I'm not sure how big a loss it would really be for Super League to be honest. Leeds have their traditional rivalry with a resurgent Castleford as an alternative big derby fixture. I was reading a thread on the Rhinos board and someone made a great point that apart from the first decade of Super League Bradford have never really been a big, dominant team. I don't really see many fans of other clubs lamenting our demise, they're too concerned with the here and now of their teams. The Bulls have had their day, we enjoyed it but it couldn't be continued and built upon long term. So we go down and either go bust or start a new chapter amongst the sport's also-rans playing at somewhere like Horsfall.

you wont be going there because there will be no team in Cumbria in the league but there will be teams like Keighley and Halifax will love seeing you at there place.

The point about us would have been a more reasonable one if Leeds had themselves been any sort of 'big dominant team' beyond the early 70s, but they haven't until quite recently - indeed, I'm sure we actually have the better record of the two for the years in question.

Not that it matters a jot for the future of course, Leeds can go to Cas as their big derby - as long as [ithey[/i remain in SL, but they, of course, have been as up and down as most. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter at all which teams form SL, the league will sail quite serenely on without us, with whichever clubs are involved in it, just as it did during the time Wigan were in division 2.

The Club has only existed with the Bulls name for the duration of SuperLeague and for most of that League's history have been a " dominant side". As Northern the immediate post war period into the 50's was a time of success.
The recent posts from discerning fans of Leeds, Wire, Wigan , Cas Widnes both Hull clubs Salford and Saints may not represent a majority view of their fans but I suspect that many RL supporters would agree that SL representation of one of the big cities on the M62 corridor is desirable. Certainly Hetherington and McManus went public with that view during the last mess.

C'mon the bulls

'A resurgent Castleford'? They've won 8 games.

Even with a really good team to support 50% of the Super league couldn't sell out a semi or final ticket allocation. Super League needs big clubs and as Hetherington said recently, most of the clubs in SL can never be as big as Bradford.

As a Cas fan, been their twice worn the tee-shirt,have faith thats what true fans do,keep going to the games it may take a couple of years but you will ride high again, the first time we were down i was at the game against Wakefield that saw us go down, all of the Cas fans gave the team a standing ovation as they left the field,thats what true fans do thick and thin they stand by their team until the good times roll again.

As a Cas fan, been their twice worn the tee-shirt,have faith thats what true fans do,keep going to the games it may take a couple of years but you will ride high again, the first time we were down i was at the game against Wakefield that saw us go down, all of the Cas fans gave the team a standing ovation as they left the field,thats what true fans do thick and thin they stand by their team until the good times roll again.

good luck to the team and fans,

IA with this. IF you do go down it's not the end of a club - SL-level clubs can always bounce back. Cas have been relegated twice in the past 10 years and it's not ideal but you deal with it if it comes to it.

Good luck Bradford! Rooting for you

Bit different when it's a fair one up one down relegation system though isn't it?

How are championship sides expected to compete in a mini league with Super League sides with about half a million quid in salary cap budget?

Gives us Fax fans loads of pleasure as they rubbed our noses in it when we went down in 2003 and before when they were at the top of SL, oh how the mighty have fallen.
I must say I would not want to see no Bulls but when they were successful the Bulls blatantly poached fans from Calderdale and around Halifax with cheap and often free tickets, they did the same to Keighley and stole support from these areas to try get us out of their way to grow the Bulls brand at our expense.
This extended and still does to young players, they poach players from Halifax as Bradford is not as strong a RL area.
So take the medicine Bulls fans as you lived on money that you never had and are now paying the price, you will bounce back from this one day though but it will take time.

Oh my god,what a nob head

The thing I'm looking forward to next season is becoming a complete hate-filled whingebag and going on other club's messageboards when they start doing badly to show how much of a chip I have on my shoulder.

What an attitude, how can anyone who calls themselves fans of the game delight in the demise of a fellow RL club?
And all we have is your hearsay that the Bulls fans had that same viewpoint at the demise of the Blue Sox (bet you thank big Nige for that name every day).

Incidently we signed one of your players, not sure of his name but he was not a bad Player, Royston I think.
Pot calling kettle black come to mind?

for example were'nt your team shut out of the Shay on a training day recently..something about unpaid rent to Calderdale council. £66,000 wasn't it, and similar unpaid amounts before that?

And do you remember the Cup game where your club charged Bulls fans more than your supporters paid?
Very sporting that was?

Do you remember how big your crowds were at the time just before your financial meltdown in 2002/3. Could they match 13,500 (as it was at Valley Parade, which is not exactly near Calderdale, is it. Therefore having very little affect on your crowd figures)
Nevertheless thank you for your support, you ever so sad bitter person!

Sad.

Fax bitters like this make me wonder why I chucked money in the buckets at the shay to keep them afloat.

Then I remember there are decent Fax fans unlike this idiot, shame the numbskulls like this make all the noise.

And none of your fans told us how cr*p we were and rubbed our noses in it in 2003?
pan kettle black to you too, no did I say we want you to go under - no. I want you to survive my point is you did a Leeds United and lived the dream when you could not afford it and as for your support impressive as it was many were free loaders and that is why you are now in trouble, half price season tickets is unsustainable.
Good luck.

I don't understand these posts from Halifax fans. Are they written in a strange dialect?

Stealing fans?? RL clubs are businesses, fans are the bread and butter - locality has nothing to do with it, these fans you say left fax and Cougars obviously moved because the product on offer was better and the price more appealing.

Its a competitive world, dog eat dog or in this case Bull eats Cougar/Blue Sox - its a shame for Fax/Keefly that mr Deakin landed on the Bulls doorstep because he was the master of marketing etc...

If you were a 14 year old - which club would you go to improve your chances of playing SL? Fax in the champs as part timers or a SL club with full timers and playing against the cream of your age group? its a no brainer.

I hope we stay in SL and Fax make it up too - a proper local derby with plenty of bite

I hope I never get as sad as you, my friend, and thankfully you're not representative of the bulk of Fax fans.

As for 2003, well, if you think a few posts on message boards is somehow the undisputed 'view of Bulls' fans', then you are wrong. I, for one, have always enjoyed [well, mostly

my trips to both thrum Hall and the Shay with good times in the Pumproom [RIP and the three pigeons and if the worst comes to the worst I'll be there again next season.

If we are, you might want to have a few words with [iactual[/i Bulls' fans?

Love it. Appeals to my inner sense of spite and bile. I'm likely to give up being a mod so I can dedicate myself to mischief. I'll probably post under my other wooden stand account.

From reading all the posts what is really needed is a fair route back to the top for all teams licencing did not work fans love and hate the cut and thrust of relegation so do tv, so all clubs need a way back which is fair we have lost far too many RL fans to the game due to them seeing no way back into the top flight for there club, lets face it every club will have its ups and downs but long as you can see some light you will stick with it, cause its in your blood and like me most of you reading his will have been brought up with rugby league, where all just one family and we need to have a successful sport for us all to enjoy and our kids and grandkids best of luck Bulls stick together and you will have your day again and Halifax I hope to see you in super league in the future great club with great support and a great amateur set up supporting you. RL

' Welcomed with open arms ' No Keighley Cougar fan ever said .....

Playing hard to get...but I can see straight through ya...