Is Graham Lowe still working for Salford? Seen numerous reports over the last few days and non have mentioned him in an capacity being involved with Salford. Come to think of it we've heard precious little about him or Andrew Chalmers since the take over.

Also seem to remember there was a statement that JW was going to be offered a position as President for life did this happen as not heard anything about JW again since the take over.

Chalmers was at the Widnes game.

I don't know the answer but we've certainly developed a strong Kiwi link, Chase (ok alm down you know what I mean), Rapira, Tasi, Sa'u, Puletua & Meli (who was born in Samoa but played his formative years in NZ), so I'd suspect he and Chalmers are still pulling strings somewhere.

I have no inside information,but I always suspected that Lowe and Farish were short term to give the new regime credibility. Didn't Lowe recommend Foran and Mauro?
I thought the same about Chalmers but looks like I was wrong on that one.
As regards JW, I think the Doctor said and meant the right thing at the time but,after John didn't accept straightaway,I suspect the moment passed.

Lowe and Chambers were here to initially facilitate the takeover, neither are on the board or have any doings with the club anymore. Marwan remains close to them and they are our eyes in ears in New Zealand, but nothing more than that so I understand.

Andrew Chalmers is a director (along with Dr Koukash) of both Salford City Reds (2013) Limited and Mkac Investment Partners Limited which is the holding company that owns Salford City Reds (2013) Limited - there are no other directors registered of either company.

I wonder if Clamers still has contact with a Belgian based billionaire who has been interested in putting money into RL: www.therugbyforum.com/archive/in ... -5539.html

I wonder if Clamers still has contact with a Belgian based billionaire who has been interested in putting money into RL: www.therugbyforum.com/archive/in ... -5539.html

I can confirm that Im not the English born Belgian based millionaire. i am keen on millionaires shortbread though.

I hope that John Wilkinson has accepted the offer to become a Life President. He kept the club going when it would have disappeared without trace. I just hope that when, not if, Salford walk out at Wembley or Old Trafford, he is out there at the front with his chest out. It would be a great reward for a great man.

Hmm, tricky one this. Much as I like and respect John Wilkinson and know that he was Salford through and through, he never quite had the money, vision and the edge to deliver a truly successful Rugby League club. I know it's early doors for Marwan but already you can see the business acumen, financial clout and determination to succeed in abundance that Wilky lacked. Having said that, I would be pleased if Wilky had/does in the future accept a life-presidency.

So, if we do get to Wembley, or Old Trafford at some point in the future, I believe that it would be wrong for JW to lead them out as it will be Marwan who will have enabled that and he alone would deserve that honour. But, you know, I have little doubt that it would be an issue anyway as JW would turn the opportunity down as he'd recognise that he'd had his (ample) time to deliver and that the moment belonged to someone else.

I'm going to p people off (again) with this but I'm only speaking the truth, Wilkinson took over from the Snape Family and took the club into a totally different direction (down) and went for average cheap players just to get a team out there on the paddock, he never in almost all of his 30 years threw any money at anyone it was always rejects of other clubs, and if we did unearth talent they were sold, we never had a chance under John, and when people say he kept our club alive apart of that was because it was he's business that was attached to the club an I'm sure in the good times there would of been someone out there to take the reins, John took us to beyond repair and if it wernt for Koukash we'd of died most certainly! Sorry John you had your chance and now your gone.

I think it's wrong for any Salford fan to critiscise John Wilkinson. Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion, but whether you agree or not if it wasnt for him Salford RLFC wouldnt have survived as long as it has. During his tenure the way in which professional sports clubs should be run changed dramatically and unfortunatly for us and John Wilkinson he couldnt keep up for various reasons. I met John on a one-two-one basis numerous times and he was the nicest guy you could ever wish to meet and it was this reason alone why he was taken for a ride by those I assume he not only considered work colleagues, employees and friends.

I'll never understand why John moved us from the Willows to Barton on the terms which we did, because that was the final nail in his Salford RLFC coffin. I'd like to say he was badly advised, but as a successful businessman he should have known better. I bet even to this day John Wilkinson is gutted he never managed to realise the dreams he had for us at Barton, I'm talking the 20,000 capacity iconic stadium, the casino, the hotel etc.

