Is it now apparent that our steady rise from the depths of 2003 has reached it's apex? Where should Halifax RLFC realistically be in the three divisions of Rugby League? Between 1984 and 2002 Halifax were deservedly placed amongst the elite (save for the relegation blip of 1989) and fans enjoyed the trappings of success and the joy of watching star names pull on the jersey.

Since that time life has been harsh. The money has dried up (or at least benefactoral money has) and we are now struggling to find our place. The relative success of those two decades still provides a level of expectation amongst the fans that remain and that Halifax "should be" a top flight club. Is this still realistic? I'm not so sure. Without a benefactor or a more structured level of financial input that exists today i feel that we are no better placed than the average club in The Championship yet many of us believe that we should be at a level above.

Without the finances we are hamstrung. I'm not for one minute saying that this is an excuse for the careless events that have recently unfolded. Other clubs with less resources manage to maintain their plyer register properly and there's no reason we shouldn't either. The lack of a professional back office means that we will always be run on an "amateur" basis until such time that finances dictate that we can change the situation.

As has been repeated often (by myself included) the dedication offered by those working behind the scenes is much appreciated. The hard work put in by the office staff has kept this club going. They have all been let down by this blunder and i bet they are feeling shattered by this as much as the fans.

In my opinion, we have been steam rollered by The Franchise system. With current staffing levels and finances, we are just not up to it. Gone are the days when all you had to do was win the league and "hey ho" - you're in the top flight. It's much much harder now and i feel that our levels of expecation should reflect the current resources available to the club.

What should our expectations be in the short term? I just hope we can survive the current fall out and (as painful as it may seem) rebuild. Let's hope that there is a club left to start the 2011 season. Who will be wearing the Fax jersey and what will our chances be in 2011 God only knows. I'll be approaching Saturday with a heavy heart and i will try and concentrate on the match rather than the meltdown behind the scenes, after all - selfishly, that is my only responsibility as a fan.

I'm still going to sign off with my usual rallying cry .............................

Up the Fax

Good post LittleRich, I agree with your points. A lot of the points you make echo a debate I had with Haighy recently, we Halifax fans need to readjust our expectations.

A lot of fans still see the players as Full Time pros who just happen to have a day job. This means that people ignore the weekly battering the players put themselves through and expect them to perform to the best of their ability every week. In reality the setup is more like one of Siddal, a group of players brought together because they enjoy the game and want to play at the highest level they can. Modern players have no notions of playing for the fans or dying for the shirt, its all about not getting hurt and enjoying yourself playing a game you have played all your life.

I feel you dont give some of our players there due here. I can name quite a few who definately play for the fans and put there bodies on the line for us.

Yes you are right we are not ready for the super dooper league just yet butwith a more professional coaching staff and a little bit of money from somewhere we can definately get going in the right direction for the top flight. We need a ladder on a stable base to climb up. Instead of trying to wing it now

...and this my friends is what The RFL have done to our great game. Money brings greed and no thought for the consequences. Are the Championship and Championship 1 just becoming an extension of the National Conference.

Yes.

The ease at which you could get promoted has disappeared but the ease at which you can get into debt by trying to chase the dream has not.

The problem is - there just aren't enough fans and there just isn't enough power in these leagues to make the RFL sit up and take notice. Super League is where it's at and until a club gets itself on the RFL's radar by being [ubetter than [/uone of the incumbent Super League clubs then they will continue to brush aside member clubs with a laissez faire attitude. Starbug has repeatedly cried out for Championship Chairmen to rally together and collectively join to increase the profile of these leagues and to safeguard the very existence of it's members. I'm not sure there's the will to do it though.

yes...they want a closed shop, very closed in my opinion.
choose who they want and soon will not even be franchise system.

I seem to recall a lot of negative comments regarding one clubs Chairman doing just that and raising the profile of his club and the sport in general.

Our game is sick......dying even at semi-professional level.

But we can still enjoy our Championship games and make the most of what we still have.

But more professionalism and common sense both at the RFL (of course) and at our own club too (after recent events) would not go amiss.

As for Super League......forget it for Fax......it ain't going to happen, certainly not whilst the current heirarchy is in force at Red Hall.

why would they want another West Yorkshire club in an expanding Super League.Within a 20 mile radius of The Shay you allready have four of the fourteen Superl league clubs in Huddersfield, Bradford Leeds & Wakefield

Agreed.

But......if the current heirarchy at Red Hall was to change (as inevitably it will though possibly not as soon as most people would wish) Super League might...only might... again become a possibility for Fax.....via a reinstated promotion /relegation system).

Can u possibly see the 14 clubs in Super League voting for that I can't

You actually only need 4 super league clubs to vote for P & R and 75% of the vote total. However the 22 championship clubs can go quite a way to the 75% plus the board of the RFl can vote too. The problem is getting those 4 super league teams.

I wouldn't hold my breath