If we are going to continue signing players on 12 month deals we might aswell give up now.

I think the fear is emulating the collection of 19 player's that Cunningham brought to the club for the '18 season, most of them couldn't be bothered other than turning up each week and holding out their hand for payment, it was a team that was expected to run away with the Championship - all the experts and scribes thought so - and have enough quality player's to make the transition the following year to SL hence contracts being longer than 12 months.
This is the problem any Championship team has, a squad of player's brought into a club capable of being successful in winning promotion may not nessacarilly be good enough to compete in SL, if you want confirmation of that look at the team put together by the Brian's Noble & McDermott at Toronto to good for the Championship nowhere near good enough for SL.
So where do we find player's capable of making that transition of both divisions and more to the point how much will it cost?
This is a reason that I think that if promoted Toulouse will suffer in SL, unless they have enough players who's contracts expire this season because it could cost double for a replacement for each player, I should imagine that if a player who's contract goes into the following season and the club decides to terminate that contact the club will have to honour that contract which I should imagine would be deemed as 'wages' and would be counted as part of the Salery cap then it would also cost to replace the player released hence why I was saying it would cost double.
So kn my opinion any player brought in on a contract over 12 months will have to be capable of performing in SL, so he will most likely be a SL player now, if not offer a 12 month contract with the caveat that he can earn himself another contract through his on-field performance.

Very interesting comments from hull fc owner on bbc website.

He wont be the only one with radical thoughts.

Anyone know when the next meeting is

We are positioned between 11 and 14 in the pecking order, the quality needed to compete in SL will not be found in the championships. When someone has a solution let me know what it is

Plenty money spent up to the legal Cap Level, nothing more nothing less, oh and signing the right players, that is where a good head of rugby earns his salt, I say get Mr Wane in he has the knowledge and more importantly most probably the connections, it could be a part time role I am sure Shaun could mesh that with his England duties.

Quite obviously, private injections of funds to support his club was rejected. He now turns to lower tactics. Private investment ( at a cost of the share of game) would have brought ( before the pandemic) another £60M in. But to support who?

The reasons and excuses have been stated before. Leigh took it on. On what terms they took it on is down to DB and SL. Not the RFL.

Unfortunately, with a diminishing pool of players up to the required standard, and now not being able to poach from union as their wages are significantly higher, the only way I can see sustainable full time RL in the UK is reducing the number of clubs by implementing mergers as they did in Sydney with the NRL. I think this is what SKY are after and what they want will happen. Otherwise it will be back to part time in the top division.

So when we merge with Salford (they need a ground) we will be based in Leigh, what will we call ourselves? East Lancs Cherry Reds! Maybe Marwan might be interested!

The required standard is supported by Wakeys standard of recruitment. Just enough. The problem comes about when recruitment costs and developing players ends. That’s the cost of game. Proclaiming youth when killed in the name of survival, is what counts to survive.

If you want progression in the game then simply point your youngsters to the main club in your town. Or continue to let them go.

Manchester West !!!

Leigh Reds