Its blindingly obvious that if we increase season ticket prices to an economic level the numbers sold will fall to perhaps 4,000. But its the only way of establish a sensible base from which to grow the club. Its the only way the club can charge realistic prices to future new or returning fans. Having 10,000 fans paying a pittance means that we've no way of increasing income if we do improve.

I would pay the "proper" price for a ST, of course I would. But if we had no Bateman, no Whitehead, no Elima, no Koppy, etc then I would think twice.

As I said, a slippery slope.

If we basically become a club that simply sells its best young players to the 'bigger' clubs then I won't be buying a season ticket

I'll go back to being someone who picks and chooses matches. I'd never stop supporting the club entirely of course, but I wouldn't be going every week. For example I'd probably stay at home and watch matches on Sky rather than pay £20 to go and stand on the terraces.

I know that makes me sound like 'a fair weather fan'. So be it. I live in hope that people from the club read these forums and might chance upon this post. Hopefully it will make them realise that they can't just expect everyone to pay £250 for a season ticket to watch dross. I'd gladly pay £250 to watch the team that we are now developing (i.e Whitehead, Bateman, Kopczak, Donaldson etc) but I'm not paying that money to watch a thrown together team of cast-offs and journeymen that nobody else wanted, just because they happen to wearing our shirt

If they want my support then they have to to give me something to support and that has to be local lads and lads developed by the us that will give their all for us. Same as Paul has said, I'm not supporting a load of journey men Mercs, I want something that I can identify with and that just doesn't mean a teams name carrying the name of the City.

Given that as a position, I'd not consider you a fair weather fan. You want to support the club, but you want the club to give you something to support.

This.

Couldn't have put it better.

Completely see where Paul is coming from and would love to say the same, but I know deep down that I'll still buy a season ticket whether we lose them or not.

I would be absolutely gutted to lose any one of the ones mentioned, and all of them would really make me wonder why I go. But Bradford Bulls is my love and my addiction and even if I was watching a team of Journeymen, has beens and never will bes I just don't think I could stay away.

Hopefully all this talk will be irrelevant and we'll be seeing Koppy, Whitehead, Bateman etc in a Bulls shirt in 2013 and beyond. The longer it goes without this investment coming through the more I fear for the future though.

People like you my friend are the backbone of our Great Game.

As a Wire of 30 years I am used to watching below par RL and signing journeymen and former stars looking for one last pay day. Only 10 years ago my Club were rumoured to be going into administration and there were suggestions that we would have to merge with Widnes.

Bradford Bulls will continue playing top level Rugby League of that I have no doubt, but you will have to take some short term pain, but pain is a sensation that passes and when it does you can rebuild and look to the future.

Other clubs survive and many have success while having less supporters,as it is we have been treading water and playing catch up for years and basically not achieving.So,have we to go down the ground-share route and and rebuild with an investment that will just keep us afloat and offer a chance for a brighter future? Selling/off-loading our better and youngest players is hardly a scenario to tempt any serious investor, as I suggested previously,any such benefactor would need to replace almost like for like to protect his interests and to create momentum.Admin may be a favoured outcome in some quarters,but just how much is Odsal now holding us back I wonder.We have to adjust in a way that we can afford the talent to progress the Bulls as a club,based on the income from our more than adequate fan base.The buzz word of the past few years has been the lack of a 'sugar daddy' not enabling success in competing with our rivals, but we cannot forever cry over spilt milk, we need a fresh approach, a complete overall of policy and a firm directive and development plan, to give fans confidence in the club's future.We always seem to need more help to ( survive/progress) than is possible to attract and this need has somehow got to be eradicated in my view.However all the accompanying speculation is frustrating and what will be will be,but the Bulls WILL survive one way or another and if there is a team,then there is something to shout for.Let's just hope that 'All's well that ends well'

No SL club could operate a policy of developing young players purely with the aim of selling them on at a profit. There isn't a sufficiently developed transfer market to do that. Most players are on relatively short term contracts, it generally doesn't make economic sense to pay large transfer fees. Very occasionally large transfer fees are paid, but these are the exceptions. Its a very thin market.

