This is my greatest concern for Bradford now, whoever comes in is going to need the support of the fans, but those fans have been turned cynic by all that's gone on (who can blame them?) so every little jolt along the way will be a big issue, how many are going to be dedicated to that, with a good 2 years before fans start to accept and trust them?

and those two years may be a death by a thousand cuts this year, and a massive cut in funding, visibility and revenue next year.

So is this lamb guy wealthy then?

Because all I see is someone coming in and the same tedious cycle repeating itself.

Quote ="SmokeyTA"Really? club owners dont make money from RL? this seems a very misleading statement then [iThe operating profit for Leeds CF & A – Rhinos’ parent organisation – rose by £100,000 to £667,385 in the year to October 31, 2012. [/i www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-5517372'" Eh? From the paragraph before the one you quoted, "Chief executive Gary Hetherington has pledged to re-invest “every penny” of profit back into the club..." leaving precisely £0 for Mr Caddick.

Quote ="SmokeyTA"Really? club owners dont make money from RL? this seems a very misleading statement then [iThe operating profit for Leeds CF & A – Rhinos’ parent organisation – rose by £100,000 to £667,385 in the year to October 31, 2012. [/i www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-5517372'" Eh? From the paragraph before the one you quoted, "Chief executive Gary Hetherington has pledged to re-invest “every penny” of profit back into the club..." leaving precisely £0 for Mr Caddick.

Quote ="FlexWheeler"So is this lamb guy wealthy then? Because all I see is someone coming in and the same tedious cycle repeating itself.'" Using the ever reliable company checker - The combined cash at bank value for all businesses where Richard holds a current appointment equals £203,619, with a combined assets value of £1,828,471 and liabilities of £1,590,575. Roles associated with Richard Lamb within the recorded businesses include: Director, Company Secretary companycheck.co.uk/director/907682288 I'll let others decide how he is - but he has never dissolved a company ... So it's a good start!

Quote ="FlexWheeler"So is this lamb guy wealthy then? Because all I see is someone coming in and the same tedious cycle repeating itself.'" Using the ever reliable company checker - The combined cash at bank value for all businesses where Richard holds a current appointment equals £203,619, with a combined assets value of £1,828,471 and liabilities of £1,590,575. Roles associated with Richard Lamb within the recorded businesses include: Director, Company Secretary companycheck.co.uk/director/907682288 I'll let others decide how he is - but he has never dissolved a company ... So it's a good start!

Was thinking the same. He may have money but does he have MONEY? All I see is another wannabe businessman wanting to raise his profile by giving it the ''how hard can it be to run a rugby league club?''. Give it a season and he'll go the same way as the rest when he realises it's a bottomless pit.

There should be lessons learned from the plastic directors who have graced Super League over the last couple of years; Andrew Glover, Omar Khan, Mark Moore.

Yep, ground zero for that is Odsal.



And Bradford are responsible for all those things that might happen, not the RFL.

Because there are capital expenditures necessary for the club. As is explained in that same paragraph.

reinvesting profit in to a business to grow it does not mean you didnt make a profit, simply that you didnt crystalise it and withdraw it from the business.

no no, the RFL will. They administer the competition not Bradford.

So if I commit a crime, and go to jail, that's the justice systems, or more broadly, the governments fault? Cool.

no, but if you walk in to my bank and just take all the money, i'm more likely to blame the company doing security than the thief.

If the RFL can;t administer the competition and make sure it is completed within the rules as set out at the start of the season, you have to ask why the have any relationship with the pro level at all.

I got board of reading about Fit and proper persons etc and how this is all the RFL's fault.

The fit and proper person test is not a test of how much money you have. It's not an ownership question, it's a running the club question. I have no doubt they could have run the Bulls.

The administrator was happy with the plan to buy the club out of administration. He's offered a sum of money, if he gets it then the club is theirs. The question is where were they going to get the money from. It seems the plan was to get it from the RFL.

But in the end the RFL nor the administrator scuppered the deal, the potential owners did. They walked away as they thought they could get the club with a zero points deduction.

As for being critical that the RFL gave a 28 days licence to allow the club to start the season. Please consider the other option. That they did not. The club would not have started and would not be an attractive investment to anyone as they would not be a Rugby League club any longer. They can't wait for an owner to buy and then let them play catch up.

The Bulls either had to start the season or pull the plug on themselves. The RFL pulling the plug whilst the Administrator was looking for a buyer would have really caused the Bradford fans to start moaning about unfair treatment.

Same as when the Bulls went into administration part way through a season, they continued to opperate whilst a buyer is being looked for.

Stating it's the RFL fault for allowing them to start the season is the same as stating it's the doctors fault for not pulling the plug on a patient whilst a donor is found. A donor may not be found, but pulling the plug will give a permanent solution that no one can come back from. The RFL not allowing Bradford to start the season would have killed the club stone dead.

