Thanks for the posting The LinkMan. Agree with much of your posting but I don't share your confidence that if a superleague folds or closes etc we will be let in. It just won't happen. Remember three months ago we have met the criteria.

What apart from your terrible stadium, mis-management during the licence period, and poor financial record?



I think its about the only thing that Nigel Wood cleared up tonight when he was quizzed on reports saying that Wakey got in on merit. Well of course they did they got one of the 13 places. The bookies dont usually get things wrong and to say it was a closed book suggests that if Crusaders hadnt dropped out then it would have infact been Wakey making the way for Widnes.



Its great that you got to keep your place but to declare that Wakefields bid wasnt the worst other than ours really takes the proverbial.

It was TaffyTiggers post, but thanks all the same. I can understand your lack of confidence with how things seem to be sometimes with the shenanigans of the rfl board, but put it this way: if wakey would have been kicked out they probably would have been out for good, so your in a better position than we would have been in if it was the other way round. And i guess the rfl will be pointing out the floors in your bid that need to be ironed out for next time, so i expect you to be the favourites for the next round of licenses and/or lined up ready for if any other team crumbles or fail to meet expectations in the mean time (unless another ridiculous expansion club comes along ofcourse.....)

And i guess the rfl will be pointing out the floors in your bid that need to be ironed out for next time





thats the thing, the the rfl did this last time , and we fixed everything they asked.

wakey have got in witha wealthy backer, but yet they still went into administration, with many years of high finances, seems odd to me,

they cant run a buisness, and cant compete at sl level, they need to now earn the place, otherwise the rfl going t look even more stupid, no wonder we get laughed at

Not sure were you lot get your information from,but the Wakefield backer does not have the kind of wealth as per Ken Davey/David Hughes(Quins).I wouldnt mind being a couple of quid behind him,but his wealth would have in no way influenced the decision.He is a hardworking successful business man thats done well from double glazing,not someone that can afford to waste £500k propping up finances.

that was the only thing that i could come up with out of that usless interview on boots n all last night

But he is prepared to waste that amount and more on temporary improvements to Belle Vue?

A unified stance is the only way I can see any progress being made, will this happen??



As regards resolve being eroded away well I think it already has been, many BOD's will be thinking what is the point of it all.

The BOD's of all clubs work tirelessley for their clubs in most cases personally costing them in time, money and effort, in effect at a loss across the board forever.



They do it for the love of the game, their club and their desire and reward is to see them play or at least have the oppourtunity to aspire to play at the highest level.



This is now being denied them by others whom they have no control over whatsoever.



I can easily see why some of the BOD's who are the driving force of their clubs thinking.

When in a cul de sac it's time to turn the engine off because the only way is backwards.

Because SLE is driven by expansion, now, more than ever I feel like heartlands clubs are being edged further & further away from the holy grail. I'm not totally against expansion, but what have Fulham & Catalans actually brought to the game ? They're both still ladened with imports regardless of how they sign either through the Kolpak deal or otherwise. The French national game is currently 3rd at best in the Northern hemisphere, according to big Nige last night, Wales are currently 2nd. Wasn't expansion supposed to improve the challenge internationally to the southern hemisphere ?

The SL clubs will look to reduce to 12 or 13 club membership to increase their own individual slice of the financial share-out, they'll use the demise of Crusaders & Wakey and any others that fail as their proof that 14 teams doesn't work.

So, Widnes go up, Toulouse return to the French championship and if anyone does get relegated, where are the extra teams in the 2012 championship going to come from ? I can see another mess up just around the corner.

I suppose what really hurts is that this scenario of rejection can and will most likely happen again. People are making nice comments along the lines of `next time you will be favorites' and `if a current SL fails to bring ground up to scratch' the RFL will give the club a call. I don't think so. To rub salt even further in the wounds you just know that if Crusaders reformed and reapplied they will be given the nod. We will not even be part of the `serious' selection process. And to compound our misery it doesn't matter how good the club are at marketing and promoting we are severely handicapped by the lack of finance at championship level. If SL leagues clubs with an allowance of £1.2M (or £1.4M?) per season are struggling to make it pay (hence the pressure to reduce the number of SL clubs) how can Halifax hope to rise to challenge the bit boys with a playing budget 10% of SL. On a side note despite SL existing for nearly twenty years only four clubs currenty have a Grade A licence. The RFL are surely an example of prime example of poor management who have constantly failed to manage the game in a competent and creative manner.

Thats a matter of opinion whether its a waste of money.

It would appear that the ends certainly justified the means.



£500k investment -- 3 years license.