Chuffed for Coyle and another derby game for the Wanderers next year

I'd rather be playing Burnley next season than Newcastle.
When we was in the wilderness outside PL Burnley was a certainty for a win looking back.



I am still puzzled tho how comparison to football keeps being made for keeping P&R, but the comparison in lack of interest is not mentioned in play off games etc.

DO Burnley meet the 'crtiteria' to be allowed in ?

Quite right. Can you imagine the feeling of Burnley fans after todays game and the couldn,t care less attitude of the Sheffield Utd fans who really didn,t give tuppence about the result as they lost. Had the result been the other way around it would have just been the same for Burnley fans.

Isn,t promotion and relegation daft? How can any teams supporters want that ? Where,s the excitement ? What is the point ? Can you imagine such a ridiculous system having teams stay wherever they are whatever their results ? Course you can if you think about it and we currently are stuck with it.

It,s the future and I for one think it stinks.

I genuinely think that it's because it can be considered 'too easy' to get in to the play-offs in RL, and as a result of the number of teams there are too many play-off games, which then means the sudden death effect is diluted somewhat. The crowd was so poor for our game against Batley because so many people thought we'd win and were therefore saving their money for the following week and a step closer to the final.

Correct when you have a situation where over half the teams in a division qualify for the play offs it devalues the rest of the competition

You are essentially playing 20 matches to decide who you play in the ' real ' competition

Without probably realising it you have used reason 16 from "The 101 reasons not to go list"
16. We'll win easily anyway so no point going.


We was the best team in 2006 on paper IMO. We had some dodgy results and performances, therefor adding to the games uncertainty against Batley. It was a massive game, and had the fans turned up and got behind the team like the couple of hundred Batley fans did then we would have won easy.
We had won a cup on live tele in a great game which we all remember. Week after we would have a big crowd on against our recent great rival Haven - nope they didn't turn up.
I remember bombing it home from the Manchester derby (after beating the dark side again

) to see 2nd half against Donny - it was like a morgue. We could go on and on.

Also I think your post just tells me that the NL/Championship is not a strong competition and the winners should not be allowed in SL for on field results alone because its too easy.

The excitement of playoffs in Football and RL are millions of miles apart, and shouldn't be on the same page never mind sentence

So surely the challenge has to be , how do we make it as exciting ?

You're missing the point - in football, it's the novelty factor that only four teams out of 24 get in the play-offs, whereas in RL 60% of the league quality...if we cut it to a four team play-offs then it would make them all the more appealing, as at the minute people's finances are stretched with potentially 3-4 weeks of forking out for games that aren't included in season tickets.

As for the finances matt I dont think that is relevant , people will make the decision based on the ' excitement ' factor , not purely money

RL as a sport is relatively cheap

I'm sure you wont find anybody complaining if we reach the play offs this year , they might complain if we dont

But as an 'all pay' game costing £40ish (if not more) for a family of four, three play-off games roughly equates to an adult season ticket for the following season, so I think it definitely does play a part.

Fair point about 4 teams. It is rather easy to get to the playoffs at moment. I was also suprised to see there are 2 teams to be relegated too (??) which is odd.
The only problem I see with only 4 teams is would them places had been monopolised by the same clubs anyway. Leaving door open for a Batley keeps them interested, and gives them a chance to beat us away etc.
My ideal scenario is more clubs - our leagues including SL are too small. The new clubs of course is the problem. Celtic for example are as popular to a few people as immigrants are at the moment.

By making the competition worth watching in itself. The fact we still look down on clubs like Batley and use excuse number 16 not to go.
I know it hurt to lose like we did against Barrow, but it did make a change to see Barrow top of the pile for a few days.

The Prem is not that great. The same 4 are are the top again - and no doubt will be same again.
A 2nd string Utd side beat Hull, which they celebrated like it was a victory and had won a trophy.
Newcastle got relegated to be replaced by Burnley for goodness sake - I know who I'd rather play next season.
Fulham actually achieved something on Sunday by getting into Europe yet their success was virtually ignored in a media frenzy of failures instead.
I hated being relegated - and I should know following City. No team can claim more than us in recent years. It bloody hurts. Its not a "oh well better luck next time". Getting knocked out of FA cup is better luck next time, but getting relegated knocks you back years.
I am still pro P&R but this sport is nowhere near ready for it.

