paul hicks

that's always been the case in all divisions. all teams spend as much as they can and, in some cases, more than they should by chasing a dream that will cripple them so is that not an argument against promotion in the tradition way.

if that was the case then promotion would never have been reintroduced after licensing and Catalan would not be in super league. indeed, London would not be in super league next season given they have a bit less traveling support ten Wakefield. are you not just a little bitter that fev after spending more money than anyone yet again failed to be promoted again.

i thought barrow brought a fair but to the championship as did Bradford when they got promoted and i suspect Dewsbury will do next season and maybe Doncaster

it could also be the case that some of their better local players earn more in their day jobs than they will as squad level rugby league players. I'm sure none of the part time players will be the elite paid players. it's quite likely that a player who may earn £60k up north and be happy with that would already been in earning more than that in there day job in London and turning pro could halt or slow down career progression which would be quite costly to them in the long term. nothing to stop the full squad training from say 5.30pm for 3 hours each day. let's face it not many clubs spend more than a couple of hours on the training pitch each day at super league level and the gym work can be done at a time that's suitable to the players say in full and part time groups

i would not know about the mileage but i would guess bradford could be Keighley's local club and at least in the same city. i suppose you could hit me with well does that not wigan v leigh the real derby game for wigan but as that's in what used to be Lancashire nothing g surprises me there. in reality in rugby league, it seems to be who is the club fairly close that's in the same division and doing well rather than the closest and most traditional.

indeed, we are and it's not something i have ever shied away from. perhaps I'm swayed by been taken to the Leeds games at Parkside in the early 60s where you could feel the rivalry and passion something i really never got with the other so called derby games. for the games with hunslet back then you could feel it for a week before and after and how much it meant but for the newer (derby) games you go and watch it but i never felt the knot in my stomach a few days before or after because it was a case of more than just the two points. even now when we play hunslet and put out a team of kids i want them to beat hunset even in a friendly. that's what a derby rival is to me. size of crowd or anything else im not bothered about i just want us to beat them and then go to the pub and take the mick out of a couple of mates i know who support hunslet (poor sods). I'm just of that age i guess more than likely the last of the old sods that feels that way and by the way i have nothing against Bradford and just have no feeling either way about them so not a real rivalry for me.

just another game. personally, i prefer the games against saints,wigan and Catalan with hull kr just behind them. were a club is situated is for me less important than the quality of game i will be seeing. should Bradford ever become a good team again then yep i would enjoy seeing them but other than that they would be just another opponent. i would perhaps look forward more to seeing a good London team if as i hope they have a good season. the derby games really don't exist for Leeds now. over the years it's been a change of opponent with at one time or another depending if they were doing well HUNSLET, BRAMLEY, WAKEFIELD, BRADFORD or CASTLEFORD as the derby game. suppose these days Huddersfield would be the derby game as they are the best team in west Yorkshire. in reality the closest team and thus the derby game is against hunslet as indeed for Bradford the derby game is against Keighley.

indeed, we need a big new local club doing good but im afraid that over the years that's always been a short-term thing. who that would b e i don't know but im pretty sure Bradfords days of mas support are behind them so i dont see them as the future. a lot of bull's supporters saw the mess that was the bulls and walked away and i see no sign of them coming back not even this season which has been the best for 10 years. as i said before they have the same problem as Huddersfield in that failure over a number of years has drained the support and at Huddersfield it's not come back and i see no reason Bradford will be any different. i don't see it as Leeds needing Bradford but rather that Bradford need Leeds.

the past is just history and history does not pay the bills. yes, it would be nice to see bradford at headingley again but been realistic i can't see Bradford attracting that sort of crowd again. they have gone too far down and the support has moved on. really a bit like the Huddersfield situation. by the way i would never take pleasure in any team dropping out of the league but i do feel a number are living on past glory. its the future that's important and so many don't seem to be able to grasp that fact.

the streets behind the south stand if you don't get there to late or just over the little bridge in the streets near the allotments. less than 5 min walk to the main gates of the stadium

two songs that actually do mention rugby league. Oldham edge. by the Oldham tinkers the Martians have landed in wigan. by the Houghton weavers

truth is most leeds supporters never even bother to discuss Bradford these days. it's a bit like when hunslet disappeared it was just another rival from a few years back. that's the past for you i suppose. Bradford was just another in the list of rivals that changed from time to time depending on how they were playing and if they had much support. since the fall of hunslet in the late 1960s it's just been a matter of who is the new rival that's playing well. there is no real derby rival of long tradition.

i don't really see a problem with a club playing games in blocks of say five games at home then a gap and then another four or five. in some ways it builds an expectation of oh its Sunday lets go to the rugby which a game every two or 3 weeks do not. it was actually a thin g toronto did at times with success if you look at the atts they got

that's what they do for a living. since when did they let the truth interfere with a story

that would be in the form of a Morgage i take it. truth is no bank or financial institution would trust them with the credit history of the club

no. the bulls were crossing their fingers for some of the gravy from the leveling up money that councils had to bid for from the government. of course, in the end the government did not give them anything as it's not a potential tory area

Leeds still have a couple of signings to come it seems

there have been a number of cases of clubs been prevented from playing home games for 6 or 7 weeks due to pitches been worked on over the summer. indeed, i think it happens quite often at wigan

may just keep my fingers crossed they win the grand final . could do with a laugh

just one question. if London were to get another big backer and sign some really good players and then end up say 5th in the league next season with Castleford finishing bottom would the RFL/IMG really demote London. it would certainly make the game a laughing stock if they did

indeed and so will that very good stadium

well cas have already said they are working off a reduced budget for next season

they can only coach the players the board have signed and to be honest thats not looking that good

leeds rhinos netball team have had quite a few games on sky this season