Could be worse.

Fax have more fans (and less fingers per fan) than the current derby opposition.

Smell better too.

I'm not sure whether I feel too sorry for Wakefield in truth.. They've been in the top flight since 1999 and made it difficult for other teams to get up in the first place because of the broken promises of the people in charge at the time when they said they would do Belle Vue up and did not a lot other than build the hospitality block.. Keep in mind that Wakey have had around £10M investment from TV contracts.

I feel most sorry for the fans and the current set of players and management.

If they come down they will find it very difficult to sustain it, plus their crowd base of around 5200 will be cut by about half.

Also on that point Vikingman... It's a worrying time if Widnes do go up. As you rightly point out there is a derth of clubs this side of the Pennines which is okay for me personally with the writing I do but not great from a local rivalry point of view!

shame, it's either Wakefield or Wakefield who end up in the 'Land Of The Dead'.

What Dave said



I don't think it's good news for us though , if Wakey come down and get planning permission for the ground before 2015 , then who do you think will go up ?

And because we aren't a big name in RL any more I can't see us being in SL in my life time

But your already dead!

Hi Leythers



It isn't good news for us at all. I'm rather gutted.

But, if (or when

) we do go down at least I will finally visit the LSV!
Every cloud and all that!

Tending to agree 100% with that. Surely Wakefield won't stay in on stadium promise #17 of the past 10 years or whatever. The RFL need a reason to boot Wakey / Cas out, this has always been Wakefields sticking point and in effect they have made 0 progress in the last 3 years as Newmarket was a new thing brought up by Yorkcourt not the club.

I do worry if only Leigh represent the Red rose in the Championship mainly as I think it damages player production here. ATM if a young lad doesn't quite hack it at Leigh / Widnes mayeb even just due to circumstance they end up dropping to Champ one to stay at a 'local' club for work etc, whereas if the same happens at Fax they have numerous over Yorkshire sides ready to pick them up and help their development at a higher level in the game. Should we go up then I certainly hope at least one of Oldham, Swinton, Rochdale get promoted (would also help us & probably Leigh out with better loan deals for top talents etc).

Well if wakey do come down, its good news for me and frankb, plus anybody else who loves real ale, as wakey is packed with high quality real ale pubs. also quite seriously as others have said they have been in sl long enough and i won't shed a tear whoever comes down. eventhough it should be on performance on the field and not anywhere else

That's what I mean Dave

Has anyone mentioned "parachute payments"?

[i[size=85(Lights fuse and stands well back......)[/size[/i

There had best NOT be any bloody parachute payments

welcome to the waste land that is national leagues,abandon all hope who enter


































on the plus side it proves franchise works lol

Its worrying to see fans of other traditional clubs almost gloating over Wakefields predicament. Its true that former Owner had made promises about stadia etc.... and never kept them! I would much rather see Wakefield in SL at the expense of 'expansionist' Quinns, Catalan and Rhyl United!!
Wakefield is another hotbed of Rugby talent and I remember a friend of mine, who was the Acadamy coach there at the time saying; he had a lad in his team who would play for Great Britain, he's not done too badly has he, Gareth Ellis!!
Wakefield have provided a lot of Rugby League History, just like Fax, Fev,Leigh,Widnes,Barrow and others, beware, Sky money wont last forever!!

Franchise is the greatest saviour of our game,as it means we can watch teams playing out season after season with the hope someone who wants to set a team up in scotland can step over the dead bodies of the national leagues and be funded quite rightly with tv money that there team will bring in with its greater press coverage with a team in stranraer,who knows we may even capture the isle of man and with them competeing in the world club championship by 2015/16 at the earliest opertunity, with them now a major force we will have a two pronged attack on the irish main land with belfast being captured by 2018 and a big push towards dublin by 2020,with ireland now world champions by 2022 we are in a fantastic position to now take iceland,with the expected melting of the glaciers iceland will be perfect for summer rugby so with iceland secure we open up norway and the rest will be history.

And all the above is down to the power of franchise

if wakefield do get chucked out i hope they chuck salford and cas out as well because theres no difference between any of them.

Squad investment for 2011 may tell you different and Cas have a stadium to pay for!

I would say for the RFL it would be an easy choice to kick out Wakefield but neither Salford or Castleford tick any boxes neither regards new grounds.
Not much going on of late at the side of the M60 only what appears to be mass landscaping ,seems there is no rush from the contractors i think Salford have the attitude of if they seem to be doing something all is fine.
It irritates me that only a select few new that drastic changes needed to be done to grounds to survive in this game whilst a select few carry on at snail pace.
If they boot Wakefield out then the clubs who have not got their new grounds or current grounds up to scratch in SL should also be booted out too.
But alas we live in corrupt times so i wont hold my breath !

john kear has always brought player in who other clubs wouldn't touch,so theres no difference there,

cas are no closer than wakey are to getting a stadium.

salford have been the worst of the three in all the other criteria in the last three years and theres no guarantee they'll be in a new stadium.

I'm presuming that any club coming down will be handed a huge parachute payment for 3 years to stay solvent / in existance.
Equally in view of whats happened with the South Wales franchise won by Celtic Crusaders I suspect it would head off any unwanted court mutterings by the club stripped of a franchise if Crusaders win one.

Personally hope they leave all the clubs in and add Toulouse with Widnes to SL.
That way we should be left with a level playing field in our competition which can only help.

They will on 27th December!

took me a minute work that one out alan

There will be NO parachute payment, the RFL made that clear some time ago, if a club has any SL contracts outstanding they will be nul and void - as a clause is written in them all now.

Well I am not doubting you but I would not put money on it.

My views on this franchise stuff have been documented although I have been flatcapped (a new adjective which has crept into the language) and I am sure the same people will do it again.

Whatever no parachute payment what happens ? Parachute payment why franchising ? What will happen ? Do not be embarressed you know don''t you ? I think I do.

Not according to recent comments from Ralf Rimmer , the recentlly apointed RFL ' fall guy ' , at the sports trust meeting last month

If that be the case Steve then the RFL have changed their minds again as I also read somewhere that 'parachute paments' were done never to return, the question begs 'WHY?' as any club getting 'relegated' has had at least 3 years to get ready for relegation, now hard as that may seem it isn't as if the club that will be coming down will be really surprised is it? Thats the harsh realities of being a 'second tier' comp and the same 'sink or swim' criteria should be the same for all.