The best part of all that is, back then, nobody even mentioned the attendance. All of the comment was about the game, the players and the skill on show - which is how it should be.
It's a fine example of how the sport has shot itself in the foot by setting the 10,000 attendance agenda for SL and, lets face it there are only 5 clubs capable of hitting this mark with any regularity and 2 of those have dropped 20% in the last couple of seasons.
A successful Bradford side could increase that number but, that's still only half of the sides in the comp.

Many people have lauded London's return to SL and it should be a positive but, their attendances are woeful.

We really need to be bigging up the sport as, played at it's best RL is still "the greatest game"

As much as I'll never forgive Widnes fans for ruining the semi final of the challenge cup in 2014 for us, I don't want to see any club in trouble. Players, staff etc.. have mortgages and bills to pay the same as the rest of us. The community work and the youth system Widnes have built should be applauded. Just a shame the first team hasn't had the same attention over the last few years. From an 'outsider looking in' point of view it looks like Rule has done the same at 2 clubs now as I'm sure the Hull fans will agree with. Like others, I remember watching the Widnes sides in the 80's and enjoying how they played the game. They had a great side back then. I hope something gets sorted soon. Good luck guys.

Fantastic post Wrencat, I think sometimes we get bogged down on here by trolls deliberately on the wind up and genuinely sour negative people that just have nothing better to do than put down aspects of other clubs. I cant remember the last time I came on here and saw people talking about the actual game that is being played...

SOme of my earliest rugby memories are of Naughton park and having a drink with my family in the players bar and being in awe of all these rugby players that just mingled with the fans after a game.

I hope they can be saved

Widnes in the 80 were excellent and with the likes of Davies, Offiah, Sorensen, Myler etc played some of the mots attractive RL that there has been in the history of the sport.
They were a great watch, unless your side was the opposition.

I remember getting to Naughton park for a Wednesday evening game, back in the late 80's and we were a few minutes late getting in.
Trinity were 6 - 0 down as we came through the turnstiles and another 6 before we had got to the "away stand"
Again, does it matter how many were watching if the SPORT on view was top drawer, I dont think so.

www.totalrl.com/widnes-game-with ... alled-off/

www.totalrl.com/widnes-game-with ... alled-off/

Gutted, we have some great fans (Cas fans look away now), but it's hard to take. It's been run into the ground and when the money dried up, they all jumped ship leaving it in this state. James Rule, i haven't got enough words to describe my hatred towards this man. All of the funding we've had in recent years, it's not like we've ever tried to break the bank to get to the playoffs, we've probably spent the least of all clubs in the last 6 years, maintained a 4,000-6,000 average gate. I really don't know where to moneys gone.

I know just how you feel pal. We’ve been through this three times! It’s feckin awful.

It’s a case of gritting your teeth now. Administration may safeguard the club in the immediate term but there will be rumours aplenty about potential owners and players leaving etc. A lot of it will be rubbish. It’s like riding a rollercoaster. There will be heaps of uncertainty and players, staff and supporters will be the last to find anything out. If you can I’d recommend finding a desert island to hide on for a few months.

Hopefully a new owner will emerge and you’ll be saved.

I will never or could ever support any other team than widnes but it's very hard to take. 6 years of scraping by in superleague to be relegated to this. with the likes of Toronto, Widnes, Leigh and Bradford, i was looking forward to this season more than any in a long time. Hopefully the players wont all jump ship but we have a lot of young talent, plus Gelling, Inu and Hood who would get a gig in superleague and top championship clubs.

If you go into admin I think losing players is inevitable. We learned that 3 times over.

However, you have a decent sized squad, a good academy and many other clubs have spent their budgets. That means it won't be an immediate mass exodus. The main priority is finding a new owner. Then see where you are then. You'll probably see a few leave in dribs and drabs. Especially if money is needed to cover the salaries of the rest.

I guess my advice would be to forget about the short term and this season and think long term. Having a club is the main priority.

Echo Bullseyes comments. The uncertainty is the worst. If you follow Mick Gledhill on twitter (or similar "in the knows"icon_wink.gif I would mute them for the next few months. There will be plenty of "I'm hearing a billionaire is in talks to take over Widnes" only for nothing to happen.

The next 12-18 months might be hell. You may have to endure a depleted squad getting battered every week as you head towards inevitable relegation.

