I forget who his buddy was that was playing for us at the time but Sam was a regular at the LSV .

Do you not think the 5 should be flexible. From a Leigh POV if a player in a particular position gets injured and Wigan have somebody who could replace that player for x weeks / months then would it not be better to have that flexibility? Likewise Wigan may / may not need player X but later in the season they do.

The key issue for me is when for example Spencer is recalled and not subsequently used due to the RL regulations. The player has lost the most in that scenario.

I think some fans are naive to think that Wigan and Leigh did not have an arrangement last season albeit verbally. The way the DC system has evolved has necessitated some formal agreements. Fans can say why not last season. The anser would be for the very reason the likes of Leigh, Fev, Fax, Sheff did not create an agreement then!

Well in Lynda , dats da guy

I agree we could manipulate the " arrangement " to suit our own needs and to rest some of our players towards the end of the season and still give talented young lads a game in a more competive league .

Everyones a winner .

That`s ok as long as it doesn`t cause problems amongst players that are selected to be dropped , most players would not like it for a start they lose money. Why on earth would anyone want to give game time to another teams player when you have signed your own reserves for that very job. They may end up going elsewhere to get game time even dropping down a division would be preferable to being overlooked for someone who plays for another team.

This is so damaging for a club already struggling. I am tired of the lies, being mislead and the underhanded way the board do things.

Leigh's board of directors dont know the first thing about openess, honesty and intergrity as this among other things proves it.

Do you think when Trevor came to empty LISA's bank account if he had been open about this he would have got the money? Doubt that very much thats why the club only announce this after he had the money rather than before.

Like the contract with the LSV, the one nobody knows what its about, including Trevor as he said at the LISA meeting we now have a contract with Wigan.

If we are not going to do anything with it then why have it in the first place? Wigan unlike our board are not stupid and have signed it for very good reason. Shaun Wayne will insist at least four of his players, play for Leigh each week, that has already been stated.

It gives him the option to rotate players to keep them match fit, I think you all need to realise that 95% of Wigans 1st team squad are under 23 yrs old. This is the best contract Wigan could ever wished for, and one I am sure they will ensure is followed to the letter.

This is the thin end of the wedge. If Trevor Barton and Andy Burnham would ever tell the truth the LSV was not builf for Leigh it was built for Wigan RLFC and this is simply part of the process to amalgamate Leigh Centurions into Wigan RLFC to play at the LSV or it should be WSV.

The board are doing everything they can to distroy this club. In the last 18 months the have lost more than 50% of the fan base and will continue to do so until it gets to a point where it makes it so easy for them to merge Leigh into Wigan RLFC, just watch this space!

From the day Trevor Barton came to Hilton park with Andy Burnham they have had this plan. Everybody on this forum is begining to realise what is happening. Anyone who keeps saying they are transparent, truthfull and open you know they are just the opposite.

Its a sad day for the club, I am afraid with what I have read on this forum and heard in the town last night this is a massive blow and might just be a step to far.

The best thing for the future of the club is for the board of directors to resign and allow LISA to take the club over in the interim. Hold a private equity share offering to raise capital then appoint a management team to run the club on behalf of the shareholders, the fans!!!!!

I did propose this some weeks ago when the board announced its financial problems.

Unless something like this happens I cant see how the club can survive. A large percentage of fans have said they are walking away, I know quite a number of people who have said whilst this board is in place they wont go to watch Leigh again.

Its great isnt it Trevor and Keith announce their plans to get 400 fans back and 20 businesses involved and what do they do a week later lose around 400 fans!!! Its a bit like the budget they simply havn't got a clue what they are doing and are so out of touch with the fan base its a joke!!!!!!

We are not a feeder club (to do that you have to give the parent club players) , we are turning into nothing more than a reserve club at best , training club at worst for Wigan Warriors.
I agree we will probably only use 5 Wigan players in the first team squad this season (and even then fleetingly), next season (and lets 'guess' the RFL allow 7 DR's next year - its gone up every season since it started and now more clubs are adopting it) we could have a possession of Wigan players turning out for Leigh of varying degrees of suitability and age.
I'm sure if we have any youth left (would you stay at Leigh - or would you go elsewhere, train all week and then a hotshot kid from Wigan rolls up at the weekend and takes your spot based on nothing more than he signed for a 'bigger club' and he needs game time to get back in his own team) they could technically play for Wigan in a reverse role, equally I'm sure if there is any youth with potential remotely thinking of signing for Leigh Mr Radlinski will be quickly in his ear (as now) so chances are he'd be there already.