Everything the RFL does from the loan, to the hands off players, to allowing the Bulls to start the season has been attacked by some Bradford fans saying they should have done the opposite. When the oppostie would have just killed the patient earlier. The RFL do not want to lose the Bulls just like they don't want to lose any club, they will do what ever they can to keep the club a going concern, but in the end they can't just roll over and take any offer.

The points had to be deducted and the Bulls had to start the season.

IMO Mark Moore and friends have just used the points deduction as a smoke screen for the fact that they don't have the money and never had it and never will.

Funny how everyone else manages except Bradford. Even in events of insolvency other clubs steer away to ensure they're not in it again. Whether that's bad luck, mismanagement, or conspiracy - 13 other clubs are administered fine.

Also, if I walk into a bank and take all the money, I'm fairly certain the law says I'm to blame.

Agree with bewaretheshadows above.



No. The RFL quite rightly took into account all the relevant circumstances following the Insolvency Event.

Extract from the RFL bye-laws:

" In the event of ....Acquisition, Change of Control or Insolvency Event, the Board, at its absolute discretion, shall have the right to readmit the member or admit a new member as a member on any terms as it sees fit, which for the avoidance of doubt, may include financial, administrative and/or sporting sanctions.

The Board will from time to time set out policy for the exercise of its discretion but is not bound by such policy or precedent decided under such policy or previous policy and the Board shall be entitled to amend any policy with immediate effect.

The Board has the right (but not obligation) to stipulate in advance of an Acquisition. Change of Control or Insolvency Event, whether or not a member will be readmitted or a new member admitted in such circumstances and to stipulate what terms it will apply. "

In line with the CEO's commitment, Leeds Rhinos should break-even every year. Rather than make a profit they should spend more during the year eg on marketing, subsidising away travel etc

Im sorry but that just isn’t the case, nobody could complain at the RFL for not letting a club start the season if they didn’t believe they would finish it. The RFL made the decision to allow them to do so and need to deal with the fallout from it.

Should I own a club which gets relegated I would not accept the relegation as if Bradford go pop, then the rules of the competition set out at the start of the season have not been followed. The negative consequences of allowing them to start the season but not finish it are huge, they extend throughout the validity of the competition, through to the TV contracts, supplier contracts, sponsorship contracts and all commercial relationships. If I pay a club £500k to be featured as their shirt sponsor in 27 rounds of SL, im not simply going to accept that team only playing 26 games and im not going to accept them swapping an SL game for a friendly or 9s comp. If I am a caterer who has paid for a contract to supply 13 home games, im not going to simply accept only having 12. If im sky and I have paid for 27 rounds of SL including the magic weekend, that’s what I want, not some fudge.

You can claim the RFL had no options but they did, they created the environment that allowed this to happen, they didn’t have failsafes and a plan B ready to go. Its easy to paint Bradford as the bad guys here but here is an important fact, Mark Moore owes this game nothing, he owes the other clubs nothing, he owes the fans nothing, everything he does is his personal choice, his money, his time. The RFL are the custodians of our game, they owe it everything, the owe it to the fans to run it in line with the rules, they owe it to the owners to protect their investment. The RFL’s entire reason for being is to protect the game, its clubs, its fans. It has failed to do so. It has failed to shield its premier competition, its money maker, its visibility from the fall out from this. The RFL aren’t responsible for making sure Mark Moore completes his takeover and makes money, they aren’t responsible for ensure Bradford survive at SL level if no-one wants to buy them. They are 100% responsible for making sure that Bradfords collapse doesn’t ruin the competition and they have failed.

Well im sure it would be nice if Paul Caddick gave us all free money, it would be lovely if he paid for us all to go to Perpignan for a nice weekend, bought us a nice bottle of red. But its not a likely scenario.


He makes a profit, reinvests some in his business, makes more profit. THats his choice his business, and im not sure he gives even the tiniest fsk that you think he should do it all for free and throw money at a random ideal you have pulled out of your bottom.

The RFL has applied the rules correctly.

Bradford Bulls hasn't "collapsed". Mr Lamb is going to offer to buy the Club.

you have real trouble with picking out quotes which actually support your point dont you



do you want to know the clear and obvious and unarguable and incontrivertable evidince that you are wrong and the punishment was for the admin and not the future business model? its pretty simple: The club, is still in administration. If the RFL punishment was for the bulls business plans and models they are punishing them for something which hasnt happened and isnt going to happen.

Never mentioned Paul Caddick.

I was talking about how the Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Club should operate.

this was the bid that was inferior to the one which has collapsed that apparently had no capital and no business plan

which is a fine standpoint to take, but surely you must agree that this should have been spotted before now.

Paul Caddick owns Leeds Rhinos. Its his decision to make, his club, and his money.

HTH

I think that's looking more & more (no pun intended) the case.
Had it just been 4 points would they have pulled the plug? 2 points?
The RFL decision has given them what they thought was a good excuse to get out of situation in which they couldn't actually deliver the goods!