I look on Bradford’s plight with a “there but for the grace of God go I” attitude.

Next season looks pretty dire regarding funding & S.T sales, so I don’t see how you will compete for the top four next year.

So why go chasing it next year? Why not assemble a group of mainly young local lads, with a smattering of experience, because one thing Bradford isn’t short of, that’s producing some top talent.

They could have a rigid wage structure for the young lads, you know the ones, the young lads that would try to run through a wall for the badge. The “Leeds” model wasn’t too shabby.

It would be hard at first, but as the team came on together, they would be challenging for a top four spot in one or two years, unless of course some Sugar Daddy was to Rock Up. I think with a good coach this would be the most viable financial option.

No chance at the moment i will pick my matches.

The Leeds model meant they could dangle SL contracts to their youngsters. With the demise of second team opportunity it is now hard to hang on to your young players, Bateman being a case in point.

I'm still pretty dejected over what happened yesterday to make an informed decision. I've no doubt I'll change my outlook later in the year, but right now I'm not sure I want to go to any more games this year. I certainly won't be wasting money on the Cumbrian trips, but the home games I'll likely show up for largely because I've already paid for them, and I'm too tight to not get my money's worth!

One thing is for 100% sure. If they take the Michael and put prices UP next year, they are welcome to shove their season ticket where the sun don't shine.

I'll be renewing. The influx of academy players into the side is a good sign that we're going in the right direction long term. I'm more interested in watching them than a bunch of journeymen who have no feeling invested in the club.

No doubt I'll be there next year - is there anything else to do on a Sunday?

I think, like the Hamster, I'll not be bothering with many away games though, specially in far flung places simply because I don't think I can work up the enthusiasm any more this year.

I'm looking forward to whatever next year brings though. I always considered Rohan Smith's appointment to be a long term one and, as promotion was really never more than an impossible dream, even before yesterday's game, I'd already given up on this season. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the funding is for next year but the promise was for a full time team, so I'd expect that to be respected as far as possible. If season tickets sales take a drastic tumble though, cuts will have to come somewhere , I have few doubts about that.

I generally feel like I've hit rock bottom with it now and am not sure I want to keep forking out so much money just to ruin my Sundays. But I'm sure that will change and I'll end up renewing.

If the price goes up though, I won't be doing purely out of principle.

Phil Caplan on Radio Leeds after the game yesterday was essentially saying it's the fans that people need to feel most sorry for right now, not the people within the club. They're the ones who mostly spend their money, invest their emotions and keep turning up, only for them to end up massively disappointed. I think it's about time the club realised this too instead of keeping ticket prices so expensive and just expecting the fans to keep paying it.
I appreciate that lowering the prices means less income and therefore a less competitive squad. But I think a lot of fans are at the end of their tether now and if the club want to keep hold of them, they need to do something for them.

Well I don't buy one anyway, but I'm not going to kid myself that I won't be going next year. There was a point (which next season will be the 20th anniversary of) when I didn't buy a ticket and we won the championship before losing a game. Enough things have happened since then for me to come to believe that my ticket buying habits aren't the primary factor in the club's fortunes but I still never re-established the habit of buying one.

I'm very upset with things right now and how I am the rest of this season is one thing. Good luck getting me interested.

I'm not going to kid myself I won't be there next year though. I will. I would be if it was League One, something I may be able to give a practical demonstration of in the coming years.

I think it's too ingrained in me to stop.

After the result yesterday I've had a good few 'I am wasting no more money' moments but in reality I'm not wasting it, I enjoy it.

I pay to be entertained and by and large I am. Yes lately it's the other teams doing the entertaining as highly spirited amateurs take great delight in showing paid professionals their failings but I would miss my Sunday afternoons with my girls, walking into the dump with literally no idea what is about to happen next.

For example, The brainfart against Dewsbury, the inexplicable 20 mins v Leigh, the Chisholm inspired almost perfect 40 against Workington.

So Mr Green if your about next year the girls and I will be with you...

I think that provided we keep our academy progressing as we have been doing that we have a much brighter future over the next 3-4 years. Our U19s can beat anyone on their day including much better funded SL academies and we have some great U16s moving up to U19s next year. These lads are who we need to be concentrating on with a handful of carefully recruited older heads. The scatter gun approach to recruitment has shown to be an utter failure.

If we take this approach I'm most certainly in.

