We look in better shape on the pitch, in the context of promotion-chasing, than we have done for a number of years.

Off the pitch is a different matter, as our track record has been so poor and the decision-making so daft. I'm cautiously optimistic but I think there is still a great deal of work to be done and the gap between us the established super league sides is a very large one to close up between now and next year.

You seriously think the rfl would have stepped in to take over running of the club. Sorry mate you are in dream land.
The word bribe is slanderous.
So the club have made errors in the past, the point is its in the past not a single thing you can do about it so what's the point in bleating on.

It's highly unlikely that any champs club will be promoted any year under this system, Wakey may be the weakest squad in SL but they're probably still better on paper than all 3 fully pro Champs squads AND will have been competing against fully pro SL opposition (including some very good sides) all season before playing Champs teams.

The new system's a con and everyone will see through it within 2-3 seasons and the RFL will have to find a new way to re-invent the wheel....again.

Yup and, as has been said before, the only realistic hope for promotion could come from a financial meltdown at a SL club.

Even if a champ club is promoted, they'll be faced with the problem that clubs promoted under the pre-licensing system had, which is that all the decent players will already be on contract at existing SL clubs, and they'll have a desperate scramble to build a SL squad in next to no time at the end of the play-offs.

So the licencing system really worked did it? Really made clubs more financially stable and made it a competitive competition, nope I think not. The top 8 play off became a shambles so summat had to be done, it may work it may not, but at least it's gonna make every game worth something. As for the promotion and relegation issue, every sport has the same problem but let's not forget widnes seem to be doing ok so do KR it was not that many years ago when Wigan were promoted as runners up to York in the old 2 league system. The game has to change, franchise did not work.

Arguably, the RFL should have thrown London out of SL once it became clear DH had no intention to meet the commitments of the licence.

Much as I'd love to disagree, I'm afraid I think you're spot on

I think that licensing was a great concept that didn't work. The financial guarantees that clubs put into their bids were clearly not subject to sufficient scrutiny. That said, the recession that the country has been through would always have put the skids under things, and I'm not sure that too many other clubs would have been able to step in.
I'm glad that Widnes seem to have done OK, but that was under licensing.

I think there will be at least 1 promotion this season, we'll see come the "Super 8 stage"...

1. SL clubs buying bradford was an option 2 years back and look at the help they got anyway. It's not too far fetched to believe that the clubs could have bought us.
2. Then let someone sue me! AK was given a marketing budget to market games that if he had been successful, HE would have received the additional gate money. That is a bribe.......if you cant see it then you are more niave than I thought.....i repeat, he was given money so he could try and get more money.......what would you call it? it was the tipping point at the meeting in december 2013 that saw us saved........blake solly to the rescue with the SLE cheque Book.
3. I have little confidence in Hughes and as long as he remains at the head of the club, that lack of confidence shall prevail. He has destroyed what was a club on the cusp of a potentially secure era and no amount of lip service and unsubstantiated claims will change that. He destroyed the relationship with Quins which was our true chance to build a home and a supporter base.....now we are 100% reliant on him and in an area with little interest in live sports.


Bradford are the strongest side in our division and it is they who will lose to the SL also rans in the million quid game.

I'm not sure we can blame David for the demise of the Quins relationship. It's fair to say he was less enthusiastic than Ian but I'd suggest the main reason it began breaking down were changes at Quins end. In particular the resignation of key mover Tony Copsey not long after it was sealed. Admittedly the copious amounts of red ink on our accounts made the end pretty inevitable even if Tony and Mark Evans were still at Quins.