Quote ="Mrs Barista"Hang on a minute. If you're being critical of painting a bleak picture of RL finances, try your chairman's interview in The Sun here last month: www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... -mess.html "And Hudgell believes that if something is not done, a number of sides will be nearing ruin. Hudgell, whose Rovers side lost almost £1million in two years following promotion, said: "Everyone is reported to be losing around £500,000 per year and that cannot go on. "We're running the danger of trying to develop a game built on foundations of sand.You could run across half of Super League and if you take out the major benefactors, that immediately throws into question the viability of the club." More drama pitched (and to a national audience) here than a headline in the local rag, IMO.'" Ta...................... Kath

Quote ="Mrs Barista"Hang on a minute. If you're being critical of painting a bleak picture of RL finances, try your chairman's interview in The Sun here last month: www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... -mess.html "And Hudgell believes that if something is not done, a number of sides will be nearing ruin. Hudgell, whose Rovers side lost almost £1million in two years following promotion, said: "Everyone is reported to be losing around £500,000 per year and that cannot go on. "We're running the danger of trying to develop a game built on foundations of sand.You could run across half of Super League and if you take out the major benefactors, that immediately throws into question the viability of the club." More drama pitched (and to a national audience) here than a headline in the local rag, IMO.'" Ta...................... Kath

Na kath's better looking than lady hoe hoe

No, I'm not in the business of "selling the club short".

Do you have a Braille keyboard?

TBF he does have a point.

Quote ="Mrs Barista"Hang on a minute. If you're being critical of painting a bleak picture of RL finances, try your chairman's interview in The Sun here last month: www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... -mess.html "And Hudgell believes that if something is not done, a number of sides will be nearing ruin. Hudgell, whose Rovers side lost almost £1million in two years following promotion, said: "Everyone is reported to be losing around £500,000 per year and that cannot go on. "We're running the danger of trying to develop a game built on foundations of sand.You could run across half of Super League and if you take out the major benefactors, that immediately throws into question the viability of the club." More drama pitched (and to a national audience) here than a headline in the local rag, IMO.'" He didn't. Your point is irrelevant to his point.

Quote ="Mrs Barista"Hang on a minute. If you're being critical of painting a bleak picture of RL finances, try your chairman's interview in The Sun here last month: www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... -mess.html "And Hudgell believes that if something is not done, a number of sides will be nearing ruin. Hudgell, whose Rovers side lost almost £1million in two years following promotion, said: "Everyone is reported to be losing around £500,000 per year and that cannot go on. "We're running the danger of trying to develop a game built on foundations of sand.You could run across half of Super League and if you take out the major benefactors, that immediately throws into question the viability of the club." More drama pitched (and to a national audience) here than a headline in the local rag, IMO.'" He didn't. Your point is irrelevant to his point.

Not entirely. The poster suggested that Rovers could sue the HDM over adverse reporting of their financial position and its impact on prospective investors. Yet in The Sun interview a month ago Hudgell paints a grim financial picture for the sustainability of game in general and specifically questions his appetite to continue at Hull KR unless 3rd parties provide funding.

Oh dear lord, you dont seriously believe an article written in the Sun. Is it not a rehash of another article.

To prove libel, it is imperative that there was originally a good character to defame.

Unfortunately some do believe, even the sun.

I'm commenting on direct quotes. Are you saying The Sun made up quotes like the "foundations of sand" one and then pretended Hudgell said them?

Please feel free to elaborate.

It's simple. The first test in any defamation case is not what was said (or even whether it was truthfull), it is what damage the statement may have caused to the character of the aggrieved party.

If I was to say "Ian Huntley has never bought a TV Licence", he would be extremely unlikely to bring a successfull case for defamation. If however I said "Gordon Brown has never bought a TV Licence", then I'd be the one on shaky ground.

Whatever Hudgell may think, it's extremely unlikely that any court would find that HDM had contributed to any lessening of HKR's character, especially as the chairman has been in the press (and on web forums) and basically said the same things as HDM

Whilst I think it is much better to work with the local press than against them the fact is the accounts were for 2008 and the paper did write the article like they represented the clubs current financial situation. Given what HKR have said since it is obviously inaccurate and could be damaging to the company. If the HDM asked Rovers for an update before the story went to press and we refused to give them one it is our own fault, if they just ran the story based on 12 month old accounts they read then they should be held accountable for poor reporting.

Has Hudge been onto you already for Coddys details

Nah he probably just views it much the same way as he views yourself I guess.
That being that care in the community has a hell of a lot to answer for.

If he's serious, tell him to try [url=http://www.carter-ruck.com/These Guys[/url, although their final bill would probably exclipse the sum total of every Superleague club's deficit

Actually, I belive that libel/defamation can still be proven, however the value of any award from the court would be influenced by the perceived effect of the libel/defamation. I think there was a case in the 80's/early 90's where some bloke was awarded the cost of a bottle of expensive champagne he drank in some club when a newspaper posted a story about him because it was considered he didn't have much of a character in the first place.

If the HDM have incorrectly reported rovers' financial position and this has had an effect on their ability to raise finance or get credit then they will undoubtedly have a claim. Big IF though IMO

It was the threat of court action IRRC that got the Hull fan who made wrong statements about Rovers finances a few years ago, on a message board, grovelling an apolgy in the HDM about his comments, along with a picture of him and the "reasons" for his innacuracies probably saved him from court action.

on a positive note, its good to see the directors are still 100% behind the club and looking forward to another progressive season.

Thats a key sentence, could be damaging to the company isnt good enough. Rovers would need to evidence that it has been factually damaging to the company. This is the basis on which loads of liable cases are dropped.

There was a case a few years ago as an example where Sheff Weds took legal action against a load of fans for things theyd written on a message board. The case eventually was dropped because Sheff Wed could not prove that the words written had detrimentally damaged their brand in anyway.

Dont remember that, do you have a link?

Indeed, i'm not commenting either way but as youve also said later Rovers to some extend have already defamed their character by their chairman talking in the press about SL finances as a whole. The negative press about the chairmans driving offences could also damage the brand of Hull KR far greater than anything the HDM have reported about their finances could. Still seems odd they are threatening legal action here.

No link, but i'm sure a few fans on your own board would remember the incident....from memory the fan lived in somewhere like Goole ????

Nice reminder how far Rovers have come in a short time. When you consider that the second most popular troll attack is now 'you'll struggle to repeat your top 4 league finish in SL XV', it puts things in context.
Also a good answer to the financial shroud waving supporters of another club. It has all been said before, but it is clear, concise and unambiguous in that link. Of necessity the trolls have had to narrow their focus and people like me have maybe been guilty of giving it oxygen, just by challenging it. We've maybe not made enough of the positive news, like the securing of funding for the 2nd east stand extension. If the board are able to make a positive announcement on the North stand, that would be close to, if not [ithe[/i, most important achievement since promotion.

Not sure about the legal proceedings - could just be Rule-esque sabre rattling. OTOH, I notice the threads on this board have been locked for now, so maybe they have had enough of the same few facts been twisted over and over again. The club's 'plight', made it on to teletext ffs, as if it were unusual, exceptional or even a surprise. Still, even the unbalanced are entitled to free comment and being tedious is not a crime...