: Sat Jun 06, 2009 1:11 am  

I wonder how much money the RFL could afford in a monster legal battle?

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 7:41 am  

JENKY wrote:

Unfortunatly its 12 Months too late Alan.
The minute all the clubs agreed to a no appeals process last July was the minute we signed the fate of Many clubs outside of SL.

I agree. I wasn't referring to P&R though - more that it is slowly dawning on some Championship clubs, that they could/should group together and thrash out how things must be made better in the Championship, rather than sit back and wait for the RFL to thrust 'initiatives' on them. (Starbug correctly identifies the many strings attached to the '£100k' SKY money, for example.) I know our club wants to be proactive on achieving change, and I reckon some other clubs do - the big question is whether everyone is willing to join them.

Another very small example - 'Game On' magazine was 'imposed' on the Championship clubs. Many seized on this as an opportunity, either because of cost, or downright laziness. (it takes an effort to produce a programme) Now, the publishers of 'Game On' have said they have had enough, at the end of this season - as predicted by Leigh. What are the clubs going to do about that?

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 7:58 am  

I didn't know the Game On people had said that - lightweights!

It was an ambitious project Game On, but 2 pages on a game does not do it or the clubs justice.

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 8:02 am  

DParky wrote:

I didn't know the Game On people had said that - lightweights!

It was an ambitious project Game On, but 2 pages on a game does not do it or the clubs justice.

The fact that the clubs aren't paying them may have had something to do with it - or be an indicator of what the clubs think of it!

Also, they are fed up of trying to beg/bully/steal material from the Championship clubs - including those who were in favour of it!

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:24 am  

Alan wrote:

And give us another month between home fixtures, if the August 2nd game is cancelled!!!!

May 14th Widnes (H)
June 14th Gateshead (H)
July 19th Sheffield (H)
Aug 15th Toulouse (H)

Whoever at Red Hall came up with this fixture arrangement, shouldn't just be sacked, he/she should be sued for loss of income. I'm not surprised that clubs are in trouble, when they only play at home every Preston Guild!!

Fully agree with you Alan, next week (Sun 14th June v Gateshead Thunder) will be our first home Sunday match since Batley on 22nd March........12 weeks ago !!!.................little wonder people get out of the "rugby fix" habit, in between we've had just 2 Thursdays and Easter Monday, I will be very surprised if at least one NL club does'nt go to the wall pre 2010 !

A possible solution is to adopt the Scottish Football Lge system (Divisions 1-3) which operate with just 10 clubs in each division but play each other home and away twice...............I can already hear coaches crying that would be too much rugby............but no club can continue to exist in modern stadia on 10 league games in a season that runs from Feb to Sept !!

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:46 am  

I remember back in 1991-92 we were in an 8 team 2nd division and we played everyone four times, that seemed to work.

The fact of the matter is that there should be more league games to make the comp more financially viable for teams.

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 10:08 am  

The amount of Sunday games is absolutely ridiculous and i hope the clubs do something about it for next season ,has this happened in SL at all this season ie. 1 Friday home game in 12 weeks for Wigan say .

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 10:09 am  

DParky wrote:

I remember back in 1991-92 we were in an 8 team 2nd division and we played everyone four times, that seemed to work.

The fact of the matter is that there should be more league games to make the comp more financially viable for teams.

That's what I think too, Dave. On the eight team league, I think everyone was getting sick of the sight of each other, by the end of the season - didn't London Broncos play Oldham seven times? (four league games, plus Challenge Cup, plus Regal/John Player Trophy plus Lancs. Cup{??}) I know the format of the NRC has changed this year, but for me, the 'Group' stage is still a very artificial way of getting to eight teams for a k-o trophy.

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 10:18 am  

Back in 1998 Leigh played everyone in that league three times.

You mentioned about teams being sick of the sight of each other, what about Leigh and Salford in the 2003 season?

2 Cup games,
2 league games,
1 play off game and one Grand Final.

I think if the NRC is going to continue they need to split it in a East and West format and you play all teams once with the top four making the quarter finals, or even just top 2 qualifying for the semi-finals. Again back in the days of the Trans Pennine Cup in 2000 and 2001 this provided a number of fixtures although thinking about it from memory they were taken from league games as it was the big 18 team division at the time.

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 8:57 pm  

DParky wrote:

You mentioned about teams being sick of the sight of each other, what about Leigh and Salford in the 2003 season?

2 Cup games,
2 league games,
1 play off game and one Grand Final.

.

And if in addition to the the two cup league games, Leigh and Salford were to have met in the 2003 final at Spotland,it would of resulted in the ridiculous sitution of playing each other on 7 occasions in one season...