And, of course, the Bulls have already been there, done that. And were widely vilified for it.

It might have worked for a single season. Trying it for a second season, when the product on the park was still a crock of sheite, was a disaster.

I also think this is the reason the bulls are in such a mess. I don't think we can blame the Rugby League or Nigel Wood for the mess.
I really feel for all the Bulls fans through all this because I remember only a year ago how I felt at Salfords demise. There are parallels between the two situations but there is one major difference.
In Salfords case we sold all our best players or released them from their contracts. In Bradfords case most of your players have been retained and new ones added on what I'd presume would be expensive contracts.
As Mr Mcawber said "Annual Income Twenty Shillings Annual spending Nineteen and Six Result Happiness. Annual Income Twenty Shillings Annual spending Twenty Shillings and Six Pence Result Sadness".

As a rugby league fan I hope for all the Bulls fans that this can be resolved without the demise of one of our great traditional clubs

Giving free admission to all doubled a Huddersfield gate...

Wood and his cronies have played a part in terms of the wider game:

- They approved the Bulls license for 2012-14 including financial checks.

- Within months they were providing significant advances of sky money

- bought the Odsal lease without being sure the tenant will be good for the rent

- Checked the finances and plans of Khan and approved him in sept 2012 subject to a financial check in april / may 2013

- Did the financial checks in April / may 2013 and gave the Bulls a green light

- Within months of the RFL green light players were not getting paid and at least some creditors were unhappy

- Khan steps down and the RFL check out the finances and plans of the new lot and 3 of them are given the okay

- In a matter of weeks huge debts are found / the club is still not transferred / Khan threatens action against 2 people / three approved directors step down on Christmas Eve (after RFL talks with Khan go nowhere)

The senior RFL people have tampered where they should not do so and failed in those tasks where they have a role.

Bulls supporters and the game in general deserve better than this RFL shambles.

Oh dear.

The RFL gave themselves the role of doing checks on finances and checking potential owners. They have been a shambles in their assumed roles several times over.

The RFL executive pumped £1m into the Bulls buying the odsal lease(with a very unstable tenant and few potential alternatives to replace them). Playing favourites in this way is farcical.

The RFL allowed the Bulls to sign Carvell Ferguson George Gaskell et al while players were not getting paid and the financial mess was in plain sight. The RFL have the power to stop these practices.

A Governing body playing favourites and presiding over repeated financial disasters does the game a disservice.

Indeed oh dear. The only people who presided over repeated financial disasters are the owners and decision makers at Bradford.

Can you answer the question? Should the RFL have not helped Bradford? If not why not when they've assisted other clubs in various ways?
On what grounds should the RFL have stopped Bradford signing players? As long as they fit in the salary cap, overseas quota, visa checks etc there is no mechanism for the RFL refusing to register players in this situation. If there was then only Wigan and Leeds would be able to sign players.
I don't know about the others but Carvell was signed (or the announcement was made) in June this year, were the Bradford players being paid then?

There is no-one other than the Bradford owners and decision makers who bear responsibility here. Any actions by the RFL have been to attempt to allow a Bradford club to continue, surely that is a good thing?
So again, which part is the shambles?

Fans of sports clubs dont ' deserve ' anything, certainly not having other people subsidise the cost of their tickets, maybe if the 1,000s that were happy to pay to attend when they were winning everything had shown loyalty to the club, they wouldnt be up sht creek without a canoe now

They shouldn't selectively buy grounds or give substantial advances when their repayment is doubtful. Which other leases have they bought for £1m approx. - give us the whole list.

They failed on the financial checks the RFL took responsibility for, many times over...so a shambles.

I take your point that because they were such a shambles in their financial checks in April /May that they allowed Carvell to go ahead.

That said players failed to get paid at the end of July and there was a delay for around 2 weeks yet Gaskell signed later that month - permitted by the RFL - ho hum. Like I say, a shambles.

HTH

So they should assist other clubs but not Bradford? Tell us why?


Which financial checks are these? What are the RFL checking?


Why should the RFL have refused to register Carvell's contract?


So the players were paid then? Again why should the RFL refuse to register a legitimate contract?


Not really, all you've done is repeat what you put in your first post.

Which clubs who needed bailing out and tried to sell their lease, then the rfl refused? Please do give us the whole list.



You mean the ones where the rfl were lied to about the finances? Or the ones where they deemed that past emergency measures the person in question wasn't fit and proper and was removed from the club? Unfortunately, it was too late, he did the damage before being put in a directors position. Or should every person at every club be vetted for their financial accumen?



So after being reassured that the situation was resolved, the players being paid, and lying about administrative issues, the bulls shouldn't of been allowed to be competitive - are you suggesting they should of had transfer embargo? And for how long for? And what for - financial difficulties? they convinced most it was "an administrative error" - in which case, any embargo would of been over long before Gaskell signed ... Or should every administrative error at every club lead to a transfer embargo?

Blame the people who lied, cheated and blundered the bulls, not the people who tried to help them.

They brought Rochdale's share in Spotland when a previous guise of the Rochdale club went under, to make sure that there was still a RL interest in the stadium and that a Phoenix club would be able to play there.

When the odsal lease transfer went through (no money changed hands from what I recall, it was said to be in lieu of repayment of a previous debt) other items of the RFL's property portfolio were listed, Keighley was mentioned as well as shares in a football stadium somewhere.

Exactly. Whatever the failings of the RFL, whether their help was necessary or successful or not, they were the ones trying to help. The people who were actually in control of the club are the people responsible. Otherwise it's the equivalent of blaming the police for your car being stolen rather than the person who stole it.

So which clubs had leases bought for £1m?

If you don't know about the financial checks for licensing / checking takeovers try doing some research before you make statements, HTH