If I'm giving the RFL the benefit of the doubt (and they have NEVER demonstrated they deserve such a thing based on previous very very badly thought out 'business' deals under franchising) then you could say they have guarenteed Bradford Bulls will not go bust today (thus meaning the game doesn't look exceptionally bad to those who don't follow RL - instead we just look exceptionally bad to a lot that currently do !), if Bradford went under tonight then it would have caused a farce.
They now have until the end of the season before being thrown out (if it happens) to the Championship.

What it does do for any club with aspirations for SL is leaves them a legal route - you cannot have a governing body that pays the players of a club and owns the ground along with a seperate arm of that same governing body funding the club in a league and it be classed as impartial judging on rival clubs bids - it just doesn't happen in the real world when people have so much money tied up in a investment (Bradford Bulls is now a investment by intention or otherwise to the RFL, its part of that business's portfolio).

I wouldn't waste a single cent on putting a franchise bid together, If the RFL doesn't return RL to being a on field sport (ie : bring back promotion and relegation and stop this folly of yearly scandals under 'franchising') then I'd spend the money on lawyers instead !.
The RFU recently found out that you can blag the clubs but things are a little different when it comes to explaining what you did in a court of law.

Perhaps its time the Championship chairmens thoughts are heard as the Bradford scandal coupled with the proposals to Under 20's players and Championship clubs means the Championships clubs very futures are seriously under threat at this moment in time - that cannot be good for the game.

Its not the governing body thats bailing the club out its SLE LTD.

I am guessing that the RFL knew administration was coming and taking the lease kept it out of the hands of the adminstrator. There is something not quite legal about removing assets shortly before administration

Very cleverly worded the press release saying that all SL clubs owned Bradford.

So they all have an interest in a club they compete against.

Seems to be a conflict of interest there.

This is laughable' or would be if it happened in any other sport.

Is there a big difference ?
If it was masses of different people I'd agree but surely when it gets down to basic decisions its largely one and the same gave or take the odd thing.

I'd be amazed if someone as savvy as Maurice Watkins wasn't involved in today wearing his SLE cap, in fact one small glimmer of hope is that maybe with him on board he will start to look at the game and just where it is going as clearly its a very very divided 'sport' at the minute in time and the amount of column inches covering off field events be it franchise 'winners' or clubs going bang must dwarf the ones that cover what the players do on the field.

The way i look at is this,the diference is a £95million pound contract with sky

This is why there can never be p&r now unless someone comes in and buys Bradford off them. Personally I am caught between feelings. On one hand I think Bradford deserve tobe in our leagues. On the other I don't want them to not exist.

Well I'd not disagree with that, a body within a body it helped ensure that wealth stays at the 'top' clubs thus the reason SLE was formed - as a means of the few staying at the top table.
Turkeys don't vote for Christmas.
Thats why all this talk of 'for the good of the game' is very hollow these days,

100% agree

Farce!

Once again rugby leaue has become a laughing stock.
we should "break away" but without the sky money it would be impossible.Our paymaster sky have got rugby by the niagra falls and wont let go untill its bled dry.

A farce.

No other word for it.

At last we agree on summat

My my words fail me I`m in agreement with SN unless he`s being facetious.

I'm not for one moment saying this is ideal thing to do, but......if no one was willing to take over the club as going concern, or nobody was willing or able to take over a relegated club then what other option was there when the clock was ticking from the administrators. The SL comp would have been a right mess as well regarding fixtures going forward, and fixtures going back had Bradford gone out of business totally.
For me Bradford are like say a Liverpool is to the Premier League. They are a big name in RL and one of most successful clubs in SL era. I would imagine important to Sky as well - tho that is debatable as it is now considering who currently owns them and because of their statue in the game highlights the situation more.
But PL not long ago had to bend the rules for Portsmouth to finish their season in PL, because losing Portsmouth middle of season in the worlds biggest league would have been a disaster for the image of the game - that 2 billion quid they get from overseas TV etc. Do FA care about Portsmouth now that they aren't in spotlight?
.

Bradford have broken the terms of the franchising license, surely the right thing to do now is boot them out of SL at the seasons end and give Halifax a go instead?
They had a chance and blew it, just like when P&R is in force if you fail you go down.

Why would fixtures have been a mess. Scrub all bradford results AND all results from the magic weekend....problem solved. There that wasn't so hard was it. You probably believe 100 stobart trucks with RL players on them increased tv viewers by 45%. Or that St Helen's 100% increase in crowds due to moving back to St Helens from widnes did not contribute to the statement about record attendances.

They had the same option as all clubs that had stumbled into admin before them. They are no different. Remember too that their Sky money amounts to more than every championship clubs RL monies added together.

Wonder who will draw up Bradford Bull's application for a franchise when the next application has to be made ?

Course a more sensible course at the end of the season would be for the game to return to the tried and tested and scrap licenscing.

The sensible and easiest way to sort this is let them finish this season and then let them go down and reform. you can't just wipe there fixtures off when the have beaten some teams and lost to others.

Their fixtures can be expunged whether they have played one game or twenty one. The clowns that are running the game keep lurching from one crisis to the next. Teams that are not fit for purpose should be kicked out of the game irrespective of their standing in the game. The SPL has shown the sporting world how to operate by putting Rangers into Division Three but it has gone un-noticed by the RFL blazers.

The clubs below the corrupt Super League old pals act have got to bite the bullet and set up their own body and seek finance from broadcasters for the excellent product they provide. It will be chaos and a struggle to start with but it the only way.

My thoughts on this Reffy are that the current SL clubs have been sold this by the RFL. The way I think they have been sold it is that they have promissed the current SL outfits that SL will be reduced to 12 teams with the money from the two teams being dropped is split between the 12 left in there. The one that has got the mucky end of the stick will have either got a sweetener or been told to naff off. Personally I think that will be Wakey. Bradford will have been told they are lucky to still be in existence so will go down with a sweetener. All clubs involved will have been told to keep their traps shut or all deals are off. Again I agree totaly that now is the time for the Championships to flex their muscles and tell the fools at the RFL that enough is enough.

I, as I sometimes do is offering a counter argument. Its healthy to have counter arguments rather than going all one way and the topic borders on farcical (ie like breaking away all over again). I cannot for the life of me understand why RFL or SL clubs giving up their monies to throw down the toilet of a failing business. There has to be a good reason behind the why's (or plain silly), and until the facts are known for sure and the conculsion to Bradford is finished its pointless going over board yet. Maybe just maybe this was the best option.
For the record, and its difficult to argue otherwise this whole thing is a embarressment. I would say kick Bradford out of SL as well. But my point of what I said was they are Bradford Bulls - in reality none of the current clubs in the Championship comp come close to Bradford for their status in the modern era. SL without Bradford will be a devalued competition. But that doesn't excuse what has happened, I am just saying.

As for results being scrapped and it being easy, of course it is. Again not my point I was making. It would be a mess and thousands of fans having paid to watch the games, and fans on TV seeing games just wiped off is bad. PL kept Portsmouth going to finish their fixtures to protect the competition value.

If all the points are deducted from Bradford wins,I think this will hand W#-~n the title,due to the fact the other top teams beat Bradford.We dont want this do we. Also i go to G/F every year,this year will be my last.