Good Luck?

koppy
Whitehead
bateman

3 Bradford lads - 3 utter w****rs.

Looking to the only positives we seem to keep developing great youngsters, we just need to create an environment they want to stay in.

Convenient how they managed to not release news of sale until after early bird deadline had passed, minimizing negative effect on season ticket sales. And get fans forum out of way too to avoid any awkward questions.

I'm in agreement!

Just another also-ran club, who will be in the position of 'seller' when there is a market for an asset of value. Can not see much light at the end of the tunnel, even taking a big picture view there is little on the horizon to be cheerful about.

Bateman is a professional and there can be no blame apportioned to someone who want the best for themselves. Being at the Bulls most have seemed like a dead end for a player with international/NRL ambitions. That is the sad truth.

Likewise

Players are NOT fans. They are paid professionals. It is unfair to judge them in relation to how we as supporters may feel. It is at the end of the day, a business, to both player and club.

Disappointing but not entirely surprising given where we are as a club and our likely finances. I would have preferred to have seen a player plus cash deal if possible but perhaps the cash was more attractive to the club right now?

Certainly isn't positive news that we needed though, people will look at this as another Bradford lad brought through that is sold to balance the books. The fact that the fee is undisclosed isn't necessarily a bad thing if we intend to spend some of the proceeds.. but if I'm honest I can't see us paying much out in the way of transfer fees to replace him.

Kopczak and Whitehead I agree, wouldn't out Bateman in that Catergory. Whitehead and Kopczak walked out on the club. Bateman stood by us in difficult times, and has left in the off-season.

Whether we like it or not, we have not made the play-offs the last 5 years. Wigan have just won the double. When your player wanting international honours, we struggle to compete.

Agree x 3

I wish Bateman was a Professional because he's been far from it in the last couple of seasons. Good luck Wigan , you could well need it.
On the upside, at least he'll have new people to have drunken fights with in Wigan.

I think that's right, the Bulls would most likely have not wanted to take on the salary from any player exchanged. Any Wigan player worth swapping would be on decent money and the funds may be needed elsewhere.

Gutted we no longer we have an environment where young players want to be!
Kopout, Whitehead, Bateman, Naughton, Burgess', Wardle plus more....

Hope this hasn't got more underlying money or cashflow problems.

Quote from to T&A:
“The agreed fee is an undisclosed sum but will benefit the squad in the long run and allow Head Coach, Francis Cummins to add to the dynamics of the group if he feels he needs to."

But you never know with the Bulls, when did we last get the full truth about anything!

Except in Bateman's case the impression given was that he WAS 'a fan'. We've been sold the 'he's a local lad who only ever wanted to play for us' line for years.

That's why this seems more disappointing than either Kopczak or Whitehead

Difficult to see this as anything more than a 'fire sale' to bridge the gap between the 'projected' and 'actual' season ticket sales

Ferguson
Winterstein
Addy

Bateman
Whitehead
Addy

Which looks better to you guys?

This has been on the cards since his mate left for France only think that stopped it happening earlier was his injury. John is like any sportsman tells any fan what he knows what they want to hear.

Everyone is aware of the issues. Ask yourself this, if Bateman was not a prized asset would the Bulls have held onto him? It is a two way street in Professional sport. If he was just another young fringe squad player then he would not have lasted as long because of his behaviour. He was a top prospect so the Bulls made exceptions. That's how it works.

Very Infrequent poster - tends to be when i get really down, but this week is one of them. Less than 3,000 season tickets sold, bringing in a player Widnes didn't want, now a potentially great player leaving because he does not see a future. I lived through the crap of the late 80's, with Seabourne and Hobbs coaching, with a team of cast offs from others, overhyped own talent and promising talent looking to put themselves in the shop window for more ambitious clubs, seems to me we are there again. Does the new regime have the vision to do a Caisley in 95 and revolutionise the club, I'm not sure, but they'd better start soon!

Not too sure I'm too down hearted about this. He didn't have a positive influence on any game I saw last year. He appears to be very immature with a poor attitude and a lot of injuries. I am however very worried about season ticket sales.

i'm becoming a little disillusioned with this, the club would have known this was coming and decided to hold a fans forum before they announced it.

The club wants the fans to buy into the future, I'm afraid we won't do that whilst this type of thing continues. I appreciate not announcing it before the season ticket deadline, however thats viewed, but at least give the fans the chance to ask questions in the appropriate forum.

I thought this was a joke when i saw people saying it'd happened.

He's been a bit part player for the last year through injury but even so we're stronger with him than not.

The offer only arrived late yesterday afternoon.

Im sorry but this must have been in the works for sometime, perhaps the agreeable offer came in yesterday afternoon but he was on his way out before the fans forum.

When was his latest transfer request, that's the interesting question.

I don't believe that for a second!

Timing of the forum and season ticket deadline is a little too convenient for me.

For every negative there is a positive. Even though Bateman has gone it means more oppertunity for the likes of Addy, Donaldson, Roberts, Mellor and Olbison to play consistantly. Who knows one of them might surprise us this year.

I agree with eddievan. We have lost three young players in the last few months. Whitehead, Naughton and now Bateman. I must be out of touch here as I can't really remember him being world class or winning games by himself. All I remember is an injury prone lad who does behave poorly off the field. Same with Whitehead. Yes they all may become stars but at this moment they are all just potential - but with serious attitude problems. Bateman is the best of the three but he will have a shock when Shaun Wane lays down the rules over at Wigan. I don't see this being just a Bulls problem but a general problem with too many youngsters and their awfull attitudes. Other teams also lose players. Wigan have lost so many youngsters to Union and NRL. Leeds have just signed Hulls winger. Its disappointing as many fans will now not buy a ticket. I am disappointed because of the time and money we have invested in him but if he wants away then fair enough.