The sentence you highlight is correct We go to the fans forums were everything is explained. This season was all supposed to be about developing the team for next season. Bedding in a new coach and new players That's why they let Bastian finish his contract at Wire before joining. Everything was in preparation for the start of 2015. RFL changed everything by sticking a big 500k carrot for the top 2. Then suddenly this season of transition became much more important than first thought.

Im the first to admit that I am cautious about the investment, but there's no panic here from Rovers. We were told 2 weeks ago to expect big announcements in the coming months that would transform the club completely. I

Good to see you no longer playing catch up, having spent the last 4 years doing so

I'm not sure that makes any sense at all. Once it became apparent that there were massive rewards for finishing in the top two, why didn't your board act immediately?

For what it's worth, I still think you'll finish in second place.

Have to agree with Mish one hundred percent. Over the years Leigh have put out some some over passionate, unprofessional statements which just looked bitter. The new board have showed what being a professional, dignified and prudent club is all about. What on earth are Featherstone going on about in that statement? It comes across as though we have denied them something they have deserved for years. It's the RFL that blocked their path, not us. It's also their decision not to field a strong team at this time and "strike" towards the end.

I applaud new investment at any club, but please leave us out of your ridiculous press statements that seriously come across as throwing toys out of the pram, and reactive to two defeats against a very strong Leigh team that has been put together as part of a calculated plan to return to Super League on our merit.

Get a grip Featherstone.

good luck to them, if they are being invested in to the tune of millions then half or a quarter of a million wont make much difference so they don't need to panic so much about top 2, whatever its nowt to do with what we are doing as neither club can control what the other is up to off field.

Hopefully they carry on with a sustainable business which results in success. It seems to be our clubs plan to focus on stability and sustainability rather than get overly emotional about short term goals.

The ideal for me is to get at least 2 teams up into that top tier from the traditional championship clubs, and in reality thats probably fev, halifax and us with the best chance at the moment. It will take a good few years and if we can push each other on to be better all the more entertaining the games will be. cant say that the 3 games weve had so far against those other 2 havent been good encounters to watch.

long long way to go in this season yet and we have some almighty tough games coming up everything is still up for grabs for a lot of clubs.

I didn't really follow the statement. It sounded like a bitter plea to SL and I'm sure from what they said they don't know the rules. Winning the league the last 4 years was never going to get them anywhere, that's why nobody ever bothered about it other than them lol.

Investment is fantastic, that said they've still got to work within a budget to get the squad on the pitch so from that point of the view nothing has changed in reality. Best of luck to them, but whoever writes their statements needs to give off a little more of a professional attitude rather than trying to sound like they've been so hard done by. Everyone below SL has been hard done by because of the previous structure, it's not like it was a problem only encountered by Featherstone Rovers.

Considering everyone knew for some time that there was very likely going to be a large prize pot this season, I can't understand how it's something that escaped the attention of the board at Fev.

What does this mean? If Leigh came out with a statement like that, I'm sure a fair few of us would be questioning that! Are they basically suggesting that their fans should bury their heads and let the guys at the top do as they please whilst the fans turn up with money and a smile on their face?

Very strange statement, but best of luck to them in their investment and secret plans.

It means to me 'Keep your ferkin noses out of what we are up to, just keep giving us your cash and shut up' or words to that effect

Fred Parky, is it true that you already been approached with an offer you can't refuse?

One of the worst press releases of all time. Every sentence contains a gem like this: "The amount of investment will remain disclosed" (?) and they already seem to have started spending the money just minutes after receiving it.

At times like this, I thank God I am a Leigh fan! Thank you BOM from saving us from this type of nonsense!

If they had chucked a week away in Bridlington I'd have been there like a rat up a drainpipe but a villa in the South of France Nahhh they can sod off.

That's a very strange statement. Announcing undisclosed millions by an anonymous investor. What form is this investment taking? Is it for shares in the club in which case they're probably not going to stay anonymous for long or is the club being loaded with a lot of debt (not something you'd really want to announce after how that plan has worked out for other clubs)?

That's a very big ask; top 8 (as we've got a plan and ambition to do) is definitely doable, top 4 however is a lot to ask. Who's told the board this? Is it the mystery anonymous investor? What'll happen if they can't or don't? Or is it another reference to our announced plan to be in the top 8? A "Whatever Leigh can do we will do better!" attitude, that's a very dangerous attitude to have, can get in big trouble trying to over reach yourself too quickly.

