despite warnings from fans, this proved the beginning of the end for Widnes as a potential mid table team. In 2017, the team finished bottom but avoided relegation by beating the Catalans Dragons and the Million Pound Game. The lack of ambition of the club was now available for everybody to see with Chairman Steven O’Connor washing his hands of the club and moving to Australia in order to pursue further business projects. This was done without O’Connor fulfilling his promise to the club and town that the club would not be entering Super League to “Make up the numbers”. The current board headed by James Rule failed to heed the mistakes of the 2017 season and further recruitment to the squad was extremely poor. This lack of ambition and value for money resulted in fans walking away from the club in their droves. Relegation and financial problems The 2018 season continued as the previous one with few quality signings and a team no longer good enough to compete in Super League. The club lost nineteen games in a row, which led to coach Denis Betts being dismissed with Francis Cummins taking interim charge; however, he could not prevent the club from falling into the Championship. On 1 February 2019, CEO James Rule resigned because the club faced significant financial challenges as a result of relegation. Speculation about the future of the club began to mount following a significant silence by the club's then chairman, Steve O’Connor. The club went into administration on 22 February 2019 after a take-over bid failed; as a result of this development the Rugby Football League imposed a 12-point penalty on the club and their upcoming game against Sheffield was postponed. Following a fundraising campaign called "Vikings Quids In", supported by fans and other rugby league clubs, over £100,000 was raised. On 1 March 2019, the RFL accepted a takeover by a seven-strong consortium registered as Widnes Rugby League Club Limited, however the 12 point deduction remained in place leaving the club on minus 8 points. An investigation has begun to establish where large amounts of sponsorship and other funds have gone whilst the previous board were in charge. This may result in criminal proceedings against those responsible if any wrongdoing is discovered. Vikings Resurgence In March 2019, the club narrowly escaped liquidation, thanks in large part to crowdfunding pages setup by the remaining Widnes