But doesnt the average need to be over the 3 seasons running up to the application process?

Why ?

If Leigh had beaten Dewsbury in the GF at Gigg Lane and gone up I feel we would have really moved on, equally the year when Widnes caused a huge shock and knocked Leigh out in the Semi Finals I feel we had the momentum on & off the field to really move forward, those 2 squads needed adding to and tweaking.

When we did eventually go up it to me seemed 2 or 3 years too late, the feel good factor was already sliding ,anyone remember the Fax away game the season we went up - smashed on the park in a debatable performance by the team , and argueing amongst our own fans on the terraces with a director copping flak - we had already statrted to fall apart before we went up IMO.

The least said about our promotion year the better, I have only felt worse than what I did that year watching Leigh and that was after a 90 point drubbing by Workington in the cup (and at least after that game the players handed club blazers back and apologised to the fans in the press) in SL many players just stole the money which added to the frustration and a 'them & us' attitude.
Our coach didn't seem to enjoy it and all that feeling came though, off field we had the shambolic what day are they playing, all ticket in a largely empty stadia and many things that should have been prepared for (we had been there or thereabouts going up for years).
The fact we averaged a respectable gate follwing such a poor team was a miracle.

Fast forward to now, reported that upto 1,000 people headed back to the LSV after the NRC win to welcome back the lads, the feel good factor isn't just back its screaming out - we are in the middle of a major financial crisis and yet you wouldn't know it such has been the hard work done by Basil to get this club moving on & off the park again - we need more straight talking like that IMO.
I'd alsos argue this current team would have provided a very good base to start adding to for a SL stint, especially with this coach.

However its not to be, we will remain in this lower league until the RFL say otherwise, I feel we will now fall behind Wakefield and Toulouse , possibly Halifax and who knows what South Wales could do if they get some results - or a Celtic style chairman.

I've done a Leyther Matt this year, tried to ignore the politics and get back to enjoying the sport again and the reason I enjoyed it - the Players giving it there all to win a match and the thrills and spills that come with it.
However Its hard not to get annoyed with the politics of RL, for example nearly every snippet I've read about our last gasp win v Fax has mentioned the fictional box ticking for SL (yet fail to mention this box ticking hasn't done Halifax any favours thus far).
The focus in RL really really does need to get back to on field importance over off field flannel, if it did I have no doubt whatsoever that Leigh would compete and attract support and investment in the highest league possible.

Are you targeting our Somali population?

Good post Jenky........

Without doubt we had peaked and were back on a downward slide by 2004 , understandable after getting so close , so many times , so what did we do ? , we missguidedly tried to do the impossible , and finish with two clubs below us

A much cleverer idea would have been to use the SKY monies to put together a squad to take us back up in 2006 as a full time team , as basically it was plain to anybody that a full time squad is the only way to get up and stay up

And by the same yardstick to go up and compete within franchising needs a certain level to start with , what's the saying ? , fail to prepare and you prepare to fail