Profit and loss is a minefield for the layman and certainly way beyond using the ins and outs of an accounts book to determine it, and even an accountant would really need to see the full accounts before being able to comment accurately. It is easy to extract bits to 'prove' your point though, so whether the £100k represents just one month (of no home games) or an accurate reflection of £1.2m over twelve months is anyone's guess, and certainly beyond mine.

How a few so called businessmen can screw up peoples careers and thousands of peoples lives is appalling, they must have attended the Mickey Mouse school of business studies.
I cant say I am surprised at the figures, I just hope we can pull something out of the hat and avoid administration, big euro lottery on Tuesday a few extra lines me thinks.

Were these the 'programme notes' Frank Whitcombe was telling us all to read on Monday? If so, his definition of 'interesting reading' differs quite a bit from mine.

I am a season ticket holder and would have bought one anyway. We haven't saved a penny. The club priced them and we bought them. Simple as that there was no saving involved.

If it wasn't enough then they c0cked up simple as that.

Caisley is preparing everyone for admin but he's being clever! Leak the letter then put it out in the public domain that "hood" is at fault & we have no other option but to call in the administrators because of all the debts. Crooked that 1 I tell you! Bulls are screwed. What a sad decline from world champions

Well the club's still here, so the pledge (or the first half we paid) did what it was intended to do and got us past the immediate crisis. I think anyone who paid has got what they paid for to be honest - if that continues to be the situation then it was a bargain imo.

Of course you saved money. On the "normal" price of a season ticket, which is not £75. Without the pledge you might have spent 200 (because you "would have bought one anyway"icon_wink.gif, with the pledge you spent say £75 (or whatever you paid), you saved an (admittedly theortical difference) of say £125, as you know.

It wasn't enough, they cocked up, I agree it is that simple, but I feel I did save money using the pledge, so thats how I'm justifiying giving away the £100 to Hood.

For as long as I remember I have paid over £300 quid a year in season tickets and other merchandise to the club, this year they got £75, there is the "saving" from my wallet, thats the point I was making.

I knew the risks of pledging, pledged, and now don't regret it (if I had my time over I would pledge again given what we were told). I'm just disappointed.

If CC does put in the club into admin he's got the I am clearing up someone else's mess and I am the savour speech ready. I can see several scenarios but all involve you potentially losing decent players unless some multi millionaire comes forward. if also makes you wonder if players on and off contract are already looking elsewhere due to the amount of uncertainty surrounding their futures. No offence but if it was me I would be in dialogue regularly with my agent keeping my options open.

Not a case of giving up. We have had 4 or so years of making do. Already clubs are signing players for next season and all we can do is stand by and watch.

Both from a playing perspective and business one we have to root out the issues and move forward.

If the new bod really do think they have a solution they need to stop saying this stuff in public.

After nearly a month the money is there or it is not.

As is posted on another thread the club has a quite straightforward revenue and expenses p&l. IT does not take weeks to do a cash flow.

Absolutely mate, so would I. The players - and staff - have mortgages and families to think about, too right they'll have their options open.

I think we need to keep the statement in the press in context though, it's very similar to a new government coming in and trying to pin everything on the last lot. Caisley's [i'independent'[/i review is, if not conducted by him, then paid for by him, so it being done to his agenda; just like Cameron's [i'independent'[/i office of budget responsibility is nothing more than an office in the treasury coming up with 'conclusions' which suit the boss.

All that said, the latest announcement says the problems aren't insurmountable and they don't see the need (as yet) for admin. So to be honest, I really don't care how much they feel the need to claim credit, or even care if they deserve it, just so long as they do it.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one.

Being honest I'd probably pledge again tomorrow and don't regret it.

Just sick of the same old shareholders p1551ng up our legs because they know they can get away with it.

Caisley, Coulby etc no better than Hood and Bennett. Where were the major shareholders for the two years that they didn't get a review meeting? Surely that should have set the alarm bells ringing back then. No they didn't care but now they do all of a sudden.

Just to close all this nonsense out, we will not be going into administration. However, there is also no doubt from my discussions with a well known former coach that the fans pledge donations save the club.

So for crying out loud let's all be happy at that, pull together an get behind every one at the club from backroom to players and start moving forward!

