Actually Bullboy101 makes a decent point

I pledged on the basis that we were not simply going to survive as an entity - we could do that by going into Administration and starting over in the Championship. I pledged because I wanted us to keep a viable SL team based around our home grown talent.

I don't want the £500K to be spent on immediate liabilities, and then the second £500K be garnered from selling off all of our better prospects. That would be unacceptable IMO

I'm not sure now the problem is can we afford him. We already have him, and every team has the same cap.
It's can we resist the fee, and Warrington must be stupid to pay 100K+ when they could hold back that money, wait for the club to fold and pick him up for free.
I believe if the club folded they would reform after that, as Wakefield did last year.

Selling the players would be the last straw, the last lie told by a BoD that I already do not trust.

If 500K can be raised in under 2 weeks, got to hope to raise a similar amount with more time, or possible investment.

Exactly how I feel. We have waited for the talent, and the possibility of a top 8 finish. If they were to go, what would be the point? We may aswell save the money and reform.

Same for me, main reason for pledging verses administration was keeping the players and not losing the progress we've made this season on the pitch.

It's definitely not Bullboy101 that needs to get with the program!

Any club days away from closure would have to consider selling an asset. I would love to keep him but if he was sold to save the club i dont see how we can argue.

Teams in all sports have had to do this in the past, will again in the future, why are we any different?

Would love him to stay though

I would still pledge but Bullboy101 is totally correct it was what was sold on the pledge.

Maybe it's not that another team have offered him a contract but that Bradford have?

With everything that's gone on the last couple of weeks he's surely got a big decision on whether he wants to commit to Bradford. Seeing him running around the pitch last night jumping on everyone shows us he's Bradford through and through, that however doesn't pay the bills at home so a big decision to commit for another 2, 3, 4, 5 years.

There are two ways to read it, you are correct. Hope it's this way round though

I obviously missed this promise by the BOD that £480k meant we could keep the team together.

Bit hard to see what club could credibly have the sort of cap space available that could accommodate the package that Bateman's capable agent could command for him? If Wire came in for him, I think I'd not have anyone disagreeing with my opinion that the salary cap is probably optional for monied clubs?

Bateman's worth is going up almost week by week. Not just to the Bulls, but for the sort of package he could command in his next contract - whoever with. It would make little sense IMO for Bateman's agent to sign him up with ANYBODY right now. The longer he leaves it, the better package he is likely to be able to command. With Bulls or another SL club or the NRL. And regardless of our financial situation. If the Club DID feel it necessary to try and sell him, and if the likes of Wire DID amazingly find room under the cap (not that a single person would believe them), would his agent recommend he takes the offer right now? Or wait till next year and go for a much better one, with Bulls or whoever?

And that would surely have been the case regardless?

And maybe that is the dilemma Bateman faces, if he has received a new offer from the Bulls?

Assuming we accept he wouldn't be saying this if he's been offered a contract by another club (tapping up is illegal) it would seem to be an option that we have offered him an extension to his contract or have allowed other clubs to talk to him accepting that we will get a fee! The ideal in the pledge is to keep the present squad generally together - they look like they have bonded as a squad better than we've seen for many years - but do we need to sacrifice to keep our club! After last night the euphoria has worn off quickly!

And given that he's said "dnt worry I ant going anywhere ppl", hopefully we have offered him a new deal. Or it's totally none rugby related. But hopefully we have.

I feel 100% sure we will have been talking with his agent. Equally, his agent would not be doing his job if he did not advise John not to rush into making any decisions IMO, since - as I said - he will only get better. And he is only very young, remember. How many of us would have coped with being so much in the public eye at his age? Give the guy a bit of space for a bit?

Latest tweet:

@johnbateman1: Just want to clear everthing up with the tweet it want about rugby its things in my life at the moment so dont take it the wrong way ppl

Glad he's cleared that up!