Steadgetyerbootson - Good post and I wholeheartedly agree with you. A strong merged team with no senior partner is the ony viable way forward to enable us to to compete with the big boys.

For godssake forget the tribal loyalties and lets start competing with the likes of Wigan, Saints, Leeds etc - we certainly aint going to do it as two struggling entities.

(from a Wakey supporter of almost 50 years)

i am no plastic fan but i do support progress

I think the penny is beginning to drop. As a Fev fan I watch on with amusement as the next round of franchises approach.
First of all let's get something straight, Fev could be winning the Championship GF every year, playing in a 50000 all seater stadium, filling it and still WE WILL NEVER GET IN SL!
The RFL don't want us there and I doubt they want both you and Cas. If you get booted out (personally I think it will be Salford) then I doubt you will ever get back in under the Wakefield Wildcats name.
I also doubt a stadium will be started in time for the next round of franchises, wherever it ends up being built and your club and Cas did promise new stadiums as part of your franchise bid.
SL isn't all it's cracked up to be, the important thing is that your club keeps it's identity and a merger is exactly what the RFL want so tell them where to stick it and if it means you drop into the Championship so be it, you will enjoy the rugby that is played at that level if you take the SL blinkers off.
Good Luck.

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The RFL can promote Toulouse, they just need to change the rules and I wouldn't put it past them. Interesting to see what happens with Crusaders who are not playing in South Wales, where their franchise was won. You can bet they will have their franchise set in stone which makes a mockery of the system put in place.

agree in some way but who wants to watch championship RL with 1500 or so folk in an empty stadium?? I dont anymore I had enough of that in the dark days of the early/mid 80s and then again pre SL
for me its simple no SL no RL for me enough is enough
I fear for Cas Wakey and Salford over the next 5 years stadium or no stadium if SL get their way we will all be replaced with big city clubs

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I understand what you're saying. When SL was introduced I walked away from the sport disillusioned, but I'm back now and I go to watch an honest bunch of blokes put their bodies on the line in the name of sport. Yes it would be great to have thousands packed in to the ground but I get as much enjoyment watching the reserves with a hundred there, it's the team that keep me wanting to go back not the number of spectators on the terraces.