund the lesser clubs just on the off chance they become the chosen ones .For all we know we could win something this year and next year only to be told the criteria has changed or they decide to go back to promotion and relegation

I think you are a bunch of flatcappers.

RL is flourishing because the governing body decided to ring fence an elite group.

They have seen to it that if a non elite club produces a good player then the elite club can take them on contract without compensation thus benefitting them and what is better letting them lend a couple of players for the odd match to the non elite club when it suits them.

The game is now played by more amatuers in London' the South West and North Wales than ever. Professional clubs based there are going from strength to strength and the non elite clubs have something to strive for ie to become part of the elite.

People are scrambling to get Challenge Cup Final' Grand Final and International match tickets. The RFL can charge sky high prices to get people to attend because fans are that desperate to see exciting RL.

The dissapearance of promotion and relegation has brought financial stability and franchising has had the surprising effect of stopping any club ever going into administration has it not ? Crowds for all clubs elite and non elite continue to soar. No one liked games that mattered anyway and most have now got used to a friendly game.

You flatcappers are so wrong. Had this franchise system been introduced in RU they would be thriving because they are so short sighted they did not realise fans wanted friendlies not that constant concern about promotion and relegation.

Richard Lewis is ultimately responsible and should be applauded. Every sporting organisation he has managed
has thrived apart from the last two but he is working tirelessly to get that improvement going now and although every now and again he tells shameless lies he is so highly regarded by RL fans everywhere.

Blimey this post is longwinded im going for my dinner ,i will read the rest later,before going to bed , this WILL send me to sleep.

I will try and explain it tomorrow Charlie if you are not multitasking.

Can't be @rs_ed with a long reply!
Save to say - my cap is flat!
Love n peace.

You know me Frank ,not very bright as for multi-tasking , i had a sweat on last week trying to sort things out .No wonder i lost .

Well said, Clitheroe! Although it's a moot point who, in the Championship, is deserving of 'promotion', the lack of P&R is, in my view what is slowly killing the Championship clubs. How anyone at Red Hall, can argue that the Championship is flourishing, is beyond me! Sure, there are some well-matched, competitive games, but I'm sure all that will alter next season, when the all-knowing Red Hall brigade change the current format!

I agree entirely the franchise system punishes developing clubs (that are actually in places where development is possible), makes the bottom half of Super League boring and means that if you're not one of the big 4 clubs there's not match point in turning up as you're not going to achieve anything.

Well, Frank, as a flat-capper for over 70 years, I can't ever agree with that spurious argument, but if you are content to stand amongst an ever dwindling band of supporters, that's your luck. Most of us just want an equal opportunity to see these lads play for OUR team and not for some Superrleague team that we have never, and never will support. Upwards and onwards and out with the jobsworths at Red Hall.

Who is winding who up

I know franchising stinks. I think it is daft and so ill conceived it reeks of incompetance.

Please make yourself clear, Frank!