Re: Odsal Stadium the plot thickens : Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:46 am  

little wayne69 wrote:

It wasn't a criticism of your post, just simply an annoyance at Rimmer bending over for Bradford, it's a shame he couldn't bring himself to try and offer to get involved with Wakefield council on our clubs behalf.

He would make a cock of it anyway

Re: Odsal Stadium the plot thickens : Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:52 am  

If, at the outset, all of the clubs in SL agreed to the plan for the RFL to take on the lease and that they agreed to share any costs (or profits) made from the ground then, this may be a reasonable assertion from Rimmer.
However, IIRC, this was a decision taken by the RFL and Bradford and to the benefit of Bradford.
The whole thing stunk the house out at the time an it still smells awful.

It's no wonder that our sport is on its booty - those in charge of the game are unfit for purpose.
They gambled the house on saving Braford and lost.

Right now, they should completely write off or sell their "asset" (Odsal) and leave Bradford to run their own affairs in the best way that Bradford think they can. If this means having a new ground share with Bradford City then, so be it, something that probably should have happened long ago but, dont expect others to pay for it.
The thought of other RL clubs, even in part, funding a new ground for Braford is fecking ridiculous.

Re: Odsal Stadium the plot thickens : Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:16 am  

I wouldn’t read too much into the article. The ‘journalist’ that has written it isn’t the most credible individual around. In fact, he’s not even a journalist!

Re: Odsal Stadium the plot thickens : Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:19 am  

wrencat1873 wrote:

If, at the outset, all of the clubs in SL agreed to the plan for the RFL to take on the lease and that they agreed to share any costs (or profits) made from the ground then, this may be a reasonable assertion from Rimmer.
However, IIRC, this was a decision taken by the RFL and Bradford and to the benefit of Bradford.
The whole thing stunk the house out at the time an it still smells awful.

It's no wonder that our sport is on its booty - those in charge of the game are unfit for purpose.
They gambled the house on saving Braford and lost.

Right now, they should completely write off or sell their "asset" (Odsal) and leave Bradford to run their own affairs in the best way that Bradford think they can. If this means having a new ground share with Bradford City then, so be it, something that probably should have happened long ago but, dont expect others to pay for it.
The thought of other RL clubs, even in part, funding a new ground for Braford is fecking ridiculous.

Wouldn't it be easier for the two to share the ground at Valley Parade, or don't the Bulls want to pay any rent there.

Re: Odsal Stadium the plot thickens : Wed Jan 15, 2020 12:53 pm  

Quite appalling that the RFL didn't have an exit strategy in place when they bought it - even worse failed to deliver one since then.

Re: Odsal Stadium the plot thickens : Wed Jan 15, 2020 2:39 pm  

TrinityIHC wrote:

Quite appalling that the RFL didn't have an exit strategy in place when they bought it - even worse failed to deliver one since then.

It was always a stupid plan.
Bradford were paying a "peppercorn" rent on Odsal and then moved to a "commercial" rent (after the RFL bought the lease).
Apart form giving them circa £700k to fritter away, the long term effects, for a club that couldn't trade profitably, were always going to be harder than they had been.
As I said, it was wrong at the time and just gets worse and worse.
The RFL need to cut their losses here and if their really is still an appetite for rugby league in Bradford, which I think there is, Bradford will eventually be a force again, even if it takes some time.
Equally, there are plenty of politics at play here and they appear to be trying to force the RFL's hand (by walking away from the rental agreement), something that the RFL cannot allow them to do.

Re: Odsal Stadium the plot thickens : Wed Jan 15, 2020 4:06 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

However, IIRC, this was a decision taken by the RFL and Bradford and to the benefit of Bradford.
The whole thing stunk the house out at the time an it still smells awful.

With everything that has gone on, I can't understand why you still think that is accurate? That was the popular opinion at the time, but after 8 years, looking at the results, the opposite is correct. Unless when you used the word "benefit", you were using its other meaning - massive damage to the Bulls, the RFL and the game as a whole?

The RFL didn't buy the lease to help the Bulls, they did it to save themselves. The RFL gave the Bulls a large unsecured loan 3months previously and basically exchanged it for the only asset the Bulls had left.

Hood should never have asked for the loan. And the RFL should never have agreed to it. That decision tied Bradford & the RFL together, caused reputational damage, issues with governance, likely affected Sport England payout to the RFL as governance and avoiding conflict of interests are big for public bodies.

If the Bulls had gone into administration earlier, they would have had about £1.2m debt and a £1.5m asset. Much more saleable. Instead, they and the RFL had their devils compact and the bulls went bust one year later with no asset and about £2.4m debt.

Re: Odsal Stadium the plot thickens : Wed Jan 15, 2020 5:58 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

It was always a stupid plan.

There was a plan?

Re: Odsal Stadium the plot thickens : Wed Jan 15, 2020 11:36 pm  

I think Rimmer is right in needing a solution for the benefit of the rugby league community as a whole, because of course long-time Bradford fan, and now owner, Nigel Wood, helped saddle the sport with the millstone in order to help "his" club.

Now that the sport is saddled with it, it is only right that the sport does what it can to get rid of the millstone. If that benefits the Bulls, I've no issue. They are a bona fide top flight club.

But there is no point in moaning about what was done in the past. The sport needs to get rid of the burden in a way that is best for the sport, and perhaps even for the Bulls.

It's just a disgrace how it was done (and perhaps a shame that Nigel Wood wasn't a dyed in the wool Wakefield fan).

Re: Odsal Stadium the plot thickens : Thu Jan 16, 2020 10:15 am  

Slugger McBatt wrote:

I think Rimmer is right in needing a solution for the benefit of the rugby league community as a whole, because of course long-time Bradford fan, and now owner, Nigel Wood, helped saddle the sport with the millstone in order to help "his" club.

Now that the sport is saddled with it, it is only right that the sport does what it can to get rid of the millstone. If that benefits the Bulls, I've no issue. They are a bona fide top flight club.

But there is no point in moaning about what was done in the past. The sport needs to get rid of the burden in a way that is best for the sport, and perhaps even for the Bulls.

It's just a disgrace how it was done (and perhaps a shame that Nigel Wood wasn't a dyed in the wool Wakefield fan).

Wasn’t Neil Tunnicliffe a supposed Trinity fan? Did he do us any favours? Certainly not on that scale, we can’t even get the old boys network to go in our favour