You can't help but laugh at the idea that when they have to open more turnstiles, the "extra" operators for those turnstiles apparently don't have the ability to count.

I appreciate the automated counting may not work on those turnstiles, but are they really saying that those people couldn't have a clicker? Or even a pen and a pad to run a tally chart?

Honestly, who cares anymore. If they under-declared then so what? I'd rather the extra money was in Batley's pockets than the Revenue's.

Had they deliberately under-declared in order to avoid paying tax that'd be illegal. The Revenue collects money on our behalf to pay for public services for us all. If everyone evaded tax we'd end up like Greece. While I think money spent on Batley RLFC is a better idea than some things Government decides to spend money on I'd clubs played it by the book as I'm sure Batley did in this case.

Maybe if you add the 2 figures together you would get the true attendance.

Me too.

When the attendance was announced at the game it made us laugh - its common knowledge within the game that figures are "manipulated" but that was just ridiculous

I'm well aware of all of that. But let's put this in context please - we're on about Batley saving themselves a few grand on a decent gate. It's not exactly billions of pounds and it certainly isn't going to bankrupt the country.
And anyway, both you and I know this thread hasn't reached four pages because people are worried about tax evasion. Chissitt hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the egos of some Bulls supporters - they want the gate to be bigger so that they can feel better about themselves providing these heartland clubs with attendances they haven't seen the likes of in decades.

And while we are on that subject - its high time the "We're going up" song was canned until the day we are...

Sing all sorts but nothing to be rammed down the throat should we fail.

offical figure has been adjusted to 3019 due to some turnstiles not working ????

Yes, the new lyrics should be

"[i[size=85Bradford may, with all due respect to all other clubs, whom we do not in the slightest intend to disrespect by singing this song, be going up at the end of the season, but only if all goes well, and we are taking nothing for granted, oh no

"We may, with all due respect to all other clubs, whom we do not in the slightest intend to disrespect by singing this song, be going up at the end of the season, but only if all goes well, and we are taking nothing for granted, oh no

"Bradford may, with all due respect to all other clubs, whom we do not in the slightest intend to disrespect by singing this song, be going up at the end of the season, but only if all goes well, and we are taking nothing for granted, oh no[/size[/i"

I haven't yet quite managed to fit the words of my uncontroversial and respectful version into the tune, but I'm working on it.

I can only speak for myself, and wouldn't normally post on a "crowd was fiddled" thread, as in most cases it's nonsense; but the reason I posted on this thread was simply because (for once) it was definitely and certainly apparent that the attendance given was nonsense. Which they subsequently admitted it was!

If people were gratified to think a Bulls visit swells the coffers of heartland clubs, that's a nice thing, isn't it? Where does "ego" come into it? Bit weird.

To be fair when I handed over my £40 for the wife and I, it took the turnstile operator quite a while to work out much change I was due.

I think it's great Bradford have a good away following and I think most Championship clubs fans feel the same way without reservation.

Agreed - hate it. Think some of the fans would have learned after chanting "Easy, Easy" at Leigh after 15 minutes...

In fact, there are some bizarre chants in general going on at away games - one at the Fev game (admittedly a very VERY small minority) chanting that all their fans were inbread or somesuch. Can't remember the exact content but it did seem a bit vile and unwarranted. I know we've never been a particularly big chanting following, and I certainly don't mind it or the good natured banter in general, but there seems to be a bit of undercurrent of unnecessary aggression with some fans. Again a minority, but I'm sure we never used to routinely boo the opposition onto the pitch - very noticeable at Leigh, and also happened in smaller numbers at Fev and Batley.

Ive been to all the away games and havent heard any "aggressive chanting" or booing of the opposition as they enter the field :s

The games have all been an excellent, and good naturered atmosphere.

Like I said, it's a small minority (Including the booing, but I noticed it most at the leigh game) - but just because you didn't hear it doesn't mean it didn't happen. I'm not saying it's a big problem, I just seem to have noticed it more recently.

Precisely the same with my postings. I was simply remarking on what seemed an oddly wrong figure. No agenda, no ego, to be honest, I wasn't actually that bothered, I found it more funny than anything.

I couldn't give a flying one about us taking more fans than others and all that. But if people like Chissitt and Nothus want to suggest that's the reason I comment, that's up to them to continue being completely and totally wrong.

I could not get to our game at Widnes in time and using the back roads' it's less than 15 mins for me to get to Fev, so I went to see our DR players and Walshaw and Siejka play, the one thing that impressed me although I was not surprised was the huge following you took, it made Leigh's following last Sunday shabby by comparison.
Because you have kept a large fan base coupled to your success this season it can only get better, and no doubt you will incur this problem over attendances' most weeks, surely you would be better off talking about the team's success than how many fans you take with you, after all you don't want to be labelled the new KR fans do you

I don't really see what you are trying to do here matey. You're coming onto a thread titled "Attandance at Batley" (sic.) stating that instead of talking about the attendance at Batley, as it (in your eyes) makes us look like egotists, we should instead talk about our teams success instead. Like on the other threads upon which people talk about the current success of the Bulls side.

Sorry, but what did you expect back from Leigh..Maybe a Nursery Rhyme.



You're still stuck in SL world..

So you have never booed at a Rugby match..

Whats the world coming too..

Goodness me, what next? Should we be apologising to other teams if we beat them by more than two scores?
I too have been to all games and friendlies and I have to say that the atmosphere, especially at the away games, have been excellent and good natured. I think the chants you refer to are "you're all one family" which at Batley turned to "We're all one family"...shocking, vile? Please lets not have to sanitise too much for the sake of political correctness.

ps. Did you hear the applause given to the Batley team on their exit from the field by the Bulls fans? (very well deserved too!)

He'll not get that either.

Yep, heard the applause, proud of it.

A couple of people seem to think I've said that absolutely every interaction between all fans at away games has sickened me to my core, when I've made it clear it's a minority and it doesn't offend me, it just makes me think that surely we're better than that. So for the record, yes the majority of banter is good natured as it always has been, and I'm not saying that anyone has been shockingly badly behaved or the absurd idea we should be apologising to teams. I didn't realise I had to write a dissertation on how amazing our fans are to be able to raise a minor criticism, I thought I'd take it as read.

As you'll have read in my original post I'm all for a bit of chanting and banter. Maybe I overstated my case a little, but you'll forgive me if I don't see the wit in implying the opposition fans are inbred, especially as it seemed off the back of absolutely no provocation. Didn't hear it flipped around at Batley, but I'm hardly a fan of that either. My point is, there are surely better things to chant than that? Apparently not.

Notice to certain Leigh fans - we aren't constantly talking about Leigh despite what you might think