Indeed, the club, players and fans need to stick together through tough times, and hopefully Purtell can carry on with our support. Platt was in the paper only today talking about being hopeful of developing a partnership with Purtell when/if he gets back on the pitch.

I can see Sammut going, I'd hope to keep Lulia and Nas (if we're still in SL), but I wouldn't be surprised to see any overseas player released or sold.

I'd prioritise the youngsters we want to keep in the U18's and U20's and the first team squad first...thats the future of the club, not Sammut as much as I like him as a player.

given Gale stays and at SHalf, have we an u20/18s player that is an elusive runner that could partner Gale at SO?

Liam Darville in the U18's was looking first class at SO, and is one for the future, but I lost touch with his progress once they stopped sending me the DVD's to edit for Bullbuilder so I have no idea how he's gone since midseason or if he's ready to step up. I suggest its too soon but he's one for the future and would be one of the players I'd be looking to secure if I was the new owner.

Does anyone know how Cain Southenwood has been going in the 2nd half of the season? He's 20 now (I think)so the time and circumstance might be right for cain to get a shot at a first team spot?

I concur with Duckman: Darville has been class all year for the 18s, however he's about 2 stone away from first grade.

Think comment from those who watch that level regularly is that he doesnt look like stepping up. Hasn't Bateman played standoff in the past?. Could that be a stop gap measure for next year?. Then move him back into loose/2nd row following year and sign a S/O or promote darville if ready.

That's a shame about Cain if true, I always thought there was potential there. I guess Bateman and a couple others could step into 6, but I think if we are in sl and short of a 6 I'd try and secure an actual 6 at the expense of other signings, even if it's via a loan rather than trying to make do.

What about that Curtisd into first grade squad and BK to 6? Or Platt to 1 and BK to 6? Might be best we can do.

Or Kear to FB seem to recall that is his preferred position

Problem is we're also likely to be looking for a 7 (assuming hudds fans were accurate about signing both koppy and gale)and at least 2 props. 6 is a position we can fill from within squad so 7 and props are priorities for me as we cant shuffle round to cover those positions.

Omar Khan said in France to supporters that when our league status is sorted we will be running at full salary cap level for either competion.

having full salary cap available isnt going to help us if there's no one left worth signing by time RFL finally get round to deciding on which league we're competing in. Next years signings could end up being similar to 2011's i.e. stop gaps for a year.

There will always be people to sign, may be bottom of barrel but still.

Holdsworth would have been a good signing but Hull snapped him up, how can they still be under the cap haven't really read about any players being released as of yet

Galea come out of retirement, we'll need somebody like him.

and would be someone with a bit of experience to help the young ones out.

Really? They lost McKinnon half way through this season who was one of their biggest earners. Manu and Turner are going to Saints, Sam Moa is off back to Aus and it looks like O Meley will be leaving too with Wakey being his most likely destination.

Additionally, we could not have signed Holdsworth as he is an overseas player and our 5 spots are already taken.

If Omar's statement has merit then this is the most significant announcement for months.
It assures us that funds will be in place to spend to the cap despite possible restrictions on contributions from central funding (including SKY money)
What players are available & who we sign is for others to decide - at least we now seem to have the money to start the rebuilding process in earnest.;

Out -

McKinnon
O'Carrol
Manu
Ellis
Moa
O'Meley
Sharpe
Martin
Turner
Lyne

And possibly Aspinwall and Mcgoldrick also going.

So how are we over the cap?? Only confirmed signings are Ellis, Arrundle and Holdsworth.. And we brought Pitts and Watts in early.

The income is still the biggest variable, how many fans turn up and how much they're prepared to pay. Omar may be prepared to spend the cap but if his assumptions on gate receipts prove to be over optimistic he'll need to find the money to make up the difference. Its still the same problem Hood had.

I retract my statement

.

I didn't think there where that many leaving hull, I knew about moa, but that is a large chunk of players going, then again similar to bradford these past season

But their shouldn't be as many outgoing costs now either.

A valid point as far it goes (and I agree) but we are talking about a single source of income here.
It matters not a whit that we can't see at this time the overall income streams that Omar might have in mind to ensure that we can pay salaries up to the SL Cap.
That he says he can is a huge step forward.

The model for Odsal and the Bulls needs a radical change towards commercial sustainability, something which both Caisley and Hood fell lamentably short.

We've heard plenty of comments in the past about paying up to the cap, which I've always taken with a sackful of salt.

I just can't see how anyone could predict next season's gate receipts and season ticket income within a margin of error of at least £300k. Without a major market research exercise, which would be costly and time consuming, it's anyone's guess what the optimum pricing structure will be, how big a price increase the fans will tolerate.

We don't know how much cash Omar has in reserve or could call on if the club's income falls short of his forecasts.We do know that he isnt Roman Abramovich. We also know that he has plans to expand the commercial side, but those plans will not work overnight.

It would be entirely understandable if he maintained some flexibilty over the players salary budget, at least until he's seen how season ticket sales go. Perhaps foolhardy if he didnt.

I do agree with what you say, though I feel that, perhaps, it would be even more foolhardy to go into a season ticket sales period [isaying[/i that you don't intend to be competitive?

We definitely need to retain as many of our currently contracted players as possible and recruit more to cover the losses if we are to be truly 'competitive', but this will be very difficult given that, even if we get an immediate go-ahead for SL, the available players will have been picked over. They have already, in fact. Truth is we are unlikely to have a team as good as this season's has been and the longer it takes the RFL to get their back-ends in gear the harder it is going to be, but these are not the sort of things the wavering fans are going to want to hear - as I'm certain OK will know already.

The situation is ridiculous at the moment; the RFL are getting brickbats for 'overhelping' us whilst, in fact, they are currently strangling the club with indecision before it is re-born.

Shooting the admiral was not indecision...

...and not just messing us around, what about Championship clubs who are being told apparently to get ready for SL? Time for the RFL to get a bloody move on and clarify what's happening next year and subsequent seasons. The longer they leave it the less integrity the league will have.