"A decision is then expected within two weeks."

Awesome. Two weeks of prep for a season nobody really wants then.

Sounds like a solid basis for everyone to move forward.

I blame poor people for being poor, beggars for being beggars, losers for being losers.

They are the overspending authors of their own impoverishment and ultimate fate.

I can't believe the RFL are going through this charade for a team to play in 2017. Crackers.

Agreed.

Current timetable set forth by RFL is a decision on owner of new club two weeks on Monday, which is the 23rd January.

How long does that give the new owners to get a team together for start of new season?

The whole idea is insane.

I appreciate that in the context of what has happened to Bradford this may be seen as a small issue, but how are Hull KR supposed to market, promote and sell a game that may not even happen?

Lucky dip?

Pretty sure they've lined something up, behind the scenes, and they're working out how best to spin it. That's why they didn't just let Haven take the spot.

There's a part of me wonders if it's pre existing travel arrangements for the Toronto games that means it has to be Bradford. Maybe it's not that a team can't come up but that Bradford can't go down without confirmation of availability on given weekends, and that can't happen until they know where they're playing.

Maybe. Speculating wildly. Nothing else makes sense. Not even this, really.

RFL confirmed at a meeting with the scholars and academy lads yesterday that part of the criteria for selecting any bid would be maintaining the academy structure.

So if RFL are looking for a new owner to maintain the academy, stay full time, stay at Odsal paying a commercial rent, honour previously purchased season tickets, build the new club in four weeks all on 150k...


...can any of the geniuses on here or anywhere else explain to me how it's possible to "cut your cloth accordingly"?

It's doomed to fail from the start. RFL and the other clubs are just going to have to cut their cloth and do without Blackpool and lose 2 regular season matches each home and away. Otherwise they'll just reap what the sow and end back here again.

I've applied for my season ticket money back from the credit card company and I'm not sure I can sit through a side completely hamstrung being thumped every week until that's liquidated too.

A new club starting at the bottom, set up properly and having gone through the proper process of applying for a place would be a different proposition. I'd rather support a part time side in the bottom division that's got a chance of stability. In my opinion of course.

London went through this nonsense in SL and ended up getting relegated due to a lack of pre season. Had some good players too, Solomona, Vea, plus many others making a fist of it in SL today.

The Bulls should drop out of RL, reform and apply to come back in 18.

No one says you have to be full time. Not every team in Championship is full time IIRC.
And although your point is perfectly valid and highlights the issue the RFL need to help with, the objective is to get more than £150k. If there are no investors in the club and no gate money through the year to add to the £150k there is no point starting the season at all. It is just not a viable business.

The players are leaving at speed now. 4 in 24 hours

I'd imagine that's more of a RFL wish than a have to list. It stands to reason that the more someone can offer the more favourably their bid will be judged.

Indeed they are. Also likely to be announced - Clare to Leigh, O'Brien to Hull FC, Sidlow to Toronto/Hull KR.

Not much left to form a team for the season opener in a couple of weeks time. Makes you wonder if the best option would be to have a year off and reform in 2018 without the 12 point penalty. All I can see if the RFL's plan comes to fruition is an even slower death. Bulls might as well take their medicine now and build for the season after this one IMO.

To be fair, they are not leaving, they have all been made redundant so have already left.
It should be seen as good news that these guys are getting contracts to cover them through next year.

It is seen as good news PT - for the ex-players. But it is bad news for any future owner and the fans who were hoping most would be taken on under a possible new regime. Rohan Smith won't be too happy about it either.

You can be certain that if my job was stopped because the company I worked for went into liquidation there wouldn't be a cat in hell's chance that i would wait around (unemployed) for a potential new owner to come along who may or may not have enough capital to offer me a contract which suited. I'd be off like a shot and I'm 100% certain that faced with that situation any one of us would do the exact same thing.

The fans have to accept that they don't have a club, and that any club which is formed isn't going to be able to be like the old one. They won't be able to have 50 players on the books as the money and players simply won't be there.

Nobody is saying the ex-players are doing anything wrong. We are taking about what is perceived as good news to some might not be so good to other parties.

I know this will appear as stirring the pot but, does anyone know the details of the offer that was rejected by the Administrator.
To the man on the street, surely, this offer, however poor, would have allowed a Bradford team to be "ready to play".
The liquidation appears to make the situation (regarding having a club in Bradford) much less of a certainty and with the new season almost upon us, is there a plan to start with one less club.

No, and we likely will not ever.

Things seemingly afoot today though.

The administrator has to act to the benefit of the creditors and it was his view that liquidation benefited the creditors more than the offer on the table to buy the club. How I don't know but that is it. Also I reckon Leons FB invite to the club for the remaining players to meet the new owner, missed out the word 'potential'.

Indeed. Nobody's bought anything yet.

Derek Richardson's name has been banded about all afternoon and, now post player meeting, all the more.

Looks true and looks to be leaked by a player to his father, who had been posting on your board, Leon Pryce not happy, reckon there is a worried Bradford player right now, I hope this won't jeopardise any deal in place. Good luck.

Well it's a known name on a public website. It has kinda been put in the public domain.

That was made known by me, not whoever is behind that account. I'm putting my hand up now. If it fails because they admitted it in a public way and need someone to blame come to me and not whoever that kid is. I was on the Companies House website looking for some other Bulls related fact and ran right into it.

www.loverugbyleague.com/news_245 ... ocess.html The RFL has explained the process to seek expressions of interest to set up a new professional club in Bradford...

www.loverugbyleague.com/news_245 ... ocess.html The RFL has explained the process to seek expressions of interest to set up a new professional club in Bradford...