Some might look at this as being harsh but I think it's fair. When are the Rugby League going to stop persisting with this fantasy expansion. If it hasn't worked by now, it never will! I'm all for reaching out to a wider audience with our game but not at the expense of historical clubs in the homelands.
Team or club? , make your mind up? , and at what point do you decide who is the strongest club ? , how much debt is acceptable? , at this current moment probably half of SL clubs have more debt than Fev or even Fax,Leigh,Sheffield, probably the whole of the Championships
That was the point of the licensing criteria, it wasn't really transparent and apparently you think that it was somehow 'unfair', but in reality it would be impossible to have a system that pleased everyone. That's still better than relying on one factor alone and completely ignoring everything else which is what automatic P&R does.
The only way licencing would have worked would have been for it to be completely fair ( any financial issues resulting in relegation ) and for the RFL to have made genuine attempts to improve the Championships to put pressure on the SL clubs
That's nonsense, relegating clubs for arbitrary reasons would be stupid especially if there were no better alternatives. A club in debt may still be a better option than one in the lower leagues without debt, if they are able to compete on the field then at the end of the day that's the most important thing. And yet again, what it comes down to is that you're asking the RFL to do the work of Championship clubs for them. Apart from being completely ridiculous and unfair, I don't know why you would expect them to do this when the majority of Championship clubs have little potential for growth, it would just be a waste of money and time. The RFL couldn't magically make clubs like Leigh and Featherstone compete with Leeds and Wigan even if they wanted to, it just isn't going to happen without standards at the top being reduced.
Instead we had a ' Gentlemans Club ' arrangement, it has done considerable damage to the sport
It hasn't 'damaged' anyone, the national team is as strong as it has ever been and the on-field product is as good as I can remember.
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
That was the point of the licensing criteria, it wasn't really transparent and apparently you think that it was somehow 'unfair', but in reality it would be impossible to have a system that pleased everyone. That's still better than relying on one factor alone and completely ignoring everything else which is what automatic P&R does.That's nonsense, relegating clubs for arbitrary reasons would be stupid especially if there were no better alternatives. A club in debt may still be a better option than one in the lower leagues without debt, if they are able to compete on the field then at the end of the day that's the most important thing. And yet again, what it comes down to is that you're asking the RFL to do the work of Championship clubs for them. Apart from being completely ridiculous and unfair, I don't know why you would expect them to do this when the majority of Championship clubs have little potential for growth, it would just be a waste of money and time. The RFL couldn't magically make clubs like Leigh and Featherstone compete with Leeds and Wigan even if they wanted to, it just isn't going to happen without standards at the top being reduced. It hasn't 'damaged' anyone, the national team is as strong as it has ever been and the on-field product is as good as I can remember.
So selecting the licences doesnt need to be fair, you then contradict yourself in the same thread, then you say Championship clubs cannot ' magically ' match Leeds and Wigan, well neither can the rest of SL, it has damaged the sport by opening up a bigger gap between SL and the rest and resulting in alienating a sizeable amount of Championship fans from attending neutral events and Internationals
Some might look at this as being harsh but I think it's fair. When are the Rugby League going to stop persisting with this fantasy expansion. If it hasn't worked by now, it never will! I'm all for reaching out to a wider audience with our game but not at the expense of historical clubs in the homelands.
It does ' allow for it ' , but it also needs the fans to be willing to accept that it could take 20 years before they play a truly meaningful match again, and that they wont do, and the club owners know that
It depends on your definition of a meaningful match. I don't go to matches to look at the league table on the off-chance that one of the clubs may end up being promoted to Super League at some unspecified point in the future. Amateur teams up and down the country play what would by your definition be 'meaningless matches' every week. TBH I would class pretty much all of Leigh's SL season as meaningless matches since they would turn up and inevitably get beaten by 60 or 70 points every week.
