Some sensible stuff from the panel tonight . Liking Martyn Sadler seems to look at the long term.

Yes PP, Cackchat unusually lenient on us (probably helped not having that turncoat iriot Stevo on it).

What did they say? I know Sadler's been very opposed to the idiotic changes being forced through by the RFL.

Martyn Sadler seems to be quite balanced at times. It is still my opinion that The Rugby Football League is in a total mess, the lack of major financial sponsors, clubs like Huddersfield Giants, top of Super League, attendances falling to 5,000, okay I know much better than us. Two months before the start of the World Cup, no sponsor and the RFL approach the company who brought BetFair to the table, to ask for Help!

Before we game, commences changes that no one has a real idea, what result they will bring, the game should put it's basic house in order! I just can't understand Bulls, not being able to pay players wages, having a two week display, when there was so much talk about how the new owner was minted! was he in it more for the presence it gave his restaurant chain, on a prime Odsal site.

The game seems to be controlled by Woods & Rimmer, both from backgrounds of club rugby, Halifax & Huddersfield, not real success stories. The richer clubs, which are but a few! being in hand with Woods. Last week the CEO of Saints, former youth coach and also temporary first team coach Mike Rush, saying anyone, I can't believe that anyone can't understand the split league system, which Nigel Woods favours?

It is no consolation that the game in general is in nearly as parlous as state as we are. Still if we do survive till 2014, it means there are lots of other clubs in danger of falling into the dreaded 13/14th places.

Within then next 7 years I suspect that RL will have returned to semi-professionalism, with clubs like Wigan and Leeds winning nearly everything on offer and as benefactors die, the rest slipping into obscurity.

Trimming 2 clubs off the current scenario will not generate an extra brass farthing for the remaining 12, but it will reduce the appeal to SKY (if they're even interested)....especially if it's 11 M62 and the French. Bradford are teetering (again), apparently cash is tight in Wakey. Hudds and ourselves rely on 1 man benefactors, the HKR money man is off at the end of this year, the French are grumbling.....I give it 7 years and then the only national coverage the game will get will be the CC final.....all that will be missing is Eddie Waring

The RLWC will be a pointer as to exactly how talented the management at the RFL are.....especially the non-England events.

Also,the owners of Hull Football Club, keep sounding off about the rugby team using the ground! Can't even see in 7 years that any major sponsors (not if they are now) will be interested or national media. I have forecast the semi-pro warning, but keep being told it is being a doom merchant! I would add Warrington to Leeds & Wigan, Simon Moran seems settled, and the club keeps building, if slowly.

Gutters, Hudgell's changed his mind about leaving HKR - was probably a hissy fit after the Wigan disaster. Paradoxically HKR might be in a stronger position than FC long term as they control their ground.

I could be wrong but I believe Ken Davy has set up some sort of funding mechanism for Huddersfield once he's popped his clogs.

And Hull FC have a 25 year lease. Also, the Hull City owners are only in it for profit. They bought the club on the cheap, have spent nothing on players, and will use the PL income (some 60million guaranteed) to pay off the debts they inherited. When they get relegated they'll use the parachute payments as their profits. Job done. Hull FC are secure at the KC.

What I think will happen, in two or three years after everyone's sick and tired of the new format the RFL are forcing through, is that the big clubs - Wigan, Sts, Warrington, Leeds, Hull, Huddersfield - will force through changes to re-assert the autonomous set up of SLE. Like it was from foundation until the early 2000's. They''ll take Catalans and Toulouse with them, Salford if Koukash is still around, and one other.

That'll give them 10 strong clubs. Dumping 4 others means 4.8million in central funding is made available, which they'll split between them - half a million each. Play each other home and away, with maybe 2 additional games and Magic Weekend.

It will be a much stronger league, with playing and financial resources being focussed on a proper elite competition. And that's what paying speccies want these days, as every other sport seems to have recognised except RL. Elite competition, not inter-village. Two French teams will have the knock-on effect of improving the French team, aiding internationals in the process.

The rest of the game will bitch and moan about it but, really, what can they do? The RFL will be left in charge of the Championship, internationals and community game.

I hope that's what happens, anyway.

That assumes that SKY will continue to fund at the same level - which is a massive assumption? the game will survive - but as everyone has mentioned probably as semi-professional with anyone decent going to Auz where the money is

Why would Sky reduce their funding? They pay exactly what they need to pay to ensure they have a pro comp that they can televise.

Sky may see the 20 million they spend on RL better spent elsewhere.....DARTS is kicking the of RL ratings wise......Cricket in all 3 formats, the Lions Tour with AM kick offs, Boxing and WWE wrestling have all delivered higher ratings this summer.....SKY TV's money is not a given.
In NZ SKYTV lost the rights to English soccer...they made noises about being upset about it, but in reality, the KO times meant that soccer never made a dent into TV ratings.......if RL continues to produce fewer viewers, I wouldn't bank on SKY being prepared to continue to prop the game up...

The new deal, that kicked in last season, saw a substantial rise in fees despite the doomsayers talking it down. Also, Sky have lost club union to BT Sport, so they're already down on live sport. They need RL, just like RL needs Sky. The next deal may stagnate in terms of price, but it won't fall and Sky won't walk away. And besides, having dumped 4 clubs the remainder can afford to see the price stagnate as they'll be getting an extra 1/2million anyway.

1. The extra revenue to the rest.....SL2 as the plan stands would be on 4.4 million a year, SL1 15.6...with the third tier on another million......so that's 21 million a year out of a kitty of 19 million....there will be no extra cash.

2. Sky are that into RL that they told IMG they weren't willing to pay decent wedge for the RFLWC.....they have binned the NRL and SoO and are having their content eroded by the activities of BT.
If BT are still in the Premiership TV rights game next time around, then SKY may well need every brass farthing they have to fight them of, together with any new "on-line" operators who pop up between now and then. The Soccer TV rights deal next time will be negotiated at the same time the SL rights are...70 odd games of RL at an average of 115,000 viewers is about 8 million set of eyeballs each year.....or 7 Premiership games. Believe me, if SKY have to fight for the Soccer, then RL may well suffer....SKY have already spent extra cash on the championship by sponsoring it....if their cash resources are stretched, League will be one of the first to suffer.

Not doomsaying by the way, just pointing out that the Current RL TV deal may well be the ceiling and if so, then further sacrifices may need to be made.

Couldn't agree more with the above. As I mentioned previously in another thread, in the last 5 or so years we've seen the demise on Sky of -
1) NRL
2) State of Origin
3) The Varsity match
4) The Thursday evening Championship game and
5) The World Cup!!!

Then there was the introduction of the Monday evening game to compete head-on with EastEnders, Coronation Street and, at the time, BGT.
We now see the movement of SL games to another mid-week time slot which can only be designed to cause farther domestic conflict and thus reduce viewing figures even more. (We all know who's likely to win 'domestic conflict')
Is the above the actions of a company that still sees a future in RL?