Nah, let's not be silly.

Stop with the digging. You'll get mud on your Sunday trousers


In the modern era, we have made 2 play-offs, finished second in SL and made (a pretty poor) challenge cup final. So far, you lot have done SFA apart from make a play-off this year.
So, 14 years, 3 top 6 finishes and a CC final.......not bad for a bunch of Cockneys


Yes, Wales have gone very very tits up this year, but London FulhamcrusaderbroncoQuins are just fine thanks

But then surely they would have been stopped at whichever UK airport they flew back to?

depends on where they went through? Canberra to Paris then Paris to Cardiff International?

Bird gets in for games and he has no UK visa

Celtic aren't the same as the Catalans. I've said this since the start of the franchise applications. They're PSG if they're any expansion team. A rushed attempt to put a super league club in an area with little history or interest in rugby league.

I'd much rather see Celtic succeed and help grow the game in Wales, just like the Broncos/Harlequins have in London (playing numbers wise, of course).

York are at least 6/9 years away from even having a sniff of Superleague, but I don't have a problem with that.

2600 is not SL-standard though mate.

Seriously despite those 'successes' (not really success considering the help you've had



), those gates have continued to nosedive over the years (Didier Drogba also dives in London, but he at least draws

).

+ you're even having to try and steal other teams' fans now for matches.







Anyway, re Crusaders, I just don't see how the RFL can justify having them in it next year, it's clearly not going to work (and never was to be fair).

Yeah but at least there's real potential in York (esp as perhaps you may pick up some disgruntled Bulls fans who jumped on the bandwaggon in the 90's). Pretty sure when you was winning the NL2 league in 2005 your crowds weren't that far off Quins current home support.

Anyway, your my 2nd fav club so I'm prob biased.

Quite easy.

"Celtic Crusaders were awarded a three-year Super League license for the years 2009-11."

I assume Bird must have a work permit for France, which then entitles him to work anywhere else in the EU whilst representing that 'company'

The Celtic players however never had a right to be in this country. Their permits are invalid and have been revoked, for whatever reason.

and that has what happened.

Yes, but surely this shows how f****d up and badly managed/organised they really were from the start?!

Compared to one that went out of existence six months before submitting a franchise application? After making whatever assurances were given to the RFL over their financial soundness as part of the 2007 qualifying for promotion process?

Tough call.

2,600......terrible and I blame Salford



2 points out of the franchise/licence thing that we will never get....good job that the golf is over and you can have half your stadium back isn't it.....you might get some decent kids coming through, be able to adapt to the correct quota and start playing on a level playing field without feeling bitter and stealing players from your bigger neighbours


Quins Friday Night Army is taking shape on the HKR board by the way

Super League didn't have to go to 14 teams.

What about Toulouse?

This thread can become irritating, quickly, thanks to you, Code13. I've got no problem with your personal vendetta against Widnes, but I'm sure some Vikings will take your bait.

Notice almost every mention of Widnes in this thread has come from you, or Roofs. Not Widnes fans. Leave the Widnes club out of this, as they've got twice the amount of respect and compassion for the good of this sport (including Celtic Crusaders) than most ever will.

For the record, I think it's a sad state of affairs in Wales. I'm sympathetic to their loyal band of fans, (particularly that halfwit CruCruCrusaders - who must plug thousands into following them) though I'm not all that surprised. The club is out of its depth on every level at the time being, I just hope they can recover within two years for the good of the Welsh game.

Oh – and while everybody (OK, one or two usual suspects, and a couple of other on the Crusaders board) is having fun gloating, saying "I told you so" and "this confirms everything I've always said about Crusaders" etc, etc, …


… take a moment to ask yourself how many other clubs have had visa problems with Australian signings this year, and then ask yourself what this new attitude by UKBA could potentially mean for any club, in any league?

Exactly! Its not fair to bring up Widnes everytime something happens down in Wales. Not too suprised, hope they sort it.

But why does it not affect other sports like Union and Football?

I was thinking miore along the lines of a sporting declaration once they'd topped 100.

Good opportunity for the Loiners to rest a few players for a week, before the business end of the season

I completely agree. As much as I disagreed with their original inclusion it would be a disaster for the game if they failed. Which of course was one of the main reasons I was against it in the first place.

I must admit I've been shocked at their inadequacy this year though. I expected poor crowds which would hamper their long term progress but there has been more twists than a bad Hollywood movie.

Bird is getting in because he's only ever here for a few days. Technically he could still be turned away but there is more latitude for short stays.

Possibly the problem here is that the Celtic players came in on visas that only authorised a short stay as these are easier to get. It's just taken several months for the numpties at the UKBA to notice that they never went home.

As someone else has said, nobody is going to come out of this looking particularly clever in all likelihood.

Many fewer Australians coming into play football. A few will be coming in to play Union, but their first season since the new policy came in is only just about to start - they might have problems, though they've had longer to adjust and might have been forewarned with what has happened to League, if they happen to have clicked the link below the one they intended on sportinglife, one day.

I still believe that there is the potential for a club to flourish in South Wales, but I'm starting to have doubts about [ithis[/i South Wales club.

They'll just have to muddle through the rest of the seasons, hopefully learn their lessons and start with a blank slate in 2010.

Or seemingly any other rugby league club?!

this just highlights the folly of building a team full of antipodeans to compete in the EUROPEAN super league. well done to the RFL for making a complete bollox of everything yet again ala PSG!!!!!!!!