Whilst I feel sorry for the genuine Widnes fans I cannot help but feel that justice has been done.
If it wasn't for their financial irregularities and falling into administration I am sure they would of been a shoe in.

However there are still many businesses and sponsors not to mention the Council who were left high and dry and out of pocket after the Vikings death and re-birth.
I have put questions into the Council regarding the £200,000 that Widnes Vikings owe them, they do claim to be getting the money back, but I imagine it to be interest free and over a long period, with todays announcement the Council should demand this money back with immediate effect, so they can fund other projects which may or may not include us.

It is not right in any walk of life or sport to just walk away from your obligations and debts, change your owner, company name and re-start whilst other people go under or struggle and have no hope of getting their money back.I am sure that if Widnes prove that they are financially stable for the next 3 years they will get a licence in 2012.

However their crowds will drop even further after this announcment, 3000 people in a 14,000 seater stadium is ridiculous, they are at best mid table in NL1 and could struggle to make an impact in that division with Halifax, Featherstone, etc... getting stronger and stronger, they would need strengthening beyond belief to compete in Superleague, I can see O'Connor getting frustrated and leaving the club despite his war cry, its sad but that is reality, they don't learn and neither does it appear do the council.

The Council bailed them out when they were staring at bankruptcy before after the silly wages they put Offiah and Davis on, they bailed them out again with the New Stadium, then helped them financially in the push to secure a Superleague Licence.
I had been saying for months that the Crusaders & The Reds would get in, only our shortsighted and dim Councillers would continue to back a third horse in a two horse race.

His investment in Widnes RLFC has no sporting basis, it was done as a sweetner to the council, so they stand un-opposed to his Haulage empire acquiring key land in Widnes.
O'Connor himself has stated how many of his own vehicles cross the Bridge everyday, large container wagons - If the traffic from O'Connors alone was reduced, then they wouldnt need a second crossing.
I bet he gets a deal on the toll when it is enforced upon us.

Do the council not see that Industrail wasteland created in Widnes West Bank, an area in which is a gateway to the borough and through which the Liverpool to London mainline passes and the Runcorn bridge traffic arrives, is an eyesore and puts off investment in the area? That mound of scrap metal is ever so appealing to the eye, especially when taken into account the constant foul smell from Granox.

Well at least over the other side of the water there will not be a heap of scrap, just a new football ground in the Old Town with Runcorn Linnets playing in it, a size adequate for what the Linnets want, not three stands practically empty every week, maybe this football mad chairman of the Vikings will be keeping one eye on things

Set themselves up for a big fall hehe

http://www.rugbyleagueforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?tid=16972

looks like it will be down to The Linnets to bring the bacon home (lol) and bring the borough some success, wonder if the HBC hierachy are aware we are in the FA CUP the worlds biggest club competition in a few weeks time

woop woop who you playing, Halebank

It is not right in any walk of life or sport to just walk away from your obligations and debts, change your owner, company name and re-start whilst other people go under or struggle and have no hope of getting their money back.

I agree with you, but isn't this exactly what Runcorn Linnets have done ?

In a word no.

Runcorn Linnets is a totally new team adopted by fans who followed the old club.
Runcorn AFC still exsists and has debtors and is owned still to the best of my knowledge by the Doc but of course he cannot set the company back up and running without first paying off the tax man and the debtors, so the name will always exsist but there is no club or assets.

Completely different to the Widnes Vikings in that during their bid for SL they harked on about their rich history (granted) their decent crowds, their stadium (not theirs it is owned by the council) and how with such a rich history they should not be over looked, however they did not want to associate themselves with the club that threw everything away on the last day of the season trying to gain promotion and the money from Sky, which should they have won would of saved them and balanced their books however as we all know Hull KR won and two days after losing the Grand Final they announced they were bankrupt and going into administration.
So in a nutshell Widnes wanted to involve the good bits from their history, ignore the bad bits as they claimed they were a new side with new backing etc... well you cannot have it both ways.

New Widnes RLFC, still use the Vikings nickname, the Stadium etc... as the old Widnes RLFC but somewhere on a bit of legal notepaper will be a slight name change in the PLC meaning it does not have to honour the debts of the old club and can start a fresh which is completely wrong, they are not the first sports club , company etc... to do this but there is obviously a loop hole in this country where failing companys can be mismanaged go bankrupt and start up again free from debt all via a name change.

The Linnets on the other hand were started from scratch, I do not see how you can compare the two?

Halton Council are considering offers for the stadium after years of revenue losses on it. The failure of Widnes Vikings to secure a Super League place has cost the stadium millions in revenue, as the council make the money from the tea bars, restaurants, exec lounges etc.
Widnes Vikings will have first refusal on the stadium, although any sale will come with guarantees that Widnes Vikings will continue to play there.

By the way, the old Runcorn FC would have creditors, not debtors. I would be amazed if there are any debtors.

On the Runcorn FC & Widnes RLFC topic....Of course you can compare the two. Any sports club (Widnes RLFC, Runcorn FC, Runcorn Linnets) is simply a group of supporters, players and executives running it, however complex that structure may be.

If you look at Runcorn FC and Runcorn Linnets what is different to the various Widnes changes of ownership other than Runcorn Linnets has changed its company registration number ? Same supporters, quite a few of the same players passed from one club to another, same town reference, basically the same thing.

Widnes RLFC have had numerous owners/executives over the years, many of whom have not been popular with the supporters (a la David Robertson), many of whom have dragged the club into debt. Like it or not, the executive of a club become the custodian of the financial well-being of that club.

The truth is that Runcorn supporters (both old and new club) dislike David Robertson for making numerous poor decisions that left the club in strife, and therefore disassociate anything related to the old set-up, despite its obvious links.

very good letter.
does this infer that runcorn linnets will compensate HBC for the money still owed to them from the football club whose name you are carrying on.
SUPPOSE NOT !