Meeting Andrew Chalmers

Quote: Nothus "How has this thread made it to 11 pages and we've not even had a single word of the interview yet
Heh, yeah. Sorry about that. I was waiting for confirmation from Mr Chalmers, but did say that if I didn't hear back from him I would presume its okay.

Also, please remember that I am only a fan, and I wanted to find out some answers. TBH I didn't expect a reply, never mind an invitation to ask him in person, and I was pretty grateful to have that chance. And meet FA in person too (obv). I'm sure he can update on any things I've missed and if you have any questions about what he said ask me and I'll try and explain more fully.

This is how I remember it based on the initial email I sent too.

• Can you please try and reconnect with these fans (myself included)? Fan forums, talk to the press, do an online Q&A, T&A interview, ANYTHING!
o AC said he wanted to set the building blocks of the club (including having a coach) first before reaching out. He kept referring to having only been there for 4 months, and at the start of the 4 months they had nothing; no staff, no offices, no training ground, no players, no coaching staff, not even a photocopier. When looked at that in weeks its really not very long.
o He also mentioned that he realises that the Bulls fans have been put through a lot, and previous owners have promised things they couldn’t deliver. This is a reason for waiting for the building blocks to be in place.
o He said he isn’t like Marwan, and won’t do the whole big internet personality thing.
o There are focus groups at the moment looking at a number of things including the new shirts for next year, and that will be put to a fan vote. (they’re very nice too)
o There is also new membership deals in the pipeline too.
o We put forward some suggestions which possibly wouldn’t take much of his time including setting up an ‘email Andrew’ website section which could be updated weekly on the website from questions emailed in, which he took on board. There will be a fan forum too.

• We don’t need lies and empty promises, hell we had enough of them from Green, Khan, Caisley and all the others; no we just want you to tell us what the plan is?
o The plan is to create a stable and sufficient Bulls club, within our means. The short term aim is to escape relegation, further than this is to increase our academy size, output and quality to further strengthen the club. More on this later.
o When asked if we would be part time next season, especially if we were relegated, he said that we would probably be pursuing a hybrid system where some players were full-time and some were part time. Lee Smith is signed for next year as are a number of academy players. AC said he can’t stop players going to SL teams, but there is the start of something special here at Bradford and under Geoff Toovey we will be going places.
o All the players know where they stand regarding contracts.
o All sponsorship is done for next year, and every slot has been filled. This is after this year when they, obviously, got NO money from the sponsors.
o He said that last year over £1.3 million was spend on wages, and this was on a team which didn’t even make the top 4. That adds up to the total spend of the bottom 5 clubs.
o There have been issues with the bank account because of a number of issues including with AC and GL being non-UK there were a large amount of legal anti-money-laundering laws, and then a hold up for the VAT number, all of which have prevented card machines and the such being provided.
o The past history of the club hasn’t helped here either, as when looked at from outside “so you’re an NEW club, but playing at the same ground, with the same offices, and the same name, with some of the same players in the same colours…?” this has started alarm bells and slowed things down.

• Why are we spending money on an academy when we need players in the first team? Are we going to be the only team in the third tier with an academy? Are we being lined up as a feeder team for others? I’m mean Huddersfield would be knackered without our academy, and incredibly so would the England national team.
o When we mentioned the academy his eyes lit up! There are big plans (regardless of league) including another tier for the academy to develop younger players and the reintroduction of a reserves team!
o He mentioned setting up the NZ academy, which is very successful and wanted to do similar here at the Bulls

