A bit like when Briscoe was said to be coming to Leeds, no proof at that time - GH denied it - where is Briscoe playing for the next five seasons.

This board is full of this stuff what is strange is how much of it actually ends up being true!!

So your evidence for GH running the RFL is we signed briscoe and GH denied it. Hardly the same. There could be many reasons for dening signing briscoe. There had to be some conversations with players already in the team, maybe even hull didn't want it announcing till the season was over. Either way there is a big difference between not confirming we have signed a player and managing to get woods into the RFL as the FD in 2002 and then to get his puppet the top job.

As I said before a conspiracy theory with no evidence at all

Aren't they all?

So is it the FD role then? So you were lying when you said this then?


And this?


And this?

Quite obviously not referring to the FD role but to the top job. So let's try again. What influence did GH have in getting Wood the job? How did he convince the RFL Board, the RFL Council and Richard Lewis to give Wood firstly the FD role and then the COO role followed by CEO?
Any other attempts at swerving and misdirection are not necessary, just answer the question, or admit you were making it up, it's quite clear you were anyway.

I omitted to challenge the Tony Smith issue because I don't know enough about it, however I don't find it unreasonable for the RFL to hire a soon to be out of work Grand Final winning coach. If GH had influence in getting him that job, tell us how and in what way.



Has anyone suggested other clubs could have had such rapid a rise? However it was you who virtually disregarded Hetherington's role and put most of the credit on Caddick spending money on the club, which is just wrong. As are your lies about Nigel Wood on this thread. If there was significant investment from Caddick then, like the Nigel Wood issue, prove it. Show us examples. The only evidence you have is spending by the club but can't prove where it came from.
Come on, you made the assertions, it's up to you to back them up.

He has no evidence. He made it up.

Just a point of order to throw in. Nigel Wood wasn’t appointed as FD of the RFL from being FD of Halifax.

After he had left Halifax Richard Lewis asked him to lead a review in to the sport as an external consultant in 2001, in 2002 he was appointed by the RFL board as FD, in 2003 COO, in 2007 CEO.

Any director level appointment is done by the Nomination Committee. The nomination committee was at that time Internationally renowned Sports Lawyer and former Man Utd Director Maurice Watkins, Former Chief Exec of Morrisons PLC Bob Stott, and oddly Ian Edwards a former newsreader (though he left in 2008 and it is now Claire Morrow the head of Welcome to Yorkshire and non-exec at Leeds Teaching Hospitals ) not people I would personally think are in some kind of thrall to Gary Hetheringtons demands.

Shhh. Sal thinks GH got Wood the Chairman's role when Richard Lewis left.

Repeating yourself and using words like "inconceivable" do not, as far as I'm aware, prove anything. Just saying that GH is "the most powerful voice in the game in the northern hemisphere" doesn't actually make him so.

Do you have any actual proof that GH was wholly responsible for Wood's appointment?

I would also say GH should have a loud voice within the running of the game. Whatever the RFL do needs the buy in of the clubs, especially the few big clubs we have and certainly the fewer ‘super clubs’ we have. Leeds are the biggest club in the country, they should have a big voice. The same goes for Ian Lenegan at Wigan, McManus and Moran at Saints and Wire.

That’s my issue with whats happening here. Though I don’t agree with it the new structure had buy in from at least 3 of those 4 clubs and everyone else. This pause and delay which is causing damaging instability doesn’t seem to be about the new structure which 3 of the 4 have bought in to, but that Wigan have allied themselves with Wire (who are very much against the proposed structure and always have been) to get more money, more representation and a different commercial and marketing structure. Now I agree that SL should have more money, more representation and a different commercial and marketing structure, and I have sympathy with Ian Lenegans demands. What I don’t think is right is to use the re-structrure as leverage to get it.

Personally I think the 2x12 and 3x8 idea is a dumb one. I think it is an awful idea as do many in the game. I agree with Tony Smith that franchising has not been done right and not given the time to work but it isn’t necessarily the wrong path. I also think this instability is worse and rather than simply join together to throw a spanner in the works for different reasons, if the rebel 6 were to hold this gun to the games head, they should have had an alternative ready to go. The fact they are still, at this point saying “we don’t know what we want but we don’t want that“ isn’t good enough.

