Koukash: Salford are a sleeping giant

Salford owner Dr Marwan Koukash says the Reds are a sleeping giant of the game.

The club has hit the headlines once again this week, following Koukash’s audacious bid for Wigan and England superstar Sam Tomkins.

Over the past few years, Salford have seen the likes of Richie Myler, Stefan Ratchford, Matty Smith and Daniel Holdsworth come in and flourish playing for the club, before moving on to bigger Super League clubs.

Koukash said in his programme notes ahead of Friday’s clash against London: “I don’t know why people are ridiculing us for going for the best talent out there. We are the sleeping giants of the game and we have the finance in place to be able to bring the best in the world here. We are no longer here just to take part in Super League. We are here to ultimately win it.

“In the past Clubs have taken advantage of Salford’s financial predicament to take our best players away from us. Well no more. I intend to bring our boys back and the finance is in place to pay them.”

Salford have not won a major trophy since 1976, when they won the last of their six Rugby League Championships.

Their solitary Challenge Cup win came back in 1938.

Since Super League started in 1996, they have appeared in 14 seasons, reaching the play-offs once (in 2003), while they were relegated to National League 1 in both 2002 and 2008, bouncing back up at the first attempt.

In 2008, their last taste of silverware, they won the National League 1 Grand Final and the Northern Rail Cup.