It seems that Derek thinks that we can win the Challenge Cup this year. Why not? He thought so a couple of years ago and all our dreams came true. A lot of the players that brought home the jug then are no longer with us and we start anew - but we started anew that season too. It’ll prove harder this year as the freshers will have less months to gel (and more Rounds to negotiate). So some early (off-season - and we all know what that means) ramblings on the Cup from Bongser will follow.

For anyone that has been sleeping with their cranium up their crevice, Leigh Miners Rangers play from 12.30pm tomorrow (Saturday) in Oldham and Auntie is broadcasting it live on I-player and the Red Button. This pleasure will be denied Bongser as he will be working.

Come on LMR!

Also denied to this party will be the curiosity of following the 2pm kick-off between Mirfield and The Royal Navy as The Leopards potential third round opponents are whittled down from three to two. What a poodle’s picnic The RFL have made of this; icy weather in January is as good an excuse as the “Leaves on the track” in Autumn that did for SIR Bob Reid of British Rail back in the day. We’ve also seen one club forfeit a tie due to its “calendaring” breaching the RFL’s own rules concerning the health of amateur players. Where are the resignations? Thank Goodness the Beeb relegated the draw to I-player; marketing the game in this country is a task that’s hard enough (and seemingly beyond IMG) already, we don’t need the world to know what a pack of prannocks the governing body are!!

Anyway, speaking of marketing, Bongser hopes that the Navy prevail tomorrow and again against Worky in Round 2. The exotic nature of an early trip to a knee-deep quagmire in West Yorkshire or a freezing midden in Cumbria do not appeal. However, a jaunt to sun-drenched (hmmm) Pompey does.

Pipe dreams between three of us in The Egerton on Wednesday more than a little reliant on two other major factors:

Does Jet2 have any smaller ‘planes (Lear size but less fatal to celebs)?
Will there be any aircraft carriers docked in Portsmouth around the 8th of February?

All being positive, Degsy (fully regaled in his Leopard suit) should Jet2 it to Pompey, land on the ACC and be breeches buoyed to shore (full bosun’s pipe kerfuffle et al!) to where his pimped Lamborghini awaits. Press & TV in attendance.

…And boy there would be a few present should the jet take off from Barton Aerodrome with a mystery guest accompanying - full 2025 kit with an axeman’s hood covering his face (AND HAIR)!

Should Mirfield prevail tomorrow (or Worky down the line), this post will dissolve in a swirl of soft focus accompanied by glissandi on the harp!

As you can tell, Bongser is bored and cannot wait for the new season to start.

My take is both sides are at fault. Salford for spending more than they can afford is the crux of the problem and they should be penalised as such. The RFL for allowing the situation to drag on. They should have allowed Salford to field their strongest team and punished Salford with a points deduction rather than letting this farce play out in front of the BBC cameras. Unfortunately, we have no strong leadership or common sense in the RFL.

I agree the RFL have handled the whole situation poorly, ever since the request for advanced funds was made. But the team selection made by Rowley was an absolute disgrace. They knew and accepted the salary cap conditions as part of receiving the advance, and what that reduced cap does is stop Salford from fielding a team that is funded by an advance not available to other clubs.

To not pick the first teamers they could pick was bad enough. To only go with 3 subs is dreadful. There should be some punishment dished out for this, and given their willingness to throw these kids into impossible situations, I'd be asking serious questions about whether they should be allowed and elite academy license. They ought to be put on notice that they will revoke that if they pull such a stunt again.

What I can’t get my head around, is why img didn’t spot any issues around there finances when they were doing there gradings. As for Rowley saying about players meeting each other for the first time, total .

Narked RAMBLE ALERT! Quote satanicmills="satanicmills"nonsense the result on thursday got biggest coverage friday than rl has had for yonks our first win in wiggin for 40 years plus might also stick in the mind salford had far too much space on this forum'" Were Bongser to have his thoughts “dissed” by the real ee cummings, he would indeed be flattered (if a little alarmed, as said gent has been dead for 62 years), but he accepts no pale imitations! “Diss-missed!” Bongser spoke of the collective mind, not yours. As B got into work today, the cleaner, Brian (Manc, works Sunday to Thursday) spoke not about Wigan 0-1 Leigh, but about the farce with Saints. Derek has been very supportive of Salford in their inpecunity (see his posts/tweets passim), but he seems well dischuffed with Rowley’s shenanigans: https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/derek-be ... ed-stories The RFL also seems less than impressed: https://www.totalrl.com/rfl-launch-inve ... ens-clash/ Though, with the RFL as ever moving slower than an iceberg (will there be any icebergs left by the time they act? And, no, Bongser is not talking about lettuces (or Liz Truss)) will anything meaningful happen. They’ve given Salford a week to respond. Why a week in this “instant” day & age? Postpone any ratification of the new ownership until a response is forthcoming; keep the sanctions in place; and if Rowls (to borrow a cudgel from Leythig) pulls the same stunt again versus Leeds on Saturday, come down hard! satanic mills, Bongser presumes that you derive your name from William Blake, He also wrote, “There is a grain of sand in Lambeth that Satan cannot find.” Is there a grain of integrity in Mr Integrity? Will he hold up his hands, admit that he behaved deplorably, apologise and accept the consequences? Or will he come out all-guns-blazing like Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid? If the latter, Bongser can only see a picture of Paul Rowley fade into sepia to a Bacharach soundtrack concerning raindrops and a dikk-ead! Rant over! For now….. Annoyed of Atherton (name & address supplied).

Narked RAMBLE ALERT! Quote satanicmills="satanicmills"nonsense the result on thursday got biggest coverage friday than rl has had for yonks our first win in wiggin for 40 years plus might also stick in the mind salford had far too much space on this forum'" Were Bongser to have his thoughts “dissed” by the real ee cummings, he would indeed be flattered (if a little alarmed, as said gent has been dead for 62 years), but he accepts no pale imitations! “Diss-missed!” Bongser spoke of the collective mind, not yours. As B got into work today, the cleaner, Brian (Manc, works Sunday to Thursday) spoke not about Wigan 0-1 Leigh, but about the farce with Saints. Derek has been very supportive of Salford in their inpecunity (see his posts/tweets passim), but he seems well dischuffed with Rowley’s shenanigans: https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/derek-be ... ed-stories The RFL also seems less than impressed: https://www.totalrl.com/rfl-launch-inve ... ens-clash/ Though, with the RFL as ever moving slower than an iceberg (will there be any icebergs left by the time they act? And, no, Bongser is not talking about lettuces (or Liz Truss)) will anything meaningful happen. They’ve given Salford a week to respond. Why a week in this “instant” day & age? Postpone any ratification of the new ownership until a response is forthcoming; keep the sanctions in place; and if Rowls (to borrow a cudgel from Leythig) pulls the same stunt again versus Leeds on Saturday, come down hard! satanic mills, Bongser presumes that you derive your name from William Blake, He also wrote, “There is a grain of sand in Lambeth that Satan cannot find.” Is there a grain of integrity in Mr Integrity? Will he hold up his hands, admit that he behaved deplorably, apologise and accept the consequences? Or will he come out all-guns-blazing like Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid? If the latter, Bongser can only see a picture of Paul Rowley fade into sepia to a Bacharach soundtrack concerning raindrops and a dikk-ead! Rant over! For now….. Annoyed of Atherton (name & address supplied).