I don't really understand the idea that we'd all turn our backs should we go into Champ 1

I seem to remember that a lot of people said that would happen when we went from SL to the Champ. People were on here saying 'Oh we'll be lucky to get 2000 if we get relegated'. Well, whilst the crowds did drop a bit - maybe from 6,500 down to around 5000-ish in that first season - they didn't fall away all that much at all.

My guess would be that crowds would drop a notch further in Championship 1 - perhaps down to around 3000. But the idea that we'd suddenly be getting less than 1000 is not the case IMO. If put together a competitive team and we're up at the top of that division, why wouldn't we be getting over 3K?

I belive that most of our issues are down to not having a bank account, mainly the visa farce. Geoff toovey is coaching this side, visa or not. Why would he travel from oz if there was no long term plan.

If Toovey is coaching the side then that is a worry given the performances

I don't see how he can improve kids that quickly. He also needs signings.

It's a slightly different scenario though. The owners are turned their backs, the the fans are turning their backs and then we get relegated

I generally mean this I wish bradford all the best for this season and beyond the game needs a big club like bradford

Quite so.

On the topic of whether I will or won't I forgot that there was a game this weekend until about an hour before so didn't bother. I have emotionally detached already. Everything else is a narrative of successive failure and apparently my money is taken for granted in furthering that.

Nah.

If it survives I'll be there next year, irrespective of the division. If CH1, as it should have been this year, fine. If it doesn't survive at all then fsck it.

Has anyone given any thought to how we are actually being financed for this season?
By my understanding we received £110k of central funding, of which £100k was withheld by the RFL for the 'rugby league' debts of the old club.
So that's £10k of central funding to last us the whole year.

So how the hell are we still alive? How are we financing this season's squad, a full time academy, the upkeep of the ground and everything else?

I'm not suggesting the owners are silently pumping in funds, it's just a general question because I genuinely have no idea how we're doing it.

It sounds stupid but if we were to be relegated, we would actually receive [imore[/i central funding in League 1 than we've been given this season.

If you want to know how we are funded this year you may get your answer by looking towards the RFL. My argument is that the owners wanted to restart this year in CH1, the RFL wanted us to stay in CH. The compromise is we stay in CH but owners invest no money 'til next year when we are in CH1 and they can carry out their original rebuilding plan(?). Everybody wins (oh, except the mug fans who pay over their hard earned each beating, sorry I meant match).

You think we'd have a reasonable chance of bouncing straight back up? Why?

Why do you think we'd suddenly develop more solid foundations or be able to build again?

Those very same assumptions were made when we were relegated out of SL. Instead of "building again" or bouncing back things got worse as we had an owner that had no money (like now). The present owners have done nothing to make me believe that they're capable of building anything, in fact they make me seriously fearful for the future. Our trajectory is heading further down as it has been for 10 years.

Is there a plan for building? If there is I've yet to hear it. Could I get behind a part time club in League 1? Possibly , if I trusted the owners to be true to their word and could see firm evidence they weren't just spinning us a line. Unfortunately we've had no information or reassurance from anyone. You point out that the club dies without its supporters. You're right. Perhaps it's time the owners (whoever they are) realised that and stopped taking us for granted? Otherwise there won't be any fans left.

I suspect the RFL are bankrolling the club and paying the owners, staff and players. In fact the "owners" to me look more like they're managers. That leaves us all in limbo. Whether a knight in shining armour appears or whether we stay in limbo is anyone's guess. Whoever knows is keeping it to themselves. In the meantime I'm losing interest.

The point about losing interest is very real, there are lots of fans groupings but I think we have some of he (mostly) more reasonable, knowledgable (?!) and what could be termed die hard fans post in here, just see. See the fact we have a player sponsorship deal. And if the owners paid attention to the fact that fans such as vbfg, bullseye etc losing interest then the outlook for the general attendance is bleak.
I know Duffy and some others at the club used to regularly read this forum, no idea if they still do, but if they do they must surely be well aware of the negative drift towards total disengagement.

Much goes back to the admin period and winding up, if indeed there was an actual winding up.

What I'd like to know from the RFL is, [iwas the ChaLowe option truly the best option, out the half dozen (or more) on the table, or were they just the only ones who'd accept staying in the Champ on minus 12?[/i. Given all the problems we've had this season; coach with no visa (god help us..), shop with no card machines, unable to sign players, relying almost entirely on the kids plus loans, SOMEONE[i must[/i have put in a better bid?

I honestly don't know about next season. We should have been in Champ1[i last[/i season with no points and we'd maybe be on the rise now, at least looking as if the future would be brighter. As I, and a number of others, said at the start of this [delcharade[/del, sorry season, it would a wasted year if we stayed in the Championship, and so it has been proved. So next year we'll be just where we were a year ago. It really is a shambles.

Industrial strength and built to last.

This is my thought exactly, surely the fact Thorne supposedly met the whole team and Rohan at cue gardens and said he would tupe them over on existing deals would have been better having that squad competing just doesnt make sense