RFL have just confirmed numerous charges brought against Barrow for cap breaches since 2007 and confirmed relegation is a possibility.

Via Gareth Walker twitter...

Barrow have been charged with misconduct and a series of breaches of RFL operational rules and will appear before a tribunal in October.

Barrow's breaches span a four-year period between 2007 and 2011 and emerged during a two-month RFL investigation.

Barrow could be relegated this year as RFL rules allow unlimited points deduction for breaching "operational rules".

Not surprising. Not surprising at all

We knew it was going on, those players weren't playing for nothing. I do feel sorry for any honest fan who is going through this. We've all felt the sting of bad management here and Des Johnson is amongst the worst. A complete charlatan and a bad character from the things we've read about him.

We've got a low salary cap to benefit the likes of Barrow and they're cheating to give themselves a better position to boot. And it's going to cost them big.

We had a lot of people thinking that they could afford a risk on Barrow for a license too, based on them representing the whole county of Cumbria. The thing is, before their fall from grace, Whitehaven were in arguably a better position and hopefully they will be again. And Barrow too. Get rid of Des and come back with a real businessman with a long term plan. And then maybe Cumbria can have their super league team.

Des should have been putting these resources into the stadium and youth setup and facilities but instead his brown envelopes came out and they brought in players they couldn't and shouldn't have afforded and made a mockery of the league system in the process. And in the long term look what it's got them.

The year they won the Grand Final they had 46 players on their books. Half of them would have slipped into any Championship team and all but a few had quality in this league. It was pretty clear what was going on up there.

This should incur a massive fine, demotion and all titles over the last 3 years expunged from the record. They did not deserve to lift that trophy and Halifax should now be pencilled in as the 2009 Champions.

This goes to show what I've always thought about Dessie Boy; he's not a lovable rogue, or one of those characters in the game that give all a story to talk about, he's nothing more than a cheat. The sooner he is out of the game the better.

By the sounds of it he's anything but lovable. The way his own players and coaches have been treated has been disgraceful at times. I agree about the titles. Not won fairly, ergo, not won at all.

I feel sorry for the Barrow fans, but the club has cheated (if proved) & has to be punished.

Agree with Pepe about Barrow losing the 2009 GF to Fax but how far back should it go?

Did they cheat to get promotion if so they should be relegated, but what about the team that finished second that year. If we go down this road where does it stop?

What annoys me is that all fans in our league were banging on about brown envelopes, so why couldn't the governing body see it?

This has taken 5 years to come to light, the RFL are full of crap,did they stay well away as they wanted a Cumbrian side in SL? It shows them up for what they are a bunch of self serving bumholes.

If found guilty regardless of what punishment they are given Des should never be allowed in RL again.

Tirade over

There is a list of the regulations allegedly breached on loverugbyleague. Don't know the exact web address and can't link as I'm on my phone. But Google should find the site.

Never mind, just realised its the one j20 linked on the VT.

As a fan of a club found guilty of cheating , I will not comment

Pepe

I am not going attempt to defend any proved breaches of RFL operational rules by Barrow, however...

You talk absolute blank, even other fans of your own club recognise it as demonstarted on another thread. You are a bitter, spiteful and vindictive, even regarding issue which have little bearing on your own club.

There was nowhere near 46 players on the books at Barrow in 2009, it was actually half that number, hence the signing of Allen, Ballard, Coyle, 2Bobs and Halliwell 2/3rds of the way through the season as we were struggling to field a team when the offer to sign them came. As for the quality of signings that year, Luisi was the first to arrive 4 games into the season, then Catic in May and finally Rooney and the players mentioned above in July. Rooney making only 9 appearances and Allen et al 6. in the 2009 season. The club finished the season with 27 contracted players.

I believe the breaches so for relate to payments to players for community works which they were not actually doing. That may not be as uncommon as you think, however when you have an individual willing to tell everything he can (real or not) to settle a score with the chairman the consequences must be faced.

There is no precedent anywhere in RL for awarding a title to a club by default when the title was stripped from the original winners.

And finally, do you think it the act of a responsible governing body to impose fines that could put clubs into adminstration? A points penalty in line with the offenses is expected and appropriate, applied both this season and next if warrented. However the current financial climate means any significant fines could see Barrow (or many other clubs) be heading for administration. Is this what the game needs?

Personally I will await the findings of the RFL investigations and outcome of the hearing with the comforting thought that your opinion is absolutely worthless regarding this matter 5.33203125:5