Should they finish last ...

[meltiger]

Will Wigan be relegated?


Or will some other poor team be forced to go down?

 

[ledzep]

I don't htink anyone else will be forced down
it would more be another team wouldn't be allowed up

 

[East Coast Tiger]

A few months ago I thouht Wigan will not go down, they'll start winning soon. Well they still haven't but I doubt they'll go down even if they do finish last. I can't imagine SL without Wigan. I've never been a fan but it would be cutting off your nose to spite your face to drop them from the competition, even for the rival clubs that hate them. They're averaging over 10,000 attendances and are producing more talent than any other club, even if they're not staying at Wigan. They're an icon of the game. No club is bigger than the game, but they come closest. If Wigan were to go down I am positive the team that comes up will be lucky to average 6-7000 to its games and will rely on players from anywhere but its catchment area and will most likely go down after a year. Time will tell but I'm pretty sure the RFL and Sky will some up with a solution that allows them to stay up.

 

[deluded pom?]

I hope not ECT . If a promoted club meet the required criteria then they should be allowed their time in the sun even if it is at the expense of Wigan .

 

[East Coast Tiger]

I'd like to see Hull KR go up (although Craven Park is a bit sh*te) but nobody can possibly argue it would be better for the game if they took Wigan's place in SL.

I think waht this issue will highlight is how important it is to get franchises in in 2009. Franchises, re-evaluated regularly, ensure the clubs that should be in SL are (and the ones that aren't aren't). Pro/rel is too open to chance and is more likely to deliver weaker teams to SL, clubs like Leigh. Sure they deserved to be there after their efforts on the field based on the pro/rel rules but to be fair they're too small a town, with ordinary facilities and no real prospect of major growth.

If there's any club that should not be in SL it's Wakefield. They have probably the worst ground in SL (or one of), they get poor crowds, they're never likely to be a contender (they may have made the second week of the finals but they seriously overperformed), have no real prospect of improvng their situation, especvially without a new stadium that seems unlikely to happen, they produce few players from their local juniors and what's worst of all 80% of their players are not British.

Sure Wigan may finsih below Wakey this year but it's one year out of 11, every other year Wigan has been in the top half of the competition, Wakey has made the finals once in their nine (?) years and have narrowly avoided relegation on a couple of occasions. So even on-field performance (over more than 12 months) indicates which is the better club.

 

[natbradfordbulls1985]

Don't want Wigan to go down,they were one of the best teams in the SL. They were once contenders for cups and trophies,there not now.They have gone down hill. They have had a lot of managers over the years, can Noble turn them around to stop been relegated ? we will soon see.

If they don't start winning they will be going down,it's going to be tough for them to turn things around. Will be a fight to stay in the SL with waki close behind.
As for promotion,i liked the look of Hull KR Joining SL who ever goes down.

Not part of the topic but,i don't think much of Sean O'Loughlin as there captain. Don't think he is much of a leader,he might just need time and experience but they need that now if they are wanting to stay up .

 

[Hightown Tiger]

If Wigan finish bottom and the team who wins NL1 meets the criteria then Wigan should go down. Lets not forget that although no Wigan will probably mean reduced attendances in SL, it will have a huge impact in NL1.

Just imagine the mighty Wigan travelling to places like Batley, Rochdale etc. The best these teams could ever have hoped for in the past would be to draw a big SL team in the cup. Now they will get to play Wigan home and away. A lot of neutrals went along to support teams like 'Haven, Oldham etc when they played Castleford last season.

Plus there's also the slight possibility of some kind of TV deal if Wigan go down. I'm sure somewhere along the way there would be some kind of highlights package showing the Wigan games, if only on regional TV.

Lastly, I think Wigan fans themselves would admit if they finish bottom it's only fair they went down. They could then push through some of their younger players, who aren't ready/or good enough for SL but will be able to gain experience in NL1. Again it worked for Castleford with the likes of Shenton, Kain etc.

 

[Henson Park Hornets]

If Wigan finish last then they should go down. Doesn't matter what they've done in the past, the fact is that they've been sh*te this year and deserve to be relegated.
It'll be great for the Mighty Hornets if Wigan came to visit, it might generate more of an interest in RL in the town and so giving the 'Nets a bigger gate and that's the same for all other NL1 teams. Just imagine the Leigh/Wigan derby?

