No, they wouldn't. But then again they wouldn't be happy whatever we did. It must surely have been politically impossible for BMC to pay a wedge to the Bulls, even if they wanted to (which I don't believe) or had the dosh (which I'm sure they don't)


Indeed.

Today is getting better!

I speculated on the role and position of the council. looks good to me:



Note that he at least is majoring more on the financial impact, as I did.

This all sounds more and more positive. Doers anyone else think that maybe yesterday's press release was a bit rushed? maybe in response to the rumour having got out? A lot of collective apoplexy last night would have been avoided IMO had the press release been more clear regarding the sale and leaseback, and spun rather less regarding the "Iconic Odsal".

I'm finding it hard not to consider at least recommending PH and his team for a collective Dukedom, at least.

cheers adey.

I think I have a handle on it now, just wonder what would have happened in the short to medium term if we had not struck this deal. Did we really need it, or were we coping but took a better opportunity to do more than cope?

Whatever the rights/wrongs/timings, its now a fact, so the club need to use this deal and the breathing space it may afford to get us into a financial situation where we won't need this type of deal again, we can't keep selling the house.

"Lies" seems unnecessarily dramatic, doesn't it? In essence the deal is pretty much exactly what the press said. And not giving the full unexpurgated small print is normal. Even if you think the RFL should have paid to publish photocopies of all the actual documents in all the press, this is not close to "lies".


That's the difference between those with genuine and reasonable issues with whatever the exact deal may be, and others who are pig sick just because they perceive the Bulls have been given some help, and would much rather we and probably all RL went down the pan than we should get any form of help.

...is the [iright[/i answer.

That much at least is clear; Odsal under the previous arrangements was costing us way more than we could afford, end of. Something needed to happen, and when the Sporting Village wasn't it, we had to find a something else, staying on under the existing arrangements was one option we didn't have.

Almost certainly we'd have moved to VP; but that would to me have been the beginning of the end.

Concur 100% with both points.

Seems to me that the outrage and reaction has been very muted by RLFans standards actually, although I may be missing threads on the VT or somewhere, as I never frequent such wretched hives of scum and villainy.

I've got a sense of collective raised eyebrows, in that it all seems slightly unusual and there is still some mystery as to the details and the interests of all the parties involved. Which makes for intrigue. Which is good for message boards.

Righteous fury seems to be in fairly short supply though.

Think we benefited from the sympathy vote...

This is what intrigues me though. How can the costs be any less now? The RFL won't be throwing you a million quid for the privilege up picking up the tab for ongoing maintenance surely?

The only two options I see are:
1) The Bulls are now paying the same upkeep costs they can't afford, but have £1m in the bank to fritter away until going bust again as they can't afford their continued existence at Odsal;
2) The RFL are picking up the tab for maintenance going forward for some hitherto unknown reason.

Or have I misunderstood the situation?

I prefer "willfully participated in a campaign of misinformation."

OK, not really. I think the sp information in the first press release has given us all something to talk about. So good on 'em. Even now the information is, as Adey alludes to, not complete. I fondly hope the soap opera has more to give!

I guess the references here to the VT and Wakey forum tell me where I would have had to go to see the blind fury that has been conspicuous by its absence on most sites I've been to....

Peter Hood has stated somewhere in the various reports that even if this deal did not happen the Bulls were still o/k financially. A weakend property market put the Bulls in the speculators firing line, so credit to PH for pulling off a good deal from left field

THe Cas and Wakefield boards are hilarious.

Couldn't they have phoned one of these highly reputable unsecured personal loan companies that clutter my doormat with unsolicited junk mail each week? You know, consolidate your outgoings into one crippling monthly payment each month for the rest of your life at a competitive 47.9% APR? No?

Fair enough then, maybe this was a better option.

You have probably misunderstood.

This deal enables Bulls (probably) to get some financial monkeys (I speculate including image rights etc tax...) off their back, and buys them time now to sort out our finances and affairs on a more sustainable ongoing basis.

