So there really ARE people seriously interested in "investing"? Maybe that light isn't the train after all.

I think speculation as to the potential investors' identities should start now.

Source Mick?

I speculate that it is not just conjecture.

would be nice to know who they are in talks with. dont care how long it takes though as long as they save the club and dont sell quality players. we have t give them time though.

Seems to me they have had enough time to look a the books. Either the business is viable or not. Time to get this sorted I think.

Certainly not conjecture on my behalf.

The information between Blake Solly (RFL) and his communication with Mr Caisley, is out there in the Public Domain mate.

I suspect the answer may currently be somewhere in between - it is viable, at least until the next licensing round, provided we accept permanent mediocrity due to having far less money than those clubs we would aspire to compete with.

Without a sugar daddy, that would have been the case for most of those latter clubs too. We continue to be stuck in an old stadium with no sugar daddy, unless the reviewers can find a solution to both, or find some new third way that has not yet been tried. I suspect such a "third way" would have to involve serious fan involvement and ownership, which was in the minds of the previous BoD. Whether the new, and I suspect interim, BoD concludes and is prepared to consider likewise is to me a key question.

No news is good news.

Or something.

Said the first turkey to the second turkey, in late November...

I suspect we'll all find out next Monday what the plan is for taking the club forward.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if we gained a current grade B license, then in the next round the lowest we can get is grade C? I recall reading this somewhere last sunmmer but can't find ought to back it up

What if we were graded "C" and there were more applicants ahead of us graded A or B, or graded C with more points than us, than there were Licences available?

With it being a matchday then I would imagine that would depend on how positive the news is, if the news isn't that great then tuesday is more likely.

Is that a direct change/update from taking longer than expected because the problems "were worse than expected" or is it an extra reason?

Either way the programme notes from Stephen Coulby will be essential reading

Nothing has changed mate.

The consortium have to double & triple check their figures, plan etc.. Before putting their business plan forward to the investors.

That saying - patience is a virtue - pretty much ringing true here.

You clearly have more knowledge on this than I do Mick....

I think there are two issues. 1) do we have enough cash to see the season out? 2) can we put up season ticket prices by enough to become viable without losing thousands of fans?


They should know the answer to 1). The answer to 2) is much more difficult if not guesswork and will be exercising the minds of the shareholders and potential investors

Some forward investment from Steve Ganson perhaps?

Well, he owes us big time doesn't he!!

To be serious, the point was that NO investors have been identified ( in the public domain) so far as I know, and whilst I and the rest of us, obviously hope that there ARE some out there, it's not looking a very rosy prospect right now, but your line: "[iThe consortium have to double & triple check their figures, plan etc.. Before putting their business plan forward to the investors[/i", sounded a bit definite, like you knew something?

Does anyone invest in a RL club because they expect a "return" as if it was a normal business - of course not - the best return an investor or sponsor could hope to get would be to be "association" with the image of a sucessful team. So all this talk about "double and triple checking of figures" - really has nothing to do with attracting an investor to a financial proposition - it is more about whether a combination of income from ticket sales and TV money can provide a competitive team for the Bradford fans and sucessful enough to attract sponsors - and of course break-even

The club managed to find a group of investors that were willing to invest £500k without seeing any figures and with the knowledge that they might be throwing their money down the drain. But its unlikely to happen again.

Unless we secured a degree of ownership in return...?

I can understand why people might feel that way but speaking for myself I'd be happy just to have team for next year. They used to run with a committee making decisions many years ago, though somehow I doubt there were ever 5k committee (wo)men!

No they found some committed supporters who where happy to make a donation just to keep the club alive. I have said from the start that if they had - or been able to - offer the chance to actually invest I suspect they would have raised even more.

However this situation ends up - and the new owners [iare[/i looking for "investors" - then I would argue they probably have a better chance of finding some on the terraces

I suspect the verb 'to invest' might be being used a bit more loosely than would normally be the case in the financial market, but who knows. There's little doubt that some fresh blood in the boardroom and at the shareholders meetings wouldn't go amiss.