Did we agree we have lost the "never out of the top flight" record on our entry into the Qualifiers? Or can we still cling to it?

We started the 2017 season in SL and fingers crossed we'll be starting the 2018 in SL, so for me, it still stands.

Some other clubs fans may try to say we have but technically we have not been relegated. We are playing in a competition to retain our SL status, only if we failed to do that, then yes we would lose that status.

Yeah, I'm going with the fact that we've not actually been relegated (ahem even tho we're playing lower tier opposition)

If we apply the same logic that because we're in the Qualifiers we're no longer in the "top flight" then I would say all the years we we're outside the top 4/6/8 and didn't play Premiership or Play-Off games then we were also outside the "top flight", hence we've already been out of the "top flight" on many occasions .

Which of course is a bit daft.

Until you're actually relegated (or no longer in the top league due to other issues (e.g. franchising etc)) then you are still in the "top flight".

For me if we start 2018 in the Championship then we have lost our long held "top flight" status, until then we are a "top flight" team.

I don't read many of the Championship teams claiming they are now playing in super league for a few weeks?

I agree with you, but, the second sentence could be construed that we have lost our 'top flight' status, all be it hopefully temporarily?

If Cas are deemed to have finished top after the weekly round no one would question that in the record books. In exactly the same competition we finished 9th and (as yet) have not left the top flight.

Yes so if the championship teams are not playing in Superleague (nor claiming they are) and we are in the same league as them then it logically follows that we are not in Superleague either. It's a 'Qualifying' league, not a 'Rentention' league.

I think we can make arguments for both sides and either way it's a bloody shambles.

What I was meaning was, some fans (friends and foe) construe that we have lost our SL status, whilst no Championship supporters claim to playing at a SL level.

To me we started in SL and only if we lose in the MP game do we lose SL status.

or finish 6th, 7th or 8th in the Qualifiers (Unlikely)

The top 8 are currently in a competition called 'Superleague'

The middle 8 are currently in a separate competition called 'The Qualifiers'


Though we may not have been relegated from the championship we are most certainly playing outside the top league. the difference with the old play off system was that though you finished outside the top 8 and your season was over... You weren't then put into another mini league and made to play. Now we are.