And yet if Widnes fans point out the fact that Widnes are the front runnersfor a 2012 licence, you go into a fit of righteous indignation.

What areas, other than player performance, do Barrow beat Widnes on?




You wrote this:

Think about it…

Did you mean pre-licence era?

Either way, due to the state of your ground, it may not have reached minimum standards for entry into SL. Barrow has recently been warned about this situation by the RFL. Wakefield only got in on a promise to improve it, which they didn’t fulfill. Dewsbury were knocked back. So Barrow may not have been looking forward to SL, as you suggest.

If everything depended on team strength in a P&R era, then other clubs would put everything into that too, and Barrow may not have won the Grand Final.

Steve O'Connor has attended weekly meetings with the RFL to establish exactly what they require from us in order to meet their criteria. In saying what he's said, he is obviously confident that the club is meeting their expectations. If after the first 12 months of the next round of preparations any club does not know what is expected of them, then as a fan I'd be rather worried.



There's quite a difference between being surprise winners of the Championship and actually getting a franchise. As much as you try and convince us, you're not going to succeed.

Quite possibly not , the pre licence stadium criteria included 2,000 seats , along with better floodlighting than you currently have , all irrelivant , we are not operating in a P and R system , and the current driteria is much higher than was 2 years ago

barrow are doing well , continue that progress and you will have a very good chance in 2015 , [size=150IF[/size the RFL continue to operate on a 3 year cycle , which they have not stated they will , that is just an assumption we are all making , because the other option just scares us to death

3 areas actually ..
Location,
Location,
Location

SRC give up mate, Barrow are an unfashionable club and are currently behind Widnes/Halifax/Leigh in terms of a franchise. I await Angela Powers review when she buys a rat burger and crouches and pee's on herself in the toilets. The baby changing facilities in the back of a caravan? and thats without mentioning the little scrotes who around the ground swearing there heads off without a parent in sight. The only reason the likes of Catic and Rooney are at Barrow is for the cash.


Oh yeah and you have Mcchoke.

Behind Widnes - yes. Behind Fax and Leigh ????? The only area they are ahead on is their rented stadia. Crowds - no, Silverware - no, Location - no, Assets - no. As for being 'unfashionable', the phrase is a throw-away line and means very little. Are you saying Widnes are height of fashion ?!?!?!??!!


Of course it is. They're professionals. Why do you think Webster, Love etc etc are at Widnes ????


Funny how it's mainly the Widnes fans that bag him. He led Haven to the best spell in their history and kept Gateshead up against all the odds. Their fans have a different view.

Facilities are the key thing, crowds between Barrow and Leigh/Fax are similar. Uncle Des is outspoken and they dont like that do the RFL. Club websites and communiction is also more professional at each club.

We'll revisit this quote at the end of next season around the time Barrow and McChoker choke when it matters. We had 3 years with him so we know exactly where he falls short. He never actually won anything at Whitehaven despite that run you mention. He may get you to finals, I doubt very much that he has what it takes to be ruthless enough to win one.

I didnt realise that Assets came into it? Silverware doesnt come into it - Fax have qualified to apply. And ithe stadium will have a big bearing on licences. This is one area you fall down every single time - if your ground is a dump then regardless of whether or not you own it, its still a dump and not fit for SL. In fact if they brought in minimum ground standards for the CC you might struggle to stay in.

Im sure i have read a recent interview from Nigel Wood stating that the ground a clubs plays at will still have a massive impact on the licences.

So yes, i would say you are behind Fax in getting a Licence.

Barrow's BOD have met with or been in contact with the RFL on a fair few occasions regarding our license application . They can't speak highly enough of what the club has achieved and in particular what DJ has done for the club. That is FACT. Des is sometimes outspoken, but really has the club at heart and unlike many chairman who tend to bow and scrape to the RFL etc, isn't scared to speak his mind. They respect his passion for the club and the sport.

Barrow have a very good website, so I don't know where you're coming from with that one.

Regarding a clubs assets, it wouldn't surprise me at all if that isn't one of the criteria for 2012, given the financial instability of many clubs in the sport.

Fact?



I love it when people put that in a post



They can't speak highly enough eh? Great that. Worth diddly squat though mate. Diddly squat.

You'll learn though. So will Des. Maybe he has already. He's certainly slagged the RFL off over the floodlights bill from Sky.

Nonsense!

Tricky Dicky loves being abused by Desi boy, and the whole licence process will be based solely on areas where Barrow are likely to score well.

Do you have to come here and argue the same point every few weeks?

Yes the RFL have praised Barrow a lot... AS HAVE a lot of other people in the Sport including the majority of fans of Widnes, Fax, Leigh etc etc.

Though the RFL aldo said unless improve the ground SL is a no go (that is fact

) so until Dezzy starts doing some of that nothing has chnaged as far as I am concerned!

Passion for the Sport? I must be reading someone else then when I read the stuff he comes out with!

A couple of comments here...

