Weren't there rumours around last time the licences were announced that widnes were promised a place next time if they didn't challenge the decision?

Seems bizarre to arbitrarily say one team will be promoted before they've seen every application

Anyone suggesting a Cumbrian team for Superleague needs to have their bumps felt. Can't you remember just what a roaring success Workington Town turned out to be?

P. 22
W. 2
D. 1
L. 19

Relegated after one season with massive debts, then relegated the following season into NL2

I think Wakefield will go with Widnes replacing them. Although id like to see Harlequins and Salford join them as they both offer nothing ( although salford look to be pulling together a decent side for next season )

Should be Quins who drop out (I'm in favour of expansion, but this club is dropping like a stone and there simply isn't enough people interested)

but I can see it being Wakefield, particularly after the poor season they are having. The RFL would have found it harder to ditch them if they were still in the playoffs, but this season they've really gone backwards.

14 teams is too many. Ditch 3, promote one and pull up the drawbridge. Not enough money or quality players for 14 teams, hence the dirge that has been most of the games I've seen either live or on TV this season

Tend to agree that the quality's better with 12, but you either end up with fewer games and therefore lower ticket income, or the stupid "playing an extra 4 games" scenario.

Only Widnes currently meet ALL of the criteria needed to move up to SL AFAIK.

1 Club has reached a Championship final or won the Northern Rail Cup in 2009 or 2010.

2 Club has a stadium with an operational capacity of 10,000.

3 No insolvency event has occurred during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons.

4 Club has turnover of at least £1,000,000 in financial year ending 2009 or 2010 (turnover of charitable foundation can be included in this figure).

5 Club has an average attendance of at least 2,500 in 2009 or 2010.

With Peter Walsh as coach I think. Nuff Said

I think there will be some hard-nosed decisions made at the end of this season.

With the economy in this state I wouldn't be surprised to see Harlequins go as they just cannot sustain SL with those attendances. Whichever way you look at it the London experiment has taken hundreds of thousands of pounds to prop up and is still a failure.

Similarly, I wonder if there will be a "cull" at the bottom end of the professional game - the likes of Gateshead, Blackpool and London Skolars are little better than amateur teams (and that is an insult to some of the BARLA clubs !). I reckon they'd be better placed in the summer conference ie outside the professional ranks.

Just my thoughts of course

Where did this money come from?

How an Earth can you call Catalans that? They bring loads to Super League.

Some people have small minded views.

Hopefully, get another French team in the SL (finance the two through Canal+ or another French TV channel if poss) and, hopefully, you start a ground-swell in France that can, admittedly with a lot of other things falling into place, lead to a competitive French league. A competitive French league increases the chances of a competitive French national team that will help to raise the overall standards in the northern hemisphere. Then we can look at Les Cats leaving SL. Until then I think you're right, leave well alone - they bring a lot to the table.