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.

Halfdan stop it now you are doubting gotnofax sorry I meant gutter fax.

Franchise was never going to work we ended up again with a competition where games at end of the season meant diddly squat, fans lose interest and walk at least with promotion and relegation the way it's been introduced with super 8 will at least keep interest in the end of season. It may work it may not, but how it can be seen as any worse than franchise I don't understand.

For someone who has got no facts I do seem to get it right more than not
By the way, any news on ticketing prices for 2015 yet?

I think you can blame David Hughes in part for the way the relationship fell apart. You can also blame him for some very atrocious decisions that have led the club to yet another reboot. We are dependent on him and regardless if our crowds were 5,000 or as now we have always been reliant on a benefactor. We are probably further away from a sustainable model than in the past 18 years.

On that basis people have two choices learn from the past and move on, or just continue to rake over the past. It looks like the club are starting to reconnect and resolve long standing issues. The ambition has been stated whether we have the wherewithal to deliver it will be seen over the season. Only 6 weeks to the first game.

Completely correct, but sadly some just can't move on, they seem to get more joy out of living in the past, all that is important now is The Future, and no one can forecast that!