On a side note that now puts us as 17th overall behind London and Barrow. For what its worth, cant see past London.
Does it matter anymore ?
Its a total farce - selection for SL being done for first 12 through IMG gradings , others by an independent panel
salfraud go bust, but a phoenix club arrives, playing at same stadium, probably in same colours - no points deduction
fev go into admin as many clubs have, us included where we came back with a points deduction
fev not allowed back
double standards here
total farce of league now - we already had a league where teams don’t play each other and a 10 team playoff system which still has not been confirmed, 2 weeks before league kicks off
The RFL are a standing joke in professional sport- hang your head in shame, but no they continue with their path
I will just turn up and hopefully watch some decent rugby
i feel RL is doomed
RFL as usual getting the hate when this situation is wholly the club's (Featherstone's) fault.
Tried to pull a fast one, by going in to administration and trying to clear the debts but keep the assets, got rumbled.
hear what you say James, but you cannot blame fev for the shambolic fixture structure, decision to go to percentages or the lack of information on the 10 team playoff structure can you ?
@7-vikingnomad no, but then that's not why Fev have gone south. And it was the clubs that voted for the structure.
@jdgsport You are probably right about Featherstone, but the RFL let the Salford situation drag on and must have been aware of the situation at Featherstone before the Administration move. Surely, they should have had contingency plans in place, in the event of either or both not being able to compete in the Championship.
The lack of planning five minutes ahead, never mind five years, is a disgrace to any business organisation. The confusion over the Championship fixtures and play-off arrangements are down to poor management by the RFL.
The further confusion following the decision to refuse Featherstone entry to the Championship in 2026 is also down to the RFL's "back of fag packet" approach to the management of the game. Surely, the arrangements for adjustment to the fixtures and compensation for Clubs due to play Featherstone, should have been in place. Instead all we get is further delay and confusion.
Does make you wonder whether the RFL has any interest in the game below SL and would be happy to see all 20 Clubs (except London) disappear.
Correct and so obvious, why people can't see this is amazing, they should of went i to admin when the final whistle of the season was blown which Would have given everyone more time to act. They indeed try as you say to "pull a fast one". Why was their financial affairs not flagged up by the grading system, it's the owners and the running of the club that are 100% to blame, but the RFL are still not fit for purpose and need investigating on how they run the game.RFL as usual getting the hate when this situation is wholly the club's (Featherstone's) fault.
Tried to pull a fast one, by going in to administration and trying to clear the debts but keep the assets, got rumbled.
@frankg The difference between Salford ownership last season and Featherstone this year is that the RFL in Salfords case chose to approve owners who subsequently proved unfit in order to honour the SKY contract.
Feathertone being omitted this year has messed up the Championship fixtures with less games for some clubs, win percentage etc but the key differenxe is its not on TV. It still leaves season ticket holders and clubs out of pocket and makes what was a dogs breakfast of a fixture format even worse.
This time around Salford were further along the process and the RFL had 3 bids to cherry pick the best from. With Featherstone they only had one bid and it was from the previous owner of the club. I can see the issue as if they form a new company but its the previous owner from when the club ran up the debts thats the problem.
Hopefully someone else comes in and they can start fresh from 2027 with time to rebuild and prepare.
get that James,
when you say the clubs voted for it- who put the structure together ?
but did the clubs vote for not having home then away fixtures through the season ?
and you don’t mention the playoff format - did the clubs vote for that ?
and the lack of information on it ?
get that James,
when you say the clubs voted for it- who put the structure together ?
but did the clubs vote for not having home then away fixtures through the season ?
and you don’t mention the playoff format - did the clubs vote for that ?
and the lack of information on it ?
There were multiple structures proposed, some by clubs themselves. Any club could have submitted a suggestion. I think the format is terrible, won't last. But that's as much on the clubs that agreed to it as the RFL themselves.
Home/Away fixtures will never happen, and that's again down to clubs. There are multiple who have to play away from home through June/July because of pitch work (Halifax, Rochdale, Doncaster, Oldham as examples); you'd only get home/away if every club had primacy of tenure at their ground and as such could be dictated to when they play. I still think individual clubs ought to be better and fight their corner more when they receive the initial draft of fixtures to ensure there aren't big gaps between home games.
I'm not really sure what alternative suggestions there were to a top 10 play-off - couldn't have any more, and any less would have made half the season redundant for many. But again, the clubs voted for it. So if they didn't want it, they could have suggested an alternative. There was one suggestion to offer a 'wildcard' place to the form team of the final 10 games of the season, but clubs rejected that.
The lack of information from the RFL is a shitshow, will agree on that. Staff have left in this 'interim' period where Nigel Wood is in charge, but still no excuse.
get that James,
when you say the clubs voted for it- who put the structure together ?
but did the clubs vote for not having home then away fixtures through the season ?
and you don’t mention the playoff format - did the clubs vote for that ?
and the lack of information on it ?There were multiple structures proposed, some by clubs themselves. Any club could have submitted a suggestion. I think the format is terrible, won't last. But that's as much on the clubs that agreed to it as the RFL themselves.
Home/Away fixtures will never happen, and that's again down to clubs. There are multiple who have to play away from home through June/July because of pitch work (Halifax, Rochdale, Doncaster, Oldham as examples); you'd only get home/away if every club had primacy of tenure at their ground and as such could be dictated to when they play. I still think individual clubs ought to be better and fight their corner more when they receive the initial draft of fixtures to ensure there aren't big gaps between home games.
I'm not really sure what alternative suggestions there were to a top 10 play-off - couldn't have any more, and any less would have made half the season redundant for many. But again, the clubs voted for it. So if they didn't want it, they could have suggested an alternative. There was one suggestion to offer a 'wildcard' place to the form team of the final 10 games of the season, but clubs rejected that.
The lack of information from the RFL is a shitshow, will agree on that. Staff have left in this 'interim' period where Nigel Wood is in charge, but still no excuse.
It's on these Clubs to sort out where they play their home fixtures while the grass seed is being sown and not for the other clubs (like Widnes) to accommodate them by reversing the fixture to bail them out.
Anyway, Post Office Road will be available to rent.
Paulie xx