Aye the raging bull character, he’s also on the total floor forum and talks a lot of nonsense there , comes across as a bit of a Ronnie pickering character and is clearly peeved that fax beat them three times last year . Calling Grix a moaning pxxck is ironic after dunnings interviews last year but hey ho it is what it is .

Not sure how the current Fax Board voted for it when they weren't in place when it was announced that IMG would be getting involved.

Likewise, finishing in the top 4 being one of the criteria was only decided upon by IMG in the last couple of weeks.

As regards the other boxes it's hard to say when they haven't been officially announced.

What has been muted as one of the reasons is that in the past certain SL clubs have just taken the money and not put anything back into the game.

Three clubs were anonymously mentioned and IMG were aware of who they are and the intention is to stop this from happening by having targets to achieve both on and off the pitch, this would help to determine which level of grading each team would be awarded in the initial phase and could also be used to measure the progress, or lack of it of each individual club after every season.

Those who made progress in meeting the criteria had a better chance of getting a higher grade and would move up the pecking order with the opposite happening to those who didn't.

As for the full implications no one knows, but as with everything else no doubt some we'll like and some we won't and it will vary from individual to individual as to what they are.

In any case the point I was making was the game is going to undergo some radical changes which involves more than just league position which the club are having to take into consideration.

IMG put forward a broad range of proposals which included the ridiculous grading system A,B and C. The present board were in place and voted in favour of this. The only club to vote against it was Keighley.

IMG put forward the broad range of proposals in late September before the current board took control and then in October a few days after the new board had taken over the "principal" of these proposals were agreed to, however at that time "IMG had yet to determine what the criteria would be".

Up until now at no point were any of the clubs in a position to make a fully informed decision.

It won't be until February of this year at the earliest until the clubs have the full information, only then will the real feelings of each club become known and still another year before there implemented.

Who's to say IMG won't be tinkering around with it during that time once everyone has had time to say their piece.

Likewise if the clubs don't know all the details how can we, who know even less call a system ridiculous when we don't know what it involves?

It's a bit unfair to say of your own club "Fax voted for it by all accounts though so it's a case of you've made your bed, lie in it" as if Fax should somehow be punished or detrimentally affected.

Who are the "you've" surely the club includes all of us, the BoD and supporters?

You're quite correct in saying 'youve' should be all of us. It's our club and we are all proud of that. Where I don't agree with you is the thinking that IMG ,whoever they are, have any real interest in the future of RL as a sport. To them, it's all about money. I just don't get it. We will see, but i can't see where clubs like ours feature in their thinking. Up The Fax!

Sorry Hudds but I can't make any sense out of what you are saying.
On the one hand it's "IMG whoever they are" as if not knowing anything about them and on the other it's "they have no real interest in rugby league" and at the same time "it's all about money" as if you do know all about them?

This is just as they have entered a 12 year deal with the game.
Why would they do that in a sport that they have no interest in?
How would that work to make them any money?

Regards myself and IMG, I'm not thinking anything about them and i'm neither agreeing with nor disagreeing with them there simply isn't enough information available at the moment to know but their here so have to be included any discussion regarding the future of the game.

It will all come out in the wash as they say, we'll see. All I can say is that if Fax don't get promoted to SL this coming season, don't hold your breath in the hope we will be back where most of us want to be any time soon. Up The Fax!

I'm happy that we've signed Joe, but I think signings such as Michael Lawrence from Huddersfield, the Papua New Guinea international Keven Appo, and Bodene Thompson from Leeds are a cut above.

Some decent signings for you this year. Its going to be interesting the battle between Bradford and Keighley to see who finishes higher and I can see the Bulls possibly sneaking in to the playoffs this year.

According to Skybet its you in a battle with Keighley not us. For 3rd. I know there's a feelgood factor about the Cougars, but this feels a bit OTT.

Featherstone Rovers - 6/4
Toulouse Olympique - 2/1
Halifax Panthers - 12/1
Keighley Cougars - 12/1
Bradford Bulls - 14/1
Widnes Vikings - 16/1
York City Knights - 16/1
Batley Bulldogs - 20/1
Barrow Raiders - 25/1
Sheffield Eagles - 40/1
London Broncos - 50/1
Newcastle Thunder - 66/1
Swinton Lions - 100/1
Whitehaven RLFC - 125/1