Re: WIDNES ON THE VERGE OF ADMINISTRATION
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 6:15 pm
Another example why RL is a dying game
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Did you say similar when Liverpool City folded in the 1970's ??
How pathetic of people.josie andrews wrote: ↑Fri Feb 22, 2019 4:24 pm JAMES RULE RECEIVES DEATH THREATS AS WIDNES FACE LIQUIDATION
Former Widnes CEO James Rule and his family have received death threats according to current club administrator Peter O’Hara.
Rule left the Vikings at the start of the month, with many fans believing he is largely responsible for the club’s current financial crisis.
Widnes have today been deducted 12 points for enter administration after the collapse of a takeover bid created a significant cash-flow gap.
This has angered many of the club’s fan base and O’Hara, who is acting on behalf of Insolvency Company O’Hara’s, revealed that the club’s former CEO currently needs police protection.
“James Rule, who was the chief executive and director is at the end of his tether,” O’Hara told the Mirror Sport.
“He has had to get police protection after threats to his life and his family, and his health has suffered. He came to my office and he really doesn’t want anything more to do with it.”
The club’s game this weekend against Sheffield was postponed due to insurance issues and speaking at today’s press conference, O’Hara says that Widnes will struggle to play another game and are staring liquidation in the face.
Although players have been paid for this month, he added that the Vikings have no money and that relegation parachute payments from Super League have not been released.
“Unless the club can find investors and find them quickly, it will go into liquidation and that will be the end of Widnes, which nobody wants,” O’Hara said.
Describing the situation as rudderless, the experienced administrator added they are reluctant to sell players but concluded that the predicament is a result of the club spending more than they earned.
https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/james-ru ... ion-19352/
Have you seen the attendance figures at Bradford compared with Bullmania years, have you seen the attendance at Salford, Widnes etc.Are you aware that amateur clubs are folding at an alarming rate? No tours by the Aussies, the proposed tour to NZ is unlikely to go ahead due to lack of sponorship.RL is a dying game.Nezza Faz wrote: ↑Fri Feb 22, 2019 12:46 pmDid you say similar when Liverpool City folded in the 1970's ??
More case here of a club being mismanaged, with serious financial miscalculations.
Also, plenty of soccer clubs in recent years gone into Admin (Bolton W ?). Is that a dying game too ?
Going into Admin ain't necessarily a "deathknell", it buys time for recovery and a planned investment going forward, as Bradford Bulls and York are now doing, amongst others.
The bigger question im beginning to myself is how much longer can the game remain full-time?DaveO wrote: ↑Fri Feb 22, 2019 6:20 pm When will the sport finally realise that promotion and relegation is not financially viable between a full time professional league (SL) and a semi pro one?
Leigh almost went the same way are were shedding players left, right and centre. Now the livelihood of the Widnes players is on the line.
This isn’t the era of a semi pro game where players worked five days a week at Turner Brothers or similar in a normal job and any income from RL was a nice bonus. It’s a career where they are expected to be full time but then can literally have their contacts ripped up.
Relegation is a financial disaster, not just a bit of sporting ignominy. It’s never worked properly and consistent since the game went full time.