Re: 2018 expectations : Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:53 am  

rugbyreddog wrote:

Don't say that. Nat Conf 2 here we come.

Sart in conderence 2 -12, becaus ethe RFL wont let us start in conference 3

Re: 2018 expectations : Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:54 am  

paulwalker71 wrote:

Well, you'd like to think we'd assemble a squad capable of making a genuine bid for the automatic slot, but who knows? Until we see how things are shaping up - heck we don't even know the format of the league yet - its impossible to say

What I would caution though is that there will be some very decent teams around us next season. We'll have whichever team gets relegated with us (either Oldham or Swinton you would think), along with whichever teams from Barrow, Whitehaven or York that don't get promoted along with Toronto. Doncaster and Hunslet are no mugs, and you can bet that Keighley are going to see us as the biggest scalp they could possibly take.

Most of the teams at the top end of League 1 are interchangeable with the likes of Swinton, Rochdale and Oldham that we have really struggled to beat this season. Unless get a decent squad and - perhaps even more importantly - get the attitude right, we will come a cropper on plenty of occasions next season.

This post should be emailed, posted and even sent by Raven to the club

Re: 2018 expectations : Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:04 am  

HamsterChops wrote:

Whatever your expectation is, expect to actually be at least one rung below that, such is the norm for Bradford Bulls in recent times. So expect for your expectation to be wrong. Ok my head hurts now.

HA, definitely, Be like 2015 all over again. Enter the season full of optimism and we get given the hardest fixture possible with an away game to Leigh with an inexperienced referee (who was also from Leigh) Rest of season we were chasing. I guarantee our first fixture will be Keighley or York away.

Think our chances depend on who comes down too. If it's Rochdale i'd say they will be favourites. If Swinton come down, i think they'll really be struggling just to stay in business never mind having a promotion challenge. As Bullseye said, too many variable to make predictions, we don't know our squad or what bloody format the league will be. If it's 8 home, 8 away, then we're fecked as we'll get the difficult teams away. Obviously as we're the RFL pets and all that.

One thing i am looking forward to is our achievements (or lack of) will depend on what we actually do in that league. We finish top, we earn promotion. No ridiculous situation of having to beat any teams not in our league.

Re: 2018 expectations : Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:06 am  

The issue for me is not getting out of that league, although I have doubts about the likelihood of that happening, it's the lack of money - it is litle use even if we did manage to get promoted back to the Championship, if we enter it with a significantly worse squad of players than everyone else in that division, and if we remain without any money to move up a few gears back to similar wages bill as 2017.

We self-declared as having no big money to spend on players, and we've self-declared that we are not only not looking for investors, but we've actually knocked a few back.

So my concern is that the whole thing makes no immediate financial sense. Yes, you can probably end up being competitive in C1 on a shoestring, but there will be plenty of tough games if you pitch and construct your own squad on a C1 basis; surely the aim should be to become the new Toronto? But without any money, let alone substantial money, there's more chance of us becoming the old Bulls, and going tits.

If ChaLow have indeed worked out a way to "cut our cloth" which doesn't involve them actually investing in any decent new quality cloth from their own pockets, then whilst we may remain solvent (for once), we won't be cracking any pots.

And my problem with that is, if all is as I summarise - then what is the point? I mean, is proving you can run a team in C1 without putting in any significant moeny, and break even, a worthwhile aim? I still don't get it.

[Bullseye]

Re: 2018 expectations : Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:47 am  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

And my problem with that is, if all is as I summarise - then what is the point? I mean, is proving you can run a team in C1 without putting in any significant moeny, and break even, a worthwhile aim? I still don't get it.

Nor do I. Unless it's all just a holding pattern to keep the club in existence (at a bare minimum expense) until a new stadium and new income generation opportunities arise? Bit of a long shot.

I'm not sure getting promoted would be pointless as I think you're arguing. But for the points deduction we'd still be in with a shout of staying up this season. And that's with all the other handicaps we've had. Going into a season in the championship off the back of a promotion winning season with a settled squad would be infinitely better off than we were back in Feb 2017. If we remained partly part time we'd probably be able to recruit a better squad too.

I think the real problem comes when you get in the championship and want to get promoted to SL. That's not happening to anyone unless you spend big and that's not happening with us.

Re: 2018 expectations : Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:47 am  

The only expectation I have for next year is I expect Keighley will beat us at some stage, being the only displeasurable thing left that hasn't yet happened to us in the past 6 years.

Re: 2018 expectations : Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:47 am  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

The issue for me is not getting out of that league, although I have doubts about the likelihood of that happening, it's the lack of money - it is litle use even if we did manage to get promoted back to the Championship, if we enter it with a significantly worse squad of players than everyone else in that division, and if we remain without any money to move up a few gears back to similar wages bill as 2017.

We self-declared as having no big money to spend on players, and we've self-declared that we are not only not looking for investors, but we've actually knocked a few back.

So my concern is that the whole thing makes no immediate financial sense. Yes, you can probably end up being competitive in C1 on a shoestring, but there will be plenty of tough games if you pitch and construct your own squad on a C1 basis; surely the aim should be to become the new Toronto? But without any money, let alone substantial money, there's more chance of us becoming the old Bulls, and going tits.

If ChaLow have indeed worked out a way to "cut our cloth" which doesn't involve them actually investing in any decent new quality cloth from their own pockets, then whilst we may remain solvent (for once), we won't be cracking any pots.

And my problem with that is, if all is as I summarise - then what is the point? I mean, is proving you can run a team in C1 without putting in any significant moeny, and break even, a worthwhile aim? I still don't get it.

Other teams have managed to do it though, look at Rochdale and Oldham. If we ever do come back up then I think we could manage to do something similar.

Re: 2018 expectations : Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:07 am  

Bullseye wrote:

I think the real problem comes when you get in the championship and want to get promoted to SL. That's not happening to anyone unless you spend big and that's not happening with us.

Thats either going to be new stadium/income generation possibilities +/- a core of quality academy players who have come through together and are willing to pen 2yr deals to give us a shot. Or we tick enough boxes of the presumed franchising model with the two items above & get placed there directly. I would think.

[Bullseye]

Re: 2018 expectations : Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:20 am  

Highlander wrote:

Thats either going to be new stadium/income generation possibilities +/- a core of quality academy players who have come through together and are willing to pen 2yr deals to give us a shot. Or we tick enough boxes of the presumed franchising model with the two items above & get placed there directly. I would think.

Probably. But I think we're getting ahead of ourselves. Until there's something official comes out about the stadium I find it hard to believe it will happen - too many false dawns in the past. I also think if we're to get a core of decent academy players to come through and stick together we have to give them a reason to stay at the club. A new ground would be a tangible way of showing better times are coming. Otherwise they'll get picked off just like the others. Kids want to be successful and it's a short career.

So we need both to happen to get out of the Championship OR a multi millionaire that wants to throw some money away comes along!

Until then it's C1. Interesting that the threads about 2018 have been so popular. It's as if we want 2017 out of the way as soon as possible

Re: 2018 expectations : Tue Aug 22, 2017 12:11 pm  

Nothus wrote:

Other teams have managed to do it though, look at Rochdale and Oldham. If we ever do come back up then I think we could manage to do something similar.

Yes, look at them.

But I don't want to be Rochdale nor oldham, with respect etc., nor is being a Rochdale ever going to work for a club like Bradford. We'd almost certainly fold, but even if no, we'd be pointless.