Very very good post and may i just add never ever apologise to that prick!

What matters to HMRC is getting their money (some of it at least), now - and, importantly, in the future. 6 points in a relegation-free SL looks a decent exit strategy, if your legacy is turning rotten.

I very much hope a buyer comes forward with a realistic offer and the creditors are realistic in turn - HMRC will get nothing if they go the newco route. Oldco with new owners, creditors 'satisfied' and the Bulls in SL would clearly be cleanest and best for the sport.

I'd agree, what matters to HMRC is getting their money. The Newco/oldco this with HMRC is a red herring.
If the Newco starts in championship one, HMRC get nothing
if the Newco starts in SL, HMRC get nothing

it doesnt actually make a blind bit of difference to them, whether a new company, with new owners, using the Bradford Bulls name play in SL or Championship one. The company which owed them money no longer exists and the people who ran up the debts are completely different and not involved, HMRC can no more hold the new owners responsible for the debt than they can Leeds Rhinos, and Hull KR.

They can't chase a new company for an old company's debts. However they can put pressure on a governing body to try and ensure that its members are not abusing the tax system.
Indeed, there has been a clampdown on exactly this type of "behaviour".

Those people are no longer under the governing bodies remit, the governing body has no power over them any more. Relegating Bradford will, in no way, affect the people who abused the system.

I understand that Smokey, a new limited company acn not be responsible for a previous limited company's debts.
However, the question remains, are the Bulls so important to SL that we can not do without them and before anarchy breaks out rmeember, if they were to liquidate (not going to happen now), we would have to do without them.
The graveyard is full of indispensable people. No person, player, coach or team are more important than the game.

Hull FC, Huddersfield, London. Not like we haven't been through this before!

They aren’t so important that we cant do without them, they are so important that we need to ask why the hell we are doing without them. Losing Bradford will be a blow, probably not a fatal one but a blow all the same, there will be no benefit to relegating them, so why would we do it In a pique of self-flagellation to appease some hypocrites bemoaning the lack of Corinthian spirit?

SL would be better placed with a functioning Bradford than a functioning Halifax. I know it sounds harsh but the facts and figures show it. We lose Bradford, whichever heartland team we replace them with, we probably lose 5k fans straight off the bat.

So what we need in SL are the top 10,12 or 14 teams with the greatest level of support, regardless of their business acumen and any rules which may be in place within the comp.
Do away with any promotion between the leagues, as the teams in the lower leagues cannot possibly be stronger or more financially viable and pull up the drawbridge.
Stagnation and prosperity in one fell swoop
We should be brave enough to apply the rules and IF the Bulls drop down a league, the CC attendances will probably improve and the new SL club will have its opportunity to prosper