Re: Leigh : Sun Feb 14, 2021 10:51 am  

You know what they say.... absolute power and all that.

Re: Leigh : Sun Feb 14, 2021 4:45 pm  

Just seen the championship fixtures and format, each team will play 9 of the other 13 teams twice and the other 4 once with a possible “Summer bash” fixture Covid allowing. With such a skewed competition I can’t see promotion/relegation in place at the end of this season

Re: Leigh : Mon Feb 15, 2021 3:31 am  

Good luck to Leigh - I think they'll need it. It's a bit of a poisoned chalice with the short notice and lack of available players, but you miss every shot you don't take.
When Trinity got promoted in 1998 not many gave them a chance of staying up and - although we scraped through for the first 5 years overcoming many obstacles - we're still here.
I don't see them as competition as I don't think it's between us and them for relegation (should it happen), despite what the 'experts' say.
We have a small-ish squad, but not as small as 2018 when we finished 5th. Squad retention and stability are the keys. We've not had less than 65% of the squad retained since 2016 and there is a correlation between retention and finishing position.
This year we only have one new first team player (+ a few youngsters given a first team place - Harry Bowes, Dane Windrow. Sam Eseh? Patrick O’Donovan?). A lot depends on how Mason Lino goes, but I see him as a replacement for Liam Finn rather than Danny Brough as that didn't quite work out.
62% of the squad have even retained their squad number - when have we ever had that level of stability? It's not since 2009 that we've had over 50% (when we also finished 5th) It's usually only the top teams that have this..
I'm not saying we won't finish in the relegation mix, but something will have had to go seriously wrong, like the injuries of 2019 or the lack of focus of 2020.
I think we have a squad strong enough to be competitive with the middle 5th - 8th group and most likely to finish in one of those positions. Not quite good enough to compete for the top 4 over the season, but with the ability to beat any team on the day.

Re: Leigh : Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:47 am  

Leigh will need good luck. It's a long season (hopefully!) and I don't see any real quality, in depth in their squad. If they get decimated by injuries, as we were recently, they will struggle,
There is no reason for us to be involved in the relegation battle if certain players play to their potential.
I'm still convinced we have quality in the squad that will be good enough to challenge the best.

Re: Leigh : Mon Feb 15, 2021 8:07 am  

Cokey wrote:

Bloody hell, I can't believe what's been going on here in the last 24 hrs! Personally,I have every respect for all Wakey fans, and your club,and love to converse with all of you whenever i feel to do so. I must say that atomic (the mod) has completely ruined the Leigh forum board with his over zealous authoritarian approach,and has now belittled your club for some odd/unknown unacceptable reason. The Leigh forum is now dead because of him as well. His posts are completely unnecessary, and i will now take the opportunity to apologize on behalf of all Leigh fans who i'm sure would agree with me that he is nothing but an idiot.

Most of the time you get the hostility. After a contentious game, a sour transfer or just general animosity between local rivals.

None of this exists between Wakefield and Leigh, never has. As for the Fox thing why attack a player who most fans haven’t ever seen play, a guy from a long ago generation. That’s what baffled me and still does.

Leigh have a chance, no fans know that better than we do, so we don’t take you likely. However we also know we have a decent squad that has for various reasons badly under performed in the last two seasons.

We are a known quantity and it is known that we can play a bit. With that in mind even a negative bunch of fans like us have to believe we can beat the new boys as they stand at present. If we don’t I’m not sure there is much point in us starting the season.

As for the stadium I was delighted it worked out for you, I only wish we had such a supportive community. Yet as I’m sure you’ll testify, a new stadium is just a small part of the equation, as far as I’m aware no new ground has ever won a game.

If a stadium counts for 20% of the package then the frustrating thing for us is that we pretty much have the other 80% or would have if we had said stadium. It’s a massive ball and chain for us and we have really tried to shift it but it just hasn’t happened.

We are the great survivors and utterly deserve our status, what we can’t do yet is thrive.

You are the reverse, you have the key but as yet you haven’t managed to unlock it.

