Losing 500k p.a. is fekk all though, I mean sure it would do for me, but for an elite club, that sort of money is what you would be looking to your owner to make up. And don't forget there are ways to claw back some of that, and any such money lost is mostly tax deductible in one way or another. So yes you need to be reasonably well heeled but we certainly wouldn't need an Abramovich and 500k pa in the context of a top SL side is absolutely not a lot.

Also, a paper loss of 500k in the accounts of a big company i would take with at least half a sackful of salt. Any half decent firm of accountants could ask them whether they wanted to sow a loss of a million or a profit and present the books (legitimately within existing accounting rules) whichever way they wanted.

So I don't see the claimed loss, which might only be a few weeks salaries anyway, as relevant. It only becomes relevant when (like us, apparently) you do not have the owners well heeled enough to be able to have those sort of conversations.

Rolls-Royce reported a £4.6 BILLION loss a few months back. I don't recall them calling Pettit in. On a smaller scale, Pearson (the publishing group) reported a loss of £2.16 billion. This was enough for their CE John Fallon to merit a whopping 20% rise to pay of around £1.5m, including a £343,000 bonus. Looking at sports clubs, Vincent Tan's Cardiff lost £10m in 2014 (a great performance compared with losing £30m the previous season). I would imagine Tan's and Fallon's kids do all right for pocket money. I wonder if they'd like a rugby league club for Christmas?

Rise and shine - its cold out there - its cold out there every day

Well in the preview of the League Express, one of our most promising talents could be prised away. Doesn't say who, but presuming it will reveal the name in the full article.

Roche?

Was thinking more Ryan, Oakes or Bentley with them being described as "young talent"

Yeah probably..

What can we do we are $hit and are likely to be for the foreseeable

While we remain $hit with no chance of progression we are easy pickings
For the likes of shuddersfield.

If the future holds us not been $hit anymore maybe we stand a chance
On talent retention.

Anybody else ready to raise the white flag?

It's Bentley- they say several SL clubs are keen. I'd be surprised if they were not trying to recruit him
They also report that Sheffield have convened an independent tribunal in early June to hear the Chisholm case. The RFL confirm the Eagles still hold his registration and there's no mention of any RFL involvement in finding a solution.

Sheffield can keep him then. Good luck with getting him to play.

Sheffield can keep him but I am not bothered whether they can get him to play or not. At this stage it is hassle and cost we just can't afford. Just apologize, say we were led to believe he had been released and walk away.

Yes that's what I think too.

And whilst seeing both sides of signing him it is ironic people are complaining about lack of spend and apparent willingness to sign players that give us a chance of staying up

If we can keep Lilley then we don't need him at the moment. If we can get him for free, then yes absolutely but not if we have to spend loads to get him.

What's ironic is that we have got ourselves into a situation similar to the Iestyn Harris one that has done for the club.

I'm looking to be positive.

This is the first weekend for yonks that we haven't lost - is this the turn round, the new dawn, a period of renewed optimism? In the absence of of any contra indications I'm going for a resounding YES!

You cant be a Bulls fan - you've found a positive!!!

Stop it with that optimism stuff - it might wear off on to the rest of us

You've got to admire Bulls fans. We've generated 48 pages out of the fact that the owners haven't said anything.

Sometimes silences can be quite meaningful. I have always assumed that their remit is to see out the season and ensure that the fixtures are completed. I admit to being confused as to the requirement regarding the academy.

Maybe its just putting them in the shop-window for other clubs to sign when we collapse at the end of this season?

I think assuming that there is some sort of rationale behind events at the club is where we're going wrong.

The academy is interesting. We are the only club which had to have an academy as part of the winning bidders plan. Every other club it is optional. It costs between £150k (us, the lower end) and about £300k, Wigan, Leeds, the upper end of the scale.

We do have a top 8 graded academy though.

Which is pointless if we can't keep them.

We can only keep them if we can provide wages & a plan to get to SL. Which is obvious we don't have.

The other factor is that an academy & academy kids in the first team keeps the support happy for longer.

Coincidentally, grassroots & development are 2 (of many) factors in determining how much money the RFL got from Sport England this time round.

So, the cynic in me suggests that we are paying out £150k for an academy so that the RFL don't have to lose money from Sport England and to keep the fans onside for this year.

Or the conspiracy theory could deepen when the RFL come up with their new plan and Bradford is dragged into SL2 like dobbin to the knackers yard simply because it has an academy and the other dross at the bottom of the table didn't?

I'm a big supporter of the academy, the whole youth setup has been a beacon of professionalism at the club in spite of the various owners. Without it we'd have been history - look at the young players we've relied on to fulfil fixtures.

However a youth set up is just that. What it is not is a group of players that can be used as a first team squad.

I've been told (on twitter admittedly) that the RFL are paying for our academy this year.

I can't see any other clubs having an issue with this of course, especially our banjo-playing neighbours from over the hill.

Huddersfield certainly wouldn't complain, it'll be providing their next crop of first teamers.