More to the point, and as Duke Peter of Hood rightly emphasises, it provides certainty now over the medium term. The sort of certainty that enables the club to plan, to look sensibly at realistic stadium development, to attract sponsors, attract players, attract staff and otherwise concentrate on longer-term development and progress rather than on putting out multiple fires springing up everywhere.

The club always said we had a plan B for when the inevitable happened with OSV, which I never quite belived and if any other plan did excist I always assumed would be VP in reality, and I agree with you it would have been the begining of the end. Thankfully we came up with secret plan C, sell to the RFL and rent, nice move by Hood and Co I suggest with the facts we have at present.

I would expect the RFL would strike similar deals with any club that asked if the conditions were right for that deal for all parties like this one is for us. Odsal, no matter what other fans might like to think, is seen by the RFL as fit for super league licencing, other certain clubs grounds are not, which is why this deal is pretty unique and wouldn't work for every club, but thats no reason to not do it in this case when it does work.

I understand Duke Peter WAS in fact approached by several large gentlemen in dark suits, black shirts, white ties and shades, suggesting they make an offer he could not refuse.

My further understanding is that His Grace then called in several even larger gentlemen from the first team squad, who explained to them in fairly physical terms why resistance was far from futile...

I thought we had been told (at the previous fans forum for example) that we were on a secure financial footing. So is that not the case?

Or a third option is we can support both the maintenance payments plus the new rent albeit with difficulty but we needed a cash injection to give us operating capital to pay a oneoff bill ( hmrc image rights settlement seems likely). Seems a better way of managing this than going out of business and reforming under a new name to avoid the bill which rumour is a few clubs are considering doing should Leeds lode the test case. Were in a fairly unique situation in that we have an asset to sell in the lease , and intend to continue occupying the ground so repaying the capital injection through the rent. Plus we don't know yet whether we've made additional concessions I.e. Do we still get bar takings or do they now go to rfl? Until we get more detail on finer points it's hard to judge merits of the deal for either side tbh.

Love it.

In fact, I was thinking of

His Royal Highness Prince Peter Arthur George Hood, Defender of the Faith (Bulls), Prince of Odsal, Earl of Bradford, Duke of Hood, Baron of Readies, Lord of the Deals and Prince and Great Steward of Bulldom.

Again, like many other things I bow down to the knowledge of the more senior posters ala Adey etc.

The main point of bleating and whining is that Bradford have been bailed out. How can this be the case when, as previous we were paying a pittance (if anything?) to play at Odsal, whereas now we pay a significant rent fee to our new landlords, forgoing any future renovation costs?

I can't fathom how a club that 'needed' bailing out now has to pay considerably more rent than before and will be able to cope. But then again, this is RLFans.

I'd go for Robin Hood, prince of theives









Only joking, by the way.

I dont think we have really recovered from the farce that was Mcknamaras reign that has damaged us financially as no one bother to turn up and watch the dross but why would you

Business interests aside, I am still unable to shake off a nagging feeling that governing bodies making 7-figure purchases from the clubs they govern should make people a little uncomfortable. It does seem to tie the RFL and the Bulls into a business relationship that, while not illegal or an absolute conflict of interest, feels (for want of a better word) a bit iffy.

Please don't misconstrue this as any allegation of unfair treatment or favoritism, just a feeling that it just isn't the kind of deal a sport's governing body should be involved in.

That's a bit vague, but you know what I mean? Maybe?

That's OK.

If this had happened instead with Leeds, we would all know for an absolute certainty that this was some dark cunning scheme hatched up between Hetherington the Arch-Antichrist and his diabolical (sorry, that's your crew, right?

) paid-for cronies at the palace of total evil known otherwise as Leeds Rhinos Rot Hall branch, to screw the game in general and the Bulls in particular, with the express intention of blowing us into financial oblivion and seeing the utter and final humiliation then total mass destruction of this great club.

But since its not Leeds but us, everything's just cool...