... [url=http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,25212,12532_8630836,00.htmlaccording to Phil Clarke[/url.

As much as i dislike Clarke, i find it hard to disagree with what he says in this article.

whats the solution then Phil, other than listen people already in the game?



I think we need to listen to people from outside the game, get successful business people running the RFL and Super League, who are not blinkered by club rivalry and other long term issues. The appointment of Barwick is a good move, but the next step is to replace Nigel Wood with an excellent administrator from outside English RL.

Phil Clarke is making a point worth thinking about.



He doesn't discuss solutions.



But my quick off the cuff response is that the number of clubs must be reduced to 12, London must be retained (to have a presence in the capital and retain a career pathway for southern youth), and Toulouse added (to strengthen the game in France and, for marketing reasons, to make the SL seem less of a parochial northern England competition).



That means three existing clubs have to lose their SL licence. Two obvious candidates are Castleford (no stadium and bad finances), and Hull KR (financial problems). Who would be the third?



It can't be Leeds, Bradford, Hull FC, Huddersfield, Wigan, St Helens, Warrington, Catalans or London.



So it is down to [ione[/i of Wakefield, Widnes and Salford.

Mainly because its barely says anything.



It is possibly the worst article on anything I have ever read. The article could be distilled down to Phil Clarke doesn’t want bad things to happen in the game. They may or may not happen. Some other people, somewhere, cleverer than Phil Clarke may know solutions to the problems that may or may not arise.



It somehow manages to be worse than his article last week which consisted of him arguing Les Catalans were wrong to try and win every game, they should only try and win their home games, then complaining that it was a bad thing Les Catalans could only try and win their home games even though it was a possibility only he had put forward and a problem that only arose in his head.

as you say,Lets hope all these problems are resolved from somebody within the game who does have answers.However, time ticks by and it seems we are lurching from one fiasco to another.



Although it pains me to say it, Clarke has been quite brave to be so outspoken about the game in general when Sky pay him his living and it is they who continually sugar coat the game as being such a great product and everything in the garden is rosy.For him to say such things,and on the Sky Sports website, is going against the grain and im glad he has because it needed saying.

The game is at a Cross roads in England (and France)

Much is being hoped for the World Cup to turn things around.

In recent times several Clubs have failed, several more seem to be on the verge of failing.

The quality of the Sponsors is not really what you would expect from a Sport moving forward, they are not as good as what they replaced (I don't mean Stobbarts)

No Major Sponsor for the game.

Will the TV rights move forward or be the same or worse?

I think the game is in a tough spot at the moment.

More top end players will move to the NRL, less or no top NRL players will move to SL.

Its an ever diminishing cycle.



If England win the WC it will stave off the problems for a season or so, it will not be the second coming of Christ though.

If England do not make the Final or are trounced in the final, it will be a pretty large Nail in the games Lid.



Just my opinion.

The game in England has been run abysmally by both the Clubs and the RLF for two decades, self interest combined with lack of vision or long term planning results in a dogs breakfast.

Thats funny, If Castleford have no stadium, whos stadium did they play hudds in last weekend?

and please provide concrete evidence of bad finances.



I know you are just trolling but you aren't even funny.



good article by clarke, wouldve been nice to hear some solutions however.

To me it doesn’t sound ‘brave’ or ‘outspoken’ its far too much of nothing, it is a whinge. There is no ‘these are the problems, this is why they are problems and this is what we need to do about it. Its HKR’s owners not happy, London aren’t doing too well, I don’t like DR and that’s it. Its disappointing from him. I have no problem with people picking up the problems with the game, but Clarke isn’t really, he is just moaning.

I totally agree with Smokey.

He means that we don't have a shiny new stadium like the RFL want all teams to have. Not a clue about the finances but I did hear that a cheque bounced a while back that was only for £5,000.

Does pointing out problems in a Sport and bringing those problems out for discussion automatically demand answers and plans to fix the problems?

If that was the case why are the reporters commenting on the GFC and Europe's basket case countries and the USA's decline into also ran status not supplying the remedy and fix up to these issues ?

Talking about problems does not trigger the demand to supply the cures does it?