No you're not, that's because over the last year Leigh have drawn up an ambitious but achievable plan and told it to the world so everyone can get behind it and move the club forward. It's not egos (as implied) that mean Leigh are announcing what they're doing, it's because it's an essential part of progressing and getting things done. What plan is being announced here? What is going to be done?

Does all seem very strange to me. Suppose we might see in 4 weeks.

Can't see what the fuss is about.

Nowt to do with us anyways.

Fev fans will tell us soon enough.

Trouble is, RL doesn't have enough strong(ish) clubs for us reasonably sit by and hope they fail miserably.

I am a little worried for Fev, this situation carries many of the hallmarks of previous RL club failures. Hope I'm wrong.

Whether you're for or against P&R and franchising. The people in the know said soon as we scrap it teams will start throwing money at their clubs, some clubs will throw money they can't afford? Have Fev been the first to gamble their future?

No gamble really Yed, as staying as we were was a slow death for all outside SL anyway - Fev are saying the have 'investors' to cover it and we have never been in better shape for a long time.

Well here I go again about liscenscing or franchises.

It was the most shorted stupidly thought out idea that was ever introduced for a professional sport in a country the size of the UK.

What amazes me is that the RFL introduced it and that Richard Lewis ever found his way home from Granada studios bearing in mind he had just visited the LSV and said it wasn't there.

I have just read Lewis's autobiography ''From Wimbledon to Westleigh'' and he states a meeting with you as the reason to mark down our application, LSV was a smokescren.

Why do all RL fans look for the negative side to everything other clubs do ( included our fans ). Any club that can attract investment should be applauded for the work they have done to get them in Your club was in trouble not too long ago and you crowds were poor but you have turned it around and are now the best on the field in the championship which every other club need to aim for including us Statements are sent out to get people talking about the club again which it has done on all the sites Regarding the millions we need it if we are going to try and get to S/L with the stadium how much will this cost to finish As for aiming for top 4 what do you want it to say Fev are trying to get in S/L and if we do looks like we will come back down In all walks of live aim high and try to punch above your weight it's not that long ago we were in C1 yet several years later we were top of the championship I do hope it all comes off and Probiz along with everyone else and the new investors take us there Just for the record I think you could of took the shield out of the cabinet on Sunday when you beat us as I cannot see anyone catching you up now but I am so glad the Featherstone Rovers BOD didn't hide there heads in the sand when they realised someone has overtaken us at this level Good luck for the rest of the season but I hope we have improved by the time we meet again

Teams have been throwing money they don't have at clubs all the time (Bradford, London, Salford, Wakefield). The only difference between P&R and Franchising is if you muck it up under P&R you drop down and get replaced by a club with a more sensible business model, rather than relying on hand outs and weakening the sport and competition.

In this case, it was a pointless, amateurish press release. Anonymous (imaginary? - they seem to have come out of the woodwork mighty quickly after the defeat on Sunday!) investors with an undisclosed sum (but yet "disclosed" as thought to be "millions" - you either know the amount or you don't, surely?) to invest but a self-imposed "press coverage ban" for 4 weeks - frankly who cares - all it was, was a bit of kneejerk whinge. And a ridiculous tinpot whinge at that.

Let's see what's said in 4 weeks I may be wrong but I think this was released due to the departure of the coach

Me too judging by the comments from Fev fans I heard before and after Sunday's game.

Think the statment might have been better though had they said something like keep the faith you won't believe the good news which will be announced in the next 4 weeks and we are still on course for the Championship top two.

Two questions needs answering in regards to the medium to longterm viability of Featherstone Rovers.

1. What are the investors getting, if anything, in return for their millions?
2. How is the money being invested in the club - basically, can the investors ask for the money back?

With the answers to those two questions we would know much more about whether this is a good, sensible decision for Featherstone or if they're putting themselves on the potential road to ruin.

Investment is good, but at a sporting club it needs to come with as few strings attached as possible, because a profitable RL club is a rare beast, especially at a big enough rate to repay millions in investment.

Just hope everything turns out fine for Fev they are a great club and fans, would love to see us both in SL soon.