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Bulliac

Coach
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Everything posted by Bulliac

  1. I think Swinton wouldn't be far off either, wasn't it 1866? The Bradford club, formed to play "football, under Rugby school rules" in 1863 was the same Bradford Football Club which has a continuous line through to the current Bulls. Allowing for various changes in owners, grounds etc along the way, of course. The 1907 hiatus, when Bradford Park Avenue soccer club was formed, was a split; the rugby club carried on with most of the same players, kit and equipment, from one season to the next at a new ground and to say it was a new club isn't really true - even though a fairly recent owner pulled the stunt of selling a '100 year anniversary' shirt in 2007. The other Bradford club was Manningham, the first Northern Union champions, who went on to become Bradford City in 1903 and this club has no connection at all to Bradford FC (other than coming from the same city), but it is probably the other Bradford club you are thinking of. As far as I know the Manningham rugby club completely disappeared when it changed to soccer.
  2. Ryan has been CEO since Omar took the club on, so should by now be up to speed with how it all works and I can't see any real difference to how the club moves forward. It seems, reading through the lines of Robbie's statement in the T&A, that his move to CEO was on the cards when he came back from Hudds which, if it is indeed the case, means this isn't a sudden move but something which has been planned for a few months, at least. Incidentally, it is only OK who is citing ill health, Gerry Sutcliffe already has fulltime job as an MP so, in reality, was never going to be a full time chairman as well. Same goes for Vipin Joshi, who I guess works within the Omar Khan group. Whatever happens in the future, I think Omar and Gerry desrve rich thanks from all at the Bulls for what they did, as at the time there really was no-one else.
  3. They have paid their taxes, they would be in court otherwise.
  4. I think you need to remember that Omar Khan has had no experience of running a rugby club and and is only just coming to the end of his first year - so he hasn't been putting £1 million "a year" into the club. This hasn't been helped by being on less than half of the TV money the other clubs are on. His biggest mistake was probably in assuming that all the old season ticket holders would renew without taking into account the cheap prices previously on offer and hopefully, after a full years' experience, he will have a bit more awareness for future seasons.
  5. I think the squad is looking more balanced for next year with decent cover in most areas, maybe just another prop needed, but we certainly shouldn't be needing backrowers in the halves next season.
  6. The article is incorrect, though I guess it's an easy mistake to make. The RFL have never claimed to have the freehold and the journo concerned really should check his facts.
  7. As things stand, Bfd Met are the owners, the RFL are the primary leaseholders and the Bulls have a secondary lease from the RFL. I think you may be being confused with what happened in 2000, with the "Odsal settlement", which came up after the 'superdome' project fell through and the Bulls returned fom Valley Parade. Up to that time the Bulls had a lease under which the council were responsible for maintenance and also took bar profits and anything made from ground advertising and any other uses like speedway for example were all extra money for the council. The new lease [the current primary lease now held by the RFL] after the 'settlement' was for 150 years. Under that lease the club took over maintenance [for which they were given a large sum, and I'm talking a few £millions, in compensation for the remainder of the old lease, under which it was the council's responsibility ] and also got the bars, advertising and the rental for other uses [sublets] and had to pay a small rent to the council. Though the money intended for upkeep is long gone [spent buying success in the noughties] all the other conditions of the lease remain under the secondary lease from the RFL. As primary lease holders I assume the RFL pay the small rent to Bfd Met. I don't think there ever was any question of the council selling the freehold, I think the problem with the ground was with what might happen if someone were to come in and buy out the club in order to grab the 150 year lease on the ground [or 'construction site' as it may well have very quickly become]. The club has been in some kind of financial difficulty ever since the 'settlement' money ran out in the mid noughties - hence the selling and downscaling that went on at the time, so it's a long way from being a far fetched notion, and much as I know absolutely nothing in particular, it would seem that those in charge at the time were worried enough to convince the RFL to buy the lease, so it sounds a little like there were strong rumours floating around.
  8. Not sure what you're on about to be honest mate. Bradford haven't had any 'lead balloon' of maintenance removed, so i don't know where you've got that from. Up to the 'Odsal settlement' in 2000, responsibility for upkeep lay with the freeholder, which is Bfd Met, and from that point on [the year 2000] all maintenance has been the sole responsibility of the club. When the club sold the primary lease [not the ground] to the RFL this did not change. What changed was that the club now pays rent at "commercial rates" to the RFL. The RFL presumably now pay the cheap rent to the council. I can't remember what the Bulls' rent is, though I'm sure I've seen the figure and it's not cheap. Certainly steep enough for Omar Khan to offer to buy back the primary lease last year. I think it should be remembered that the money the club got from the RFL late last season was just their own Sky money, all be it paid a little early.