Fair enough MBBB, and I'm also sick of it. I'm just going to try and focus on the rugby on Monday and wait for the next instalment of the soap opera.

Surely now is the time to sell players, there is no current administration hanging over bradford, so it would not be a firesale and you may get decent money for top players.

As for the investors, I think they have announced that they have already got one 500k investor. But that would only plug the original gap that hood announced. As there is still a further 700k of debt to clear, this is the problem. The guy with 500k is not going to put that in, too see the club fall short by 700k in a few months time.

That's great to know. I had no regrets about supporting the pledge whatever, but if it was instrumental in providing the breathing space to give the new regime a chance to save the club, then I'm prouder of the fact than ever.


A big 'hear, hear'. What can we do to help this effort move forward?

Apart from the fact that it clearly would, the point for me of the Pledge and any further efforts is to keep the existing club afloat, and avoid selling the family silver at any cost.

Alternatively, sell the lot, pay the debts and close the doors.

Well said that man!

The bottom line is, the fans (and others from the RL family) pulled together to keep the club alive, and we know if we hadn't, it would have failed.

Firstly, I'm pretty furious with the old regime. However, there's not much point in dwelling on that now.

Secondly, I'm unsure about the way in which the new regime has presented these figures (others have noted the potential for ambiguity with the way in which financial data can be used). However, aware that I cut the old regime plenty of slack because they were the ones trying to deal with the situation, I'm going to do at least as much for the new Board.

What I'm interested in now is how we can help the situation. We have dug into our pockets once, and though it seems to have given the possibility of saving the club, doing it again would not be practical. The board clearly have to come up with the majority of the money via investment, but I'd love us to be able to help further in some practical way. Ideas?

it really is shoddy the way fans are treated when a club is asking for help and turn to them to pull them out of the e

I feel for you all, its a shame that you didn't take the advice from the Wakefield Trinity supporters trust as you have only just moved the date by feeding the club

any way good luck for the future

if the worse happens then I doubt they would have much say

Perhaps we could all work together if we had some sort of plan to back? Presently we are fed doom and gloom with a sprinkling of "don't panic".

I am sure if we were told the whole truth about what we need to do to survive even if it got us through to the end of the season with the transfer embargo lifted we could pull together.

Suggestions for a plan

1. We need to raise a further x amount from fans to keep us going until September.
2. Season tickets will rise to x to ensure we survive through this year and provide a platform for 2013.
3. Offer a share issue? We hope to raise an additional x amount in share capital.
4. investigate ground share usage opportunities.
5. Review the internal operation to identify cost savings. We will raise x by doing this.
6. We will actively market to sponsors and bring in an additional x amount.

This could be launched at a fans forum maybe including a new auction?

Cash is the most important thing without it the club will go into administration.

Here's hoping!

This

Not to worry.....its all sorted, the missus has just informed me that its our turn to win the euro millions lottery on tuesday....watch this space!!!

Excellent! My comments:

Don't think we could rely on this for too much, but if handled correctly and targeted at those who can [ireally[/i afford it, a further round of pledging might raise a five or possibly six figure sum. Perhaps it would be better to focus on fund-raising events, so that those who donate at least get some entertainment back for their money.

I think this is a given for next season.

If administratively possible and acceptable to current shareholders, I think this could raise quite a lot of money. The only danger, I suppose, would be to complicate shareholdings even further.

Bulls ground sharing with someone else, or someone else ground sharing with the Bulls? In the first case, the council's penalty clause would be a major stumbling block, unless waived, and in any case, it would have to be very carefully thought out to avoid losing again the fans we lost in our last decamping to Valley Parade. In the second case, I can't imagine any sharing arrangement bringing in more than peanuts (at best).

Hasn't this been cut to the bone already? Indeed, isn't there a case for arguing that better / less overworked back room resources might have helped avoid the problems that have arisen?

This has to be at the core of any solution.

Indeed!

Thats not a bad shout tbh...

What about creating a lottery syndicate? £1 standing order each week into a specially designated bank account, each saturday the money is withdrawn by account holders and x number of lotto lucky dips purchased.

Any small amounts of money (£500 or less) reinvested into lottery tickets and higher amounts pledged to the club.

I know it sounds desperate

but a pound a week is probably a lot more affordable to the majority of us than another £100+ one off lump sum again.