For IL to say "the CC is working" is both laughable and slightly depressing.

Of course it is "working" for him- he can play at being the chairman of the most famous RL club in the world, face a reduced wage bill, and not face a shortfall in player standards compared other SL clubs.

The fact that the overall standard of RL as a whole will decrease RELATIVE to RU, not necessarily in absolute terms, doesn't seem to bother him.

I have posted a list of names that would never have been in RL if RU hadn't crippled itself with shamateurism. Not only will we never see their modern day equivalents in RL, it is now we that are crippling ourselves with a real terms year on year reduction in the CC.

The Celery Cap?

If we followed the NRL example players like Tuscon would be in the 2nd teir of the minimum wage which was as I said equivalent to £36.7K in 2012. I have just Googled the same for 2013 and its gone up to just over £53K. Quite an increase but it stays the same for the next five years. Looks like the players union who negotiated this are looking after the non-elite players very well from the start of the new cap coming in.

I don't think salraries like that are expensive for playing a sport which is as short term a career as RL. If you get a 10 year career at the top level you have done very well and one of the points made in the recent salary cap negotiations down under was the wages help provide for a player after they have finished playing.



The way to make clubs spend to the cap is simply do as they do in the NRL. Ensure it is covered by a grant which is their equivalent of the Sky money. The likes of Cas are never going to generate enough income off their own bat for the foreseeable future so we either let such clubs drag us down, boot them out or give them enoujgh cash so they can compete. In Oz the entire salary cap is covered by this grant the clubs get from central funds. The grant is $7.1m. That more than covers the $5.85m cap this year. By 2017 their cap will be $7m but the grant remains the same for the next five years as the cap increases to that level. The £53K minimum wage stage the same as well with as I said the big leap in that coming this year.

Now there are no doubt some clubs in the UK that are not as well run as Wigan so some of a grant like that would just be being used to stem losses but there is nothing to stop the RFL insisting on certain levels of financial acumen before they hand out the cash. Unfortunately I see no evidence the RFL can do this based on the fiasco of giving Bradford a franchise only for them to go insolvent and I don't see any moves to get enough cash in the game to compete with the NRL.

That your opinions on any matter regarding IL can't be trusted, because you are ludicrously prejudiced against him, and have been from the get-go.

"Playing at being chairman" - when he has transformed us back into a superpower after years of laughing-stock irrelevance.

'Happy clappers" - anyone who dares to give him credit for these achievements.

You have a palpable dislike of the man, which seems to stem entirely from your outrage that he hasn't waved a magic wand and spun you back to 1986.

Is it really too much to ask that, at some point, you join the 21st century and take a long, hard look at the game's overall financial situation?

It is the incredibly insular people within RL like Ian Lenagan, Gary Hetherington and Adam Pearson that will ultimately be the death of RL in this country.

That article is a complete nonsense, especailly this part“WE have no problem with the salary cap at all,” the Warriors chairman said.

“I don’t think it should go up. I'M perfectly comfortable with it. WE'RE not having a problem with it.

“Why would I want to pay more money than WE are?'"

I suppose the words "cause and effect" have little meaning to you?

My dislike of IL stems from his actions and manner, this being an example. Predjudice has nothing to do with it.

I suggest you read a dictionary and re-read my comments.

IL has been like a breath of fresh air for Wigan RL, we are now profitable and have a strong squad that is more than capable for challenging for major honours and have one of if not the best academy set up. You can't fault him for putting Wigan back amongst the best in Super League but that is not the issue.

The issue is can we compete as a competition against the NRL and Union for the top players that are in the british game and the NRL. The only way to do that is to pay the top players what they are worth, which is determined by what the NRL and Union will throw at them. That unfortunately means paying higher than the current salary cap, which the clubs can't afford on the revenue streams that are generated. Like it or not we can't compete with the opposition and the creme de la creme of players are targets, will this affect Super league in the long run.????? that is the question which only time will tell......

Not read thread, but the problem is not IL but the RFL, and the bottom feeders in SL.

If that makes me a happy clapper, so be it. But at least i will see the train coming, and not have my head up my ass living in the past. Mind you, sounds a good idea...

IL OUT.... BOOOO!

You don't know his manner, and his actions have saved the club.

End of.

Does anybody know the actual purpose(s) of the SC? I'm not talking about the baloney that the RFL came out with when it was brought in a decade ago. I mean here and now, why does it actually exist?

"To stop clubs going bust" and "to create a level playing field" are not valid answers because it has failed catastrophically on both counts.

What positive impact does it actually have???

I remember Stevo sing "We have to find a way to stop this lot" while commentating at a Wigan game... Not that the RFL would think that way i'm sure.

Perhaps another way of looking at IL's remarks about the SC is that it is a blatant rebuff of Dr Koukash's view that a salary cap of £1.65m is "crazy".
IL does mention Dr K in saying he has to buy in players and coaches.
Dr K's view on raising the cap is so he can outbid the less well off clubs and build his club with players that other clubs have developed.
Maybe IL is just letting Dr K know that if the SC is to be raised it isn't just up to him but can only be done with the agreement of the other SL clubs. The statment by IL then can be interpreted as saying "the SC isn't going to be raised any time soon"!.

You've just squared the circle from the very first post, in which Famous said quite well in my opinion " I think that Koukash is just what the game needs to spice things up and smash the cosy old boys network of Lenegan, Hetherington, McManus and Moran but unfortunately one man isnt enough to change anything as I can see him being voted down constantly on anything that he wishes to change. I just hope he doesnt get bored banging his head against a brick wall and can make Salford a force in the game. "

Even the IMF think austerity is not the only option and sometimes the wrong one.