It's a joke, full stop. Even Nigel Wood, privately, would surely admit it's a joke.
But, we are now where perhaps we should have been immediately on getting relegated. We have a bright and capable new young coach, some excellent new signings in key positions, and some good young players who want to play for the club coming through. It takes a couple of seasons for a new team to blend together, so on the one hand, given we are still just at the start of a work in progress, this team - if it stays together - will improve a great deal over a couple of years.
But, having seen what the new lads are capable of, we would definitely be in the mix again for the top 2 spot, and indeed despite the rebuilding, I have to say that I would personally approach 2017 with more confidence than I did 2016.
Stop dreaming about Salford getting relegated, it ain't gonna happen, and next year from the back of a good full main season, we would be in with a squeak - if crucial other results involving SL teams go our way and (of course) assuming we ourselves do our end of the business) of the automatic promotion spot. That's the only hope. 50/1 maybe, and sadly not in our own hands, but not impossible.
Then again, with Toronto, Baghdad and Comet Hale-Bopp joining the Championship, there is considerably more chance of some form of automatic P&R than there is of promotion via the MPG faux route. Those teams won't want to leave promotion to the chance of a playoff, they will have sought assurances from the RFL who at this stage at least would badly want a loaded Toronto club in SL by hook or by crook, and they may be the wedge that finally opens the door. Although it would be a move fiercely opposed by SL clubs who won't want any genuine risk of jeopardy and are happy with the faux system as it stands.
