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Nine point deduction for insolvency. When they went insolvent it was due to their backer pulling out. They fulfilled their commitment to the league right to the GF. Their income was then to low to continue. However at no time did their commitment to RL within the playing season show any signs of these problems. If a team is insolvent during the season I can see where there is a problem. A backer is now in place. Widnes are back in business. It is busines as usual. Why nine points. In no way has NL1 suffered. Widnes have to rebuild for next season. Surely nine points is grossly unfair. It certainly is not backing the new financial backer. Does the RFL want to discourage money men from backing the game. It is another way of "shooting the goose". One backer pulls out, another steps in with the loot and RFL virtually guarentee the team is going nowhere in year one, sick, HC

I really do hate it in sport when teams get deducted points for things like this. Take Leeds Utd... -15 points just because their finances were gastly at a point. They are now fine and flying... but for lesser teams... if they are to survive why the hell do governing bodies deduct them points? If say, Oxford Utd went bust... and were -15 at start of season they would vanish... governing bodies should NOT deduct points... why? only to increase a clubs problems? I doubt Salford would have had any arguments due to Widnes' situation.

Widnes according to last years tables need a top six points total just to stop being religated. This from a team that the key players have left. It is a big task. It was as if RFL are on a suiside mission. As you put it A&L why should the players and fans be penalised for financial problems. It did not affect the league. HC

I think it absolutely stinks! What about the debt London Broncos had, that was wiped off and they never got penalised.
We have teams like Widnes, Salford, and Leigh wanting to get in to SL and the idiots at Red Hall want another French team and one from Wales. Okay the one from Wales isn't so bad but another French side! Why can't they look after our own clubs who have been around for years and have a respectable fan base and are getting new grounds to meet with the franchise setup. These are the clubs the RFL should be encouraging and helping.

Whats the RL thinking 9 points deduction for being insolvent after their season finished ??????? Would have said less if they had not completed their fixtures they will have to field a decent side just to avoid relegation . What must the new owner think .Its a shambles London Broncos got away with it scot free they set the precedent and so should a club like Widnes who once were a force in Rugby League.I think the fans of every team in the RL should send an e mail to Red Hall objecting to this farce.

It is in the rules that clubs who go bust can only re-form under new ownership with a points deduction.

It is a severe sanction to try and prevent clubs going bust in the way Widnes (and London) did.

The rule came in after the London/Quins thing to acknowledge you can't just fold up a club and reform it to avoid your financial commitments. What is wrong is not that Widnes got punished but that Lodon/Quins didn't.

At the time of the Quins thing several clubs wanted Quins to be deducted points including Wigan but the rules did not state this would happen.

I think if I recall correctly Wigan (well Mo) were happy for Quins to take over from the Broncos if a points deduction was given. Since it was not in the rules this should happen it went to a majority vote of the existing SL clubs and they voted not to give a points deduction.

When that happened Mo then voted against Quins being allowed to take over at all.

He was spot on and after the event the rules were changed so that in future what he wanted to happen to Quins would happen to other clubs doing the same thing. Hence Widnes get a points deduction.

You can't have clubs going bust, writing off debts and tax bills (which is what happens) then reforming the next day with a clean balance sheet and no debts as if nothing had happened.

If that was allowed everyone would do it at the first sign of financial difficulty!

As to the 9 points, it is three "wins" they have been deducted and in NL1 they have that stupid idea of a bonus point so three wins equates to 9 points.

Dave

They overspent deliberately as a gamble on gaining promotion, and their gamble didn't pay off. They knew exactly what the penalty would be.