The situation with Bateman seems to be something of a one off. A player with huge talent, unlikely to be lured by RU. It may be that players such as Whitehead and Burgess could also attract a transfer fee but I'd be astonished if they were significant amounts.

If the Bulls sell these players I will see it as an act of survival. In no way would I regard it as indicating a long term policy to develop and sell on players. It just wouldn't make sense.

All this talk about selling on your best players to 'bigger' clubs and doing what you have to do to 'stay alive' will ring quite afew bells with other pro/semi clubs in the Yorkshire area.

How many young teens have Yorkshire SL clubs lured from the likes of Keighley, Fax, Fev, Batley, and the rest!? (Fax did it when we were in SL)

i would suggest quite afew over the last 15 years. All these young players have spent their young careers at these now 'lesser' clubs only to be prayed on by SL teams - hurts doesnt it!?

Bradford have overspent and not earned enough to put it very simply. You have your rises and your falls in sport, and Bradford will have to do everything they can to survive.

Which im sure you will.

if this means selling your young stars then so be it. (but i doubt that this will happen as when you enter admin they will be snapped up for free)

IMO opinion Bradford will have to enter admin and start from scratch either with/ or without a large investment - and here lies the doubt in all your minds.

I feel for the fans of Bradford as your club have led you on, drained your money, and now when you deserve questions answering, all your getting is silence.

Good luck.

You are right FAXTeddy.

Think back you Bulls supporters when Halifax went in to admin if i am correct you pinched 6 first team players in the first week.

Pendalbury, Medley, Anderson, + others

Its a cruel world you are entering players are full time and need to know the wage will be in the bank!

Who are the others and what year did Fax enter Admin, because Pendlebury was gone before I started watching fully in 92/93, Medley was already here and played from 89 to 98, Anderson didn't sign until 97. So how the heck we could have pinched all of those three in your first week of administration I have no idea.

Think we are talking about Tony Anderson rather than Paul!

On a much brighter note - the amount that Guilfoyle now thinks we need to raise is £400k! thats two players and the club survives. I fully expect two of bateman / Whitehead / Burgess to be sold this week!

Its sad, but in a funny way, these lads, even though they may not be in Bulls colours, become the future of our club!

I'll buy my next season ticket now if we get to keep the likes of Bateman, Whitehead, Koppy, Crookes and Burgess!

Been driving me bonkers

but think i have come up with the list

John Pendlebury
Ian Wilkinson
Steve Hall
Bob Grogan
Paul Medley

Dave Watson came at end of season or start of new

We had from you

Dave Cooper and Paul Rhodes

Bob Grogan, I knew he wasnt a figment of my imagination, pretty sure he came out of retirement in Australia to play for us, he wasn't with us long though!

Grogan played 2 games at the end of 1990 IIRC. Medley joined in summer 1989. Wilkinson came in 88/89 as did Pendlebury.

Steve Hall? Was he that hopeless Aussie? He had one game for us away at Leigh IIRC and never figured again.

Watson's first season with us was in 1992/93

The same Steve Hall who went on to Keighley?
There was another Steve Hall who played for Saints & London but a couple of years later IIRC?

It wasn't that one who went to London and Saints. Might be the Keighley one but if it was he never played a 1st team game for Northern.

Out of that lot Watson was the best followed by Medley and Watson came well after the Fax financial slump in 88/89. What ever happend to David Brook?

Signed from Rochdale and we'd played him earlier that season I seem to remember

These past crimes are a bit tenuous

Maybe you have a point with Medley (not sure re Pendlebury)

Wilkinson - wasn't he signed from Leeds as part of the Phil Ford deal?
Grogan - see post re rochdale
Watson - wasn't he sacked by Fax following being banned for 6 months due to Marujuana abuse? 2-3 years later

wish your club well but the fact is you should have offloaded star players months ago better to struggle for a few seasons with decent young players without the prospect of administration

which star players??? where??? our stars left c2005 and since the last of them went in 2007 weve replaced world class players with journeymen last chancers and kids.

The kids we have are in some cases outstanding. they are sadly our real assets that will be stripped!