 

[deluded pom?]

Wakefield were one of the top teams in the sixties . that didn,t give them a divine right to stay in the top flight forever . If Lyndsay and his colleagues on the Wigan board hadn't pumped money into the team and made them a full time pro club playing against semi pros then they would have continued to struggle instead of winning trophy after trophy . And you probably wouldn't have heard much about them . Do you realise ECT just how big a town Wigan is ? The problem is most Australians don't realise the emotion that pro/rel has here .It's what every lower team strives for and what every SL team fears . If they are a strong enough club then Wigan will bounce back , a la Cas , if not then they'll be on a slippery slope a la Worky . Wigan are not , and will never be, the be all and end all of British rugby league .

 

[Mr_Ugly]

A possible solution (LINK):

Radlinski and grapevine offer Wigan a lifeline

Super League extension may save bottom club from drop but recalled full-back wants to do it the hard way
Andy Wilson

Saturday June 17, 2006
The Guardian


Kris Radlinski will launch his Wigan rescue bid tomorrow night despite growing speculation that the Warriors will not be relegated even if they finish bottom of the Super League table. Radlinski, who cut short his three-month retirement to join Wigan's survival battle, despite risking long-term damage to his knee, has been included in Brian Noble's 20-man squad for a home game against the Catalans Dragons and is expected to make his first appearance since September from the interchange bench.

The Warriors are six points adrift with only two wins from the season's first 16 matches, making victory over the Catalans essential if they are to preserve a realistic chance of overhauling Wakefield, Castleford or Harlequins with 12 games remaining.

However, details have emerged this week of secret discussions between several Super League clubs that would save Wigan even if they fail to climb off the bottom. The plan, as reported in the League Weekly newspaper, would see the competition extended to 13 clubs next year, meaning the National League champions would still be promoted but there would be no relegation from the Super League.

The clubs have been reluctant previously to expand the Super League because it would mean each receiving a smaller share of the central television contract with Sky. But according to League Weekly, that problem will be resolved by the team finishing bottom going without their TV money next season - with Wigan, Castleford and Wakefield, the three most likely relegation candidates, all having independent financial backers who could make up the shortfall of around £800,000.

The plan would have the advantage of reducing the demands on Super League players as the 13 clubs would revert to playing each other home and away to produce a 24-match season, rather than the current 28-week programme caused by playing a third match against six of the 12 clubs.

However the Rugby Football League, whose executive chairman Richard Lewis last year unveiled plans to expand the Super League to 14 clubs and introduce a franchise system by 2009, will fiercely oppose the clubs' proposals, arguing that moving the goalposts in mid-season would bring the game into disrepute.

The rumours have already clouded the importance of tomorrow's Wigan v Catalans game, although Noble insists that his players remain determined to save themselves. "I don't want my players reading stuff about ways we can avoid relegation even if we finish bottom or next to the bottom," he told the Wigan Evening Post. "We are determined to stay in Super League by winning games on the back of our efforts. We have 12 games left, eight at home, and we need to win as many as we possibly can."

Two of Wigan's theoretical relegation rivals are also in action tomorrow, with Castleford at home to Huddersfield and Wakefield at Warrington. Castleford could give a debut to Danny Brough, one of the heroes of Hull's Challenge Cup triumph last August, after signing him on an 18-month contract yesterday and they have also extended the contract of their Australian captain Danny Nutley until the end of 2008. Wakefield, meanwhile, have agreed a new two-year deal with their France prop Olivier Elima.

Ian Millward confirmed yesterday that he will spend the rest of the season with Leigh as a coaching consultant before returning to Australia as an assistant to the former Leeds coach Graham Murray at the North Queensland Cowboys.

With Richard Lewis against it, it probably won't happen, but the shorter season is good, and it will mean the introduction of a bye (which is good for players even if not so good for the fans).

It might make it harder for both Tolouse and the Crusaders to get a run in 2009 though (assuming that's on the cards anyway).

 

[deluded pom?]

I don't know where they get the idea that both Cas and Wakey have sugar daddies who can stump up £800,000 just like that . This journo is living in dreamland . Dreamland or London .The argument against 13 or even 14 teams was the smaller Sky share , why have the teams suddenly done a 180 ? Obviously Wigan would bring a good following to the top four or five SL teams especially the Lancashire teams . Then it's also obvious that Cas and Wakey would go for this if it meant they retained SL status . So that's a majority vote for the new proposal . Greed and self interest are all that will stop Wigan from being relegated should they finish in a relegation spot .I hope Lewis gets his way and blocks the move . We've made our game look stupid enough times in the past without more ridiculous rule change mid season .

