Tweet from Gary Carter

"I’m told no player or member of staff at Widnes will be paid tomorrow after the collapse of a takeover bid. If investment is not secured by Feb 25, the club risks falling into administration. Club will meet players and staff tomorrow."

Isn't sounding or looking good. Hope they get through it.

Now confirmed by Widnes staff won't be paid tomorrow.


Widnes Vikings would like to update members, supporters and partners on the club’s current financial situation.

Widnes Vikings have been facing a significant cash-flow gap, which must be resolved in the coming days.

Throughout the past three months, Widnes Vikings’ Board of Directors and senior staff members have made extensive efforts to engage business leaders and individuals to secure investment to stabilise the club and overcome the potential threat of administration. This has included the Board writing off more than £370,000 worth of loans that they had provided to the club throughout their tenure.

It had appeared likely that a consortium of investors would take ownership of the club today, providing the necessary investment to secure the club’s future stability. However, at a late stage, a key member of this consortium have withdrawn from this process. As a result, the club has, as yet, failed to secure the necessary investment and is unable to make its payroll commitments for all employees tomorrow.

Efforts to secure investment remain ongoing and we will continue to pursue all available avenues. The club continues to invite other expressions of interest from individuals or groups that may wish to support Widnes Vikings at this time.

The club is taking advice in response to this matter. Widnes Vikings continue to trade and, at this stage, our scheduled fixture against sheffield will go ahead

Thought they got a parachute payment on relegation?

Feel for the Widnes fans, players and staff. Hopefully they can avoid administration.

Makes you wonder where the parachute payment went with problems this early on in the season.

Just wondered if the £370k write off of debt was done using the parachute payment?

It mentions that they are taking advice. I hope for their sake it's not from the RFL.
Hope it works our for them because if I remember correctly they were one of the few sides that really helped us out when we were in trouble.

Was there a parachute payment? I seem to remember it isn't guaranteed and has to be voted on by the remaining 11 as it comes out of their central funds?

Definitely, thought O'Conner gave us 10k

Yes he did give £10,000 I remember

Jeez, they won't want it back now will they?

Maybe we could give them £10k of those Lightbox '[urlhttp://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/article/50770/bradford-bulls-lightbox[/url' things in lieu of payment?

Depends on your valuation of the lightbox. Do you count them as the price you have to pay to buy one, or the price that you believe they're actually worth? If it's the latter, you're gonna need a bloody lot of them to pay off 10k.

Didn't Widnes let us keep all of the money from tickets we sold for a game at their place?

I'm pretty sure that happened in the Peter Hood era meltdown. Can't remember if that [iwas [/ithe £10K or whether the £10K was given by Steve O'Connor in addition?

I certainly remember something along those lines Paul.

This is happening far too often. If clubs, including ours, are going to continue to demonstrate that they are incapable of managing their finances then I think the rfl need to demand full access to the books of all clubs so that they can block player signings and contract extensions if a club is piling up debts to other parties.
I'll be amazed if someone comes in and agrees to pay off all the money the club owes its creditors - who in their right mind would agree to just throw money away like that?

I hope Widnes can get it sorted quickly. I don’t think any genuine RL fan would want them to go through a patch like we did a few years ago.

It’s a sad inditement of RL at the moment unfortunately. Relegation shouldn’t be seen as a death sentence to a club but it’s showing to be just that time and time again.

We need a better system in place to allow relegation to be a negative but allow the team to rebuild and challenge again along with other promising teams going for promotion.

The game as a whole needs to attract more money.

Sounding like their game against Sheffield has been called off. Bringing up painful memories for us.

One of those memories, and history repeating itself, is Mick tweeting info he has no idea is true or not (he's just tweeted Widnes have gone into admin) didn't learn from his tweeting during our admin.

Widnes fans on Trust In Widnes are saying administrator appointed due to be announced shortly, game called off due to insurance issues for players. Also mentioned players told to find new clubs.

www.totalrl.com/widnes-game-with ... alled-off/ Poor buggers.

www.totalrl.com/widnes-game-with ... alled-off/ Poor buggers.

This is pretty much a carbon copy of what we went through a couple of years ago.

Yeah depressingly familiar.

Don't disagree with this (in principle) but the real problem lies before we get here...

Marc Green
James Rule
Austria Holdings

All passed the "fit & proper person" criteria (if there is actually any documented process that is)

Lets be realistic, if the RFL are capable of these decisions - there seems little point in assuming they have the ability or will to ensure proper standards are met once the "fit & proper person" has his mitts on the club

Marc Green you could maybe given benefit of the doubt passing but Rule had a 9 month suspension from his time at Hull. No excuse.

The Fit and Proper/Influential Person criteria can only apply as to whether or not there are previous problems.The RFL do not possess crystal balls to foresee how the individuals will conduct themselves in the future.

Green may not have misbehaved previously.
Rule had his problem when he attempted to hoodwink the UK Anti-Doping while at Hull - so NOT financial issues.
The one at Keighley seems strange,but if the company was in different names to the individual who took control - that MAY
explain it.

Until some action is taken against those who cause so much heartache to coaches,players and fans,it seems it will continue.

So sorry for the Widnes supporters and club, just hope they can get themselves sorted out now.