But at the end if you can get some honest owners, who re-engage with the fans, hopefully you can enjoy the club and rugby again. Good luck!

One of the best memories I have from RL was due to the generosity of a Widnes fan. In the 1989 Premiership final, Hull KR v Oldham (2nd Division final) was the precursor to the Widnes v Bradford Northern match. At halftime in the Rovers match, I went to get a drink and while queuing a Widnes fan slightly bumped into me( I was a kid at the time) so he bought me a drink to say sorry. Always had a soft spot for Widnes after that.

Unless the RFL bring in what they did with Crusaders, where salaries and oversees status was scrapped to enable the players to continue to have an occupation. Hull KR got Lincoln Withers and Ryan O'Hara as a result of the Crusaders colapse, and the majority of the Crusaders squad found new teams. It would be a shame for Widnes to lose their top players in this way, and will only add to the disaster that unfolds.

Good luck and i genuinly hope you come out the other end in a better position, as most have mentioned, Widnes is a hotbed for Rugby League.

It's just a little gut wrenching, like the Bulls fans know all too familiar, we were in the same boat 11 years ago. SOC takes over and talks nothing other than sustainability but the last 4-5 years have been painful.

I know there's a place for the people of Widnes in profesisonal rugby league whether that's Superleague or Championship. The fans in Widnes love rugby more than anything but you can't choose your own owners i guess. We're currently fielding 10 home grown players week in, week out in our 17, that will probably have to be 17 soon enough.

They were granted exemptions from any overseas/fed quotas, but they didn't 'scrap' their salaries.
Any club looking to sign a Widnes player will still need the funds available to pay them!

Can't believe that Widnes have had to postpone the Sheffield game...makes our (Leigh's) situation last season, not seem so bad. Really hope they can get out of this mess 'soon' although administration and a 12 points deduction looks likely. When I was a kid went to so may Widnes games in the 7o's and early 80's (even though I am a Leigh fan) and Naughton Park was rammed full with spectators, and a constant stream of fantastic players. Lots of local talent (Mick Burke, Keith Elwell, Tony Myler, Ray Dutton etc) plus all the ex Rugby Union stars. Guess it's a bit like Bradfod Northern/Bulls, used to be a massive club, lots of trophies, but now it's a totally different ball game.

I started watching rugby league in the 90s.

It may be that my memory fails me, but I do not recall Widnes ever doing anything of note on the pitch, nor having a fan base of note.

Sort of one of those clubs that dines out on former glories.

Will be a shame to see them go but would rather have someone like Catalans / Toronto / Toulouse bringing in half decent attendances and adding to the profile of the game, rather than yet another M62 yo-yo team playing in front of one man and his dog.

Latter part of the 1970s through to late 1980s was their best period. You missed it.

Totally agree with the two Bulls' fans on this. As a Leyther, I can vouch that it is painful and distressing. Personally, I found the words of these guys comforting, during our recent troubles. And, touch wood, they were right about us. Here's hoping for a similar miracle coming the Vikings' way.

Huddersfield, Wakefield, Widnes, Leigh, Salford, London.

I do not recall any of these sides ever generating a decent average attendance and they have had about 4 good seasons between them in the last 20 or so years.

What exactly do they bring to the game? Would we miss them if they vanished?

Are you just attention seeking?

Ironically widnes got a fair few players out of that arrangement.

Superleague 2022 will clock you up some real air miles in guesssing. It’s a vision of the likes of Toronto I really don’t blame, they’re doing nothing wrong and will become a success. But the sport I fell in love with growing up was travelling to the likes of Leigh, Saints, Castleford, Halifax, Leeds. Etc.
Proper rugby places with full on rugby league folk. The atmosphere between fans of this game is like no other. Soon, you’ll be travelling to places on a regular occurrence that don’t even speak the same language. The m62 corridor doesn’t sound like the most flashy/appealing system but it’s for me something I’ve loved the pleasure of growing up witnessing.
Times are changing and if you haven’t got the money to mix it at the top with the big boys, then you’ll yo yo around before making way for more expansion.

2 actually *Leigh didn't go bust or into admin* which is why we have no points deduction yet DB took us to the edge in a successful attempt to restructure the business, however I get your general drift !

I hope that there are backers waiting in the wings *maybe for admin to get the Club for a song* & that Widnes rebuild towards former glories.