TWO EYED WARRIOR wrote:I read that the consortium want reassurances on the licence going forward and also they want the clarifcation on the lease with a view to getting the ground back.
Also the point about the club being run at a loss for 18 months seems a bit strange,could they be in the same situation 2 years hence ?
Something smells with this and i would hazard a guess that the ground ownership will be the deal breaker as i honestly feel the consortium will either seel bits off for developing hence council input or sell it and do one with there investment
I think there comes a time to say "no" and let clubs go bust. The consortium saying they want an SL license and want to be able to buy the ground back is all well and good for them but what about (as others have mentioned) NL 1 clubs who have been working on getting themselves capable of winning a franchise? They do as they are told then when a big name SL club goes bust this sort of thing is allowed?
Sad for their fans though it would be SL would survive without Bradford. I'd rather Bradford cease to exist and a completely new club be formed than such guarantees being given. It's like being held to ransom. "We will only rescue the club if..." but it seems too high a price to pay in terms of the integrity of the whole process and the competition.
DaveO wrote:
Sad for their fans though it would be SL would survive without Bradford. I'd rather Bradford cease to exist and a completely new club be formed than such guarantees being given. It's like being held to ransom. "We will only rescue the club if..." but it seems too high a price to pay in terms of the integrity of the whole process and the competition.
I too would prefer Bradford in its current form to cease to exist. Too many if and or's for this to conclude happily
At least then the conditions being placed upon the RFL (and other SL clubs) PLUS any prospect of this entire procedure being nothing more than just an indecent attempt at property speculation, would or at least should give any new start up club a more reasonable chance of a future built upon it's own ground (when the RFL feel it is right for them to have the return of the lease) combined with having it's finances in order. In which division this may be should not be entered into if the "love" of the club is paramount
El Bobbers wrote:Sky Sports are today reporting potential investors in Bradford have come forward, but, with this rubbish 3 year licensing system will they be awarded a new SL license or be relegated a couple of years after the event? Will they be relegated at the end of this seasson?
Assuming the investors invest that is.
Whilst common sense and logic have nothing to do with this, I really don't se how they could be relegated. If I were an investor looking to buy into a business of any kind, I would want some assurances as to what the business was likely to achieve. In this case, if a businessman were to invest I'm sure that they would want to confirm that the rest of their SL license were to be in place as if not, how can they forecast how to run their business.
A drop from the SL would mean even further financial loss and I doubt as to whether anyone in their right mind would invest in a club if they assumed that the club would be staying in SL.
Either that or the knowledge that the club would start again in the National League and they could plan their investment around that. It all depends on how the RFL deem the best way to deal with the situation (in their infinite knowledge of course)
Could be a potential problem here if not relegated for going into admin - how would Nat League clubs like Halifax, Leigh, Featherstone, etc react, when they have run a straight course with their own affairs. Also, if the RFL gave them monies to stave off the threat of Admin, then every other club would have free reign to ask the RFL for assistance each time they had a cash-flow problem.
I know there's past 'history' with London but this would just exaggerate the situation, with no clear path forward.
IMO the best way to handle it, both politically and financially, would be to relegate the Bulls at the end of the season,but THEN bring back promotion/relegation the next year. Doing it this way would enable the new investors to plan accordingly for a season below SL so their financial forecasts are planned for, and if they are serious investors, with the club at heart, then they can plan their expansion in the lower league to recruit and build for promotion at the end of that season, with a big campaign both on and off-field. Would also aid the RFL with the thorny question of Promotion/Relegation in regards to the way the "Licensing" system is/not working ?
Bradford should be relegated it is the only right and proper thing to do. I would not abandon the Licensing system as proved in the past the same teams in a relegation system keep being relegated and become " yo-yo " teams this is no good to them or Super League If Bradford were relegated the team who came second to Widnes in the Licensing process should take there place and be given 2 years licence.This would send a mesage out that if a team goes into administration again they will be relegated out of the super league
6 point deduction confirmed - apparently this is the highest RFL could impose. Puts Bulls just outside the playoffs, 2 points behind KR
Bigger concern is the long term future. I'm not for having a big old club with fairly recent winning tradition go out of existence, but i really don't think it would be right for RFL to allow this 'only if we're guaranteed SL and given Odsal back' bid to be agreed to. They should get no assurances that extend beyond the current license if the same club/company manages to remain in existence - if they go bust and a new club/company has to be formed then they have no license and should start from Champ 1.
Whilst I can appreciate the feelings on both sides, I'd like to know what kind of a bid the RFL are expecting for a club with no assets which is already losing money at an alarming rate.
Similarly, I'd like to know what any consortium would expect to achieve from the purchase. Like you TBW, I suspect that someone sees Odsal Stadium beyond its use as a sporting venue!
