Mark Sawyer has many other businesses he runs generating his income, still runs Desbury well and has done for pushing 20 yrs so a f/t owner isn’t essential. After all I assume Chalmers was f/t over here and we can see how that went

Couldn't agree more with your comments re NW's income stream and everything else that has gone on - it's a sad indictment from an organisation and indiviiduals who couldn't care less as to what really happens to our once great Club. My wife and I have decided enough is enough after the many years we have supported the Club,

Whilst I respect everyone’s opinion, this is my own personal take on it and I don’t want people to agree, they will form their own thoughts.

My take is that I’ve supported this club for about 42 yrs of my 45 on this planet and I’ve always had a passion for Bradford. I will continue to support despite seeing many frustrating situations over the last 8yrs.

I look at it like a friend or family member in that if they’d had a couple of poor relationships, lost their jobs, had their house repossessed etc they need my support and I couldn’t just cast them adrift. If they then came back and said they had found a new partner and were looking to get back on their feet then whilst I would be nervous about the relationship you can’t assume the Next one will be like the last one.

I’ve watched them win titles, WCC, Challenge cups, I’ve seen them sell Hanley, Phil Ford, Newlove, Skerrett, Bug Les and Henry Paul and I’m sure there are others I’ve missed but we’ve survived, in a fashion, and replaced them

At the moment I’m been asked to part with £200 for a s/t which if we go bust i will get a refund and if we survive I’ll see 13 games of rugby involving Bradford

I know others have had enough but at the moment I feel like I need to try and assist where I can and try and help this once great club start climbing.

Scepticism understood and whilst it does appear a strange one for the new owners to get involved but in the absence of anything other than speculation and rumour I have to hope that they will get things right and we will start to become self sufficient

Not every one will agree and it’s personal choice, but that’s my thoughts

I’ll either pay on the gate or buy a ticket which is likely to result in a s/t purchase as I’m tight and it will be cheaper!

COYB!!!!!

Whilst I understand where you're coming from, and as you say, everyone will have their own opinion... If I was to buy into your analogy I would say some people are feeling like they've been supporting that family member financially, be it through buying them food or loaning them money, only to have that person continue to lie to them and spend the money on alcohol instead of on paying their bills. There comes a point where you have to cut them off because they're just p*ssing your money up the wall.

Bully for you Betsy, we also have seen the highs and lows over the many years of our joint support. But our feelings at this moment are the worst con in our chequered past has been perpetrated, and with only one of the perps. now involved we know self interest will push us to the brink. Personally I fervently hope you are right, and I am totally wrong! However my gut feeling is not good about it all, and this is the second time in the 7 years of the disaster unfolding. Guess which was the first? Funnily enough our overall new owner was heavily involved in that fiasco!

I have very much had the same thoughts as you have over the past 3 administrations/ownerships. However, this current one feels too murky and seedy for me to go with it for the time being.

I'm lucky to have some friends within the club including players and I just don't like what I'm hearing.

Players who wanted to stay with the club and agreed contracts for the coming year are finding themselves in search for jobs as those offers are now being withdrawn, one of whom my family has sponsored for the past two seasons. He is genuinely gutted having turned down better offers from SL and Championship clubs and has now thankfully accepted a contract from a League 1 club. Whilst I'm happy he is sorted out, he should not have been left in that position.

On leaving the club a fairly well positioned former employee told us exactly what was going to happen and then he turned out right. He also alleged that Wood and Rimmer had been involved with the club and the ownership since 2017 (very much behind the scenes). Now I cannot prove this is right or wrong, but all I know is it sounds very corrupt if true and until there is some kind of independent inquiry into the truth then I don't feel I can morally go along with it any more.

I'm going to give you my new analogy on the situation... the family member has become hooked on drugs and whilst I will always love and support them in which way I can, I'm not going to give them money so they can go buy more drugs and do themselves more harm.

I will always be a supporter of this club and will never switch my allegiances to another team. but for now I will sit it out, watch and wait to see how it all plays out before deciding what to do next season and beyond.

That's my position at the moment.

I'll never support any other club, but for the time being I'm not supporting the current setup.

I've been told this by someone formerly involved in a Super League club. Though not 2017, 2016 when the informed C&L they club would be theirs. This was corroborated in one of AC's rants when he stated Rimmer spoke to him and requested he took the club in December 16

EDIT: Sadly I am already in for a season ticket so have to suck it up as the brexiters would say...

If the contract was offered by Chalmers/Mcfarlane etc maybe the contract offered was more the club can now afford? You can't really blame the new owners for withdrawing an offer when its all about cutting costs after another overspend. Or would we rather see them stretch the budget again?

What would it take to get people back? What else does the club need to do?
The club is doing all the usual things - resigning players (Would signing a couple of new players help, rather than keeping last years?)
Preseason training has started - media being released.
Employees being interviewed - coaching staff & players
Preseason friendlies starting to be announced
Ticket offers being announced - the Blackpool bash (meh) and the free tickets for community club u12 and younger juniors - bit more significant
Is it all about transparency? An inquiry and if mismanagement is found then punishment. Is that what we are looking for?
Or do we just not want Wood to be involved? More specifically, do we want Wood to be formally exonerated by an inquiry before we accept him....
Would we be happier if it was announced all (non-director) creditors had been paid back? Is that what it would take? That would be a statement of intent. Would help calm my background fear that administration is still pending.
There are just too many questions without answers.

