Harry Stottle

You been David?

Then they should play all their games in France Eddie, but you know what that means I presume? How was it a disadvantage, apart from Fev they were streets ahead of any opposition they were visiting a little like Leigh this season, if Leigh played all 28 league games away with the settled squad they have now I wouldn't expect them to lose........... any, nor should Toulouse have with a better squad than all the other Championship teams and all full time player's as well. I would wager there are those who would have been in raptures with Toulouse running up big scores hosting part timers who would be getting time of work, travelling out to France and back the same day, before back to work the next. A massive disadvantage my backside.

So the French clubs are the glue that is holding the Professional Game together, you do come out with some exceptional posts, well done. If we lost them it would not make one jot of difference to the pro game, unless you can explain to me how, I know it would upset some travel companies, hotels bars and restaurants in northern Spain and the same for buisnesses in Perpignan on match days, but apart from that zilch.

I wish there was an emoji that said "I will have to think about that one"

Careful Gloossop, you have not to mention away fans on these pages, but seeing you have done if Leigh go up and say you were the owner/accountant at Saints, Wigan or Wire, would you prefer your "next to no fans" of Toulouse or Leigh taking along 1,500 at an average of £30 each inc a drink or a bite to eat totalling approx £45,000 in the coffers, the answer is a no brainer considering that these very same people considers Toulouse paying for their travel cost is the right and proper way to go.

Weren't you saying early last season that Toulouse would be averaging 10,000 crowds with the half a million strong population they have, and there would be a queue of rich sponsers clamouring to get on board, and the club would go from strength to strength and along with Catalan would be spreading the RL gospel all over France and all the kids would be drawn to the game, and it was just a formality they would be bringing a TV deal to the pot. Basically what you spout is what you wish for, it has no substance to it whatsoever. And when has Mr Beaumont moaned about spending money? obviously in your piece you wanted to get in a bit about the travel expenses, so mentioning spending was the way to do it. I have nothing whatsoever against Toulouse in our system, I was looking forward to going next year - maybe I still will in the Championship - but I wish some people would be a little more realistic in their aspirations and well meaning for the club and stop putting them on a pinnicle they have yet to acheive.

Sorry re the delay, back to your questions. Will I be happy if Leigh lose out on promotion, not at all but there is nothing a given, this is sport and stranger things have happened Leigh are clear favourites but the sporting world is full of the underdog triumphing, it will be a very nervous time in the final - yes I am sticking my neck out - but Mr B has set out a plan and stuck to it, hopefully it pays off. Encouraging club's to risk their future, who is doing that? I have said how Leigh are going about it this year buy securing player's before promotion is secured which is so different to the norm of waiting to see if they are promoted then going shopping when the shelves are almost bare, it may work or it may not, if it does and Leigh consolidate in SL will other club's try it? They only should if they can afford to do so, will Toulouse next season? don't know but one thing is certain going up with a championship team didn't work. Newcastle going full time? as the intention of the owner was to achieve SL status in a short number of years they had no option, not being in the heartlands they would have needed part-timers to travel as well as doing another job to supplement their income, but they didn't speculate on the right roster of players to improve in the Championship they went into half hearted, subsequently they failed to get the public interested losing most of their games, financially the inevitable would happen, a couple of weeks ago before Newcastle announced they were going part time I had a discussion on these pages with @ShropshireBulland I suggested that by the end of next season they will be taking stock of their future as a pro club, fwiw I can't see them lasting in the pro game unless the can find a way to finance a much better squad or do a Toronto and be a satellite club with a different base for training etc only going to Newcastle to play home games. Toronto NRL player's? spend big sorry but they wasted a lot of money in my opinion for what was required on the field, Money Bill good publicity but his days of being effective had gone when he was required to be the team leader, he went to the Rooster's and did OK but he was surrounded by very good player's there, who else was good apart from Ricky Leutele, well not Josh McCrone, Chase Stanley, Bodene Thompson, Blake Wallace now there is a club who could afford to have done things differently but chose not to, they went up to SL with the same Championship team when it was quite evident they should have been radically changing their playing roster in preparation for playing in SL. All in my opinion of course.

Sorry guy's you are going to have to live with it.

Off course not what a silly question, would you be happy with a Wigan win tonigh?, I have to go out now but I will answer you back In due course.

