[url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugby-league/news/article/480/10285482/marwan-koukash-attempts-to-bring-vote-of-no-confidence-in-leadership-to-rflLink[/url

Extravagant as ever, but his fears for the future are understandable.

Some people have a problem with Koukash and everything he does. I think he gets a lot of unfair criticism.

My only criticism is that whilst he throws out innuendo and insults and criticism he rarely suggests a well thought out viable and cohesive alternative.

It's obvious through this ass-hatted new system the low salary cap and dumb decision to mortgage our future for a quick payout in the last TV deal that large parts of the game see mediocrity as dangerously ambitious and drastic changes are desperately needed but I don't expect Koukash to present anything like that but just more wild accusations and bridge burning

Good luck to him. The RFL clearly are incompetent, although I'm not sure what the alternative is to that?

The sport has all the ingredients to be successful on a huge scale. It's entertaining, fast paced and should appeal to audiences worldwide. Despite that we've never had any real money in the sport over here and never built on the move to summer. We can't even negotiate a proper domestic TV deal. The sport as it is now is slowly dying.

All he does is continually bring the game into disrepute. Surely there comes a point where they have to ban him?

The RFL are far from perfect but there's the right way to go about your business and there's the Koukash way - obnoxious and in public with no alternative proposed.

He's a loudmouth who bought a team in a sport he doesn't have a clue about and thinks he's been treated unfairly when he gets caught cheating.

For too long the RFL has been populated by self-interested and parochial individuals who are content with the status quo. While MK may offer no alternatives at the moment, it wouldn't be his job to do so either. It seems that quite a lot of SL chairmen agree with MK on this and it will be interesting to see where it leads. RL fans need to leave their dislike of MK to one side on this issue and judge it, when it's revealed, on whether what he suggests is viable, ridiculous, or the way forward.

i think its just another avenue he is using to get the salary cap raised or abolished, nothing else

the tv deal is set in stone now, we cant alter it so thats a non starter

the super 888s is a farce and should be gone after this season with a bit of luck if no team from the championship comes up

Nah.

He was the one who pushed forward the marquee rule, and is one of the only owners to not actually use it yet. The SC rules need refining. You can't set them in stone and expect them to be relevant for years to come. I think they need fairly regular review to be viable, and we're not getting that. NRL and RU constantly revise their operating rules in this regard to reflect modern economic realities. The RFL don't.

I actually think MK just wants an RFL that is fair and forward thinking.

isnt that the same as raising or abolishing?

I agree with cashcow
Rfl are clueless. The whole british game needs a shake up, but I can't see anything being done.
I do hope the other owners get behind him. The rfl could do with some pressure to make some positive changes, especially when it comes to marketing and finance.

This. The RFL are incompetent but what’s the alternative. The chairmen shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near running the sport as they have proved they are just as incompetent at making decisions for the good of the sport. Don’t forget the chairmen voted through the Stobart deal, the abolishing of the U21s and introducing dual reg which is a scandal.

Yes we are massively under-marketed, but the chairmen say they want more money in the sport, yet their own attendances are going down? “It’s the RFL’s fault” just sounds like a football fan blaming everything on the Referee when his own team isn’t exactly setting the world alight. With all Koukash’s millions to invest in marketing, how much have Salfords attendances increased by in the 4 years he’s been there?

I’m not convinced there is enough support as last time from other clubs to have a vote-of-no-confidence. I’m guessing Hudgell, Carter and Koukash are definitely in favour of it from looking at their twitters (Which sometimes feels like I’m in a teenagers group chat in whatsapp)

I’d love Nigel Wood out and get someone like Blake Solly or Sally Bolton, but I doubt they have an alternative and if the chairman ran the sport, we really would be in turmoil. If they have a viable, genuine option, I’d love the RFL to be restructured, but at the moment they don’t.

This move would be given far more serious attention if it were from Lenegan or McManus. Not sure the desire is there to make major changes given the lack of money at most clubs, and certainly without a credible alternative, but it's fair to say that he raises some decent points, particularly about SL's future prospects.

clubs are losing money through various reasons

stupid super 8's- fans like to know when they are playing games well in advance not the week before to make arrangements for holidays/time off work

sky tv- fixture changes at short notice

officials!- the biggest one we should be concerned about! how officials on the pitch and off it run the game, we have lost a lot of rugby league fans who have become disenchanted with on and off field decisions as they are seen as one of the main reasons for ruining games

I have to agree with him.

