I hear it's not set in stone yet that we are relegated, that's from a bulls player

I would say to him don't get your hopes up.

Well the conspiracy theories are out that the RFL are trying to save Catalans through the referees. Although i've just seen a still of a spear tackle The Catalans were involved in and i've every sympathy with Fax's frustrations. Remember Johnny Campbells red for going slightly over horizontal. Well if you see the still of Catalans spear (which you won't be surprised didn't get a red) you can see why fans get so frustrated. If Campbell got 2 for his then Bird should be minimum of 5. I very much doubt the RFL will ban their best player for the remainder of the season. They really don't help repel the conspiracy theorists sometimes.

I agree. Still a hybrid squad even if they stay up for whatever reason the RFL might come up with

I think you already know my views on what was done to us this year, as I've said it often enough, I guess and now we're finally where we should have been at the start of the season so no, I don't think that is fair - it's been gerrymandered, imo.

In truth, I'm at the stage where I'm not even sure I'm too fussed about what league we're in next year; if they decide to leave us up, that is what they'll do and nothing we (or flatcappers the world over) can say or do that will change it. Truth is though, we've been relegated now according to their rules so should go down, two wrongs wouldn't make a right, much as there might be some sort of justice in it.

From a practical point of view I wonder if we're in any position to stay up anyway? We've been told we're down and have already done planning on that assumption so we'd be the one (again) not in any kind of position to play at the higher level. We've already lost fans - are we sure they're coming back if we're reprieved? cos, if not, there's a gaping hole in our finances in putting a team together. If, as we've been told, we're wait for licensing to come back and get back via our academy then so be it, however long it takes, qué sea sera and all that.

It's ridiculous that we are even having a conversation about this! Is there another sport on the planet where a team finishes bottom of the table in a league where the rules say the bottom two teams are relegated, and then there is some sort of ongoing question about whether that team will be relegated? It's absurd..

I definitely don't want the rules to be changed to keep us up. That's mainly because we started the season knowing the rules, and those rules should be applied.

But there is now another reason, and that's to do with preparation for 2018. It is clear that we are going to start 2018 with a squad that - best case scenario - is going to be competitive in League 1. There is no reasonable chance that we could put together a competitive squad for a Championship that will contain the likes of Hull KR (Or Leigh or Widnes, whichever..) along with London, Halifax, Fev, Toulouse, Toronto etc. Does anyone really want to spend 2018 in a desperate bid to avoid relegation? Because that's where we'd be.

Basically it would be another season of getting battered by the good teams, and then grubbing around with Oldham, Swinton and Dewsbury to avoid the bottom two places (and quite possibly getting relegated anyway at the end of 201icon_cool.gif - and getting hated on by the fans of all the other teams for the 'special treatment' we'd been given...

No thanks

Summed up well Paul, I agree 100%. Leave us out of it, we've suffered enough.

Surely suffering would be being relegated and it would be lesser of a sufferance to be kept up - forget the morality side etc.... yes we should be/should have been relegated - what happens if we stay up? surely as a business that is better for the Bulls than going down? more fans, bigger revenue, hybrid squad - more time etc....
stuff the fax and Keefly fans (sorry nowt personnel) they can crow all they want, at the end of the day this decision will be made by the RFL and the club Chairmens not the Bulls nor the Bulls fans.

Anyone fancy a cheeky fiver on the Bulls being in the second tier next year?

The only quibble I have with this is that when we started the season, the rules were very specific that a new club starts in League 1. The RFL (using their special Clause 11.17

which states they can do whatever they want) overruled the rules.

So I can't speak for everyone else, but I started the season knowing that the rules are flexible and mean whatever the RFL wants them to mean at the time they look at it.

I don't think it is absurd, it's just the RFL...

PS, to stop people looking, I made up clause 11.17
I assume there is one there somewhere in their constitution, based on the RFL's actions though

I wouldn't count on that...

There is and it's Rule 1 "The RFL can do what they want irrespective of the following suggestions of appropriate rules"

I think its very clear that Chalmers and Lowe bought the club on the stipulation that we would start in the Championship on -12 points. If they weren't willing to accept that proviso then they didn't have the buy the club (and, yes, that would probably have meant no club, but still....)

Really?

More fans? So we'd get more fans watching us get steamrollered by Swinton or Batley than if we were having a successful season in League 1 challenging for promotion? I'm not so sure...

Bigger Revenue? Unless the RFL have a magic money tree somewhere then we're getting £75K central funding next season whichever league we are in - because keeping us in the Champ won't suddenly make more central funding appear (unless the other clubs are willing to accept less, and that ain't happening)

Hybrid Squad? Well, we are getting a hybrid squad next season whatever. And with there's no reason to think that anyone that we could attract on our extremely limited budget is going to be able to be choosy enough to turn down top end of League 1 in favour of bottom end of Championship.

Just reporting what the business fiscal study had found, so all relevant mate.

That's correct "thepimp007" no bias and once again thanks for listening. It's the club's radio station and is there to provide a service. We had people listening in 33 different countries yesterday

The RFL told all 12 Championship clubs at the meeting in July that it would not be put to a vote and that they would make the decision.

Three weeks until the end of the season and we don't know what division we're going to be in or with which teams and under which fixture structure.

Frustrating.

We do know what division we're in. We've been relegated. We're in Championship 1. Stop giving fans false hope just to feed your own bloody craving for attention.

It's not Mick making this up. Yes as things stand right now the Bulls are down, but the RFL are coming under a bit of pressure from other championship clubs to keep them up. If nothing gets changed then yes the Bulls are down. As already been stated, does anybody believe the RFL are not capable of changing things within the next couple of month

Which is not surprising in the slightest given the level of away support that will possibly not come, with likes of Toronto, Tolouse, possibly Catalans, and If any of the cumbrian teams come up which is likely. As much as its pressure from other chairmen too we will still be seen as being helped by the RFL by other fans when its those running their clubs wanting it

I struggle to see how the RFL would spin keeping us up. If they did a decision needs to be made asap because the longer they leave it the harder it is to recruit and we would go into next season ill equipped because we'd missed the recruitment boat. I'm not signing up for another season as cannon fodder so as to save the blushes of other clubs.

You really shouldn't reply to the troll Chris. What I said on the radio on Sunday was correct in that the Championship clubs are wanting to hand a reprieve to the Bradford Bulls.

Restructuring is definitely happening.

The RFL met with all the League One clubs yesterday.

It's like a very bad soap opera.

Agree with that really, The RFL haven't done us any favours, apart from the rent deal maybe, but they've done all their shenanigans for their own benefit.

That said, I'm not totally certain that we couldn't have a reasonable season if we were saved from relegation. The biggest negative would be that, being led to believe we're relegated, we've downsized (maybe downqualitied would be a better word, if it really is a word...) our squad AND lost a whole terraceful of fans. Getting over those setbacks would be the biggest difficulty. All be it a little late in the day, being in div 2 as against div 3 does have a tad more allure to it when it comes to recruitment and it's not impossible that [isome[/i of the lost sheep might also return. I confess the recruitment side would definitely be my biggest worry. Given the fact that with all our travails this season, bar for the -12 start, we'd be lower mid table, then I don't think its too much to believe that, from a zero start, we'd have a chance of putting in a decent season, playing wise - assuming we get a squad of our own and aren't depending on loans and DRs, that is. I don't think there is any reason to just assume we'd be relegated next time round.

As to the returning fans, much would depend on how we start the season, just as it does when we go down, imo. Given a fair start they'll rise; if we're rubbish they won't. Simple as.