• If you have no money to invest, and by god it looks like it, why were you given the club instead of some other bidders who HAD money to invest?
o The RFL looked at all the bids and went for ChaLowe as that with the most RL pedigree, and plan ready, which would enable the club to stabilise and to grow.
o AC said it isn’t a case of not having money to invest, it’s not having the players available to buy!
o When they bought the club they signed all the players who hadn’t already signed with other clubs.
o They are always looking to strengthen the team, however he isn’t going to buy a player who isn’t as good as what we currently have. He said he had been looking at 2 props in the past week, and the first thing he does is ask Lance for videos of their last 5 games. He will then go to their previous club and do some checking up before getting the player in for a full medical. If the medical isn’t passed that player will not be signed.
o AC said that there are players available but although they may have been good 12-18 months ago, they are not now, and that has been verified by the means above.
o When asked about Chisholm he said that perhaps not signing him at the start of the season was a mistake. But, while all the other players were in Bradford for their own ‘pre-season’ Dane was at the other side of the world. However, he is signed now and in his first game back made a massive impact with his experience and enthusiasm.
o Phoenix – AC said that they were under the impression that the RFL would pony up and assist with his visa. However he also said that this year only 6 visa’s have been granted for RL players to the UK, and the current climate (both political and economic) doesn’t help with this. They are currently looking at players in the Southern Hemisphere with UK passports, including 2 with Superleague and NRL experience.
o He also said that their top three wage earners were injured (Pryce, Chisholm and Smith) and he is looking at ANOTHER half at the moment.
o Chisholm injury update – he is undergoing decompression treatment at the moment
o Smith injury update – Knee injury, we didn’t get any further information
o Also, this week the Conditioning coach starts this Thursday. Finding professionals in the sports industry has been difficult because of our recent past history. No-one will risk leaving a steady job for us!
o Geoff Toovey is onboard for next year, indifferent of league, and they are currently looking for assistance coaches.

• Why, if you had nothing to invest in the team, did you take on a team of kids with a -12 deficit AND having to play Hull KR 3 times? Why not start in CH2 instead?
o That was never an option. The RFL invited bidders with the unmovable proviso that they would start in the league with a -12 deficit, a reduction in funding, and that the new owners pay off some of the previous companies debt. Starting in a lower league was not an option. It was a RFL take it or leave it offer.
o We asked why they took on such an apparent lame duck, AC said that he had worked in RL in both parts of the hemisphere all his life and run upwards of 40 companies. He was part of the team which brought Salford back from the brink, and enjoys the challenge. He said that Bradford Bulls was a challenge, and one he is enjoying more than any other job at the moment.

• Are you just RFL stooges sent in to fulfil the fixtures/wring out the last of the money from us poor, manipulated Bulls fans one last time before the club is euthanised at the end of the season? I don’t want to believe this, but in the dearth of real information from the club these sort of rumours gain traction. Maybe it is true. Only you guys know.
o No, it would appear not. There is a long term plan (some of which will come to fruition sooner rather than later) which includes the expansion of the academy, the creation of a team for the reserves league, the shop being expanded into a superstore and more.
o AC stated that he was in charge of setting up the NZ academy which had produced many very talented RL players, and that the southern hemisphere academies were markedly different from those up here. He is going to bring in these ideas to develop and grow our academy, and this will happen whatever league we are in.
o When asked about changed to league structure he said that we would have to ask the RFL about that, however as the current TV deal doesn’t run out until 2021 he can’t see anything changing until then.

• Please, please, please, PLEASE get someone to check the spelling and grammar on your infrequent (and often laughably late) press releases. Hell, send them to me to check over first! We’re a laughing stock on the pitch and in the league already, there is NO EXCUSE for this shoddy and amateurish language.
o Yes, they are aware and will correct.

• What happened at Dewsbury after such a promising game at Blackpool?
o The impact of Dane Chisholm, his experience and enthusiasm make a massive different, and AC was sure that had he not been injured we would have won that game. The week after was a grubby game with many nasty tackles. AC pointed out 5 tackles which were very dangerous performed on our players, and when Keyes was knocked out by an illegal challenge the data shows it all went wrong.
o All of these were reported to the RFL but no action was taken.
o He did say however, if that was the sort of league we were in, then we will start signing the sort of player who will play the same.
o When asked about the lack of expertise in our team he stated that the average age of the Toulouse team was 22, but they have been together (apart for the loanees) for 6 years. That is what we need to do, and will do.

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