Only 2nd post on here I know but supported this club for 20 years and never ever thought it would come to this! Woke up this morning and felt so sick at this news!

Anyway heres my take on it all after reading forums listening to radio and tv coverage.......

It seems as though we are not wanting to sell any players from what the club has made out which is seemingly good news however this does make me question why hood is begging for money from us when we could get rid of some playing assets? I wouldn't want this to happen as the players are obviously key to the team winning games

For me the best thing for Hood to do is step down as the fans trust has gone completely in him now. He has lied to all of us in the press mentioning none of this!
I have a sneaky feeling that the players knew something was brewing financially before Salford and their heads were down there that's why we played poorly.

So what's the way forward for us as fans? Do we pledge or don't we. Personally I have done and I know it's a risk but I cant bear to lose this club! It is my life and will be raising my kids to support this club!

I did fear the worst this morning but am a bit more positive tonight. Its great to see other clubs players and fans donating and supporting us! Just proves how much of family sport rugby league is because we all know this wouldn't happen in football!

Funny how Hood hasn't been on radio or anything today.

Sounds as though the Odsal deal was a big factor in this, and Hood was the driving factor behind that IIRC.

Not sure about a full board clearout, but Hood going would get alot more pledges in imo.

I rekon this is all a big marketing ploy. 'Come see the Last ever Bulls game at Odsal against Leeds' would be a sellout, only for after the game you to have made the £500,000



In all seriousness, this is a horrible situation for your club and I hope to god you pull through. Just as things in Superleague start to look rosey something like this comes along, you have to wonder how even the smaller clubs are coping!

its bothered me all day, now its confirmed I can't quite belive the inepitude involved in not checking the consequences fully with the bank of selling off our only major asset.... whatever happens we badly need a change at the top, at the very least hood needs to fall on his sword, but who would step in/step up?

Anyone, if it was Hood who sorted the Odsal deal, he has to walk.

Indeed. Really sorry to hear about your plight and hope some sort of package can be sorted. Super League needs Bradford.

four or five hours since the news broke, the response has been fantastic, the phones have been red hot. Someone has just pledged £5,000 and we've had ex-players also pledging their support,
"Stuart Fielden has offered to come in and help answer the phones. Jamie Peacock has been on Twitter saying he's going to pledge £800.
dose not look that bad fans are trying with players

We had the same thing last year, except it was £1,000 from 500 fans. I think they raised £8,000, principally because fans asked the question whether it would maintain our future for ever, not get us through a short term problem with another one waiting in the wings, like a payday loan. All the board wanted was to save themselves, not the club. In the end, it was the best thing that happened to us. I see the Steve Parkin name on the forum. He was sniffing last year. He might be sitting in his house now, stroking his white cat and chuckling to himself. It might turn out to be the best thing that happens to you. It was with us.

Good luck.

Anyone want to walk from Bradford to Hull to make money?

Does that matter as long as your club keeps going...

Ewwenerfolk: I've thought of trying to do something for charity. Sponsored walk to red hall and back or something Fancy bouncing some ideas about?

can i just say that i come here in peace and am in no way enjoying the predicament that your great club is in at the moment,i sincerely hope that there is a way back for you as sl would be a worse place without you I have often been accused of being nothing more than a troll on here due to my negative posts,but i was merely trying to convey the information that i was told in confidence to you in order that you could seek the relevant answers at your fans forum evenings I have just posted this on southstander viewtopic.php?f=17&t=523095&p=16797027#p16797027 the hints and clues were clearly there but you all just ignored them?

can i just say that i come here in peace and am in no way enjoying the predicament that your great club is in at the moment,i sincerely hope that there is a way back for you as sl would be a worse place without you I have often been accused of being nothing more than a troll on here due to my negative posts,but i was merely trying to convey the information that i was told in confidence to you in order that you could seek the relevant answers at your fans forum evenings I have just posted this on southstander viewtopic.php?f=17&t=523095&p=16797027#p16797027 the hints and clues were clearly there but you all just ignored them?

