I seem to recall that, when in Special Measures, you have to pay HMRC on a monthly basis.

Its a vicious circle though.

Special measures = can't sign new players to help improve perfromances and therefore income to get the club OUT opf special measures.

Along with the scandalous £2/3m Sky money confiscation.

With an already very small squad.

Add in the points deduction, and the only way to get out of the hole is for owners to put in a shedload of cash.

And no such potential oweners have been forthcoming. Caisley sought them out; they were not there. Hood sought them out; they were not there. Caisley and co again then allegedly sought them out, and said they HAD such funding; but they and it were not there. Khan sought them out; but only wanted small-scale investors and, in the end, even they were not there. And again we seek them out; and again they are not there.

I've put £2 on the Euromillions tonight.

£170k sound like maybe 3 months PAYE to me. Yes, that's right. At the most.

Which would be the PAYE payable 22/12, 22/1 and 22/2 (from the Jan payroll) I presume?

Now, given that the club ownership went out of the window just before Xmas, it is hardly surprising that the 22/12 payment was likely not paid then? And the ongoing failure to resolve the ownership, with the club being technically insolvent, makes it hardly surprising that it was not paid in January? Or that the payment due 22/1 will not have been paid when due? Given the risks of fraudulent preference. And of course, the payment due 22/2 was not even DUE when the administrator was appointed end January.

I was pleasantly surprised that the amount owing to HMRC was as comparatively low, and short term, as this. Compare and contrast £500k owed by Bulls last time (albeit a lot of back-claimed VAT in there), £500k by London a few years ealier, and £750 by Wakefield.

The Sky money confiscation is the body blow we haven't recovered from, which, in all likelihood was the penalty for the RFL thinking/having the wool pulled over their eyes over the sale of the lease. It is true that like other clubs, we have been appallingly managed for a number of years, and like other clubs we have been punished when the reality occurred with points deductions, but we are the only club to be doubly punished. Before others comment that we were supported with the lease sale, the RFL, this was secured against an asset, not a gift as others insinuate.

A cynic might think that the RL would prefer it if the Bulls are punished to the point that they either go out of business or get relegated due to either a points deduction or losing games due to a weak squad or losing players.

That would then mean only one team needs to be relegated at the end of the season so there's less chance of them losing both London and Catalan. After all, better to lose one of the pesky teams that insist on being based around the M62 rather than one of the expansion teams that the RFL crave success for.

A cynic might think that.

Without reading the entire thread...

Firstly..... to todays events.

Secondly, apologies if someones mentioned it, but isnt the points deductions and sanctions as a result of the way we exit administration in terms of creditors and business plan? With BB2014 walking away, are we not still in Admin? Indeed, did we ever leave? If so how can we have a points deduction applied yet? Are we not now back in the hands of the administrator? And if a new deal is struck with someone else, would the points deduction and sanctions not need to be re-assessed against the actual exit from administration?

Even the RFL aren't so stupid to drive us out of business and see the asset they bought overnight become worthless are they? It look that way, but.........

Really good point, in case Ken Morrison or his family are reading this.

Adey I maybe wrong but prior to admin wasn't there a HMRC petition for £170,000 I maybe mistaken having seen so many winding up orders over the past 12 months at Wakey

Matt Diskin on twitter:

"Operating with half sky money, losing star players, -6pts, smallest squad in SL & informed you can't reinforce, is this feasible? "

"Your parents advise you to divorce your wife & they'll support you but then closed the door on you when you asked to stay the night? Upset??"

"Points deduction is no drama! But If you owned your own business would you do so if your were restricted from trading???"

Those from one of the more thoughtful and articulate players in the game. Seems pretty clear what HE thinks? Anyone see anything to fault there? I sure don't.

Looks like it is the Special Measures that wrecked it all.

That's a very good point.

It would imply that the penalty has been decided, regardless of what any new owner offers. Which suggests a total fix up.

Compared to how they'd look and the potential loss of marketing and sponsorship income of losing London and Catalan (not that I think both are in trouble but...) and limiting out top division to the North of England again?

