FaxMachine

...and again. Balls still not dropped then, I take it?

I haven't heard a single Fax fan wish Shad anything but good luck and the "Shed" comment was, quite frankly, puerile. Tell me honestly that Sheffield wouldn't jump at the chance to sign a player of his calibre who has been one of the best players in the Championship for several years now. He has been an exceptional player and clubman for Fax over the last 4 seasons scoring over 20 trys in 2008 and over 30 in 2009 and 2010. He is, without doubt, Superleague quality and deserves his chance to prove himself at that level.

....and for those of us whose first language is English?

This is what I posted on the other forum which I thought was a good idea and hoped might promote discussion. No such luck but see what you guys think. Right. Let's face the facts. No-one can deny that the advent of franchising has torn the game apart. What used to be regarded as "The Rugby League Family" is now severely disfunctional, to put it mildly. There are now 2 families, pro franchise/P&R and anti franchise/P&R and there is ever increasing animosity between the 2 camps which is only going to get worse. Whilst I can understand, to some degree, the RFL's original intentions I believe that it was, as usual, ill-conceived and all it's implications were not taken into consideration. I can not speak for the Pro Camp as I openly admit to belonging to the Antis but I suspect that, if their club was under threat, their views may be different. OK. From the Anti's point of view. The main criticism most of us have and the reason that there is so much antagonism and hatred aimed at the RFL hierarchy is because the rules are so ambiguous, are constantly changing and differ according to who your club is and where it is situated. This is causing fans at most Championship clubs to start to lose interest. Attendances have started to slide and attracting new fans is becoming more and more difficult. What I would propose is something along these lines: After the next set of licenses is announced for 2012-2014 the RFL invites any Championship/1 clubs who are interested in a license for the following period (2015-2017) to declare it's interest. I suspect that this may involve only 5 or 6 clubs at the most. These clubs could then have their infrastructure and facilities examined by the RFL to see if they are elligible or close to it and advised of any improvements which must be made and a deadline set for the end of 2013 at which time they should be re-examined and, provided the recommendations had been met, given the nod that they have met the off-field requirements. Alongside this a 3 year league table of these qualifying clubs would be kept where they would be awarded points for final league placings each year (maybe 10 for 1st, 6 for 2nd, 4 for 3rd etc.) Further points would be gained for progress in NRC and Playoffs on a similar scale. I believe that this could restore interest in the Championship and build momentum over a 3 year period but ONLY if the eventual winner was GUARANTEED a SL place not just given the right to apply. All we ask is that the rules are set in stone from the outset. Can you imagine the buildup of intensity over 3 years with a fixed prize at the end of it? Perhaps a similar table could be kept at the bottom of SL to keep underachieving clubs on their toes. Just my thoughts and I'm sure someone will pick holes in them but, believe me, something needs to be done and fairly quickly.

No. Barrow averages: 2009 - 2,280 2010 (so far) - 1,881

If that is really the case (which I doubt) then it's no wonder that RL is considered a minority sport and will always remain so.

Correct. Operational Rule B3:15 states: Dual Registered Players shall only be eligible to play in these Grand Final series provided that the player has played in at least 75% of the club

Ah, but which 3? Are you bluffing? I can honestly say that I have not felt this nervous before a game for a very long time.

Yes, I agree, those comments are vain and I personally would never make a statement like that BUT as I said before only one Fax fan said that and you suggested that the aforementioned vanity ran through the entire thread.

Firstlly, yes Fax fans are fairly confident. After 8 wins in a row that's reasonable. 2 months ago we certainly wouldn't have been confident. You will notice that virtually all predictions are close though. Secondly, as far as the "fading" comment goes, only 2 posters said that and one of those was a Widnes fan so lets just tell it like it is, eh?

It wouldn't be the first time that that sort of thing has happened. I remember Fax signing Dick Fairbank when (according to legend) they thought they had signed Karl.

Ten Years After - Live at the Fillmore East Alvin Lee =awesome!

Find it hard to believe that even the mosy myopic Fev supporter can blame the ref for that result. As a neutral I thought he controlled the game well and the 3 or 4 errors he did make all went in Fev's favour. Also, why on earth should it knock 1,000 off your next attendance. Did you really expect to carry on winning indefinitely?

The Jeff Healey Band - Hell To Pay