If its true about Stu Fielden and JP then thats fantastic. It's great that our ex-players are giving back to the club.

I wonder if Stu would come back WHEN FIT (Wigan dont really need him).

Very difficult to have any more faith in Hood. Each time money has come into the club (selling players and the lease on the ground) Hood has come out with statements saying that we didn't really need the money. He even said that the reason the lease was sold to the RFL was to stop so called predators. If everyone who pledged to buy a season ticket had been asked to pay a realistic amount, then things might have turned out differently. Unfortunately, those who questioned the financial viability of selling season tickets at such prices have been proved correct.

As an employment solicitor I deal with a lot of insolvencies. This is my 2p worth.

The reason for the crisis: most business sail close to the wind on cash flow. The main oil to the wheels is the overdraft. Banks can pull the overdraft at any time. In the current climate they do so with regularity. If you're operating with a big OD to have it pulled will kill the business very quickly.

Without the overdraft the business will need a loan v. quickly. Banks aren't making business loans at the moment, particularly to businesses without assets.

Bradford will be relying on credit from suppliers. Once they get wind that the club is in trouble, they will want paying and pull credit. This is perhaps why the club was hesitant to reveal the true financial picture. That or the OD being pulled with a couple of weeks notice.

The business could go into admin, such as a pre pack to restart under a different company, but the vide I've been getting from the current board is that they've been waiting for someone to come along to take he club off their hands for years.

It's all well and good saying sack the board, but realistically who's going to take the club forward. There may be people waiting in the wings to buy the club out of administration. We won't know that until the club goes under am insolvency practitioner.

If I had the money, I certainly would buy the club now with the baggage of £1m of debts. I'd buy the assets in admin debt free including free of any wages owed.

Which is a shame because he is usually spot on. Does not really say much for you.

At the end of the day, as a supporter of a club thats had more than its fair share of 'last dawns', if you come out of this with the club in one piece, just without the players, then its all worthwhile. You can get new players, you can get new staff, you can get a new board, but once the club as an entity goes, you're buggered. There are enough people who care about rugby in Bradford to keep it going, and thats all that matters at the moment.

What assets? Elliot Whitehead in the car boot?

If we timed it right, could do it on the day of the Leeds game. Pick out some fundraising spots on the way there (Asda Thornbury, Odeon etc) then make it back to fundraise at Odsal until kick off time?

Surely Bradford have £2m at least guaranteed for the next two years in Sky payments from the RFL. If this is a simply cash flow issue why not simply borrow against that?

It seems very odd that a short-term cash flow problem has resulted in the club not needing a loan but a cash injection of £1m. And £1m seems a surprisingly large overdraft for a company only turning over £3-4m.

Ive pledged. I could not bare my club going under. The late great Trevor Foster would be turning in his grave. Lets not let his efforts go to waste.

The club have given me as much reassurance as they possibly can. If i pledge and we don't make the target i lose nothing, if we do make the target, my pledge has come in use. They have also stated we will be DEBT FREE.

Going into administration has to be the last resort. Do this and we lose Bateman, Whitehead, Crookes, Kearney, L'estrange, for next to nothing, even then they is no guarantee we would survive as we would need a buyer!!!

If you don't make the Leeds game all ticket, then have donation boxes to help the club. yes it is humiliaiting but will we care if we're still playing.

COYB!!!!!

ive pledged,£100 is not too much to pay when i think of all the entertainment they have given me and my family over the last 40 years or so and yes i include the heartache of last few years as well.i would rather stump up a few quid to keep watching top level rugby league in bradford than lose it.although i will struggle to pay it i feel i have to for the club to carry on.
COYB

If anybody else would be willing to do it, how about a run (at your own pace) instead of a walk with a couple of cars going along playing RUN WITH THE BULLS as loud as possible. Either Red Hall or another destination. In Bulls full kit, dress the cars up with flags and banners.

Not sure how many fans are on RL forums but if everyone pledged a pound ? could it be a start; post it on every site ?

Really don't know what to say