[url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/rugby_league/4237271/Rugby-league-is-bankrupt-says-Hull-KR-chairman-Neil.htmlRugby League is bankrupt[/url

Here's what appears to be the 1st page of the letter:



I'd love to know just how much of the "£8 millions accumulated losses across the game" he was responsible for.

I'd also love to know just what he hoped to achieve by sending this letter, knowing full well someone would be bound to leak it.

The man's beyond stupid

If clubs didn't spend what they didn't have we wouldn't be in this situation.

Are you saying that he is wrong?

I like the way he describes the dobbins as an elite club

I am saying he is stupid

well maybe he should volunteer to drop kr down from the SL if he feels so strongly about it!

Quite easy really isn't it.

He appears to suffer from some form of ADHD that occasionally manifests itself in these outbursts of talking, before considering any consequence of what he may have to say.

Don't forget that Sky would obviously continue pumping the same amount of money into a reduced-team competition, so we'd all be better off

He is right though !!!!
The game is mostly financed by rich individuals including Hudgell
You only have to look at London Broncos how do they keep going with the crowds they get.
As he put if key individuals left clubs they would be up s**t street

We could go back to those glorious days where we played some teams twice and others three times. That always worked really well.

Same as most sports then.

This is about Rugby League though

But hey lets not debate the fact that what he is saying is true !!!!!

That's not unique to RL, I'm afraid. How long would Chelski last if Abramovich took his ball home, for example.

I find it odd that Hudge has seen fit to put this out there in writing (and am deeply surprised it's been publicised. No, really

). Surely he could have got onto the RFL and suggested a meeting where he could raise his concerns with the other chairmen? Or does he have another agenda? Didn't Rovers object to the cash-free Stobart deal? Times tough at MS3C3PO or whatever its called?

I think codhead has a problem accepting the truth,Iam sure if adam pearson had made the statement it would be gospel would it not? To be fair it is a common problem with hull fc accepting the truth,1st the martin gleeson affair and then the drug cheats incidents.Still that happened 6 months ago so they will no doubt have swept it under the carpet.I know it is hard to accept but what is said in the letter is the truth,forget who said it and try and accept it.!!

Most SL clubs wont generate healthy profits every year because of a number of factors such as poor sponsorship and low attendances, especially in the current economic climate. I think Hudgell wants a merger and the RFL would prefer a few teams to merge. From a business point of view it would be great because clubs would probably be in a healthy state because of improved attendances. If FC and KR merged it would be sour grapes for a while hut Hull is a rugby mad city and people including myself would still go. I don't want a merger at all but if it's the only thing left to keep clubs alive and for rugby league to be a success I would accept it. Let's face it, Rovers are in a mess and I wouldn't suggests we would be making profits every year, especially with low attendances and the SMC ripping us off!

Sandercock, now Fudge moaning to the media shocker

He does nothing but moan that bloke. His coach is the same!

He does kind of have a point though, if some of the money men walked away from the game we would be in trouble.

I think in the letter he mentions the response of chairmen the last time he raised the issue and I don't believe Rovers were the only club to object to the Stobart deal.

I appreciate as a Rovers supporter my thoughts will be dismissed by some but the concerns for the whole of the game are genuine and founded - a man, who by his own admission (and recognised by us all) has put a hell of a lot of brass into Rovers (not bad for an idiot !) must surely be more aware of the financial state of the game than we are.

Aside from the usual Hull / Rovers bitchfest can anyone seriously say they think the game is in 'rude health' ?

cant argue that Hudgey bear is right, if the money men walked the the game would die, simple as..... 2 things need to happen in my book...... get rid of clubs that simply bring nothing to the game, and start clubs where the game will flourish, simple as that really.....
also, surely the rfl could do something with the bbc regards a deal to view championship games... a solution could be, saturday 1.00pm championship game bbc, sky has the friday 8.00pm and saturday 6.00pm slot, then at least people with only terestrial tv could watch some decent rugby instead of the tripe served up with john inverdale and co.... channel 5?? channne 4??? they must want sports of all sorts, rugby league has answers just seems the rfl dont really want to persue them

Depends what you mean by 'rude health' I guess. In terms of infrastructure and numbers playing the game then the answer is yes.

And some of us are old enough to remember that clubs being in dire financial straits pre-dates SL by decades. The implication of Hudge's letter is that this is something new and unique to RL. He's wrong on both counts. I'd also be interested to hear what he proposes as a solution since he singularly fails to suggest one other than some vague notion about reducing the number of teams in SL while retaining the same TV deal.

He's taking advantage of a situation at Bradford caused by financial mismanagement by the Bradford BOD to try and push forward his own agenda. Bordering on the despicable IMO.

Fair comment but surely now, with the Bradford developments, there is a more serious reason to meet and discuss the issues (if only so Hudge can say "I told you so". Surely he can get the RFL to accept this and arrange a meeting? Who is the letter addressed to?



Don't disagree with this at all



Not me. The RFL need to get a grip of this now tbh

I'd say that's more to do with the economy. People are hard up and it's just harder to get money. I think ever since Richard Lewis took the Sport England job (thus giving Nigel Wood more power), the game has slowly declined. The Crusaders decision was shocking IMO, but to be fair we have 2 Welsh semi-pro clubs immediately on the back of it.

I think it's important that we expand the game. But we need to be doing it right, and in areas that will bring money to the table. I think Toulouse being in SL would bring French TV money with it. And personally I no longer believe the myth that Broncos are essential to the Sky TV deal.

How long have you been following RL? Or any sport for that matter?

Name a professional sport that doesn't rely on 'money men'.

How many clubs, including our own, went bust or came close before SL was even thought of. How many of them operated without substantial financial input from sponsors and their directors? Bradford themselves went bust in 1963/64 - was SL to blame for that as well?

I do not believe that evrything in the garden is rosy, far from it. Too many clubs are dependent on individual benefactors continuing their patronage. I have gone on record stating such in the past.

I have a problem with the idiotic way that Hudgell has gone about this matter. Did he seriously believe that the letter would never enter the public domain? Did he not stop to think what harm it may do to the image of the game and the concomitant ability to attract sponsorship?

The points he makes have validity and deserve discussion, they way he has gone about it is idiotic in the extreme. Unless as Chris28 has mentioned, Hudgell has a whole other agenda in mind.