To be fair- you'd probably be down there with them as well if it weren't for millionaire backers.

Yep maybe we would, and we have, but we haven't lied and cheated our licence/salary cap and we aren't here at the expense of anyone else.

Dewsbury? All them years you were handed the wooden spoon and they finished top of the NFP - and that was in the days before franchising. What about Sheffield Eagles and all that pulaver?

Also - we haven't lied per se, we submitted planning application for the ground long before franchises were due. Back further when we got promoted we said we'd upgrade the ground and we built the hospitality suite/benidorm flats/ celebrity squares whatever you want to call them.

You know what we would have happily gone down but SL wouldn't let us- was the best thing that happened to us look at how we kicked on from there whereas wakey are exactly where we left them second from bottom.

Its probably lucky for you we didnt get sent down cause we were the only team keeping you up for many a year! Oh and just like your lot keep banging on about that expect the same treatment over this debacle.

True...Fartown wanted relegation but weren't allowed it. It actually damaged us staying in SL at that time....BUT when we were relegated we rebuilt & kicked on. Relegation was good for us actually in the long run.

This decision baffles me. Wakefield have posted reasonable crowds, true, but have offered very little in terms of development of the game. Crusaders were posting as good a crowds as Harlequins, were developing the game in Wales, and were starting to develop a fanbase, who was one of the most diehard and fanatical in ESL, and they were 'allowed' to not continue their franchise. Super League makes me annoyed sometimes. Halifax were told to jump-start their ground building, and get their youth development up to scratch. They've developed their ground to a good standard, better than Wakefield, Castleford, Hull KR, even Leeds and Br*dford.
Halifax have kept their head afloat, Wakefield haven't. Halifax have added as much history as Wakefield. Halifax deserve their shot at Super League, they've won trophies, and they've given everything to recieve their place in this franchise period. Wakefield were told to improve their ground, they haven't. Halifax were told to improve their ground, they have.

What you're forgetting tho is that Wakey have a millionaire backer with a business plan!! Fax don't!

Watching Boots n all I have a feeling Crusaders were pushed, especially when Nigel Wood says they were being scrutinised in the last few weeks! Also the Wakey lot are saying they had a better bid than another Yorkshire club well obviously it's Halifax as they didn't make it it can't be anyone else!!

I still feel Halifax were hard done by and no matter what Wakey should've been sent down to prove this current backer means business and they would come back stronger ala Widnes. It would also prove that if you don't keep your ship in order your out so clubs can't rely on sayso anymore!

Why would the RFL risk alienating a wealthy businessman just so that Halifax with a worse application could have a crack? Franchising is unforgiving and not set up with a sense of "oh well, they've been out for a bit, lets give them a go!" - its about sustainable business plans and contributions to the game at large. Halifax haven't got any kind of junior set-up apart from U23's!

It's tough but justice has been done, hopefully though once the current SL teams advance "the product" enough to get even more sky money, then other teams such as Halifax could be admitted as the league expands.

Can't help but feel that this comment could come back around to bite you in the future.

Alienating? What about Widnes in 2008??? You should've gone down into the Championship for the next few years after all the promises you given over the last decade, then the champoinship would become a competitive league as there are goals to be had as with this decision it just shows SL is a closed shop, those already in will never be demoted no matter how much mess they get in!!! I still can't see in this financial climate you ever getting a decent ground in 3 years, plus what bargaining tool do you have now? You can't say your league position is at stake here now can you as again this decision has been proved!! Halifax ticked all the boxes required from them you didn't the only difference is a business plan which at the moment is just a plan! You were warned on many occasions get your stadium sorted which you haven't, just look at Salford and Saints did they really need to build theirs?? But they did because they felt the threat from the rfl was true.

Yes we will see in time just how you'll do and push on and I for one would be happy for you to progress and help create a competitive league but atm it's all hot air just like in the past all talk no action!

