one big positive, the RFL still have to have a professional team playing at odsal next year to fulfil the terms of the lease so most likely there will be another year of rent relief on playing there, that is a rather lot of money that the Bulls can save to use to fund players salaries that other teams in the Champ 1 won't have..... The fight back starts in 2018

Even if that's true what happens in the future without rent relief? I ask since a SL side with crowds of 10k olus couldn't survive at Odsal in its current state.

League 1 is a tough league at the top end hopefully my team haven will get promoted this year. As for next year Bradford will easily do a Toronto and go right back up your crowds are 4 times higher than any of the other teams you,ll have a lot more coin to spend and will be able to cherry pick all the best players at the lower end of the champ and league 1 teams.

The Future...... that's when Big Nige comes riding in on his white charger.... does a deal with the council, a deal with developers to build a new smaller stadium 12k-15k, plush new offices for the RFL and they then get the rest of the site with planning permission. He leaves a legacy for the RFL and becomes the new owner of the Bulls with Cha-Lo as his fellow directors........

Or he does the dirty and shafts the Bulls again by only buliding the Offices

Popup Cynic, apply to pie.warrior for an internship in cynicism, you little turdtle.

So for next year, I do not care what else is going on off pitch, but what I really want is a squad that has been selected more than five minutes before the start of the season, if loan players then for the season not just 10 seconds, has a preseason, has a core of home growns, and big ask maybe, but has a reserves side within which the homegrowns can develop at a pace that suits them not the needs of the first team.

In other words, what every other team in rugby league have enjoyed this season (see statisticians thread Dilligaf post for a summary of our season)

On the contrary, I would say they invested too much to win lost games. If I have one criticism of Chalo it is the KR game when the player they spent a £10k fee on got crocked for the rest of the season. My criticism is that they should have rested every single player that had any minor ailment, or had just joined us and therefore not up to gamespeed, etc etc and looked to the games that could be won.

So yes, I would say that the RFL, for their own benefit not ours, have seemed to do us favours, but the net cost of what you claim to be the RFL's magnanimity has definitely been overwhelmingly ours, not the RFL.

Good luck with your senility, keep off this forum.

Yep and how many of those were season ticket holders who went because it was already paid for.
Next seasons crowd numbers will be interesting. I cant see us selling many season tickets, but there will be the novelty factor of watching us actually win some games.

Things that would get the crowds back next season:

1. Owners start to communicate meaningfully.
2. Make some proper permanent signings and no more loans/dual reg.
3. Some good news regarding Odsal development.
4. Winning more than losing.

Agree Bullseye. If things are done right, most of the fans who attended yesterday will attend next year. Bit of a crunch period now for the owners. Hopefully things are going on behind the scenes to assemble a squad, full of HG players we can build on. A statement which only needs to contain "we're in it for the long haul", "we're keeping the academy to rebuild the club" etc I wasn't sad yesterday, just relieved that our fate's OFFICIALLY sealed and we can now start preparing for next season. It will be a travesty if there is a restructure.

Just on the development, i was speaking to some people i go with and mentioned the stadium rumours in the paper. They said they spoke to Jas Athwal right at the beginning of the season who said we would be in a new stadium in 2 years time. They said he's always been very open & honest with them about any situation when they've spoken to him. I''m not holding my breath as it takes too much common sense for it to happen. Private company buys stadium from RFL, Freehold from council. Council use money to build stadium at Richard Dunns. Rfl use their money to build new head quarters. Bulls get a new stadium to grow, Council get Bulls in a stadium that will enable Bulls to flourish, and bringing events to that part of the City. RFL get their own headquarters not having to pay rent and is in a good location easily accessible for all teams. Everyone's a winner and no favoritism.

If that's the case, then why not just come out and say that?

I can take a couple of years of grubbing around the lower levels, if there is a clearly defined plan that has been communicated to the long suffering supporters. What I can't be doing with anymore is the constant smoke and mirrors, the rumours about what the RFL are planning, the endless stream of know-alls who spoke to this or that person and so on. I'm just tired and burned from that stuff...

Give me a vision to believe in and I'm on board. But continue the way that things have been handled for the last year, and I just can't do it anymore. Sorry...