I however wont let the final 24 months of his long ownership tar the recognition and respect he deserves.

Whilst I agree with some of that, it's a little too critical in my opinion, under Wilkinson we signed Garry Jack just as he'd won the Golden Boot, we signed Sam Panapa just as he'd won the man of the match in a World Club Challenge (I think), there was also Richard Webster, Adrian Hadley, Peter Williams, Neil Baker, John Cartwright, Luke Robinson etc - nothing average or cheap about any of those and I could go on with quite a few more but it probably wouldn't change your mind. It's easy to just remember the final few years of the Wilkinson era as we hurtled towards our demise but prior to that we'd had some good times as well as the usual disappointments and we'd seen some great players pull on a red shirt too.

Wilky took over the club in the early 80's when we were in debt playing in the second division with a team full of aging has been's. How you can say he took the club in a downward direction when he took over is wrong because we gained promotion the year after and in the main remained in the top flight. Lets also not forget that the Willows was sold to Greenhalls a couple of years before he came in to pay off debts and for years we had no revenue from the club house. I agree that he didn't have the means to throw the kind of money at it that Wigan did but to disgard him as you do after 30 years loyal commitment and financial backing is shallow and ignorant.

I am unsure just how long that you have been supporting the club but here are some interesting facts about end of the Snape era.

John Wilkinson took over on 3rd January 1982,we had been relegated and the Willows Variety Centre had been sold just over a year earlier..

One month before he took control the club announced a loss of £33875 on the 1980/81 season and this loss followed ones of 1976/77 (£25000), 1977/78 (£27000), 1978/79 (£20000) and 1979/80(£34755) so how you can say that he took us over in a strong position is completely false.

The last two years have been an awful time for the club and its supporters but even John Wilkinson's harshest critics cannot say that he took over a healthy club which is exactly what you are saying.

In today's money those debts would be over £500K and this was in a period when you didn't have to pay players and coaches full-time contracts. A win would cost the club about £1400 (£90 x 15 players) and £375 for a loss (£25 x 15 players).

Yes i see where your coming from but the chairman at the time Keith Snape wasn't interested in the Salford club like his brother Brian, he wasn't a rugby man or a Salfordian, John Wilkinson was both and yet he never went that extra step to cement us as a top league club relegation after relegation yes maybe a few promotions but ultimately a lower league average club.

And as someone says about Gary Jack and Sam Panapa being in a good stage of thier career, Gary Jack only came to kick start a coaching career and only played 16 games, he wasnt in hismprime he was ready to retire. Sam Panapa was more down to Andy Gregory offering him one last payday just like most of the players we've ever signed under Wilkinson, and Paul garbage? Please don't bring that jokes name up please.

I wonder if it was Dave Tarry who agreed thev terms and that is why he got sacked when the truth came out

As for Jack not being in his prime, he'd just been awarded the Golden Boot as the world's best player, hardly a career that had hit the skids.

Played another 6 or 7 years once he'd retired too. Impressive stuff.

Of course he was great, but if he wanted to play another FULL season then he'd of signed for another team in Oz but he wanted to coach and was offers the perfect job at Salford, as a player and coach which is what option he clearly chosen to do at that stage in his career.

You do realise he played for us on two separate occasions...?

Yes 87/88 93/94 anyway that's not my point, he still had coaching in mind when opting to sign for Salford he could of played for anyone else just as a player but he was a player coach with us.

...and it was the 87/88 occasion I was referring to, to illustrate the point that Wilkinson didn't always bring in average players, which was your original point wasn't it? I admire the way that you conveniently ignore his first stint with the club just to make it fit with your version of events. Make no mistake, Jack's original signing was a massive coup for the club when it happened, probably bigger than any signing we've made just recently, in fact, only the signing of SBW (had we pulled it off) would have eclipsed it, IMHO.

Oh and just for the record he was not a player coach in his first stint with the club, he was just a player.

Red League - put this on a `post it` and leave on your Computer :-

`Without John Wilkinson Salford would never have seen Marwan Koukash`.