Well............ Leigh are seemingly bucking that trend this season in that they are not waiting until promotion is secured, the stratergy which is plain for all to see was buy in a team to hopefully win promotion, OK it consisted of 13 overseas player's and they knew that if they do win the Championship 6 would have to be jettisoned, two have all but already gone, so another 4 to be released and two apparently homesick and going back to Aus so just 2 to go, but they have already Cherry picked the best and put 6 of them on extended contracts, also in all but the press release being issued there are another 5 SL player's signed up for next year, there is retention on some of the English lads in the squad and also speculation on a very big signing. Now call this boom or bust if you wish, but at the end of last season Mr Beaumont said he had a plan to get Leigh back into SL this next year and if it failed he was prepared to go round again in the Championship in '23 and back it financially once more, it does need something in that the team promoted gives themselves the best opportunity possible to consolidated in SL the first season, perhap's if this works it may set the blueprint for the future, as you say still a risk, but as a Leigh fan I hope it proves to be one worth taking.

It would not have been boom or bust Glossop, it would have been speculating to accumulate, anyone with any gumption about RL could tell you that the Toulouse team making the transition from the Championship to SL would need to improve their playing roster considerably, Kheirallah maybe a loss but I was never of the opinion that Ford was suited to the rigours of week in week out SL, the mere fact of the matter is the Toulouse club wagered on their Championship squad to consolidate in SL they simply backed the wrong horse.

I couldn't care a toss, if it is my club or it is @Fevrover or @David Shepherd or any other of those fans of Fev or maybe @The Blues Ox and co at Fax we will thoroughly enjoy it, if any of us get new fans or new Sky subscribers good, but if we don't tough, I can only speak for myself but I am not bothered in the least about those sitting at home in their living rooms if they don't want to watch my club perform they have got the option of not turning on the TV if they so wish.

Yep really simple Tiger, then why in 14 years of continuous SL for Catalan and this last 6 years in the UK game for Toulouse why has It not been done previously? Surely there is enough buisnes brains in each of those clubs and also the RFL and FFR to come up with some stratergy, in addition with Airbus being located in Toulouse one would have thought they would have some direct connection with the aviation and travel industry.

As I said on the other T.O. thread, before they step foot again in the Championship were they will have to pay the travel costs - unfortunately most of our Championship club's can not afford it - then Toulouse should be told if they win promotion they will be excempt from or have to pay again for SL club's in '24, they shouldn't have to wait till the end of next season to find out, and the decision is from the SL club's, including our big rich ones - if there is such a thing, there are some with more than others, but rich, no way.

......... Any team from the championship who has played out their season to win promotion.

The sport is throwing no one back down, would you have said the same if Wakefield had been relegated? All Toulouse needed to do was win a few more games unfortunately they couldn't do that their record this season says they are the worst performing team in the comp so it is they who get relegated them's the rules of the competition, so they have to stand aside and let another club have a go. It is looking like it is going to be a strong possibility of last season in reverse with Toulouse and Leigh swopping places, I bet you did not say the same then that the sport is throwing Leigh back down and you could have done if you want to hit the 'unfair level playing field button' that Toulouse were financially disadvantaged, so to were Leigh with the reduced funding. All Toulouse have to do now is regroup and win the Championship next year, simple. So please RFL/SL/IMG no Licencing/Franchising/Closed Shop - call it what you wish - and no protection from jeapordy for any club(s) let's keep the sport a sport and make every game count for points which mean something on the league ladder. Whichever team is promoted this season they will be favourites for the drop next season, including my own team but I would not have it any other way than P&R.

This should be a riveting contest, two teams with absolutely nothing to play for.

I would sooner it be a close hard fought game Jill, I don't like one sided games controversially it has not been very exiting on that score this season.

There should be a ceiling on the costs, go over it and it is down to the visiting team, I wonder how Wigan proportioned it this year when they went for a week taking in both Toulouse and Catalan?

They most definitely have a choice Dav, do you by any chance know whose decision it was to make Toulouse pay this year in SL?

Totally agree with this, and to save Toulouse any further expense or embarrassment should they be relegated this year, tell them before they set foot in the Championship in '23 and fork out for the opposition's travel what will be the arrangement should they return to SL in '24, in that will they still be expected to pay for the visiting teams travel or will they be excempt from it, BUT that is not any sort of question for IMG it is up to the SL clubs to democratically decide what their intention will be. Then if SL decide that they still wish to have the costs covered, it is purely Toulouse's decision what their next step will be, if they decide it is best to carry on and pay then what you say by intimating such is that the numbers must stack up for them.

I would wager more people who know that Wigan has a rugby team, will not be confident off or could tell you for certain if it was League or Union.

When was the last time a part time team took part in SL?

Don't they get the first week off in the play-offs? As in the Championship.

Ah, the oversensitive French way.