For God's sake, try and get your facts right before you post.

Might be in NL1 or 2. Maybe a tasty derby at Lawkholme Lane!

Excellent post.

Unfortunately, because of the advent of the Super League, couple with the growth of the internet, being a Rugby League supporter is not now what it was.

We had a camaradarie other sports could only dream of, and now the game is bitter, divided, and full of accusations of self interest. We seriously need to reassess what values we aspire to.

It's very well spouting the RL is a business line, but the current set up is clearly failing, while leaving many lower league fans disheartened.

In all fairness, if what had happened to Keighley had happened to Bradford, you would still be bitter about it now wouldn't you?

I refer you to the Joynts voluntary tackle thread as comparison.

There was a lot of smug and derogatory attitudes from Bulls fans towards Fax and Keighley in the glory years...not all I grant you.

If this episode should teach us anything, it's the value of humility.

Give it a rest...that's the forum equivalent of a pat on the head.

Neither is Bradford it would seem?

You'll be in Super League, i have no doubt.

You're one of the chosen ones.

Well Gingdong and Roth Fev' Fan - you have done your club proud by coming on here and spouting such rubbish. The picture you paint of the average Fev fan will do your "Destination Superleague" promotion the world of good.

Fev have had 17 years outside SL to get back in and you are still a million miles away. Oh dear - as usual very bitter.

I just wonder why it's the Bulls that get the ire of Keighley fans. After all it wasn't the Bulls that picked over the remains of the Cougar squad to get Powell, Fleary etc. It also wasn't only the Bulls to vote SL in either, there were 10 others at least and nobody spoke up to say what about Keighley or Widnes or Fev.

As for the comments attributed to Caisley about Keighley, Fev or whoever were they actually reported anywhere? He may well have said it but I don't remember it at the time. As a person Caisley is pretty unlikeable and I can understand what people have against him. He isn't the Bulls or their fans though.

As for SL as a concept, I agree with a lot of Isaac's post but it does ignore the fact that clubs were on the backsides financially in 95 and had little choice but to take the money and do Sky's bidding. I agree the money was wasted but pre SL wasn't some mythical golden age. I remember Fax going through plenty of troubles after their success in the mid 80s, Leeds were on their way to oblivion by the end of SL too. Add to that any number of smaller clubs.

You're right about humility and what goes around does come around. We've been here before in 1963 and will hopefully be back. Whether it's in SL I don't know. I just hope it's somewhere.

Well its true. Just get on with making the cougars a better product and you may have a shot. At the moment its like watching a five year old having a tantrum but making it last for 17 years. And if it makes you feel better then here you go.

To sum up:

1) We actively extended the hand of friendship to you, with Bulls staff visiting the club to look at the community schemed marketing etc...prior to advent of Super League/Bulls
2) Caisley publicly rubbished and patronised us (it was in the T&A)
3) When the Super League broke, it was the trinity of Lindsay, Hetherington and Caisley who drove the meetings and decision making. On one occasion I know of, a meeting was organised, I think at Manchester Airport between the chosen few. Our directors actually gate crashed said meeting. This was out of the configns of the RFL..a tawdry stitch up. The reports I heard back from our club reps about the conduct and manner of certain people appalled me. They had no reason to make this up did they?
4) Council money: Large sums of OUR money were being spent on effectively financing YOUR club. This was strenously denied by many Bulls supporters, but subsequent events proved it to be the case. You were living rent free.
5) A lack of any support on our exclusion, and then a marked degree of humility through the subsequent years.

I know Caisley is not the only one, but he, and by association the Bulls, are inextricably linked with what happened to my team...which was deplorably handled.

This is a genuine question - why on earth would the head of the RFL take along the bosses of one small-ish and one tiny top flight club to his key meetings with him?

Well Chris that's taken the biscuit!

There has been much trumpeting of your own glorious past as being reason enough for a stay of exclusion from SL, but as soon as it suits you, you tell other fans to ignore the bits you don't like

You couldn't make it up!

Is that what you are telling the tax man Chris? "I'ts in the past, forget about it"

PS good luck to the Bradford fans, raising that 500K was pretty awesome by anyone's standard.