One of the main reasons that Catalan have been a success so far is that apparently they were told 18 months before they made their debut in the top flight that they were going to be included in SL so they had time to get quite a few things in place, also another reason they have been successful is because the area where they play is a rugby league area.

Celtic only have about 7 months to put together a SL coaching set up, a SL squad of players which isn`t going to be easy as they will probably end up with either reserve grade aussies, players coming to the end of their careers or journey men that have been around the block a few times with a bt of SL experience.

My own opinion is that they shouldn`t have been granted a licence this time round, i`m all for expansion but they havn`t proven so far that they can attract the crowds, they have a ground that the RFL have said they are trying to get away from, also they are from an area where rugby union is the main game and so far the crowds havn`t appeared or shown much interest in RL down that way.

Widnes with a decent team on the pitch have a far better chance to pull in decent sized crowds and offer more to the competition than Celtic do, personally i would be very suprised if Celtic are a force of any kind in 3 years time or if they are still in business, its going to be very hard for them to develop any home grown talent of any kind in a rugby union area.

If they wanted to keep their subscribers surely they would stick with the so called 'bigger clubs' like Widnes and Leigh as its those fans who are canceling their sky.

Mate, you have a top 6 SL side to support, me and dalt (and several others) are having to face another three years of game with Batley, featherstone and the like. Compare that with saints, Wigan, Leeds bulls week in - week out. Just be grateful wire are a very well run club with loads of fans. Within 3 years Widnes will be playing in front of under 2000.
And with regard to 'rl dying' I have no opinion, but I think the way Widnes have now been shafted (by the rfl & our own directors in the past) I think we as fans reserve the right to have apathy towards the powers that be.

it's a shame the Widnes fans seem to be blaming Celtic.

The RFL are solely to blame for letting inferior teams in ahead of Widnes

True but its only natural really I guess.

They should send Richard Lewis a 3-eyed fish in the post in an attempt to display their anger..

Sorry matey but the RFL cannot take any portion of the blame for mismanagement from Stephen Vaughan at Widnes when you looked to him as a saviour & he looked to you as a plaything. OK you have been hard done by twice in the creation of SL & the expansion to include Catalans, but to pull out the sour grapes when your own board has not (on more than one occassion) run the club on a sound financial footing is casting aspersions somewhat.

Fine be depressed. Be apathetic if you want but also be realistic that in 3 years time when the next group of franchises are announced you should be in a strong position to mount an accepted bid for SL status. This is the time when Widnes need their true fans to turn out - the ones who will take the trips to Featherstone, to Batley & to Workington. Not the ones who throw their satelite systems out while watching videos of "when we were good"...

SALFORD.

I was actually thinking about current SL teams who were a fair bit behind Widnes in their application

I'm thinking teams that include players such as Fat Sculthorpe and Ned-how the hell have I made a career in RL-Catic?

Salfords, be in the new stadium in 2010, tap into the massive fan base that is Manchester, does any one really think these will happen....Salford have pulled a blinder here.

Not much promise when you're on the doorstep of Football's recent Champions League winner is there?

That's 1 of the 2.

The second aren't a great distance from them

Why couldn't they tap into that before now?

Not tapped into the manchester fan base for a hundred years...but get a point in the criteria for it...brilliant.

I agree with some of your points, however Catalans still finished bottom in their first season, so that extra 18mnths didn't seem to do them too much good. It doesn't matter if CC finish bottom in their first year, that is another of the benefits of franchising, they are technically being given three years to show they are up for it. Also, the franchising system has been pretty long winded and detailed, so you'd expect CC to have things ready to go...

Then again... there is always this on the way.......

Wow, thats a really nice stadium.....Will it be ready for the 2018 season.

Difficult to argue with the decisions really. Widnes I feel for, but they only have themselves to blame (When I say they, I mean previous management), and I suppose they blew it when the crashed and burnt in the 'Promotion/Franchise decider' against Castleford last year. Ultimately, if they'd won that game, there's have been none of this, although I acknowledge in a silly way, losing the game, and getting the new chap onboard has had a very positive effect on the club.

Don't edit my posts pal.

The PSG farce failed becuase it was set up in area of France where Rugby of any form is not playedat grass roots, Stade de France of course is ued for Union internationals.

Rugby (League and Union) in France is ed around Perpy, Carcassone etc.

If you want me to be a bit more accurate most UK attempts at expansion have failed. Cardiff, Gateshead, Sheffield (ultimately) all went, thats at the top level . Please dont tell me London is a success; several incarnations and financial bale outs.

I agree with JWP that Widnes have been a victim of last years fiasco but also to a larger extent pathetic financial mismanagement over the last 20 years by several different mangement teams.

You can look all starry eyed at expansion into Wqales if you want; it will fail, Widnes were a better bet for all exisiting clubs.

For what its worth I would have not given a franchise to both Wakey and Cas.

Having just spent 20 minutes or so reading through this topic, its apparent that Celtic's inclusion is seen as a victory for the expansionists over the traditionalists.

Fair play to the RFL for their efforts in expanding the game, but the cynic in me would suggest that the inclusion of the Welsh side will be a huge white elephant....Put simply, Wales is a Rugby UNION country, which as little interest in our game.

An influx of unknown Aussies may indeed spark off an intial interest, more out of curiosity, but once the novelty wears off, we will be left with another London/Harlequins on our hands, which despite what our expansionist friends may say, has been a general failure....Yes, they put up a decent enough show on the pitch, but on the terraces they are a joke...the largest catchment area for supporters, yet struggling to fill 1 side of their ground.

It isn't a fantastic advert for the game when neutrals see this London side with their minute support, and next year those neutrals can all laugh at the sight of Celtic playing in front of tiny, mainly disinterested crowds, at their shockingly early 20th century 'stadia'..



Apart from a false sense that the game is expanding, I can't see where the inclusion of Celtic helps anybody.

Exactly what I was trying to say, albeit badly.

Perhaps i should come on here before I next buy a lottery ticket, your powers of clairvoyance will come in handy with the numbers i'm sure.

At least give them a chance to prove themselves before writing them off - no one can possibly know whether or not the Celtic club will be a success and for people to preach as gospel that they will fail just shows why most of the country regards our game as a northern pit town game that no one gives 2 poops about.

The new stadium will make a huge difference. Warrington fans should not need that point pressing on them. The new developments at Salford Quays (including the new home of several BBC departments) are an exciting addition to an already thriving area. A shiny new stadium advertising itself in front of thousands of people per hour in a prime location has massively more potential than the tired old place hidden in a dodgy housing estate in Weaste.

Thats why Celtic keep beating them

Didn't know you'd has access to all the applications, but should have guessed, what with your insider connections.