So what is the motivation to do the job for Chalmers and Lowe?

No money to be made.

A high likelihood of failure.

Tons of work needed.

I'm stumped as to why they're bothering? What's the motivation?

They get the opportunity to lose their houses?
They need to divest themselves of some assets?
Lowe wants to test to see how good his cardiac bypass actually is?

Exactly!

WTF?

The land deal at Odsal.

And what deal might that be?

The land at Odsal seems a long way to come for something the RFL don't look to want to give up too easily.

Agree so there is probably more in the detail (I.E. finances then we are privy to)

Unless they wanted to give it up to someone they already knew so they knew they could work with them. I wonder which of the bidders fulfilled that criteria?

KCNBABT, thought they had no money?

Maybe if I held the lease and wanted to make some money out of it and ensure that RL was still played in Bradford in some capacity I’d be wanting to do a deal with someone I thought I could trust and control.

So imagine I get an old pal to keep the club ticking over for a bit in the meantime while a deal is done thus unlocking some money for us all and possibly the RL team too in the end.

My pal may have no money but I could, with the help of the governing body, keep it on life support until the deal is done. Then hey presto my mate is taken care of and all is well.

Just a theory.

To be fair the only one that makes sense.

I was sort of thinking along the same lines as you. But what could this 'deal' possibly be?
The RFL aren't evil by nature they're just incompetent, so I don't think they're out to exploit us or anything like that.

Does anyone remember that curious article from a few months before we went into admin, where some RFL bigwig (I forget who, maybe Rimmer?) was dropping some hints about their plans for Odsal and 'exciting times ahead'. You know, the usual buzzwords.
But maybe there was something in it. Green supposedly tried for years to get the lease back off the RFL with no success. Bidders this time around wanted it but the RFL wouldn't even begin such discussions (see the recent Thorne article).
Now we suddenly have two of Nigel's cronies take over, while others (Lamb) are never given an explanation why. Chalmers and Lowe don't appear to be interested in the lease, could this be why they got the nod over other bids?

Especially as it isnt theirs to give up

To be fair and without going full conspiracy the blindingly obvious thing would be for the RFL to find a kerching way out of their Odsal lease farrago.

I wouldn't think KPNUTS knows sod all about it, but equally I'd be amazed if ANY "buyer" walked into the cesspit that is running a rugby league club at Odsal unless they had a bigger picture that didn't include them losing a million or two in short order.

I think whatever that method is, is well enough known, and that Green tried to do it too, but couldn't, as for whatevere reason he never could get his hands on the land.

I am not prepared to believe its as simple as Cha-Lo agreeing to take over a 70K pa lease as well as the rest of the baggage. That would be nuts. So there MUST be something in the background and it MUST involve the land. To talk of a land deal is just stating the obvious really, nobody in their right mind would be on Day 2 of trying to get the shambolic remnants of a rugby club off the ground and into the Championship in 2 weeks, with all the financial pain that's gonna ensue, unless they have a thing. Or are quite mad. And I don't think Cha-Lo are mad.

This might be a bit too positive, but maybe Chalmers and Lowe bought the franchise, together with their rich business partner(s) in the hope of actually reigniting the once famous Bradford Bulls?

These people are rugby men, and the opportunity to own such an iconic brand doesn't come around every year (well with the exception of.....)

Im hoping their intentions are the same as Koukash, oh how that man must regret not keeping his cash in his pocket for another year.

So the RFL own the lease and have sold red hall. Most bidders and previous owners wanted the lease as it is the only means to making a play at breaking even through development. The only bidders to never mention the lease as far as we know from the public domain end up winning, they also happen to be the only bidders who have an existing relationship and some trust with the RFL and wood (rightly or wrongly). They are serious RL people who I don't think would come all the way round the world for a known waste of time. I agree with FA that there has to a plan in there somewhere between the RFL and the new owners, like all this though, unfortunately only time will tell,... or K of course.

You're quite warm.

Makes good sense. Could it be that Marwan K in the wrong place at the wrong time when the last Bulls Admins came along and just plumbed for Salford when this club was unavailable. Also as reported his interest in acquiring an NRL club.

Our potential is far larger than Salfords. Although he is a character, which I rather enjoy. The Salford fans are a ungrateful lot, considering his investment into the club. I would have him here in a heartbeat. MR Koukash deserves better than what he is getting back.

Interesting

We do seem to be forgetting the landlords in all this.

Bfd Met are being squeezed by the government and would like nothing better than to magic up some 'asset', out of thin air, which could be used to bolster their costs. I'm sure the council would love to do a deal, a lion sized deal, shall we call it, over Odsal which would bring in new jobs, new investment and help with the rubbish problem. There, but for that pesky rugby team, all compacted into one sentence...more or less.

A lot will be said about these two owners but they are not stupid. They are businessmen and they will have a plan in their heads.
We may not get to know about it for a while- maybe a year or two.
Putting aside the finances which I am sure must be sorted in the background the new owners must go down as the most experience we have had for many a year.
Can anyone else remember an owner more qualified?
We won everything with Caisley but he didn't have their experience. And financially Caisley had very little money.

It is going to be a very interesting few years.

Their schools budget is being cut by tens of millions this year. No money to develop Odsal or Richard Dunn so why don't they sell and get some money back and let someone else develop both sites.

There you go a nice bit of positivity!

Indeed. I'd be happy with that, as long as it leaves us with a decent rugby ground. Pity the council has sell assets to pay for current account spending but, sadly, that's the current level of political thinking we get from government these days.

Ah but, Adeybull over on TotalRL says that the council would consider selling but with Rugby guarantees. So I'll add to the tinfoil hattedness we're getting into... that Sam93 character appeared and posted twice. Once about the club being liquidated (the day before announced) and then out of the blue posts about a the Leo Group owner thanking CBMDC for making the deal possible. So are we being told to tread water, or even sink a little, whilst the plan is finalised?

CBMDC get a nice injection of cash from the sale, RFL get 'experienced RFL bods' to toe the party line, they also get a nice wedge for giving up the lease, Bradford get much needed income and we get a stadium on Dickie Dunns. Downside being Big Nige is sharing office space and running up an eye watering catering bill....

Everyone's a winner, except for Green as the unconnected business formerly known as Southbank is bulldozed along with the Coral stand. Oh dear, how sad, nevermind.

And that is about as close to the truth as anyone has got - the other upside being that for their part Chalmers and Lowe get to benefit from the Bulls longer term rehabilitation!