Why do you think it would be [iethical[/i to demote Keighley?



Are you in full possession of the facts surrounding the case or are you just making an off the cuff comment?



Not having a dig just interested in what led you to this conclusion.

May have been due to that fact Gateshead went down after being in administration. Although in that scenario I was under the impression Gateshead ASKED to go down a division.

The RFL own Cougar Park The Co-op Sold it a couple of years ago

No, as dreamer says the Co-Op own the ground, and the RFL took on the lease only a few months back.

So, the sponsor of the Championship own the ground, and the governing body are responsible for the lease...............

It's a 65 year lease signed about 6 months ago so the RFL have a vested interest in having a Keighley side play there.



They weren't making any money out of it, we were covering the RFL's lease payments.



It was all done back when everything was made out to be fine,



That's the biggest scandal, the fans, sponsors, players, staff and the RFL were conned.



I doubt the RFL would have signed the lease if they knew we owed £183k in tax.

I'm not completely certain of the facts, but from memory, I think it goes something like this:



Keighley owned their own ground and a substantial portion of surrounding land - this was bequeathed to them by local scrap mogul Tommy Holmes with a covenant that sport must always be played there.



A good few years ago Keighley sold to the Co-Op (before they were sponsors of the championship) and Keighley operated from a lease (but the covenant still held that sport should be played on the site)



The lease was up for renewal a couple of months ago and the Co-Op negotiated with Cougars and the RFL. The outcome was that The RFL were offered the lease and sub-let to Keighley. Seems to me a clever move by the Co-Op.



Not knowing the full facts of why Keighley could not pay the tax man, I'm not sure that anyone was conned (did a major sponsor renege?). We still have to bare in mind that Keighley offered an immediate £90,000 with the remaining £90,000 on terms but the tax man refused.



It's all left a very bitter taste for lots of different reasons and I would like to know the facts. However, it's probably in some people's interests to keep schtum.

All they had to do was ask to to see evidence that the PAYE and VAT payments were up to date?



Unless of course the RFL already knew Keighley were insolvent and were heading towards collapse and that was why they assumed the lease??

I speculate, of course.

That thought had crossed my mind too

You never know, they might finally have realised they still owed us big time for shafting us in 1995

Ah, but Keighley are a heartland club, and the RFL couldn't give a stuff about them...

My views have softened (a little) since we were promoted back to the Championship without playing a game.