In my eyes this isn't a takeover in the usual sense. It's an interim measure that is impossible to be either happy or comfortable with. There is no money involved, and we all know surely after these last few years that we can't survive on no money. Sawyer and Perez themselves admit they are a temporary team. So until we know what's to follow, there's no real cause for optimism is there.

The man sold Thrum Hall and Halifax actually became worse off. Whether through poor advice, p155 poor decision making or rampant ineptitude they are groundless, penniless and a shadow of their former selves.

That's us now. And whose fingerprints are all over this? Mr N Wood.

Well kudos to you for knowing exactly what Thorne was going to do or not.

You must by saying definite 12 points in your first post

I may have seen it mentioned in the previous 100+ pages and I have forgotten but why is Sawyer involved? Everyone is getting something out of it so what's in it for him?

The £2,000 rent per game agreement will help. Tell me any Championship that can turn down £30,000 plus?

He'd be getting that 30k irrespective of whether he was involved in the running of Bradford though surely. What's in it for him to actually take the role he has done?

Well, he's in a position to ensure they get the £30K, I suppose - which given the (alleged) tardiness of paying other clubs might not be a bad thing for Dewsbury. That said, with Dewsbury officials on the gate it may well be taken at source....

The club was already liquidated when Thorne came to an agreement with the administrator, he created a new business in Jan 2017 so pretty clear,RFL also said in bidding process would be a 12 point deduction. Like I said a bit of research helps

Well you obviously didn't research yourself correctly when previously saying

its 12 points unless you pay off all creditors so unless

So now you change your tune to definite 12 points regardless. Seems you didn't do your own research until after commenting

That was agreed weeks ago Mick,when the move to Dewsbury was finalised.So Mark Sawyer/The Rams were guaranteed that money.Why take it to the next level and get involved with our mess.I certainly dont buy the "I just wanted to help" rubbish been peddled about.Thats nearly as embarrassing as Eric Perez's nonsense "I fell.in love with Bradford Bulls ".Course you did Eric.

As the RFL are seemingly directing this so called buy out, it surely is incumbent on them to keep supporters and fans in the loop.They are showing scant regard for the feelings of those who have committed, in good faith, to buying St's.The rest, like myself, need clarity and regular updates on the progress and viability for our future security. I stubbornly want to believe in the integrity of the powers that be, despite all the doubters, but have to concede that there has to be a cover up going on. If so, this is scandalous and like others I want the perpetrators held to account and the Club somehow compensated fully, for any corrupt actions that may have hindered it's progress. I sincerely hope that those who submitted, what on the face of it, were better offers, are not reluctant to oil the wheels of retribution in the event of RFL culpability. Have to say that seeing JK continuing his pre-season schedule is akin to the band playing as theTitanic sunk. But boy, do I have total admiration for him and the players in his charge, including everyone employed who are not shirking their responsibilities or allegiances.

You said it was 6 points so I advised it was incorrect.
The rules are its 12 points but less if you pay all creditors back.

With the Bulls they had no choice so Thorne would of taken a 12 point deduction which you said may said not be the case. Read the RFL press release below.

In accordance with the RFL’s press release, it is currently the RFL’s intention that the new Company will be placed in the Championship in 2017 with a 12-point deduction and with the same central distributions as the 12th placed Club (i.e. £150k).

Trust me, this player was one of the lowest paid players in the team so I cannot see how the club cannot afford it, especially given they have publicly stated their playing budget will be still significantly higher than most Championship sides.

The main issue is that players have committed to a deal, been strung along by the club for months and then hung out to dry. The player I know has been lucky to find a deal that will work for him in the short term but that sends out a really bad message to other players thinking about joining the club.

Agents are already taking their players out in vast numbers (the postman doesn't seem to deliver to the Dewsbury postcode

) and others will certainly think twice when they have a number of offers on the table.

I totally get us cutting cloth accordingly and would agree with this being a sensible way to go, but to go about their business the way they are doing... no thank you!!!

All valid questions. For me the club and the RFL cannot be separated and until a full independent investigation is undertaken into the RFL's involvement in:

a) purchasing the leasehold at Odsal - why did they do it really?, what was the due diligence?, did they know or had they even considered the ramifications such a decision would have on the club and their credit position?

b) the reasoning behind their choice of every owner that has failed since the first administration in 2012 - what bids were tabled? and why did they chose certain bids over others?

and c) what is the process involved in proving the successful bidders were fit and proper for owning a club? - what checks take place?, are they financially vetted?, is proof of funds verified?

Until all these questions are answered, I don't think anyone can have any trust whatsoever that the club is in safe hands, particularly as much of the recent poor history of the club has gone on when the game was in the stewardship of the majority shareholder.

For committed, long suffering Bulls fans I guess this topic is their top priority, but looking at the wider struggles and future of the game I fear it is a soon to be forgotten side show. The Super league will increasingly be an international competition (Toronto, New York, France 2 etc) and only a handful of the current top UK teams will remain. The Bulls long ago missed their chance to get back on the ladder and the TV cheque book and the owners of the Wolfpack are in the driving seat. A reasonably competent RFL and a less self serving Super League might have had more control over the process but their incompetence has handed the wheel over to the disrupters.
Wondering how you get Tongan citizenship