A lot of questions need to be asked. Attendances are going down further, particularly in the challenge cup. The profile of the game is at an all time low, you have to scour the press for any RL related news.
The marketing and promotion appears to be a complete shambles; the recent delayed launch of the 4 nations is a classic example.
Some do not like Koucash, he can be brash and outspoken, but he his putting his money where is mouth is. He seems very good with fans of all clubs and will pose for any photo etc.
I wonder where Salford would be without him, I wish he had invested millions into my club.

We do seem to be a failing sport, not only with dwindling attendances, but in the amateur game as well. Sport England are continually lowering grant payments due to the increasing lower levels of participation.

As I said, questions need to be asked. Nigel Wood earns a quarter of a million pounds per year. I have no problem with that, but where is the evidence the game is going forward and his salary is justified.

Surely when it comes to a vote of no confidence in the Board of the governing body then all 30+ members should have a say on a one club one vote basis. I know that SL clubs have more say over structures and funding etc but in this incidence surely it has to involve all RFL member clubs.

I do not like the guy but what he says is good, take the stupid super 8s at the moment we have 2 teams who could be in the bottom 4 threw no fault of their own ie injuries and one might go down to my mind scrap it now and has a one of the 2 top teams in the championship bring up and lets have 14 teams again and after that 1 up 1 down

There are way more than 30 rl clubs. I always enjoy seeing the hypocrisy of lower league clubs fans who are always in a tizzy when their clubs voices aren't put front and centre by the big boys but then forget that most of the game actually exists outside their tiny fiefdom.

Why would you expect us to completely ignore the RFLs structure to exaggerate the voice of a minority of clubs in the middle.

well koukash got the marquee rule he wanted but failed to use this?

hope this latest attempt is more well thought through...

though he does have valid points, such as the super league becoming a feeder comp.

but im afraid we dont have enough money men to sustain a bigger salary cap for the majority of teams

Will be interesting to see who's got the stomach for the fight. I imagine a lot of the owners are not happy with the RFL but I suppose it comes down to what the alternative is. If it was a PDC type breakaway then it will need a good business head to carry it out and clubs being prepared (and financially viable) enough to tough it out for a year or two. Reckon it'll come to nought but maybe will cause a ripple or two.

I love how Mr Superior gets a cob on when a fan of a 'lower league club' posts something. There are between 30 and 40 FULL members of the RFL and they are who this vote is about. The RFL, The Governing Body. It doesn't matter what league you are in when it comes to a vote concerning the makeup of the RFL board. Smokey you are still funny after all these years, but not funny haha sadly.

Is this another ploy to bump up Salfords profile? Surely this kind of innuendo and name calling is going about things in a most unprofessional manner. Which is ironic given Koukash is calling the RFL. He's like a kid having a tantrum after he's been grounded for being naughty. He may well have a (several) point, but I think he'd be taken a lot more seriously if he went about things in a different way.

Salford seem to think that there's this massive conspiracy against the club, there's even a Salford fan making libellous statements about backhanded payments to fix matches on their board.

you are completely and utterly wrong in every aspect.

Maybe he'll get his way and the real power behind the throne will step out of the shadows to run the RFL; enter Gary Hetherington, the King of the North - cue much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Well find me the list of FULL RFL member clubs please as I understood full membership only included SL, Championship and Championship 1 clubs. Instead of just looking down your nose and saying 'your wrong' show me why. In other words, link please

Changing goalposts aside we have a structure which divides power between the different areas of the game. There is no need to change that, especially in the way you propose which would serve no purpose other than exaggerating the voice of a minority of clubs in the middle.

If we want a better RFL we have to pay for it. That means clubs getting less tv money. But the big issues are:
Lack of geographical spread (domestically & internationally)
Lack of marketing and expansion of the sport
Lack of marketing and expansion of existing clubs.

Now 2 out of those 3 issues are the responsibility of the RFL yet they get peanuts in terms of revenue with which to do anything.

And sadly the issue that's in the control of the clubs, they're doing very little.

We need more money going to the RFL. Both for a truly professional leadership AND for funds for consistent, long term, targeted development areas.

Having the teams (Coventry etc) in League 1 is a great step forward, and they'll bear fruit in the future, but they're also likely to need help if they're ever to truly compete at the top. It's time we stopped listening to parochial interests of the existing clubs because their interests are only ever for short term gain.
We have to financially and materially assist certain clubs if we're ever to expand as a sport. The only other way is when the odd millionaire pops up but as we've seen they're very much hit and miss.

Long term development means long term assistance and sod any other club that complains.

We HAVE to stop looking for short term fixes and look at long term development. This sport is still very weak, it can't stand on its own feet as a viable, national, professional sport. So we can't treat it the same as the Premier League. We have to pick and choose what is best for the sport.