I don't think there's a doubt reading on this forum that the best way for them to get some interest in the Tin Pot Shield games this season is to give some of those lads a chance. Nobody wants the entire U19 team playing, as that wouldn't help them at all. But if 3 or 4 of the most promising ones come in to replace those that are leaving anyway, it may just get some of those uninterested people paying attention again.

If that can then be nurtured and as you say, brought through properly in the next couple of years, then it MAY get some good feeling back. Until they inevitably get bored of playing at this level and want to test themselves in Super League, so Huddersfield come knocking on their door.

I can partly agree with all of that, BUT. Look at the academy lads who we have had over the past 10 seasons - Where are they now.
If we can keep them brilliant but since our glory years we have let one after another go - WHY !!!!!!
Will the current crop want to stay when there is such turmoil at the club year after year

The club's been in admin twice which explains why we've lost so many lads in the past. We can hang onto our young players if we build long term around them. Batley showed what can be achieved on 10% of our budget. I would suggest that if lads are being given a pathway into the first team they're more likely to stay around a bit longer and also show more pride and commitment.

It may not get us into SL. I think only a change in the rules and a big money backer will do that but it'll make watching more enjoyable.

Definitely got to go with the academy lads. It may re-engage some disillusioned and very angry fans.

We need just 1 point to qualify for the tin pot shield semis. So why play the players who have consistently let us down and shown zero fight.

For the pathway to work though it's self evident we have to remain full time.

Also, a number of these lads are of exceptional ability within their age group - as shown by the fact they are beating SL academies quite regularly, so even with our junior set-up in place, with us being in the Championship, I'd guess we'll be lucky to get two seasons at open age out of the best of these lads before they 'move on'.

Agree Bulliac. If we dont get back to SL, IMO they will go elsewhere - and can you blame them..

We get a new owner and he says he's in it for the long haul, and we get a new coach and he is building for the future. What they both need to remember is that the club has been in free fall for the last 10 years, during which the supporters have raised £500k in 4 days to stave off Administration(subsequently bequeathed on us by a former Chairman) and had to pay the 3rd highest admission prices in RL despite the stadium being open to the elements and not being an all seater and watching 2nd tier rugby. It is time for the present incumbents to deliver (and not in a few years time).

If prices do not rise - I will be renewing.

I still have faith in MG and I think he makes mistakes - but he cannot be the only one doing so.

I was incensed when they went in the T & A stating we didnt need a scrum half - the most stupid move of the season.

However, in Rohan Smith I think we have the right man for the job and the u19's seem to be beating allcomers too..

I bottled out of going on Sunday even though I had a ticket - I just had a gut feeling they wouldnt turn up.

The season is over now - on to next season for me and lets see what Rohan can do with more time under his belt and players of his own choosing.

(Assuming he has control over our recruitment!)

The ONLY point of the Coconut Shield is for Rohan to do a bit of prep for next season. Basically, it's training sessions, with real teams to train against.

The most embarrassing thing I can think of would be to win it. OR even maybe get to the "Final" (whereTF is that held - Horsfall?) Can you imagine holding the coconut aloft and trying to pretend it is of some value, or some achievement? It is a sobering thought that we won't be favourites even for this tinpot trophy - we can't beat Halifax choose what we do, to name just one thing. So I see no reason why we shouldn't blood every youngster that might play a part next season. Because in THIS comp, it is like the reverse, nobody would give a sh=#FFFFFF[size=5.[/size!t in those circumstances if we lost half the games.

But Batley got the pick of the best part time players, players that are better than the full time players that the likes of Bradford and Sheffield were scrapping around for.

The most embarrassing thing for Bradford to do would be NOT to win it.

You make a good point. There's perhaps something in being part fulltime and part semi pro if it can be worked out. A lot of the fulltime players in the championship are inferior to the better part timers. It makes you wonder how bad those fulltimers would be if they weren't training every day.

I guess we need to be flexible.



I'm beyond embarrassment nowadays. We're an average Championship squad who have been proven to be worse than Fax this season. I'd rather us use this comp to get up to speed for next year. If we win the shield it's a bonus. Does the winner get any financial reward?

Not 100% certain but I thought it were about 50K extra for winning it.

Well in our situation every few quid is important so we need to win it. That said there's nothing embarrassing about losing to a better side on the day. Given the money spent we should be better than we are but we're not.

I suppose a little extra cash may be forthcoming from the 5 year deal people. This was the last season of that 5yr season ticket. Credit to OK & then MG for honouring those deals and hopefully those who helped the club 5yrs ago will still shell out for tickets next season