The last deadline was for 'concrete' business plans. The RFL are now going through the business plans and financial forecasts. Part of this will be to check that they have the money for the purchase and the money required to run the club through the next 2 years. This could include personal guarentees(?).

According to the T&A both parties have held FINAL meetings with the RFL yesterday, Sutcliffe hints a deal could be done by this weekend.

Rimmer and Solly are visiting the players today to update them

is this the end? {fingers, toes and other appendages crossed smiley}

So the RFL pass it back to the Administrator as the preferred bid and then he says that the other bloke - the one on the white horse, who speaks latin, gets it?

I think whatever the bidders may have offered the Administrator would be subject to the attitude of the RFL - that is £xxx with RLF backing and £0 if the RFL don't support them. It all seems a bit too easy at the moment - curious to see what the catches are though happy to wait till after the boys have won the Grand Final!

I heard the bids were both for either a SL or Championship Bulls.

Very true. I doubt Mr Guilfoyle has ever felt so powerless in a position where he would normally expect to have control.

Curious though, that after all we've been through, you suggest it 'all seems a bit easy' at the moment!! Let's hope the actual 'birth', of whatever is to come, is less painful than the 'labour' has been.

Anyone know when GF tickets are available, btw?..I wonder which end we'll get..

Indeed. Isn't that what was meant by "unconditional"?

Interesting that hull game is being advertised on signboard at chainbar. Think it's first game to be on their since we entered admin. Maybe a sign of more organisation behind the scenes.

I assume that Boots n All tonight will have a report and interviews. Like Bullpower all appendages are crossed and I'm following all my irrational lucky superstitions.. What could possibly go wrong????
My 4 major hopes are (in no particular order -although 2 3 & 4 probably depend on 1):
1. we retain SL membership ( even if our new ownership means there has to be a measure of rebuilding)
2.we keep Potter and the coaching staff and they are paid

3.the younger players are retained

4. the Academy/Bullbuider structure can continue

I know that's asking a lot. At the end of the day just having a team to follow will be an immense relief.

Concur with that but there are nagging doubts - like a story yesterday that if we retain a place in SL we may have to take a reduction in Sky money, which, if true, I guess suggests that A) we [imay[/i have had more than our share in the payments we've received over the last few months and they want it back, or B), more sinisterly, it may be some sort of 'punishment'. Maybe we'll find out more tonight? Though if it's Eddie asking the questions, Mr Solly will find the experience a bit like being grilled by a dead sheep and we'll find out very little.

In addition to your list I also hope we can keep our sponsors and even more, I hope that fans going into next year realise that it's most likely going to be a long hard slog. Particularly with almost certainly losing some/most of the ooc senior players and being unable to replace them as yet. If we have to field a team of younger than average players this may help supporters to get behind them and not just disappear if things initially don't go too well. Obviously, I don't need to say that we are going to have to stump up a lot more than last time around..

I guess we'll find out just what level of funding is available for things like recruitment and the academy in due course (says me talking as though it's all settled

) though Bullbuilder is entirely up to us, the fans and I've paid my subs for another year..

Au Contraire
Mr Guilfoyle has always been, still is, and will remain in control until he decides who to sell to. He has a Court Order to that effect.
The final Bidders are now aware of what is required of them and exactly what they will receive. Due diligence will confirm that the bidders and seller are able to do what they say.

Then Guilfoyle will sell to the bidder who best meets the criteria of his legal responsibilities.

That is the theory.

The practice, though, is that it seems clear the RFL have determined who the suitable bidders are - by the simple expedient of controlling the one big thing the bidders need. And, I rather suspect, by determining just how much needs to be paid back to creditors to keep HMRC off the RFL's back, let alone because they can set rules - especially for rugby creditors.

Once the RFL have determined who gets a shot at it, they then tell Guilfoyle who they are prepared to accept.

Guilfoyle can accept that, or he can try and come up with an alternative that provides a better return to the creditors. And just how likely is he to be able to do that? Since he could not control the one big stick that could materially influence the outcome. IMO.

And remember he has no money to pay the players unless the RFL choose to advance him Skty monies, and no money to pay the coaching and support staff who are being partially-supported instead by the Bullbuilder Hardship Fund - which itself has benefited significantly from the generosity of some other clubs. So he really has sod all control ov er anything much, really, but a load of responsibility.

That, I think, is the point Bulliac is making, and if so it is a point to which I fully subscribe. I suspect Guilfoyle may well regret the day he ever agreed to "help out".

Well, except that the RFL control the value of the bids.

Guilfoyle has to get the best deal for the creditors, that's his job, but if the RFL decides that a bidder won't get a licence then their bid is worth nothing.

I'll change that to what what was said above...

or B) we havent paid any rent to the RFL for the entire season for Odsal and they are offsetting it against SL Sky money as they wont get anywhere near what is owed as a creditor.

My post is factual as where we are now.
My presumption was that any bidder at this stage of due diligence had already met the financial and administrative requirements of associated parties (RFL etc) and only the amount of contributions to the non-rugby creditor's fund was at issue.
Where two bidders have met all the conditions as above then the value of this contribution would be for Guilfoyle to decide.

So then, all being well, the new owner will pick up the keys on Friday afternoon and take up residence on Saturday, in time for the Hull match. That will leave zero time for any talks with anyone, players, staff, coaches, let alone any actual agreements/contracts, so I assume that the game will take place almost before the new owners have even had time to get their coats off, in which case presumably it will take place only through the continued goodwill - if only for 1 more day - of those kind people.

I suspect not.
Whist it may not have been the routine job he expected (or maybe promised) and not financially profitable for him (depends how you assess the actual cost of fees to what he finally receives), their is an upturn.

IF he can return the Bradford Bulls brand to Super League, playing at Odsal, keep the RFL licence, getting rid of at the least £1.5m of debts, retain all the player's contracts, retain the training facility and the Juniors, then he will have exceeded my pessimistic expectations

Brokering a deal between many parties with invested interests and above all finally selling the club as a going concern will be promoted by him as a significant professional achievement that will look damn good on his CV no matter what the intervening processes.

If rumours are to be believed - our super league status has already been discussed between the clubs. The new owner will be allowed to have the license transferred and the club will remain in super league. The voting stood at 12-1 for the Bulls to remain in Super League.

1 voted against us.

I shudder to think who that could have been.

It was probably quite close or maybe a Fartown.

I can't believe Wakey would vote for us. Some of their fans would spontaneously combust if they found out.

Only the Khan/Sutcliffe bid has been called in.
Announcement tomorrow.

I believe you but where did you find this out please?

Sutcliffe has just been interviewed on Boots n All. Seems his and khans bid is the one likely to be proceeded with.

Thanks