All this discussion seems to suggest that we need a "big hitter" as CEO.
Whilst GH has done a good job at club level, and would promote some sensible ideas, I would not put him forward for the position, given his history as Leeds CEO.
What is needed is someone with no ties, current or previous, to a Super League club, and probably with an open mind and a business / marketing expertise. He should be seen to be independent, respected for his business ability and hard headed enough to bring the clubs together to see the common sense bigger picture.
The current situation is that we have a lack of respect for the top man.
This is a recipe for back biting and argument and lack of firm vision and decision making.
Just as in business, if you don't respect your boss, then he will not succeed in the long term, and it may lead to the end of the organisation..

Did you lift that from Brian Barwick's CV?

Goodness gracious, at last a sensible, non-partisan post on this matter.

let's just leave the 6 clubs to fend for themself. see how long they last without funding, a large leeds away following and players wanting to leave them

the so called 6 clubs that may be 7 as saints were not represented at the meeting do not rely on leeds away support also if there was a split god forbid the sky tv deal would probably be scrapped .I really hope there is no split but for me if there was the 6 or 7 break away clubs would be in a stronger position than the rest

There is zero chance of an actual split happening with Leeds in one camp and Wigan in another. The other clubs just can't survive without both of the two biggest names. Some form of compromise will have to be reached - but getting there could be a horribly ugly process.

your probably right just have a feeling one side will have swallow there pride otherwise it could get really nasty.dont know what went on at the last meeting but if they did try to force a vote through when it wasnt even on the agenda then this was very silly and ill thought out and its no suprise to me they walked out

Its not really about Leeds away support, it’s the fact that the biggest club would be taken out of the league. The Largest RL city would be taken out of the league and its spread would be hugely diminished.

Im sure Wigan fans would disagree but Leeds is the clubs the game can least afford to lose. It is the only major RL city it is a relatively huge city compared to most in the country and any in the game and the centre of a huge conurbation. That would matter to sponsors, advertisers and TV broadcasters. In fact the three largest cities by population are all on the other side. Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield is 1.5m people taken away from tv companies, sponsors and advertisers. It also then become a game which has 2 cities playing it the rest are northern towns and villages and I cant see huge numbers of international and national sponsors wanting to be associated with Salford, Hull and some smaller northern towns.

Whatever happens needs Leeds, there is no power in the other 6 or 7, they would have a poorer competition, which has direct competition, doesn’t have national body recognition, would need to go from invented to set up to running in a couple of months, doesn’t have a tv deal, doesn’t have any brand recognition, doenst have a structure or even enough clubs for a meaningful competition. These clubs would also not have the Challenge Cup or WCC to participate in as they are RFL competitions, there would also be the ‘threat’ of any player playing for this ‘rebel competition’ being ineligible for international duty, and I would hazard a guess that the contracts of these players specify that they are playing RFL competitions as the RFL holds their registration. I can see that their contracts would become unenforceable should the club leave the RFL jurisdiction.

For any kind of breakaway competition to succeed all the top clubs would need to move en masse to a competition that was set up and ready to go which left the RFL in no position to fight it.

So within a year of leaving Halifax he worked exclusively for the RFL until he was indeed employed by the RFL as FD? How does that happen, are you suggesting that Wood was the best candidate in a technical role at that level that RFL could find?

Still the point that no one has answered - how did Wood morph into the top job unchallenged. What skills/experience has he demostrated in his career that would suggest he is a suitable candidate for a job of that gravitas? You say in another post GH should have a big voice given the status of Leeds are you now suggesting he didn't have a big voice when Wood got the top job?

I am not sure anyone is suggesting that he had the skills for it. The point is, he was lucky enough to be the most senior in each of his roles ready for when the next one left, and basically it has been a gradual promotion decided by the RFL board. In other words, can't be bothered looking outside, let's promote from within.

The point is rightly or wrongly, him being in the job, Hetherington will not have had a say in it.

