Post of the year Mr WallTiger!

Well thought out sensible post and the views of most fans, well done you've broken the mould, it won't catch on mate but nice try.

Well put, I agree with most of what you say but this is a forum and people will discuss all sorts of Rugby League & Wakefield Trinity topics, some do it in a rather grown up and sensible manner.

I also discuss things like the Governments financial cuts, what's happening in Libya and lots of other things I can do little or nothing about!

Good post. RFL must be really proud getting rival fans falling out over franchising instead of talking about the finer points of our game.

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I've heard of all of Wakefield's failings, and this isn't them-v-us, because I think we are down regardless, but I think we are entitled to be sceptical of RW's constant PR about how the ground is about to happen, because it was going to be built early in the summer of 2006, and at that point they had been working on it "for some time". Can any Castleford fan really say that they are any further on than they were five years ago, because five years ago they were four months from building it (the article in February 2006 quotes "early summer"). They are much more than that now.

As I've stated elsewhere, if Cas are able to build their own stadium, well done to them. They will have done it under their own steam. Also, us going down, if we do, is because of what we did or didn't do, not because of what Cas might do. My only gripe would be if the RFL decide that it is purely us or them, and the deciding factor is the spin and waffle of RW, because when you examine it more closely, they are further away from a new ground now than they were in 2006, when four months seems to have been the starting point back then.

It all boils down to who the RFL want to believe.

How do you get that then? 4 years ago there were no plans and no planning permission - now the plans are drawn up and there to be seen by everyone and FPP is being seen on the 7th of April. So you're "much closer examination" hasn't really come out well has it?

As for spin & waffle - how can you exactly build a stadium during a GLOBAL recession with NO public money going into the build? Exactly, there have been delays just like thousands of building projects in this country alone, it's not Wrights fault is it? all he's doing is keeping everyone up to date in a positive way, just like a chairman should, he's put the facts out there that there is delays and that the club believes it wont affect a franchise because there are other criteria which Cas rate VERY highly in. It's really not all about stadiums at all, it's just Sky banging on about it all the time has left peoples judgements clouded - how about commercial, financial, contribution to the competition and junior development?

The bottom line is, on the whole the RFL have gone about franchising in completely the wrong way - giving teams 3 years to do something is really not fair, or right. The way franchising is SUPPOSED to work is how it is with American sports and the NRL, you keep your core teams together and then add WHEN the league can support new teams, not every 3 years for the sake of it, it leaves it too open for bias & prejudiced opinions when it comes to decision making. The only fair thing to do would be keep the same 14 teams, leave the league as it is until everyone is settled and the league is ready for growth then add 2 more teams and get rid of the every 3 years rubbish.



Not really, lets add in some other factors using the RFLs stupid idea: Financial - 2 clubs have entered administration during the franchise period, that shows just how well the idea works, doesn't it? straight away them 2 clubs should be the favourites to go down, junior development there are plenty of teams with junior development not half as good as what Cas & Wakey have, and commercial - well Cas have the current commercial manager of the year in Craig Poskitt so at the minute Cas have the best commercial setup in the league. Using all the factors, Cas should comfortably get a franchise and stadiums are only a SMALL PART of the whole deal, it's just Sky who have blown it out of proportion.

If you want to base it on poor stadia, lets throw in Bradford & KR, terrible places to watch Rugby.

Er, I got it from the Castleford press release, if you read the linked article from February 2006, as the BBC get their news from club press releases (they are not interested enough in RL to actually look for stories). Waystones were about to submit an outline planning permission application, with building starting in the early summer. If you can find any rebuttal from Cas that the BBC were wildly inaccurate and that Cas fans shouldn't get their hopes up.

Although:

“We’ve been working on our new stadium project for quite some time and now have the crucial parts to the project in place"
Richard Wright, 1st March 2006:

He is clearly a patient man, because by December 2006, it was:
"This application is a triumph for perseverance, patience and partnership. The planning application is one more step but it is a massive step."

And there were his other partners:

"there could be some news on progress quite soon"
David Smart, Cas Tigers Media and Marketing Manager, 1st Feb 2006

“We have drawn up plans for a community stadium at Glasshoughton. The community gave a very clear message, through the Urban Renaissance Initiative, that a new stadium for Cas Tigers was a top priority."
Stuart McLoughlin, Managing Director of Waystone, 1st March 2006:

So although Wakey's demise is more to do with it's own failings, we are allowed to be more than a little sceptical at this week's announcement and see it as just pre-franchise hot air. We have been here before, remember, and I cannot see how you are any nearer to starting to build a new stadium than you were five years ago. RW has said "not this year". That probably means "maybe next year, hopefully," which also means, "but at least the year after that." That wasn't the timescale envisaged five years ago, and so that's why I say that you are no nearer than you were five years ago.

Yes and then you seem to negate to mention the reasons why things haven't progressed as quick. But that doesn't fit into your agenda does it?

The early signs of the credit crunch were first felt in late 2007 long after the proposed build of Castlefords stadium in the summer of 2006 as per Sluggers link.

It boils down to the FACTS.

Bigger crowds
Better league position
Better young players coming through
Better finances

Stadiums are only the tip of the ice berg when it comes to licences.