That's the big question isn't it? If we're lumbered with that I can't see us making it to the end of next season.

If we're not for some reason then we can probably muddle through.

Don't forget there is big decision from the courts to come in January - we haven't made it to the start of the season yet.

Forgot about that.

Another reason to hold back buying those season tickets - might be a case of deja vu otherwise.

I'm calling it now... the supposedly random RFL computer generated fixture list will 'just happen' to give us Keighley away on the first day of next season (just like it did with Leigh in 2015)

And, furthermore, our 'new look team will get beaten up - and beaten on the scoreboard - by the Cougars, triggering several weeks of taunting on this forum from Cougar fans about how it is 'justice' for whatever happened back in 1995.

You know it's going to happen

Problem for the owners is that has the risk of being a self fulfilling prophecy. Fans don't buy season tickets in case the club folds in off season due to not having enough cash, and the fans lose money and season tickets, so club folds in the off season as they don't have the cash from fans money from season tickets.

Needs lots of positive news early in the off season.

On the poll, not clicked an option yet as currently I suspect we have no players and no coach 100% on board for next season, so it's completely unknown. I'm hoping for recruitment to point to a push for automatic promotion, but I'll wait and see.

I've commanded my Maester to send a raven to Odsal with delay

Haha what we would give for the three eyed raven to look into the future

Wouldn't mind signing up a few of the dead, those boys showed better tackling technique on Jon Snow than any of the Bulls team have this season!!

But on a realistic note I expect:

A good undisturbed pre-season.
A number of signings before January.
Decent FT players signed up on those limited FT deals (ie. A Chisholm, not a Mendeika).
Decent PT players to supplement.
A number of academy players in the numbered squad (Kirk, Wilkinson, Rickett etc).

A coach announced before pre-season training in November.
Kit release before Christmas.
Season tickets being set at a decent price.

For me at the moment, all this is more important than any on field related issues. Get these done in the next few months and it shows me that we are gaining some form of stability and can look forward with renewed optimism.

As for on field. I expect a competitive squad capable of top 1/2/3 (depending who comes down) and see where we are and how we have performed after 4 weeks. If we win 4/4 then secure either automatic promotion or at least play-off contenders.

In terms of performance I want to see pride and passion for the shirt and also not lose to the Cougars. Don't think we have played them in a competitive match since SL started. So would hate to lose our first real encounter with them.

See, you've fallen over already. That's never realistic when it comes to Bradford Bulls.

I must admit, I'd have woken up long before the end of that list.....

All this is pie in the sky, when you consider that over a dozen of our existing players are taking us to the Employment Tribunal, and - if the case finishes and isn't appealed - the outcome of that won't even be known till January; before which we'll have inevitably had to plough a shedload of money that we don't have into lawyers' fees. And if it ends badly, well, the new club could even be finished as it's hard to see where we could find the sort of money to pay off several dozen claimants.

So we may sometime have a settled and calm pre-season, but 2018 won't be it.

You would also have to consider how much loyalty and commitment there can be between club and players when half the squad are taking them to court.

I must confess I'm finding it hard to get a handle on this. Say we sigend a contract with Player Bloggs. Say he's one of the better regulars. Then we find he is suing the new club, claiming it owes him a shedload of money that he didn't get from the old club.

ATEOTD what this amounts to is a position where, to defend his claim, it will cost the club, his existing employers, a lot of money. And some day they will end up opposing each other, flanked by lawyers, in a bitter wrangle over cash.

I should imagine if one wins, they all win. If they all lose, how will that affect their disposition towards the club? If they all win, can we aford to pay? At best, a whole bunch of cash would be lost to the normal budget to pay all the claimants off. I don't really see how all this can't have had a serious negative effect on the team and the club generally, and it's a huge black cloud that we need like a hole in the head.

We will be the Wolfpack of 2018. Just you watch. All aboard the Bully Steamroller!!

Doubt there will be 16 teams in C1 in 2018 . If there are 14 teams it will be home & away & no eights or shield.

A supporter of a C1 team

I'm still confused as to how the new club is even implicated in all of this. I was under the impression that all existing player contracts with the old club were torn up, and that the players that came to the new club were given brand new contracts. Never a dull day at Odsal...

Saw a tweet yesterday (Mick G) saying the league may be split into North and South.

Interesting.
Pretty s**t if true.

Yes I have heard that also , paper talk I hope !

The argument seems to be around whether we were actually liquidated or taken out of Administration. Further arguments are on the 2018 season ticket thread.

Yeah I saw that too, I understand what the thinking is, but if we're in a conference with only 8 teams, we'll probably be playing the same teams at least 3 times if not 4 depending on which wacky formula the RFL come up with to entertain us. Also, no disrespect to the southern teams but it wouldn't be an even split in competitiveness, so ill be curious how the end of season/promotion works with that scenario.

I think its clear something is going to be changing regarding the League 1 structure.

#edit# I also notice today that Swinton have been hit with yet another Winding Up Petition, so there is probably still some doubt about if they can make the start of 2018 whichever league they end up in at the end of 2017.

What's the winding up petition for pal & how much for?

No idea mate, just saw it referenced on another site and followed the link to the standard gazette notice;

[urlhttps://m.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2850481[/url

My guess would be that its probably a relatively small amount of HMRC debt that has accumulated since they cleared the last winding up petition a few weeks back? pure guess work mind. I think they got a loan from the council to pay the last bit of the last debt and I seem to remember them needing something in the order of 35K in four weeks or so last time? The fans did some great fundraising/crowdfunding - hope they can get over this one too.

Poor gits. Been there done that.