So you prove all this is lies? No you can't so don't take the moral high ground - who do you think you are?

As an accountant by profession I do have a bit of an understanding of the market. Wood would never have got that job on his ability alone - his position at Halifax gives a good indication of his ability level - he had to have some influence in gaining the position.

We must agree to disagree on Smith and the England job, GH has shown he is a master at manipulating the coaching position. He got Lance out early, Powell never returned to Leeds as was suggested when Smith took over, Smith and the England job, McClennan- bringing McDermott in scuppered him etc.

I don't have prove anything, nobody else does on here and that includes you!! Just answer this, do you think without Caddick's backing Hetherington would have been able to transform Leeds in the way he has?

Seems pretty obvious how that could happen. RFL needed an FD. They have worked with someone who has worked in finance both inside the game and outside who wanted the job. You have to remember that whilst at Halifax Wood was also elected, by all shareholders, as a board member of Super League (Europe)

Wood didn’t morph in to the top job. As part of the Watkins review the RFL structure changed. Wood has been CEO since 2008. He is CEO now. He was promoted to that job from CoO. In 2001 Ricahrd Lewis was both CEO and Chairman. In 2008 he was no longer CEO but still Chairman of the RFL. Nigel Wood was appointed CEO of the RFL with Richard Lewis as Chairman. After Lewis left Maurice Watkins became temporary Chairman of the RFL with Nigel Wood as CEO. After the Watkins review the post of Chairman was changed to a non-exec role and Brian Barwick was appointed non-exec Chairman of the RFL. Nigel Wood is still CEO, as he has been for 5 years.

Think we have to agree to disagree about who the biggest cub is.We aint done to bad for a smaller northern town

It doesn’t really matter about who the biggest club is to be honest. More that the largest RL city by a country mile had been lost. There would literally be no argument to the charge that RL was only played in small northern backwaters if the biggest RL areas were Salford and Hull.

It's actually up to you to prove your assertions, something you have categorically failed to do. Your reluctance to do so, plus a reluctance to retract your comments leads us to believe you were lying rather than merely mistaken.
Let's take them one by one shall we?

You have no evidence, despite being asked several times, of Hetherington's influence in getting Wood any of his jobs, be it CFO, COO or CEO. If there is any, show us it.


Once again, no evidence put forward. Merely repeating it isn't evidence. If there is any, show us it.
Not to mention you were confused over which role Gary supposedly got for Wood, who has been "in charge" for what? 3 years? So answer the question, which role did Gary get for Nigel Wood? His CFO role? His COO role? Or his CEO role? And then answer how Gary managed to do this?


So which role did he get for Wood then? Because Wood's role DIDN'T change when Lewis went, Wood WASN'T put in temporary charge, and a successor WAS found.


Yes I can take the moral high ground because you are wrong and won't admit it. I'm the person who asks you questions about your bizarre statements and you're the person who never actually answers them.


I'm sorry, as an accountant you have an understanding of the market for a role running a sporting governing body? Or were you on about a different role?


Was Smith not qualified for the GB job? Who else was more highly qualified that didn't get the job? How did Hetherington bring his influence to bear on this?
Of course Hetherington is in control of the Leeds coaching position, he's the Leeds CEO, his job is to hire and fire the Leeds head coach.


Yes you do. You don't get to just post stuff without backing it up in some form, or it'll get treated with the contempt it deserves. If its your opinion then state it. But don't state it as fact without backing it up.


No, it would have taken much longer and been much more difficult, but then that was never disputed was it? What was disputed is the amount of money put into the club/spent on the club by Caddick. You have asserted a lot was spent by Caddick, and cited it as a major reason for the club's rise. Like all your other points, you have failed to provide any evidence for that assertion.

Now will you actually answer any of the questions put to you? Or will you do your Sin Bin practice of avoiding the questions for a while when you know you've cocked up and then disappearing for a while?

Loving the avoidance of his claims by Sal Paradise. Can't provide any evidence to his claims so therefore goes on the offensive to demand evidence of other ppl's opinions.

Of all the back tracking I've seen on here his has to be the highest......it's beyond pitiful.