 

[nadera78]

All the 'journalist' is doing in that article is passing on a piece of nonsense that was written in League Weekly, a magazine for senile old men who hate anything and everything to do with the modern game. It's a load of crap from start to finish. Andy Wilson should know better than to rehash crap they come out with, all they ever do is use "he said this, he said that" and turn it into an article.

 

[strewth_mate]

If Wigan end up in a relegation position, they deserve to be relegated, otherwise the concept is a farce. Really, they should be made to prove they're good enough by getting promoted the next season.

Might sound like ignorance on my behalf but if you're going to make concessions for a team based on their past, where do you draw the line? Do you say that every team that has regularly finished in the top half of the table be safe from relegation if they have a bad year? I know Wigan is a class team that doesn't belong in a lower division but if they play like this, it's hard to argue against their relegation otherwise you open a Pandora's box of ridiculous rule changes to suit the powerful teams which doesn't speak well for an even competition.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

I don't know where they get the idea that both Cas and Wakey have sugar daddies who can stump up £800,000 just like that . This journo is living in dreamland . Dreamland or London .The argument against 13 or even 14 teams was the smaller Sky share , why have the teams suddenly done a 180 ? Obviously Wigan would bring a good following to the top four or five SL teams especially the Lancashire teams . Then it's also obvious that Cas and Wakey would go for this if it meant they retained SL status . So that's a majority vote for the new proposal . Greed and self interest are all that will stop Wigan from being relegated should they finish in a relegation spot .I hope Lewis gets his way and blocks the move . We've made our game look stupid enough times in the past without more ridiculous rule change mid season .

Yeah but I reckon in this case greed may help make a good decision for the game if clubs vote to keep Wigan because of the extra gate revenue. I can't see what wrong with making it 13 clubs with Wigan included and the top NL1 club promoted. Everyone wins. The only people that aren't happy with that are those miserable spiteful gets who hate Wigan and just want to see them go down even though it'd be better if they stayed up.

 

[bowes]

I don't see why keeping Wigan up would increase gate receipts, it would cut them by loads, losing 2 home matches just to get an extra 1000 away supporters for one match is pretty stupid. Not everyone does win quite clearly.

Also it would turn the league back into the joke it used to be seen as a few years ago, although unlike then the RU premiership is no longer a joke. You can't change the rules mid-season, but as soon as they stop the joke that is automatic P&R the better.

 

[bowes]

It might make it harder for both Tolouse and the Crusaders to get a run in 2009 though (assuming that's on the cards anyway).

Not really as they just take the best 14 franchises, rather than adding teams.

Crusaders have no chance of SL in 2009, they wouldn't get the crowds. Toulouse is looking less and less likely to happen as well.

 

[deluded pom?]

You may think P&R is a joke bowes but it's an inherent part of British sport . I wouldn't dream of telling Australians that their system of playing crap season after season entitles you to line up against the best next time around .You do it your way and we'll do it ours . Another article in a large circulation Sunday paper suggested Wigan may well try and offer the NL winners £1M to stay down . I wouldn't put anything past Whelan and Lyndsay .

 

[deluded pom?]

Another nail in Wigan's coffin today as Wakey and Cas both win . Even if they beat the Catalans they'll still be six points adrift with games rapidly running out .

 

[bowes]

I am British by the way, so that comments irrelevent.

P&R isn't a joke if the best teams from the league below are better than the worst teams in the league above, but otherwise replacing a weak team with a weaker team is stupid.

The other thing stupid is to have P&R and a flat salary cap is unfair as Wigan could stay up without a salary cap. If it evens out the title fair enough, but it shouldn't screw a team over long term, like it might.

 

[deluded pom?]

Wigan can spend up to the full £1.8m . There's no way teams like Salford , Wakey , Cas etc can get anywhere near that , so Wigan are at an advantage straight away . The salary cap should allow ALL teams to have an equal chance of signing any available players out there , not to give the rich a better chance . Imagine the NRL if Manly were allowed to spend carte blanche .