And I have said right from the start that if we go into admin, without a prepack waiting, I can't see any satisfactory exit. It's not historic debt but lack of income that seems to be the fundamental problem. Neither administration nor selling what's left of the family silver can solve that. So I hope you are wrong. Once in Admin, I suspect it would be all down to blind chance.

I don't understand this, 'Lets sell some players to survive'. We only just got to 10,000 season tickets holders this year. Do you think we will let anywhere near that amount if the following happens?
Not reach the top 8.
Season tickets will be going up, prices doubling or more.
Loosing our best young players.
Replacing them with worse players
Become a feeder club everything we get good youngsters.

Are 10,000 going to pay £200+?? The answer is no chance.
They will retain the core fans, 4,000-5,000 maybe.

Will we then be-able to run a club then if we have such a shortfall now??????

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a pre-pack admin. Coulby's already stated that some new investors will only come in after the outstanding debts are sorted. That may then sort the income for any new entity. I get the feeling that we're being "warmed up" to expect it.

We could also sell the most wanted players to pay the tax bills which would then leave us open to investment. However investors would be less likely to back us in this scenario IMO.

It all depends on these mystery investors because without them we're scuppered and I can't see us continuing in SL or at Odsal.

most season tickets we sold prior to the cheap deals,including the successful period 2000-2005 was in 4k-5k region. We rely on being attractive on the pitch to get the other 5k+ as walkup support. If we can keep core of this team together then thats probably realistically achievable next year. If we lose a few of the top players then we'll struggle with the walkup support.

If we sold our brightest then I certainely wouldnt buy a ticket and I wouldnt walk over the road to support either.

Its blindingly obvious that if we increase season ticket prices to an economic level the numbers sold will fall to perhaps 4,000. But its the only way of establish a sensible base from which to grow the club. Its the only way the club can charge realistic prices to future new or returning fans. Having 10,000 fans paying a pittance means that we've no way of increasing income if we do improve.

I would pay the "proper" price for a ST, of course I would. But if we had no Bateman, no Whitehead, no Elima, no Koppy, etc then I would think twice.

As I said, a slippery slope.

If we basically become a club that simply sells its best young players to the 'bigger' clubs then I won't be buying a season ticket

I'll go back to being someone who picks and chooses matches. I'd never stop supporting the club entirely of course, but I wouldn't be going every week. For example I'd probably stay at home and watch matches on Sky rather than pay £20 to go and stand on the terraces.

I know that makes me sound like 'a fair weather fan'. So be it. I live in hope that people from the club read these forums and might chance upon this post. Hopefully it will make them realise that they can't just expect everyone to pay £250 for a season ticket to watch dross. I'd gladly pay £250 to watch the team that we are now developing (i.e Whitehead, Bateman, Kopczak, Donaldson etc) but I'm not paying that money to watch a thrown together team of cast-offs and journeymen that nobody else wanted, just because they happen to wearing our shirt

If they want my support then they have to to give me something to support and that has to be local lads and lads developed by the us that will give their all for us. Same as Paul has said, I'm not supporting a load of journey men Mercs, I want something that I can identify with and that just doesn't mean a teams name carrying the name of the City.

Given that as a position, I'd not consider you a fair weather fan. You want to support the club, but you want the club to give you something to support.

This.

Couldn't have put it better.

Completely see where Paul is coming from and would love to say the same, but I know deep down that I'll still buy a season ticket whether we lose them or not.

I would be absolutely gutted to lose any one of the ones mentioned, and all of them would really make me wonder why I go. But Bradford Bulls is my love and my addiction and even if I was watching a team of Journeymen, has beens and never will bes I just don't think I could stay away.

Hopefully all this talk will be irrelevant and we'll be seeing Koppy, Whitehead, Bateman etc in a Bulls shirt in 2013 and beyond. The longer it goes without this investment coming through the more I fear for the future though.

People like you my friend are the backbone of our Great Game.

As a Wire of 30 years I am used to watching below par RL and signing journeymen and former stars looking for one last pay day. Only 10 years ago my Club were rumoured to be going into administration and there were suggestions that we would have to merge with Widnes.

Bradford Bulls will continue playing top level Rugby League of that I have no doubt, but you will have to take some short term pain, but pain is a sensation that passes and when it does you can rebuild and look to the future.

Other clubs survive and many have success while having less supporters,as it is we have been treading water and playing catch up for years and basically not achieving.So,have we to go down the ground-share route and and rebuild with an investment that will just keep us afloat and offer a chance for a brighter future? Selling/off-loading our better and youngest players is hardly a scenario to tempt any serious investor, as I suggested previously,any such benefactor would need to replace almost like for like to protect his interests and to create momentum.Admin may be a favoured outcome in some quarters,but just how much is Odsal now holding us back I wonder.We have to adjust in a way that we can afford the talent to progress the Bulls as a club,based on the income from our more than adequate fan base.The buzz word of the past few years has been the lack of a 'sugar daddy' not enabling success in competing with our rivals, but we cannot forever cry over spilt milk, we need a fresh approach, a complete overall of policy and a firm directive and development plan, to give fans confidence in the club's future.We always seem to need more help to ( survive/progress) than is possible to attract and this need has somehow got to be eradicated in my view.However all the accompanying speculation is frustrating and what will be will be,but the Bulls WILL survive one way or another and if there is a team,then there is something to shout for.Let's just hope that 'All's well that ends well'

No SL club could operate a policy of developing young players purely with the aim of selling them on at a profit. There isn't a sufficiently developed transfer market to do that. Most players are on relatively short term contracts, it generally doesn't make economic sense to pay large transfer fees. Very occasionally large transfer fees are paid, but these are the exceptions. Its a very thin market.

The situation with Bateman seems to be something of a one off. A player with huge talent, unlikely to be lured by RU. It may be that players such as Whitehead and Burgess could also attract a transfer fee but I'd be astonished if they were significant amounts.

If the Bulls sell these players I will see it as an act of survival. In no way would I regard it as indicating a long term policy to develop and sell on players. It just wouldn't make sense.