LeythIg wrote:
I would have thought that Widnes fans would understand resentment more than anybody else. No, Widnes didn't make the rules, but neither did Celtic Crusaders, Catalan Dragons or Paris St. Germain. Sadly, there seems to be a number of Widnes fans on these forums that seem to have forgotten how it felt to be RFL's ideal and are now coming across in exactly the same way as some of the pompous super league fans you would previously be fighting your case against on the VT.
Ever since the last round of franchises, I've assumed that as long as SOC stuck around it would be a no-brainer to put Widnes in SL, purely because you are one of the strongest 14 clubs. However, there is no divine right to be there, and the first year could be particularly difficult as the gap from 5th in the Championship to Super League is huge.
This is complete bullsh*t and you know it!
Widnes are not the favourites because they are the darlings of the RFL. We see what you see:
LeythIg wrote:
it would be a no-brainer to put Widnes in SL, purely because you are one of the strongest 14 clubs.
This admission shows just how pathetic your little rant was.
Believe me, if Widnes don’t get a licence for 2012, no other heartland club ever will again. It would mean that our bid would have to be bettered sometime in the future. Given what Widnes have in place, this would be a massive ask. That would mean that the ladder is pulled up for good, for us all. At least, should Widnes get a licence, there is atill hope for the rest and there would be a standard and a target set.
None of what I say is arrogance because you must know what I am saying is true. This makes all the talk about us Widnes fans thinking that we have some divine right to Super League, look ridiculous. If we didn’t have a strong bid there wouldn’t be anyone demanding a licence ahead of those who do. The people who think they have a divine right to SL are those who demand SL despite the obvious short-comings of their clubs when compared to others – see Barrow fans for details.
LeythIg wrote:
the first year could be particularly difficult as the gap from 5th in the Championship to Super League is huge.
The gap from the Championship, wherever you finish, is huge. So huge, as to make where you finish almost irrelevant.
What really matters is how close a club can get to the SL salary cap and sustain this level of investment over the years. For that, you need the infrastructure, Sponsors/financial backing, Stadia, crowds and youth structure. Widnes are the only club to have all this in place, within the Championship, now.
The two clubs which got the nod ahead of us last time didn’t have what we have and have struggled as a result. Salford have spent the last two years bumbling along the bottom of SL trying to save money by not spending to the cap, so they can have a desperate push in the last season of the current licence agreement. Celtic Crusaders couldn’t even get through one season before the RFL had to send in a team of trouble shooters to try and save them. They, in essence, no longer exist. These two clubs contested the Grand Final. So being at the top of the Championship isn’t a good indicator of how well a club will fair in Super League for 3 years, without the safety net of relegation.
I know that Widnes would struggle in it's first season back in SL. That would be the way of it for any team newly promoted. It's what they can bring to the table after that which counts. Improving your on-field performance can be as simple as recruiting a new coach – see Wigan and Wire for details.
There’s no doubt in my mind that posts like yours, and the looney Barrow fans on this thread, are motivated by on thing – the green eyed monster!
Before you call me arrogant, don’t forget who said that giving Widnes a licence was “a no-brainer.”
Instead of coming on here spouting the same, boring, old, ill thought out platitudes, that they trot out on the VT, try thinking.