I dont think many if any have a problem with new clubs

The problem arrises when those new clubs are touted as SL clubs by all and sundry virtually at birth and they then play to different rules

It would be refreshing to see a club aiming to become a strong worthwhile member of the Championships rather than instantly devalueing that competition by stating SL as the aim

It could work but it needs to be led by the Championship clubs rather than the RFL , they care little if anything for the heartland clubs outside SL

You know Celtic can't compete with clubs like us, by the same rules as us. Its obvious. Unyet they still get bitter comments like the other thread on here, when they are basically achieving at least similar to ourselves when we was in SL, if not better.
Every success they have negetive comments are made about they have different rules etc. Unyet nothing is said about benefits we have which they don't.
As for devaluing the comp. Celtic as you know would not be in SL now had they not got promoted into our league. They then rubber stamped their inclusion for SL by being 2nd best team too.
Anyway its all been said many times......

Whats your expansionist aliases on the VT................

But try and name those 4 clubs in this league and there are going to be some noticeable exceptions - a team missing out on the play-offs every couple of years will increase the significance and highlight the achievement when they do manage to make the cut.

I have posted once on the VT in the last 6 months. I don't post on here much nowadays either. Though I do like to read the actual rugby threads - because we may have some of biggest moaners in the game but we also have some of most knowledgeable too. And of course we all may have differing opinions but we all want Leigh to be the best

Are those benifits set by the RFL , or are they the result of decades of work by many people from our towns

You cannot artificially ' even things up ' , it is impossible , to even try is madness

It takes time , lots of it , there is no easy fix that does not impound upon the existing clubs , but as I said earlier , the RFL have no interest in those clubs

We know we cannot replicate what we have in football , perhaps we shouldn't want to as they have their own problems

The problem is not hard to find , it is money , or the lack of it

The RFL know this and are trying to follow the RU ' model ' of building an International money making structure

Which in itself is fine , but in the meantime they are neglecting the heartland clubs outside SL , their efforts so far to build up the competitions are laughable , they have no idea's other than the ones they are trying in SL

A foreign trip and a poor relation MM weekend in Blackpool

As I have posted on other boards , it is probably now time to look at what benifits the TV deal has produced if any

Unfortunatley the RFL in their quest for ' Positivity at all times ' will say it has been a great success and sign us up again for another 3/4 years on the same deal

I agree with your top 4 tbh. Maybe that is a change we need now to help the comp.

To tell the truth I now care more about the success of the competition and the survival of its clubs than the individual success of Leigh in it

I no longer look down on any club , my posts on the match forecasts of ' I'll settle for a bonus point ' are not jokes , Every team in our competition are more than capable of beating any other on any given day , its just a pity more people from the towns where these clubs are situated dont turn up to watch it

That is where the RFL should be concentrating their resources

Without a doubt , if something is too easy to get it has little value

Why should that have any bearing on the makeup of the top tier of football in this country , maybe you are too young but I remember Burnley being in the top flight of English football , along with Blackpool and Huddersfield

So yes the Geordies will be visiting Shorpe and Doncaster next season , how good will that be for those clubs

But what having Burnley in the premiership will do is give hope to all those other clubs of similar size , that one day their time might just come again

Without that hope you have nothing

Why do some (quite a lot) Leigh fans and even our CEO claim Miners and Easts as our doing ?
If a area is playing RL like south Wales and they are doing it the "hard way" like Skolars. Do you seriously think they will get anywhere ? The salary cap for starters is against them. They don't have SL player castoffs and top Amateur clubs on their doorstep etc etc. They will never gain any interest down there - again its obvious so I assume you know this. So yes you do have to even things out if they have the money and ambition to progress then don't hinder them.
The trip to Europe and MM type event in Blackpool makes a change than the normal season we are used to. So credit IMO should be given here.
Also simple Yes/No question - Is it better to have 2 top teams in areas covering say x + y number of people, than 2 top teams covering just x number of people ? As a developing sport this has to be a aim.