Firstly I am very pleased that Des is making a good recovery following his serious surgery. He has put his hand in his pocket to fund a very good team and RL is definately on the up in the very North West.
Secondly, I am in great admiration of what Barrow have done this far...
However realistically there is still so much to do and I am sure that the RFL have fully debriefed the Barrow board about what is needed to bring the stadium upto spec. The amount needed to carry this out was described as 'immense' following a supporters meeting that was discussed on your board and Johnston has stated that he will not fund the redevelopment himself meaning the money has to come from elsewhere.
There certainly are grants but having visited the ground, and comparing it to some SL grounds that have been deemed 'unsuitable' you are looking at a big redevelopment being needed. Using 'The Willers (Willows to you and I)' as a benchmark, if that needs modernising then Craven Park needs some very serious work.

Looking at your chairman, you would also ask the question whether he is the RFL's cup of tea. Has he really done anything different to Leighton Samuels at this stage? He has effectively bought a title winning team but he has not invested in any sort of Academy structure and his refusal to invest anything into Craven Park would cause me to question his long term commitment to the club seeing as that is the one major stumbling block to Barrow achieving SL status.
Plus he also has questioned them very publicly on occasion which again they really don't like.
Then there was this quote provided in the NW Evening Mail..
"All we ask is that we all play off a level playing field".. his argument being against Gateshead who no longer occupy a place in this league. So with the division returning to a more balanced competition this year what happens??...
now we learn that he is trying to push for the club to be granted development status so that they can increase the number of quota players.

Personally speaking.. I hope Barrow win the league this year and indeed the year after and then fail in their attempt to secure a franchise place. My reason is partly Widnes bias but moreover I think it would demonstrate what a complete farce this current system is and hopefully amidst the furore that follows it would be dropped for the good old promotion and relegation days.

Are you sure? Only a few posts back you wrote

So either your club does know what the criteria is or it doesn't, but it can be both ways...


I love these side swipes at these "many chairman(sic)", Steve O'Connor amongst those by any chance?

I can't see moaning about being ordered to fit adequate lighting earning any respect with the suits at Red Hall..... I'd much rather have a shrewd business man who goes about his business quietly.

Though you might be interested in this since a lot on this thread do not seem convinced of Wakeys plans. www.wakefieldwildcats.co.uk/plan ... 06644.html Please no abuse or threats of violence just because I've delivered some news that's not welcome!

Though you might be interested in this since a lot on this thread do not seem convinced of Wakeys plans. www.wakefieldwildcats.co.uk/plan ... 06644.html Please no abuse or threats of violence just because I've delivered some news that's not welcome!

Quote ="deeHell":3bnpe4lsThough you might be interested in this since a lot on this thread do not seem convinced of Wakeys plans. www.wakefieldwildcats.co.uk/plan ... 06644.html Please no abuse or threats of violence just because I've delivered some news that's not welcome!'" , so a planning application 16 months before zero hour means diddly squat I'm afraid

Quote ="deeHell":3bnpe4lsThough you might be interested in this since a lot on this thread do not seem convinced of Wakeys plans. www.wakefieldwildcats.co.uk/plan ... 06644.html Please no abuse or threats of violence just because I've delivered some news that's not welcome!'" , so a planning application 16 months before zero hour means diddly squat I'm afraid

Careful. I had a holiday planned for the moon and look what happened.............................

[urlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8489097.stm[/url

Quote ="deeHell"Though you might be interested in this since a lot on this thread do not seem convinced of Wakeys plans. www.wakefieldwildcats.co.uk/plan ... 06644.html Please no abuse or threats of violence just because I've delivered some news that's not welcome!'" Excellent news for the Wakefield club. Really hope it comes off for them.

Quote ="deeHell"Though you might be interested in this since a lot on this thread do not seem convinced of Wakeys plans. www.wakefieldwildcats.co.uk/plan ... 06644.html Please no abuse or threats of violence just because I've delivered some news that's not welcome!'" Excellent news for the Wakefield club. Really hope it comes off for them.

My thoughts when I posted this

With the licence applications having to be in at some point in January 2011 and the Championship clubs being told spring 2011 who will be moving into SL, it might be a lot less than 16 months that SL clubs have to impress the RFL.

We are all under the fairly "concrete" impression (boom boom) that a club will be coming up no matter what happens in super league. That's been confirmed in numerous places. It doesn't matter to us whether wakefield get a stadium one iota.

Don't give in to the unfair negativity often wrongly attributed to us.

Quote ="deeHell"Though you might be interested in this since a lot on this thread do not seem convinced of Wakeys plans. www.wakefieldwildcats.co.uk/plan ... 06644.html Please no abuse or threats of violence just because I've delivered some news that's not welcome!'" Smashing news... you're about where Salfud found themselves 7 years ago.. As someone else mentioned further down the thread. It is of no concern to us what happens to your lot. It just means that you might find it a little easier to justify the £18 that you charge to get into that 'ground' of yours.

Quote ="deeHell"Though you might be interested in this since a lot on this thread do not seem convinced of Wakeys plans. www.wakefieldwildcats.co.uk/plan ... 06644.html Please no abuse or threats of violence just because I've delivered some news that's not welcome!'" Smashing news... you're about where Salfud found themselves 7 years ago.. As someone else mentioned further down the thread. It is of no concern to us what happens to your lot. It just means that you might find it a little easier to justify the £18 that you charge to get into that 'ground' of yours.

Does this stadia criteria say it has to be your own? What's to stop Salford, Wakey or Cas squatting somewhere else for a bit? That's effectively what Wrexham Nomads have done, isn't it?