Re: Hudgell slates Chalmers : Sun Jul 15, 2018 10:13 am  

Why are we so worried or in need to find out who is funding the club, 18 months ago there was no Bradford Bulls, as a supporter your paying for the privlage to watch them not to investigate where monies are coming from to run the club, that is down to the owner/owners to deal with, so shut this subject down and continue to support them, I’m sure that is all the club wants from you

[Mild Rover]

Re: Hudgell slates Chalmers : Sun Jul 15, 2018 11:26 am  

Molsk111 wrote:

Why are we so worried or in need to find out who is funding the club, 18 months ago there was no Bradford Bulls, as a supporter your paying for the privlage to watch them not to investigate where monies are coming from to run the club, that is down to the owner/owners to deal with, so shut this subject down and continue to support them, I’m sure that is all the club wants from you

RL clubs are entertainment businesses, comparable in some ways to a cinema, for example.

However, imo, their owners are also custodians of important civic institutions, in a way that I don’t think those of cinemas (or a bowling alley etc.) are. Maybe cinemas were once, tbf. I think fans are stakeholders as much as customers, and owners should be a little more accountable than is the case for a normal business. Generally, I think they are. It’s probably good business, if nothing else, to have good communication, and a sense of togetherness.

Given Bradford’s recent history, i’m not surprised it’s an area of curiosity.

Re: Hudgell slates Chalmers : Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:32 pm  

Molsk111 wrote:

Why are we so worried or in need to find out who is funding the club, 18 months ago there was no Bradford Bulls, as a supporter your paying for the privlage to watch them not to investigate where monies are coming from to run the club, that is down to the owner/owners to deal with, so shut this subject down and continue to support them, I’m sure that is all the club wants from you

The thing is Mr. Chalmers, there is no doubt that the club just want you to hand over your money and not ask questions. That's been quite clear from day one.

Unfortunately intelligent people who care about the club will rarely do that. They may hand over their money because of their feelings, but they'll want to know if someone is being unscrupulous. Especially considering recent history.

Re: Hudgell slates Chalmers : Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:14 pm  

Well said Rover and Chops. I hope you huns wont be accused of being trolls and put in front of Stevo's self elected firing squad.

Re: Hudgell slates Chalmers : Sun Jul 15, 2018 4:55 pm  

Molsk111 wrote:

Why are we so worried or in need to find out who is funding the club, 18 months ago there was no Bradford Bulls, as a supporter your paying for the privlage to watch them not to investigate where monies are coming from to run the club, that is down to the owner/owners to deal with, so shut this subject down and continue to support them, I’m sure that is all the club wants from you

I really can't believe you are being serious with that viewpoint

Given the recent history of the club, with repeated owners constantly telling us that everything was fine and then taking the club into Admin weeks later, and then discovering a litany of lies and deceit - what on earth do you expect?

I'm with Hamster Chops. The long-suffering fans who have been pumping money into this club since long before Andrew Chalmers arrived on his white horse should be afforded some upfront honesty. And the part-owner divesting himself of his 50% share on the q.t and none of even hearing a peep about it qualifies as just the sort of stuff that we've have a bellyful of these past few years.

Re: Hudgell slates Chalmers : Sun Jul 15, 2018 5:44 pm  

Am I missing something here,,,, are we in financial trouble again

Re: Hudgell slates Chalmers : Sun Jul 15, 2018 6:51 pm  

Molsk111 wrote:

Am I missing something here,,,, are we in financial trouble again

Would we know if we were?

Re: Hudgell slates Chalmers : Sun Jul 15, 2018 7:03 pm  

Mmm 1 + 1 = 3

Re: Hudgell slates Chalmers : Sun Jul 15, 2018 10:48 pm  

I’m as nervous as anyone regarding the Bulls finances, but having followed the paper trail as far as I know how, I do think there is nothing to see here.

There was talk months ago of Lowe trying to sell his share of the bulls, presumably to finance his retirement following his heart attack. At the time Koukash made a Statement to say that he had been offered the share but wasn’t interested. It was an odd out of the blue statement, but at the time he was undergoing a split of his own so I suppose I can understand him taking the defensive.

It appears that after trying to find another partner Chalmers bought out Lowe himself through one of his companies.

Do I think we should have a keen interest in the bulls ownership and finances? Hell yes! Do I believe that anything of note has happened that causes me concern? Not at all. Following the heart attack Lowe was partner in shares only. Had the not recovered from his illness then who knows who would have gained a 50% stake in the bulls. As it stands it appears that we have one owner, and that he is working tirelessly to make the bulls a self sufficient business.

These are my opinions, and I’m not an expert in such things, but I’m happy that we have a team to support, and an owner who appears to know what he is doing.

[Bullseye]

Re: Hudgell slates Chalmers : Mon Jul 16, 2018 8:54 am  

This sniping between club owners in the press isn’t very edifying and in my opinion only serves to make people more divided which is the last thing the game needs. I was critical of Chalmers when he took over as he said nothing in the press when many of us had a great deal of questions. Now I think I’d rather see him keep his counsel rather than get into slanging matches with others. The Workington streaming statement was a PR shambles and his columns on the new structure – while meaning well, I think – are not helping the situation. He’s not as smart as he thinks.

As for Hudgell he’s just another tin pot club owner. HKR are hardly the mode business either and are there largely because their owner and others cover the losses – like most RL clubs apart from Leeds. He’s never been a fan of ours and was one of those that voted to deny the Bulls their TV money back in 2012 and instead share it amongst themselves. That move more than anything scuppered the Omar Khan Bulls and led to Administration number 2 and Marc Green coming on the scene. So Hudgell is partly culpable for the situation the Bulls find themselves in. His comments about the opaque goings on that led to Chalmers and Lowe taking over to me seem to gloss over the role he and others had in engineering that.

While the bills are being paid most fans aren’t really that bothered about who the owner is or how much of the club he owns. I’ve no idea how good or bad the finances are. I doubt we’ll find out much either. The next accounts will cover the disastrous 2017 season so we won’t see how steady the ship is now until next year. It’s only when the wheels are coming off do you find out. We ought to find it easier now we’re mainly part time. However the overheads of Odsal and having a full academy, reserves and lots of backroom staff will be bigger than most L1 clubs. I guess we just hope we’re covering the bills by careful wage bill management and increasing sponsorship and crowds. It’ll probably get us back into the championship but longer term I doubt whether Chalmers has the cash to cover the losses that will be made to make an assault on SL. The cynic in me suggests that may be why he’s not cosying up to SL bosses – he can’t afford to run us in that division. Or maybe I should take off the tinfoil hat.