What is the situation with Odsal should the Bulls cease to play their for whatever reason? Are the RFL able to sell it to be developed into something else or is there some caveat stating that it has to be used for sport?

2 things the Council own the ground so would have to agree to redevelopment, and what would you build? Out of town retail now significantly frowned on by planning authorities and Government, we have an arena in West Yorkshire, shape not good for housing, cost too much to fill in, so I struggle to see what sort of building would be allowed that would make economic sense

It may be up for re-assessment, but the new buyer would 500k immediate operating capital and 170k to pay off
HMRC.

That's a bare minimum, before any reduction in the points penalty is even looked at.

The administrator surely has no choice now, but to realise some assets and reduce back room staff.

If I was messers Lamb

, Lawn

.....(Morrison

), or Caisley


And I was wanting a chat with the rfl about buying an iconic rugby club at short notice ahead of a home banker on Sunday, I might want to know if my offer would be treated on its own merits, without a guaranteed minus 6 points, or what incentive is there this week for me to pay anyone anything?

I demand another rfl press release....i cant get enough of em.

It's simple. (But not nice).
The players are now with OK Bulls again.
OK Bulls Administrator makes all players on over £30k redundant (unless they accept a reduction to £30k).
Mr Lamb buys Bradford Bulls from the Administrator for an amount that covers his fees.
Mr Lamb then has a Super League club (albeit with 6 points deduction etc), with affordable players and no debts.
Once special measures lifted, no more contracts offered of more than £30k.

I do wish some of you lot would get it into your heads that:

1 - they HAVE reduced back room staff Go ask all those who were sacked, or had theoir hours reduced, in January. There is no more to cut if you want to stay in business.

2 - there ARE no assets to realise. Maybe the odd player on a modest transfer fee - except doubtless he would do a Carvell - but with the smallest squad anyway, and being unable to recruit ANYONE to replace any players leaving, you would have to send academy lads out, to get hammered.

3 - The administrator does not actually employ ANYONE. They were all TUPEd to BB2014, remember?

Don't be absurd.

He would not be buying a SL club.

He would be buying litle more than a Championship club, since relegation would be an absolute certainty.

And not allowed to sign decent players even once the finances are straight? When till? 2015? 2016? 2037?

Tell me, just WHO THE HELL in their right mind would buy a club on such terms?

And you would wreck the lives of the affected players? They are human beings too, you know. With mortgages and commitments. That is, assuming the RFL would alow them to be sacked, which I doubt.

btw...how do you conclude the players "are back with OKB again"? When did that TUPE happen? How did the administrator find the funds he would need to re-assume their employment liabilities and meet the payroll?

I don't believe that, but for the sake of discussion let's go with it...

If there really are no economies or asset realisations to be made, then the business is bust - more money goes out than comes in. Is it time to face facts and liquidate the Bulls?

I think the RFL should be fair on the various stakeholders and allow clubs to exceed the cap on signing Bulls players using the cash that was given out of the Bulls Sky allocation

Conveniently ignores we lost a significant part of our funding, which had we had, we would have been in a much more comfortable position, even break even? A penalty I would add no one else has had to handle in other administration situations

Why did the bulls have reduced funding?

And you conveniently ignore that you received that punishment for your previous mismanagement!

Twice in 2 years!

If, after admin 1, Bulls had addressed their business properly, admin 2 would not have happened.

You are reaping what you sowed.

What don't you believe?

Go ask ANYONE up at the club what THEY believe. They have had to live through it.

Of COURSE the bloody business was bust! Of COURSE more money was going out than was coming in! Moore & Calvert believed they had fixed that long-term, through a combination of swinging cuts and income improvements. But they clearly could not cover the £2/3m Sky monies confiscation. Only a multi-millionaire could.

Seems pretty clear to me that the Sky monies confiscation meant the only way the Bulls could survive was with a very wealthy owner prepared to bankroll the club. None has ever been forthcoming.

Those responsible for the Sky money confiscation should hang their heads in shame. Great business model, RFL: make bloody certain that NO ordinary folk of reasonable means can rescue the club. Fekk the lot of you.