And the really worrying thing about that statement is that (if my memory is correct) it was based on reports by the RFL's appointed auditors KPMG.......

lots of smoke, mirrors and cloaking devices being used by Bulls board members past and present (and maybe future!) - consider this statement to be the opening gambit in a game of poker where many players have yet to reveal their hands......



and for the bitter fax fan, take one of these twice a day for the foreseeable

im not bitter, Fax are not ready for SL YET. As apparantly our bid was speculative on the finance side



But what does irritate me and i would imagine alot of posters on here is, how can Bradford summit an application for a franchise to the RFL including all finances and then afew months later, (after it has been gone through with a fine tooth comb by 'experts')

and after they have been awarded a B grade licence, this come out??!!

Theres bitter and theres angry.

And i am angry at how our great sport has been systematically gambled with by our governing body for the last 10 years or so. From top to bottom the RFL need sorting.

Lets say admin happens, and Bradford loose their only assests, thier best few young players. They still have two years to fullfill on their licence.

With what team??!! they got battered 54-0 playing with a weakened team!

hardly an advert for RL is is?

if you think my posts are written from the stance of a bitter Fax fan you need to read them again.

I think they lied and deceived and have done for some time. Look at Melbourne, anything is easy to hide if you try hard enough. The books just do not add up, full stop.

It's being mentioned on the Bradford board that the club avoided paying VAT on season tickets because they had the viewpoint that by calling them "memberships" they weren't applicable for VAT. Apparently this has gone on for at least 2 years. Which might well explain a large black hole in the finances that is suddenly owed to HMRC.

So not lying and deceit so much as outright stupidity.

No , more a case of all 3 , lying and deceit , with stupidity thinking they wouldn't get caught , the same applies to the RFL , I'd ask KMPG for my money back for missing it

Bottom line is the whole game is in a mess , the governing body know it , but are trying to ignore it , hoping it will all sort itself out , it wont

I wasn't meaning there was no lying or deceit just that it was incredibly stupid for Bradford to think that way in the first place. At least Melbourne knew they were cheating and got away with it for a while. Bradford tried to cheat the taxman, were rubbish at it, and c0cked everything up in the process.


What do you think the governing body should do? Genuine question by the way, not having a go.

I really dont know any more , by ignoring the obvious they have dug themselves into a huge hole , personally I think they need a complete change of personell to attempt to gain any credibility whatsoever

The reality is that The Bulls will be in SL next season. They may look quite a bit different with possibly losing many players and have to suffer points reduction, but I'm sure the RFL would much prefer a little bad publicity in these difficult times, rather than major news of a club being kicked out.

The question, as has been raised earlier, is the complete mockery it makes of the franchise system. Yes, it's not just about the financies and the Bulls have always had a decent youth development culture, but in an era when clubs are seen as a business, and ESL wants them to be seen that way, it is just another massive nail in the coffin of the franchise system if they don't kick them out (and as I stated above, I firmly believe that they won't). That's a critisism of the Franchise system as a whole rather than the Bulls by the way. If you create rules, you need to stick to them or abandon them for everyone.

From a personal perspective, the Bulls fans just need to keep up their support. Having been a season pass holder at HKR during the wilderness years (all 10+ of them), it can get very bad, but almost purely through supporters, the club survived and are once again a force to be reckoned with (well, 50% of the time anyway). As for Wakey saying they suffered during their few weeks of administration, pah, you know nothing.

I think it's an impossible task in this recession and the reality is clubs will hit hardship. I've always said if your club cant afford to sit at the top table then move on down, no club should be breaking the bank and the RFLs credibility shouldn't hinge on whether sports teams spend within their means or not

You say that man but nowhere does it say that a club will be kicked out for going into administration.. it hinders your application greatly but in the same scenario Bradford as a club have quite a bit going for them. If they cant straighten things out then fair enough, they should drop but it's not in the rules that it must happen

Correct , the rules were in place , but the RFL have ignored them to save ' selective ' clubs , they lost all integrity when they did that , and people wonder why fans of lower tier clubs get fed up and walk away

It did until it was London , then the rules were changed , similarily with the salary cap fiasco

The RFL's credibilty hinges on how they deal with clubs that break the rules , either treat them all the same , or dont have rules

That was really my point. It's more about being rigid with the rules they created or changing/abandoning them. There is no way I can see Bulls being relegated because of this - they'll probably find a buyer anyway. That and to tell the Bulls fans not to lose heart.

Didn't Bramley go bust decades ago over a matter of about 20K? Unfortunately, they never really recovered so let's hope the Bulls don't follow that particular example! (Sorry any Bramley supporters out there

)

But it's not really up to the RFL, SL is owned by the current SL clubs and they have the vote on what happens or doesn't. London were saved by the vote of the SL clubs, Catalans were included by the vote of the SL clubs and so forth.
I dont think admin should automatically relegate you, I just dont place that much importance on it, chances are though, youre one of the weaker teams and failing in other areas.. it would be a shame but if I were a Bradford fan, i'd be worried in 18 months time.. but not particularly based on the finance problem

So what exactly is the point of having them ? , SL should just run as a completely seperate entity with its own rules and its own administration

I thought it already did, more or less ?

It does pretty much. I think the RFL act as a guidance tool rather than an out and out dictatorship

No , it wants the RFL to administrate it and set the rules for it , then it can ignore them to suit itself , hardly a good system

No it wasnt.

Again that’s just simply not true.

SL rules are voted on by the SL clubs.

more importantly, Bradford losing 4 points would, by default, put Leeds into the top 8 and therefore potentially save any threat to McDermott.

Why have them set rules that you agree to , then ignore ? , what is the point of that ? , absolute joke organisation , verging on corrupt

i'm sure SKY must have a big say as well ?