The thing is I don't see Leigh Centurions as the main club in charge of youth in this area, Bury FC don't develop the football players of Greater Manchester (neither do Bolton etc), its a collective with each club affording what it can.
Wigan will always hoover up the best (pure hard cash decision), they however now have more players than teams (or am I being cynical in wondering why Wigan have taken so long to be 'concerned' that the youth of the borough can't play RL) so need a dumping ground.
Step forward Paul Rowley and Leigh Centurions.
Now in fairness to Rowley he knows like most coaches in RL he's 6 bad games from the sack so in his eyes it makes perfect sense as it gives him a pool of (at least) 5 quality Wigan players chomping at the bit - did Rowley think of the borough kids with 'inadequate training' when going with this or his own position ?
Maybe he did but I wouldn't knock him if it was his own long term security he looked for as he's got a young family and he's a pro coach wanting to remain in employment in volatile industry.

The thing that rankles with this 'partnership' is the way its been dealt with, leading figures at the club stating it would never happen and then it does.
So when the same leading figures say its only going to be 5 U23 Wigan players I think its safe to say many of us can be forgiven for thinking that that could /will change, afterall the clubs whole position changed on this in a matter of 8 weeks and not a word of it was brought to the table at numerous fan forums.

Leighs current board have lost lots of credibility with the way this has happened and tbh with each passing day that becomes damaging to the club which 7 days ago wasn't even likely to happen as people discussed our on field perfomances rather than what has happening off it.

How much more money came in out of the 44k they wanted?
As far as I know we got £22200 altogether.
Since that deficit has gone up with 500 fans down on budget for the Barrow game..
So we need £20000 approximate guess now to cover shortfall up to date.
Monday will now incur at least another 600 and I think given they are competing with Chelsea v man u for species that's a tad optomistic
Worrying times ahead I'm so sorry to say !

Jenky, you've missed out the key element in your summarisation. The one about the 'pathway' (buzz word, I know) from Junior rugby to senior first team. All 80 Community RFL coaches have been sacked, and the local service areas have been cancelled. This, coupled with the RFL scrapping under 18's has left a potential huge hole in the conveyor belt of juniors to both Wigan and Leigh. (and every other professional RL club)

What John Duffy and his team have set in place at Leigh, on his/the club's initiative is a progression from Under 16's to Under 18's to Under 20's to first team. The link with Wigan, despite what all those 'in the know' have to say on here, is about ensuring that the young players find a way through or, if they aren't good enough/don't want to pursue a rugby career, that they are not just chucked on the scrap heap. (At the same time, they will be pursuing an educational career at college.)

How do I know this? Because I know what John, the coaching team and others and his team have been tirelessly pursuing in their role as successors to the Community department.

No way am I attempting to criticise the former Community team. I'm just trying to explain that the club is not inactive on the Community front - far, far from it. And I'll say it again - THIS is the main thrust of the 'partnership' with Wigan. Possible D/C signings are merely a by-product of this partnership, should WE choose to use them.

And all that is =#FF0000FACT Should you choose to ignore it, fine, that's your choice.

Alan
The former community dept is a charitable trust and can get grants we can't . FACT
They do work with excluded kids and the like in the community , the pit to pitch is one they did, the one the plaques are in place under the north stand, and they could have done similar for the West stand community work is not about under 16s etc and player pathways .
Duffy has took over what Gary Eccleston was doing not from Hannah and co

I have been thinking today, there is quite clearly a strong sense of public opinion on this, I am yet to see anyone support the decision (at least that I believe). So what next?

Over a short space of time we have notched up 30+ pages of views and opinions, obviously with a lot of raw emotion. I know people say that the board read this forum, but how often or with how great a pinch of salt I do not know.

I have seen many people say that's it, I'm not going again. If our forefathers took that view back in the late 19th Century when the Rugby Football Union was actively trying to destroy our clubs none of us would have heard of the George Hotel, there would be no such thing as Rugby League and we wouldn't all be having this conversation today. Our sport and our clubs have overcome far greater obstacles than this, and will face many more in future years.

In LISA and the TDC Leigh has two strong bodies which are great at representing the fans views. Would it perhaps be a good idea to get together and put together a public letter to the board on behalf of the fans, perhaps drawing upon and quoting views and opinions expressed on here. This would not only show the true strength of feeling, but allow representations to be made, and responded to in a clear and coherent manner. Whilst I agree there is probably a need for a fans forum, at any such event emotions on both sides will ride high, making a well articulated and constructive debate difficult to achieve.

