Daft as it seems they could make a go of it in wrexham,but I'm sure theres a mess waiting to happen behind the scene,it is rl after all

Great letter from a new Cru fan in today's League Express. How right that man is!

5 years as an RL club against over 100 for Leigh - yeah I worry for this once great club. Really I do. It breaks my heart but to see the game develop and blossom as it is doing in North Wales is fantastic.

The trip to Huddersfield was reminiscent of our Grand final win at Widnes in 2005 - just wrong result on Saturday. The Crusaders fans were awesome. To see people new to the game and embrace it with such passion is awesome. Warms the cockles of your heart. Long live the Cru!

I wish we could still take 800 to an away game. Leeds only took 1,300 to Wigan and that's nearly an hour's less travelling so I don't see how anyone can discredit them, to be honest.

rlLook at how many club shirts etc - real signs of a growing support, I sayrl

Free tickets and shirts given free if you buy more than 4 free tickets. Also vouchers given out to get Free Season Tickets.

as i've stated before, the numptys wont be happy until its leigh, miners, east and central lions in a 4 team league, whinging when they draw golborne parkside in the cup, cos its too far, and slagging off a player who lives on the wrong side of butts bridge

lets just see how they are doing in 95 years time....

But Leigh are not in SL...and it looks like we never will be until they do away with stupid franchising. Put them in the Championship, lets see how many fans they would get then.

2009, a SL club almost goes bust, saved after intervention from the RFL
2010, a SL club almost goes bust, saved after intervention from the RFL

The million quid Sky monies effectively used to pay a badly managed companies debts instead of developing the game around the country

2009 and 2010 saw a number of Championship clubs, go into administration and almost fold, I don't see much evidence of intervention from the RFL to help the club continue in the Division they are in

It was a fantastic turnout! Can you see me?!


It's the way the RFL is running the game. It's Superleague or nought. Leigh and those in the Championship and below have been cast adrift. The RFL gave Crusaders and Salford franchiches didn't they? Cru doing a better job than Salford you've got to agree. What about Salford fan base/performance this season/phantom new ground?

Take the blinkers off and give credit where it's due - been an amazing season for the Crusaders from the diabolical start in January.

Crusaders came to Leigh in the NRC a few years ago and were applauded off the pitch, new club, played well etc
Since then the RFL have ripped the game apart, treating the majority of its members as smelly stuff on its shoes.
I will repeat my stance, only a few clubs are effected by P&R, those not in SL are on the way out of business in the current format. Widnes, Fax, Wakey, Cas, HKR, Hudds, Salford, Leigh and possibly Oldham would be as big as each other today with the same amount of SL gametime. Leeds, Wire, Wigan, Saints,Hull and to a degree Bradford are the 'BIG' clubs. Quins, Cats and Cru are the expansion clubs.
Two FT divisions of 10 allows all those clubs to find a level to challenge themselves and to dream, plus allows a 2nd French and Welsh club. It expands the player pool and strengthens the international game, whilst being fairly easy to fund centrally eg £1.1m SL1 and £750k SL2.

No they didnt , they gave the Celtic Crusaders a franchise , not the club called Crusaders currently in SL , you may suggest I'm being pedantic

i liv in wrexham and the area has been cryin out for somethin like this, no big union team and not a great football team. and bringin in g thomas was the best thing they could of done, every1 round here thinks of him as a brother, our alfie this, our alfie that. half of the people going don't no the rules but they are still turning up and learning but more importantly paying.

It sounds like Noble is leaving them though, all the same, from what he says in that interview

Has left them, Harris to take over

Quote: DemonUK "Has left them, Harris to take over'" Not yet he hasn't. Still speculation. He's having second thoughts after the way the season has finished up. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 991360.stm If he does go he leaves the club in good hands with Iestyn and Jon Sharpe. They have learned from the master. Best coach in Superleague bar none. Coach of the Year without a doubt.

Quote: DemonUK "Has left them, Harris to take over'" Not yet he hasn't. Still speculation. He's having second thoughts after the way the season has finished up. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 991360.stm If he does go he leaves the club in good hands with Iestyn and Jon Sharpe. They have learned from the master. Best coach in Superleague bar none. Coach of the Year without a doubt.

You're not allowed to say things like that on here. I've been repeating exactly those comments since before the 'original' Crusaders were launched - that Wrexham is the ideal expansion area, and that if we can't make a go of it there then we may as well bury the game - and have been torn to shreds for it. I grew up in Wrexham and was aware then of the reasonable following for the game there while I was there.
It also helps RLs cause that the Welsh RU hate North Wales clubs, and are playing into the RLs hands.

The fact remains that (no matter how much you want to put PROPAGANDA - or even FACT! - in capitals) Crusaders are doing better after 12 months in Wrexham than Leigh are doing after 100 years.