  9. No, it was never really explained. I do find it hard to believe that OK came up with the suggestion though; why on earth would he if the idea hadn't been 'planted' by others at the meeting? It would have given the impression that Omar was - in effect - bribing the other clubs to let them play in SL, especially so when they pocketted the money themselves. Surely OK wouldn't have suggested it, nor would the other clubs have taken it for that reason alone - nor, surely, would the RFL legal people have okayed the deal given the way it would look. To be honest, the only way which looks reasonable, would be if the RFL presented it as a 'fine' and the 'price' for going into admin and OK and Gerry Sutcliffe had no real choice but to accept it if they wanted to stay in SL.
  10. Don't know how you thought there was anyone esle to keep the ship 'bobbing along' - the only other [apparently serious] bid had been ruled out as unsuitable by the RFL, so couldn't be considered by administrator. Omar Khan was the only offer in town and if he'd turned down the RFL's offer of reduced funding it would have meant winding up. You're right to say he's no Dr Koukash - he's a local restauranter, and owns, with his family, a couple of eateries in the district. I guess by my standards he's wealthy, but then most people are wealthy by my standards and he certainly does not have endless funds to put in. Neither, before he agreed to the deal, was he told about the plans to relegate the lower clubs from SL after the next season, a season during which he would be deliberately hamstrung by reduced funding. Nice!
  11. Definitely he would be better with a settled partner, and some uninterupted time in the side, that should give him the opportunity to show his best and to be fair he's given plenty of glimpses of quality on occasion. Let's keep our fingers crossed over the injuries...
  12. Ha ha, I 've thought that sooo many times! Ferguson is a solid signing though and just what we need.
  13. This is good news and a promising sign of things to come, hopefully we'll get a few more signed up soon.
  14. Without meaning any disrespect to Wigan, I hope no single team dominates ever again. We've been down that road and it wasn't good for the game.
  15. Well, until their recent run of good luck they haven't won anything for years so it's unfair to blame them; they just don't know how to treat silverware. they didn't even have a cabinet to keep them in until a joiner made one for them a couple of years ago........................
  16. The Sky mag usually goes straight into the bin (recycling) seconds after it hits the mat. Just like the Sunday paper sports mags, it's a total waste of decent quality paper.
  17. I think the fact that Connor Murphy has reported the possibility increases the likelihood to be honest, though it obviously, until announced, remains just another rumour. I'm more persuaded by Connor's name being attached to it than by any other reporter to be honest, though, let's be accurate, he's not mentioned any 'done deal', so caution remains. I'm surprised that he thinks Saints might release him from the final year of his contract, I would have expected them to get what they could, even if they do wish to develop the talent coming through. Though, no doubt Leon would have a heavier drain on the wages bill and cap than the youngsters, so maybe there is some self interest in there, particularly if there is a possibility that one of the kids would be off without more first team action. There's still little doubt in my mind that the Bulls won't be looking to pay a substantial fee. Interesting times!!
  18. It's many years ago since I meddled with a bit of weed and I think I'm safe with the statute of limitations etc. Certainly back in the sixties and seventies most people got stuff from 'friends'. It was always friends to whom you would speak about it, and many people had a friend who got a bit more than he needed and would sell it on. Not that I would have called him a "dealer", not even sure the term existed back then, to be honest. He didn't make much either; there was no BMW, with or without blacked out windows, he was just a mate, which if any semblance of this remains - and I must point out I have no idea whether it does or not as I haven't indulged since Adam was a lad, well since I was a lad - then it will be difficult to find many willing to shop a mate. I'd guess sports drugs might be a bit different though since these things are (apparently) available over the net from countries where they are not illegal, so I'm not sure if dobbing in a IP address would be of any benefit to the authorities in this country. Though the scumbags who cut up and sell on bastardised versions of god knows what to kids, from some back alley or from a car, deserve all they get when caught. Sadly the political will isn't there to do anything effective about it.
  19. I can understand that some would think this way, but ultimately we, as adults, are responsible for our own actions. What's more I feel that the interview with Terry showed that he felt the same way and was desperately trying to atone. It's the same old clich
  20. Well, at which club will there be a sense of rebirth and even novelty and at which club might a touch of ennui be setting in?
  21. Sad end for a top player and great personality, so young, and a sad loss. Condolences to his partner and family.
  22. What if the moon were made of green cheese? What if you won the lottery? What it, what if.............. The world of what if, is a marvellous place, I really must visit one day, but sadly I along with the majority of the population actually live in the real world and in the real world we have what we've got, and make the best of it. Ultimately, you either work with what you've got or you just stand back and moan about it. Trouble is most people eventually get fed up of moaners.................
  23. What total claptrap Lobby. The doors to soccer's 'free' market only open for a multi million pound fee. A price many dozens of times higher than the 'entrance fee' into SL. Neither Batley nor Dewsbury (or Leigh) could spend millions on anything, even if you added their assets together, because they don't have it to spend. Clubs spending mythical millions, just a typical load of Lobbycobblers.
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