The problem British RL has is that there aren't enough strong clubs outside Super League. Ideally we'd have 4 or 5 strong teams challenging for promotion and that would be fine, but when the only real alternatives are clubs like Featherstone and Leigh, teams based in very small towns that are dwarfed by massive local competition, then the system doesn't really work.
Some might look at this as being harsh but I think it's fair. When are the Rugby League going to stop persisting with this fantasy expansion. If it hasn't worked by now, it never will! I'm all for reaching out to a wider audience with our game but not at the expense of historical clubs in the homelands.
So selecting the licences doesnt need to be fair, you then contradict yourself in the same thread, then you say Championship clubs cannot ' magically ' match Leeds and Wigan, well neither can the rest of SL, it has damaged the sport by opening up a bigger gap between SL and the rest and resulting in alienating a sizeable amount of Championship fans from attending neutral events and Internationals
But this season's SL is one of the most even in history? Leeds have finished 5th the last two years. Obviously not all the clubs are as big as them, but London aside at least they are all competitive. If Championship fans want to spite themselves by not attending neutral events then TBH that's stupid and their loss.
Last edited by headhunter on Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
It depends on your definition of a meaningful match. I don't go to matches to look at the league table on the off-chance that one of the clubs may end up being promoted to Super League at some unspecified point in the future. Amateur teams up and down the country play what would by your definition be 'meaningless matches' every week. TBH I would class pretty much all of Leigh's SL season as meaningless matches since they would turn up and inevitably get beaten by 60 or 70 points every week.
The problem British RL has is that there aren't enough strong clubs outside Super League. Ideally we'd have 4 or 5 strong teams challenging for promotion and that would be fine, but when the only real alternatives are clubs like Featherstone and Leigh, teams based in very small towns that are dwarfed by massive local competition, then the system doesn't really work.
Which is what we have been telling you for bloody years you muppet, so ALL you can do is improve everybody, and hope some improve enough to create genuine competition for SL places
Some might look at this as being harsh but I think it's fair. When are the Rugby League going to stop persisting with this fantasy expansion. If it hasn't worked by now, it never will! I'm all for reaching out to a wider audience with our game but not at the expense of historical clubs in the homelands.
Which is what we have been telling you for bloody years you muppet, so ALL you can do is improve everybody, and hope some improve enough to create genuine competition for SL places
I don't know who you think is going to 'improve everybody' other than the clubs themselves, but competition is not going to come from clubs like Leigh and Featherstone no matter how much money you want the RFL to throw at them.
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
But this season's SL is one of the most even in history? Leeds have finished 5th the last two years. Obviously not all the clubs are as big as them, but London aside at least they are all competitive. If Championship fans want to spite themselves by not attending neutral events then TBH that's stupid and their loss.
You dont mention the contradiction, you stated that on field shouldnt decide who is in SL, then say its the most important thing
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
It depends on your definition of a meaningful match. I don't go to matches to look at the league table on the off-chance that one of the clubs may end up being promoted to Super League at some unspecified point in the future. Amateur teams up and down the country play what would by your definition be 'meaningless matches' every week. TBH I would class pretty much all of Leigh's SL season as meaningless matches since they would turn up and inevitably get beaten by 60 or 70 points every week.
The problem British RL has is that there aren't enough strong clubs outside Super League. Ideally we'd have 4 or 5 strong teams challenging for promotion and that would be fine, but when the only real alternatives are clubs like Featherstone and Leigh, teams based in very small towns that are dwarfed by massive local competition, then the system doesn't really work.
I meant current SL clubs and their fans
Yes but people dont pay 20 quid to watch amatuers do they?
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
I don't know who you think is going to 'improve everybody' other than the clubs themselves, but competition is not going to come from clubs like Leigh and Featherstone no matter how much money you want the RFL to throw at them.
So were f***ed then arent we
Just watched Crystal Palace play Sunderland at a packed to the rafters Selhurst Park ,the Eagles fans didnt stop singing all match