Its a very sad state of affairs and one that has been allowed to happen ,our fantastic sport has been badly managed

The RFL should have been reading these forums for the last 6 years so they could have had an idea of how the people who know a thing or two about the game and it's supporters could help. If they have and just turned a blind eye they should be sacked imediately. I can't help but think that there is just one person who has been making all the decisions and the others have been told to tow the line or go.

Cue the 'I love the RFL brigade'

There seems to be more cover up's at Red Hall than at Tory HQ these days.

Lets face it though if it wasn't for those who have more money than sense like the chairman mentioned in the article and all the other 'sugar daddies' throughout Rugby League who pour money into the sport then clubs would have had to 'cut their cloth' years ago (and yes I'm including ours). Perhaps even some of our own speccies will now wake up and realise that the players and staff we have are all we can afford and the days of paying out inflated salaries to them are gone. I know players have only a short career and must get out of the sport as much as they can but the clubs must stand firm and only pay out what they can afford or there will be no sport for them to play for - and for us to watch and support.
Stop chasing the Australian dream and make our sport as good as it can be for that's all it can afford.

No doubt at all that Hudgell is trying to cover his own backside as it's more than conceivable that HKR will be next in line after Bradford, so I'd suspect he's looking after his own backyard (as he's more than entitled to do) and trying to pre-empt some more income from the RFL/Sky.

Time for clubs to be allowed to find their own level both on the field and financially.

Trouble being is that most fans won't accept that it's an expensive sport (unfortunately made so by clubs like the SL ones and others chasing the SL dream) both for speccies and clubs and until the fans expectations get in line with whichever team they supports financial budget, it won't change until there is no pro sport to support.

The book stops firmly with the clubs themselves, they are the problem rather than the governing body.

Sorry thats like letting your children run riot in a sweet shop then not being responsible for their behaviour. The RFL as a governing body, have (in my eyes) a duty to make sure that the clubs do not behave in a mannor that is detremental to the sport as a whole. They knew this was and still is going on at nearly all the clubs and have not come up with a single idea to combat it apart from the so called saviour of the game, "franchising". Our problems were down to unfortunate events of our benefactors businesses going under but we have not had (to my knowledge) any help, other than getting the RFL payments earlier than normal. Had we needed more help I don't think they would have been forth coming with it. A club should not be allowed to spend more than it's income from the previous year and that is as simple as it should be, and by that I mean only from sponsorship, gate reciepts and any other funding is a bonus that should be scrutinised by the RFL so as not to be a payment from a sugar daddy.

Nearly wet myself reading the virtual terrace last night,the franchise faries still defend the rfl and tricky dicky inparticular.

The smoke is bellowing up into there ivory towers and still they don't believe there is fire raging all around them.

At last a chairman comes out and says something is wrong

How much longer do the fans of our great sport have to put up with Mr lewis?

His franchise system which he endorses is suppose to stop clubs like bradford,celtic clowns,london going bankrupt

His franchise is suppose to ensure clubs can't over spend and get into trouble but as we see it simply is not working.

How does his franchise vet applications? phone call? written on a a4 piece ofpaper?or simply just pick which clubs he wants in?

He as overseen the farce of celtic crusaders and the deportation of players

He as overseen the collapse of celtic crusaders

He as overseen the collapse of crusaders which his rfl were effectively running,he knew full well they would not start this season as a super league club but still allowed clubs[well by the looks of things he just said same again]to go through the expense of appling for super league.

His rfl were named as being complicite in covering up drug abuse by the uk drug testing force over the cleeson affair and the fact they had ok supplements hull fc had asked could they use.


The buck stops with Mr Lewis,its time to go


But they will tell us everything is ok .....time go dicky

That's funny, I almost wet myself reading the same crap coming from the Lewis haters. It really is that funny.


I appreciate you hate him, but can you explain how he is responsible for an £8 million overdraft across the clubs. I don't see much suggestion that the RFL itself is in any sort of a poor financial situation, just that the clubs themselves have overspent. Does that buck not stop at the club chairmen themselves, or does Richard Lewis ring them up every monday and tell them to waste another £20k or whatever?

Nope, I thought not.

If the clubs are bankrupt, then that is entirely their fault.


Do you suggest that the FA board should resign over rlthis £3.5 BILLIONrl debt?
If not, then I suggest that you're being both inconsistent and disingenious.

You would think they would do something though to stop half our 'elite' clubs bringing our sport into disrepute

Listening to Radio Manchester in the car park after the game it seems the Saints chairman has also started to voice publicily the concerns he has for the game.
Things are not all well in the RL garden.

And you Nik are blinkered towards the RFL. I don't care about football as it is bent right from the very top of the sport. Why do you think we call the RFL the sports governing body. Maybe we should call it the sports baby sitting body or monthly checkup group. The RFL as the rule makers should have a plan that is strictly adhered to so that this sort of rubbish should not happen. Oh I forgot they did have a plan with the salry cap and but couldn't be bothered policing it.

Well I have always thought if you make a mistake in life it is best not to repeat it.

Wether supporters of our game think franchising is a good idea or not the evidence tells us RL fans in general do not like it.

Our game is regional admit our mistakes and move on.

The Leigh v Swinton poster telling folk it is £18 to watch our lads is not sensible either.

Lets announce get your ticket early and save' money or better still just say it is only £14 in the North stand and you get to listen to me for nothing extra. Gates will increase then.

Oh and bring Ryan Brierley on early he lifts the atmosphere.