After another loss by Bradford is anybody concerned by their performance this year?

I for one don't feel any pleasure in their demise.

Their crowds are going down considerably.
The Leeds - Bradford games crowds have dipped alarmingly over the last few years.

As one of the larger cities in RL, a strong Bradford and the higher crowds are important, especially when you take in to account the poor crowds of Salford, Celtic & Harlequins.

Bradfords signing over the last few years have mostly been average players, I think the rot began when Noble was there. Quality players leaving, being replaced by inferior ones. Obviously the salary cap and the Harris saga would have had a big impact on this, but still i'd imagine the likes of Solomona, Newton etc are on very nice earners and for what return?

I feel concerned about Bradford as a whole, the debacle of its city centre regeneration even before the recession was an embarassment to the city, its planners and their choice of developer who in turn was unable to let enough space to proceed in the same way that the Odsal redevelopment has always fallen down, not even at the last minute, due to no commercial organisation being willing to get involved.

Theres something very wrong with the city, maybe they are too close to Leeds, maybe its something else ?

I agree with most of what your saying.
Or should we not be enjoying this because if it was us how would there fans feel about it?

Yes, living in one large shadow doesn't help.

Ive noticed our good friend Mr Gledhill has been very quiet over ther last few weeks

Let's not beat about the bush, apart from a brief period in the early 80s when Foxy and the Jeffasaurus were running loose at Odslum and fully embracing the Summer RL concept (which they had to do, given that no-one wanted to go the former council tip during the winter) and Peter Deakin's marketing genius from the mid-90s onwards, Bradford have never really broken many pots on a regular basis. Bull-mania or whatever it is these days merely took the fans that used to flock to Keighley away from Lawkholme Lane.

Remember, it was 1963 when the 'Wembley Of The North' (s ... And see also 'Vale Park, Burslem) last lost league rugby status due to the club going out of business.

Northern were also very lucky to have their ground done up as a result of the World Speedway Finals being held there in the mid-80s (had it not been done up, it certainly wouldn't get a modern safety certificate these days). Prior to then, it was hardly an attractive place to go in Winter with 'terraces' of shale / railway sleepers and the dressing rooms being at the top of the hill.

As has been said, I know we all whinged about the Harris deal when it was done by Eric Pollard in an attempt to get Leeds back for something, but the internal damage it has done to the club puts them on par with Wigan (the pies reaping of the huge drain on the salary cap that Andy Farrell was during his last years at the JJB) Bradford had the nucleus of a decent side, that should still be sustaining them now, but had to let so many players go due to the Harris deal.

It was alright dishing loads of freebie tickets out to all & sundry when you've got a half decent team to watch, but who'd go now ?

No doubt there will be the usual assortment of Bradford posters, the ones that can't find rational or intelligent arguements on their own boards pointing out their victory over us this season .... Basically, what they are actually saying is that they've sunk to the level of Cas and their annual Cup Final in when Blue & Amber are in town.

Pfft I think it's great, f*ck em, let em rot.

Most of their fans loved it when we were turd back in 96.

They are crap this year, is the league suffering? No not really, in fact the reaction of most people to their demise has been IMPASSIVE. Not many eyebrows raised.

The game believe it or not can thrive without a bulldozing bullying bulls team.

Yeah non of the fans that started watching the Bulls came from Bradford.



Surely you're also forgetting all the ex-Fax fans and all those we "robbed from under the noses of Hudders?





Think you're missing the big point. The main drain on finances isn't the Harris deal but the enormous financial handicap of Odsal Stadium.

Pray do tell dear sir what makes Odsal so much more expensive to run than any other SL stadium (Wakefield excluded of course)?

its those hooters that keep Seagulls away from the rubbish at the bottom of the hole

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/s ... ert_Bulls/ my personal favourite excert: [iThere was hardly anyone there, the terraces were practically empty, no atmosphere, no excitement - it was like the onset of Armageddon. Then came the match... and it all got worse. [/i

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/s ... ert_Bulls/ my personal favourite excert: [iThere was hardly anyone there, the terraces were practically empty, no atmosphere, no excitement - it was like the onset of Armageddon. Then came the match... and it all got worse. [/i

Hanson's ignorance is astounding.

The likelihood of anyone from Keighley switching support to Bradford is just a fraction below zero - akin to Cas fans getting season tickets at Leeds.

Built on an industry thats all but gone and living in the shadow of a successful neighbour. Knocking down (and not yet replacing) some of the awful 60s monstrosities at least gives a better view of some of Bradford's old and attractive architecture - especially the city hall.

There is that advantage.

Given that the rescue or kick-start plans have all failed they could do worse than remove the construction fences and pop up to B&Q to buy a job lot of paving slabs and have the biggest piazza in the northern hemisphere.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Bradford is this country's greatest depository of 19c architecture which is one good legacy of under-investment.

By the way - whatever happened to "Liverpool, city of culture" ?

It's funny how most of the success they had in the summer era came when they were playing at Valley Pulse Bradford and Bingley Parade.

IMO they should still play there. Its much better than Odsal! The atmos behind the goal & when they put us at the side was brilliant!

I enjoyed that day. I got very drunk. So drunk in fact that I threw half my pint in the air when we scored late on. On the video I can be spotted suggesting that all the Bradford fans go for two points.

I was the one throwing bog roll from the top tier behind the goal.

Large old stadia like large old houses cost more to maintain.

E.g. the £75k to unblock a drain a couple of years ago.

are bradford spending the full salary cap amount on wages? If so, the stadium maintenance argument for their crapness becomes null and void

100% Agree.

If in 04/05 you would have said to me that Bulls will be a spent force in 09 and they would be bottom of the league i would have had concern - Only for the sake of the league system.

But seeing the likes of Hull KR pick up wins week in week out and run Leeds and Saints close. Seeing the quality of Rugby between Wire and Wigan the other day and to say they are not even in the top 8. The league is thriving this season - seeing Bradford suffering is comical as its not effecting the standard of the competition.

About a week after Gary's banoffee pie marathon?

No, we still have cap space left.