I’m no expansionist and never have been, I honestly don’t get the obsession. I’d rather play Leigh and Fev or Fax year in year out than London, Toronto and even Catalan who’s main drawing power imho is as a holiday destination.

Unfortunately or fortunately depending on viewpoint nobody cares what I think

Re: Leigh : Mon Feb 15, 2021 12:32 pm  

financialtimes wrote:

Just seen the championship fixtures and format, each team will play 9 of the other 13 teams twice and the other 4 once with a possible “Summer bash” fixture Covid allowing. With such a skewed competition I can’t see promotion/relegation in place at the end of this season

Firstly, the Summer Bash has already been binned.

Secondly, what's the difference between how the Championship fixtures are being mapped out and SL loop fixtures?

Any advantage/disadvantage is fairly minimal, and it's a bit sad if anyone is looking for loopholes to avoid relegation before the season has even begun.

Re: Leigh : Mon Feb 15, 2021 1:22 pm  

The Phantom Horseman wrote:

Firstly, the Summer Bash has already been binned.

Secondly, what's the difference between how the Championship fixtures are being mapped out and SL loop fixtures?

Any advantage/disadvantage is fairly minimal, and it's a bit sad if anyone is looking for loopholes to avoid relegation before the season has even begun.

I think it's really sad that someone can't see a fair point when it's made

Re: Leigh : Mon Feb 15, 2021 1:30 pm  

The Phantom Horseman wrote:

Firstly, the Summer Bash has already been binned.

Secondly, what's the difference between how the Championship fixtures are being mapped out and SL loop fixtures?

Any advantage/disadvantage is fairly minimal, and it's a bit sad if anyone is looking for loopholes to avoid relegation before the season has even begun.

Whilst at this point I see no issue with Promotion and relegation this season, if they are going to work from the % based system again then it`s just not going to work.

Catalan looked to be deliberately exploiting the system last season and I have no doubt teams would do the same to try and avoid a hit on there win %, they even changed to number of games benchmark half way through!

Re: Leigh : Mon Feb 15, 2021 2:04 pm  

The Phantom Horseman wrote:

Firstly, the Summer Bash has already been binned.

Secondly, what's the difference between how the Championship fixtures are being mapped out and SL loop fixtures?

Any advantage/disadvantage is fairly minimal, and it's a bit sad if anyone is looking for loopholes to avoid relegation before the season has even begun.

Wow we’re you bullied as a child

Re: Leigh : Mon Feb 15, 2021 2:23 pm  

homme vaste wrote:

The Phantom Horseman wrote:

Firstly, the Summer Bash has already been binned.

Secondly, what's the difference between how the Championship fixtures are being mapped out and SL loop fixtures?

Any advantage/disadvantage is fairly minimal, and it's a bit sad if anyone is looking for loopholes to avoid relegation before the season has even begun.

Whilst at this point I see no issue with Promotion and relegation this season, if they are going to work from the % based system again then it`s just not going to work.

Catalan looked to be deliberately exploiting the system last season and I have no doubt teams would do the same to try and avoid a hit on there win %, they even changed to number of games benchmark half way through!

Now this is the issue I have. Last year we battled on with some games up to 10 players unavailable countless times. As it came to the end of the season you could argue our willingness to complete fixtures had a negative impact on our league position and %.

Given the option in 2021 if we do have a number stood down I feel with relegation on the table it would be the wise decision to say “nope we aren’t playing with a weakened team” which I believe is an option in the Covid rules to postpone a match.

The fact that they have delayed the season leaving very little wiggle room now seems like it could back fire if a few clubs have to stand down players and refuse to compete with a weakened team (which I believe is an option we refused last year). Who could blame a team missing 6-10 players from their starting line up taking this approach.

Relegation needs to be scrapped imho outside influences could have a huge say on finishing positions and not as it should be decided in full (on the pitch).

The rules and goalposts shouldn’t be changed after the seasons kicked off either or at least potential plans and options laid out as contingency before season kicks off. That would be the professional thing for a sporting body to do.

The % points system is poor imo. All clubs should be playing the same number of games for the result and league leaders shield to have any credibility.