I could be completely wrong and do feel free to tell me if that is the case, but I feel that instead of throwing in the towel something along the above lines should be at least considered.

are you suggesting, or do you know from attending meetings, that the partnership arrangement has some financial attachments/incentives if so in what form and with what payback or implications

Not heard anything like that at all.
I'm on about what we are set to lose now as it stands, because I can't see tis announcement increasing crowds can you ?

When was it Netto went into a partnership with ASDA?

Correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know we never had a RESERVE team , we had planned an U18's and an U20's team and we had to release a few lads who didn't fit into the criteria that the RFL set .

We were refused permission to run the U18's and thats why most of the lads in our U20's are still very young ....... good but still young .

So where is this mythical reserve team we have ?

I've changed my mind - we will become Wigan's feeder club, there is no doubt about it.

How can I be so sure? The people of Leigh no longer care enough about this club in enough numbers, and when we have sub-1000 crowds in a season or two (or sooner) we'll have no option.

The decline was underway, we were probably no more than 5 years from hitting this position unless something changed.

It now looks as if the decrease in attendances has accelerated, and had before the partnership announcement. We'll soon be in a position where there is no way we can pay our own way.

This town no longer deserves an independent competitive rugby league club.

Thanks for the memories Leigh RL.

I've fallen for it again - passing on factual information. In future, If I feel the need to intervene, I'll tell the lies that you all seem to thrive on. I have now stopped passing on facts in any shape or form.

Parting shot - have you told us all the full truth about the Community Department, and how it was run?

Or people can just try and score points over one and other, bicker and pursue personal battles/grievances...

One of the main reasons I don't post/visit this forum much these days.

Great idea but it would be wasted effort, Barton in his current 'I know best' mode would bin it. There is only one way and that is his way.

Alan,
I'm not sure though that Leigh having a clear pathway is such a essential thing for a Championship club that is cash strapped but I fully understand your enthusiasm for the above.
Yes its what we should want/ aspire to and yes its the best thing to have but is it what a semi pro club really needs to do to compete in the Championship ?
If by us not doing this are we saying that the kids will be lost to the game forever as personally I think its a tad unfair to the local amateur clubs who do a lot lot of work with the youth to develop them along with the schools, could we not get a agreement with the towns major amateur clubs or are we involving them, surely a player lost to Leigh is a player they'd consider?
In terms of the funding I wouldn't pretend to know much about that (as I don't know much about it ! !) but has just stopped all of a sudden as I've never known it to be a Leigh Centurion priority to get the boroughs youth involved let alone the towns youth !
Havng said that I suspect most people will still need a lot of convincing that in all eventuality all this still means is that Leigh pick up the players who Wigan currently feel aren't good enough, we've been doing that for some time along with quite a few SL clubs - why pay towards the costs now ?

If its just about the youth pathway then surely Trevor (on seeing the reaction of the Leigh fans) will be more than happy to say its just a long term player development thing and for the next three years to show we are committed to having a independent club we are not going to put a player in the first team from Wigan on DC (so its loan or signed only) as we still beLeighve , no need for any DC's if its purely about the youth structure and it should be easy to ensure that.
Equally as its about player development the club can keep everything in the open via the programme or website about how all the dual Wigan/Leigh trainees are doing and as to the likelyhood of which team they will be going to.

Long term planning (which is fantastic) shouldn't need short term fix's now, lets see how the youth set up pans out before we volunteer our First Team as a training team to Wigan Warriors players.

I'm still not convinced after listening to that because why do we need these players from wigan now.
We have aspinwall higson colye Rowe and nicho not playing ATM we are doing ok without any wigan players they could loan us 5 if necessary surely if we get more injuries why do we need to sign any agreement ?
In our local club s like miners east they do a lot for junior development themselves why do we need to get involved in that fev btw have under 16s 18 20s etc not just us.

I'm sure the bank manager will be completely satisfied now after hearing our commitment to being the best at junior development instead of the RFL and Sport England, He'll be upping the overdraft limit for the club as we speak to cover for our short term ' Cash flow ' problems till we enter SL

Did nobody tell our volunteer CEO we are a business before he decided to make us the RL development Charity

Ok, lets neglect both our moral duty AND our source of talent. Brilliant idea Starbug, brilliant.

We have to try to make it right, and that's what this partnership with Wigan is about.