Other Clubs fans have a pop at Widnes because they are jealous, plain and simple.
And that is not me being all high and mighty, just telling it how it is.
Jealous and hopeful. In denigrating Widnes they are trying to justify why their own club should be picked.
That's why they've latched on so heavily to our performance on the pitch this year. If they can find one reason why Widnes should not go up then it gives their own team a better shot. If Widnes went bust tomorrow you can guarantee that Halifax would be treated the exact same.
Licensing is supposed to be about medium to long-term. About putting things in place that should enable prosperity long term, like youth development and stadia etc. To try and ensure a degree of competitiveness the RFL included on the field stipulations and to be honest it back fired a bit as the most likely team to come up met them at the first opportunity. This meant that all Widnes now had to do was put out a competitive side and meet the rest of the criteria. Widnes did put out a competitive squad this year but have not challenged. This is not surprising when you consider the loss of key personnel including a 2 of your main signings for much of the season, a captain and a Head Coach on compassionate leave for much of the season.
It would defeat the object of licensing if the RFL simply took into account on the pitch this year and put in a club that are less viable in the long term.