I do not believe that evrything in the garden is rosy, far from it. Too many clubs are dependent on individual benefactors continuing their patronage. I have gone on record stating such in the past.

I have a problem with the idiotic way that Hudgell has gone about this matter. Did he seriously believe that the letter would never enter the public domain? Did he not stop to think what harm it may do to the image of the game and the concomitant ability to attract sponsorship?

The points he makes have validity and deserve discussion, they way he has gone about it is idiotic in the extreme. Unless as Chris28 has mentioned, Hudgell has a whole other agenda in mind.

2010;

Bradford +840,653
Castleford +352,782
Catalan Unknown
Celtic -976,734
Harlequins +7,663
Huddersfield -7,325,812
Hull -77,694
Hull KR -2,094,352
Leeds +59,337
Saints -1,384,706
Salford +46,612
Warrington +299,298
Wigan +88,567

Total excluding Catalan -10,579,358

The difference is PL football clubs for instance has money men queuing up to take over. RL less so as the rewards are not as great.

I agree there's a difference of scale, but the basic principle is the same. There isn't enough money in RL to run a pro sport without input from money men unless we accept a radical reduction in the size and quality of the competition.

This has nothing to do with expansion - the amount of cash freed up by direct spending on expansion clubs would not make enough difference to dispense with the need for rich patrons. RL as a sport has been cash poor for as long as I can remember.

This is the same Fudgell who last season threatened his own supporters to 'walk away' if caravan park didn't hit 10,000 supporters ?

Bear that in mind.

So, would it not be therefore his way of 'relieving' his financial plight and the clubs debt by getting a 'handout' from the RL, say, instead of money being given to....Bradford.

The guy has ONE agenda.....NEIL HUDGELL.....look at me.

Who benefits from a merger with HULL F.C......doh

my point is, if a club was on the brink, not may wil be in the que to buy them, unlike other sports,...take bradford for example...there players were washing carss at odsal last weekend!!!!!!!! dont think you saw the rangers or pompey players doing that did you, thats the differance, a football club will always be bought by someone, can anyone name the last league football cub to go out of busines???

Hull Kingston MOANERS!

But the point is what can be done about it? No other pro sport has come up with a model that works without rich individuals putting cash into clubs, and RL has had the same problem for many decades. It's not a new issue and it's not one that will be solved by simply abandoning expansion and focussing on the heartlands.

People hugely overestimate the amount of money spent on expansion clubs. And if anyone thinks that RL's financial woes can be solved by replacing London and Catalan with Halifax and Fev then they need their heads examining.

You can see why he liked SandyCock can't you?

I thought we had a moaning culture, at least it's only with some of our fans and not touted round the media everyday!

This is 3 MOANS in the media past 4 days from Wovers! Limpdick moaning about the ref on Sunday (AGAIN), Limpdick moaning about the Easter programme, and now Grudge moaning about RL debt!

#HullKingstonMOANERS

Rovers lost £450,000 a season for the first two seasons, they cut this to a staggering £200something grand loss

They must have lost over £2million since been in the gravy boat of SL

My heart bleads.

no really it does

When they announce a crowd of 7500 I sit and remember Hudge and his cry of "we need 10000 to break even."

I'm comforted when I realise its another £50,000 lost