I remember we came in for a lot of flack from clubs and fans alike. For the pitch, dug out chairs and performances.

It would give me no greater pleasure than to see trinity get in SL and really upset a few clubs next season.

You can also throw in the moaning about the loss of players who are being picked up by other clubs..
Everyone knows that when your ship looks like it’s going down, agents start ringing round to get their players on any available lifeboat. It happens to all clubs..it was our turn last year.

Oh I agree. But that was from clubs not fans. Of course there were some but not all were against us.

I'm looking forward to our reunion tour of SL.

They've won three games, Hull being a basket case is the only reason these murmurings are surfacing.

As it stands through owner has neglected the club massively which means they are a shell and not the type of club IMG want in the top flight. London as a region I see as important, but the current London club isn't. They knew the rules when they signed up to this structure, and as a sport we need to stick with a plan for more then 1 year.

Yep. That's exactly how I see it.

The whole ethos of IMG was to be an independent body with no affiliation. They produced a point’s system approved by all clubs and provided each with an interim report showing what was required to maximise their ratings. We have invested heavily to fill those areas of deficiencies.
With regards London they knew what they had to do but sadly they took the option to take the income and spend nothing towards improving their score as far as I can tell. They appear to be basing their SL future on their name and location which worked at the inception of SL with the little turf accountant’s desire to appease Sky when they were fast tracked along with Paris in place of Keighley and Widnes. I actually believe that IMG will not have the same restraints and will stick to the points system they created.

I find it absolutely ludicrous that media or certain individuals are trying to scrap the IMG criteria in favour of promotion and relegation….

It’s literally not even been the first year of 10 of the new format. There’s no history or data to form a real analysis.

Promotion and relegation in recent times hasn’t really helped the sport secure more investment or a better tv deal. And it hasn’t made clubs more sustainable long term.

I can only put it down to lack of understanding, personal protection of their club if it doesn’t have a high score and resistance to change or adapt.

One of the best things about the championship has been the genuine warmth which other clubs...and fans...have welcomed us with. Apart from the ball boys at Fev! I know part of this will be down to the financial boost of our away following, but I think it's down to much more than that, a genuine respect for the game and the opponents. Some of the 'bigger' clubs could do with toning down their arrogance and follow suit.

The championship is a good competition and for second league the attendances between around 500-3000 is pretty good I think.

There’s a few clubs that have some real potential long term to become strong clubs.

I honestly think that given the effort to find some decent investment in sponsorship and tv deals (not every game but 1/2 per round) that the clubs could certainly flourish.

If they could look for a deal half the value of the SL and apply central funding to 50% of what SL clubs get then the Championship could become a really positive competition.

There just doesn’t seem any willingness from the top to really drive it or find the investment.

One of those individuals being the president of the RFL! Honestly, the sport doesn`t help itself in terms of reputation at all.

It’s such a shame though. Being in the championship I honestly believe that the clubs are mostly left just to get on with it and fend for themselves. It’s so very bizarre how it’s been cast aside almost.

Why not increase the SL to 14.

Restructure championship and League 1 into a slightly bigger single league.

Re-imagine the Championship with fresh branding, promote a new image and relaunch and secure a tv deal aiming for 40-50% of the SL value over 3-5 years.

All clubs in championship to get around 300-400 central funding to support a strong part time squad and or to use off field to grow.

It feels like a couple of clubs are struggling at the moment. If the sport could seriously invest in the championship as its own comp instead of a bolt on to SL then it would strengthen the sport from bottom up.

Any deal the SL has to have a cut is ridiculous tbh. Both comps should have their own nagotiated deals independently. It’s just a barrier for growth.

MONEY

Definitely. But there will never be any without any motivation or serious ambition to seek it out.

They are only interested in the now and that does not involve splitting the Sky money 14 ways.

But that's the point of IMG recommendation. They want to make a league of teams that are self sustaining, so that the Sky money isn't as big an impact.