With all talk of Hansen and else for next year Bradford releasing Riley dean that's got to be worth exploring a proper running half
Totally agree, but can we afford him ?
If he is Yorkshire based will he travel/ move to merseyside area?
@7-vikingnomad Well Salford got Sneyd we paid abdull these are the decisions that push you forward or stay average surely a goal kicking running stand off has to be worth going for
maybe get twinny to sponsor his signing save the club money 💰
I agree but is it doable - I would take him but budget constrains May hit, unless we sign him before season end - hopefully on a 2 year contract, that’s if he wants to come here mind !
I have yet to understand the purpose of the Championship salary cap. Is it to protect clubs from financial meltdown or to create a level playing field in the league to avoid any club having an unfair advantage due to their financial support eg London this year?
If the former, this is a distinct disadvantage to Widnes who are being forced to reduce spending on player contracts, even though (we are told) they can well afford current spending this year. If the latter, how is the salary cap and affordability rule applied in SL?
Is there a similar rule to that in SL about signing marquee players and excluding certain signings from the cap?
If the Club can afford to sign players like Richardson or Condon, this could generate additional income through sponsorship and increased attendances at games.
It seems to me that the RFL are doing their best to ensure that any club below SL have no chance of building a squad capable of challenging for SL status.
@frankg it's to stop clubs spending beyond their means and ultimately to stop any club falling in the trap fev fax and north Wales have in the last 12 months or so ....if you don't earn it you can't spend it ...also puts the emphasis on clubs to find more revenue streams ....agree with it fully tbh ...some will obviously be able to spend more than us ...Oldham Doncaster as their bankrolled.. probably Sheffield aswel ...others like barrow who have a large turnover won't spend close to what we will ...we're not in a bad place on the back of it ...still be in the top 4 in cap spend ...just got sod all to play for
Dean will end up back at Oldham ..not a chance we could afford him ... certainly now when it's quoted that we've already recruited 70% of next seasons squad via retention or signings
@pauliewalnuts but again the club I think voted blind without the RFL being clear on what the plan for the salary cap was. It was only in the forge podcast with Mike a few months back SM confirmed they still didn’t know the number!
Obviously in typical RFL fashion, they eventually gave clubs info when recruitment was already well underway
agreed it is needed and I question some clubs being able to spend above their turnover unless they put money up front in escrow accounts etc
@cumbria-viking So, if someone wishes to invest in the Club and sponsor a marquee player for next season, that is possible under the cap?
I do agree that clubs who have dreamed of SL, like Featherstone etc, who spend beyond their means in an effort to reach SL, need to be aware of the gamble they are taking if that dream does not materialise.
My understanding is that those running Widnes aim to get SL status, but carefully control finances to avoid the financial meltdown that they have suffered in recent years. The problem that they face is not so much finance, but the uncertainty of when and if there will be an opportunity for Clubs like Widnes can reach SL.
Widnes and other Clubs with an ambition of reaching SL should be demanding some clarity from the RFL. If the answer is that SL will become a closed shop with no possibility of promotion in the foreseeable future, then my guess is that the Club will lose the fan base that they currently have pretty soon. Widnes will become a Club like Swinton, with a few dedicated supporters just marking time until they fade away or become a feeder Club.
The cap to me simply undermines a Club like Widnes, who are prevented from spending what they can afford on current attendances and sponsorship
The new cap actually gives us an advantage not the the other way round. Some clubs can only spend £250k with current turnover, we will be able to spend £400k or £500k so double that. It also stops clubs like Oldham and Doncaster spending vast amounts in the Championship on squads, so rather than being 5th or 6th top spenders we will be around the top.
When current deals expire, Championship players will be forced to take some kind of pay cut, the better higher paid players will be out of budget for some so could move to sides like Widnes. When you look at some of the crowds in the Championship of 200 or 300 fans per game, the cap sadly makes sense.
What we have to be careful of is that it doesnt stifle ambition and we accept life in the Championship.
@frankg yeah mate ...everything is under the cap regarding players ....insurance..agent fees etc ....think it was said based on turnover we fell into the 400k cap bracket but Murphy said the club would meet the shortfall and still operate in and around this season's cap ....you can go beyond your cap if you place a bond with the RFL and have proof of the invested money which maybe the scenario you've just used might fall into ...this is where the likes of Oldham Donny and Sheffield will exploit ....
@frankg yeah mate ...everything is under the cap regarding players ....insurance..agent fees etc ....think it was said based on turnover we fell into the 400k cap bracket but Murphy said the club would meet the shortfall and still operate in and around this season's cap ....you can go beyond your cap if you place a bond with the RFL and have proof of the invested money which maybe the scenario you've just used might fall into ...this is where the likes of Oldham Donny and Sheffield will exploit ....
What makes me laugh is that teams like Oldham, Donny and Sheffield have poor crowds but can spend because of a benefactor. I know Twinny is a little hand grenade but if the club could fond a solution to the problem it may help us a little to be similar spending to Oldham and Doncaster. Ideally i would love a Degsy type at Widnes who is a multi millionaire. This IMG bollox is pissing Widnes fans off and promotion and relegation should come back to bring excitement back into the sport.
Teams like Leigh, Wakefield, Huddersfield, London and Castleford are no bigger than Widnes.They have not all suffered like Widnes being in the Championship for so long and got rich backers.
Why shouldn't we be in a position to sign players like Richardson, Dean, Condon or a decent player from Australasia, if we can afford to pay their salaries, with or without sponsorship?
The cap appears to be dragging a well run club like Widnes down to the level of those with limited, if any, SL ambitions, rather than looking to improve the standard of the Championship. Whether this is a deliberate policy of the RFL is open to question. To me it appears that the RFL and SL have no interest at all in the Championship and their aim is to turn it into a league of feeder clubs for SL.
Until the RFL make up their minds about the future structure of the game and whether promotion and relegation will be re-introduced, those few clubs in the Championship with genuine SL ambitions are stuck in limbo and unable to make any medium or long-term plans.
The current Championship structure is clearly not working and needs to be sorted out before the start of next season. Why couldn't the IMG gradings be used a a basis for the Championship. After all, the idea was to try and encourage Clubs to reach a minimum standard both on and off the field. Eligibility for the SL is currently based on those gradings, with Clubs on Grade A being guaranteed a place, with eligibility for promotion being a minimum Grade B.
On current gradings, there are 9 Clubs with a Grade A, 15 with a Grade B (including Bradford, York, Toulouse, Castleford, Huddersfield in SL and Featherstone, who presumably will be back next season) and 11 on Grade C or ungraded. The RFL have indicated that they will not be increasing the number of teams in SL in 2027. On this basis, presumably London will be replacing Huddersfield in the SL. If not, I am sure that the London backers will walk away and probably sue the RFL for breach of contract. I have no doubt that London have been promised promotion to SL in 2027.
Perhaps a Championship comprising 10 teams and a League 1 with 11 teams, with promotion and relegation based on performance, subject to Clubs meeting a minimum standard based on the IMG gradings. You never know, if the game as a whole was promoted and not just SL, there may indeed be more Clubs across different parts of the UK and Ireland turning to rugby league. That is how to grow the game, not vanity projects in Las Vegas.