Up until very recently fax had a great scholarship scheme, the problem is 15 year old boys are a bit fickle! 5 lads from the school I teach in(in calderdale) have just got scholarships - one plays for England schoolboys. 1 to wire, 2 to hudds, 1 to Leeds, 1 to Bradford, if Halifax were in SL I would imagine that offered a scholarship at Halifax they would have taken it. If by sustainable business plans you mean fantasy promises well anybody can make stuff up but I suppose wakey have had more practise at it

Au contraire old bean. It would seem that franchising [iis[/i forgiving.


If you consider how many comments on the Wakey forum have been bemoaning the morality of the RFL over the past couple of months I find that statement to be just a tad ironic! Personally I'm not sure justice has been done, but given the lack of transparency in the whole process that's hardly surprising.

FWIW: It could well be that under Glover Wakefield are a better prospect than Halifax, but I can't see how it would have possibly been demonstrated. Such a decision would have to be based on conjecture and promises. I think Wakefield have been very lucky but I hope they do well all the same. We need a strong league. I hope Glover delivers.

Why would they need a bargaining tool?
Its well documented that the funds are already in place.

With the council and the objectors of any plans!

Which school do you teach at?

Quote ="wishy"With the council and the objectors of any plans!'" Not really sure where youre coming from with this. The council arent paying for the development. The council have already "approved" the plans,its now down to public inquiry. www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/ ... _1_2365837

Quote ="wishy"With the council and the objectors of any plans!'" Not really sure where youre coming from with this. The council arent paying for the development. The council have already "approved" the plans,its now down to public inquiry. www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/ ... _1_2365837

It's a secondary in sowerby bridge

As regards the stadium funding is in place, just waiting for the green light from the public enquiry. So that should be sorted out long before the next round of franchising comes around (something that the RFL will be aware of.) If not then we could well get the boot and have no complaints.

Also Halifax's ticking boxes exercise is all well and good, but the fact is that its not about meeting all minimum criteria and then being granted a license, certain areas you will excel in and others not so much - clearly we excelled in more areas than Halifax, or to a greater extent in the same areas hence our inclusion.

Certain areas you're bound to do better in because you're in SL at the moment and they're not. Reverse the situation and I'm sure you'd have been in much the same boat. Worse even.

How quaint it is defending the RFL now. How ironic. And given the fact you've got the result you wanted how very predictable.

What about those banners you were going to wave about? Sod Superleague or whatever it was they said. The fact even your own thought you were sunk speaks volumes. Decorate it however you like. Polish that turd. Roll it in glitter even. You're just changing your opinion to suit what you want, what's happened and what you think will happen in the future. You can fool yourself if you like but you can't force feed us pop and expect us to think it's champagne.

There's a thread on the Wakey board about the possibility of them getting a Grade A licence already, a mere matter of days after their stay of execution.

Don't get me wrong, I like Trinity in SL, but talk about no self awareness at all....

I'm afraid some of them are a bunch of half wit hypocrites who can't see beyond the end of their noses.

They will sling mud completely oblivious to the fact they condemn themselves in the process.

And the old merger chestnut rears it's head. Their necks are out of the noose and they're off again, foaming at the mouths like rabid dogs!

Club being transformed into the best in the game. Back where we belong. No one likes us, we don't care. We're bigger than Wigan and your Dad and your Dad's Dad. And when they park a duke it smells like freshly mown grass and they sell it to Bob Ross' company so they can make Yellow Ochre out of it!

Heard it all before. I'm content concentrating on us, it's better that way. When our club makes assertions we actually follow through on them to prove they were right.

Not at all, I still maintain that the RFL is bent as a 9-bob note however my opinion of them has raised slightly as they have actually stuck to their policy of selecting the best 14 applications, rather than granting Crusaders immunity due to their half d expansionist ideas, as everyone expected. Who knows, if Crusaders hadn't pulled out then they may still have done.

Obviously we have an advantage over Halifax as we are applying from SL, however thats not the issue, the fact is that our bid was better than theirs, end of.