Sale of Bradford Bulls players ‘a possibility’

7:00am Wednesday 4th July 2012 in Sport

Brendan Guilfoyle Brendan Guilfoyle

Up to six expressions of interest have been received by the administrators of the stricken Bradford Bulls rugby club, which has been given a stay of execution until Tuesday.

But player sales are not being ruled out in a bid to raise more cash for the club. It is also understood an interim chief executive is on the verge of being appointed. It is believed Gary Tasker, former chief executive officer at the club, has been sounded out about the role and is weighing up his options.

But administrators are struggling to find an interim coach, because of adverse comments about the dismissal of the coaching team on Monday. They were sacked along with the sales, marketing and maintenance staff to reduce the wage bill.

Brendan Guilfoyle, the administrator appointed to try and save the club, said they could keep the Bulls going until Tuesday and urged fans to head to Odsal stadium on Sunday to support the team. He is meeting a potential investor today.

The Bulls play London Broncos this weekend, which normally attracts a small crowd, but Mr Guilfoyle is hoping up to 5,000 fans will turn up and pay on the gate.

Mr Guilfoyle also said he wanted to apologise to players for not turning up at a players’ meeting yesterday because he had “nothing to tell them”.

“Our deadline now is Tuesday and we are taking legal advice,” Mr Guilfoyle said. “We are moving to stage the game on Sunday, but that game costs money and will cost £30,000 excluding staff wages.

“We expect revenue of £10,000 and I will make a loss of £20,000, but have been receiving assurances from the magnificent fans and season ticket holders that will walk through the gates and pay again.

“The players wages are due sometime in the middle of the month and we are working hard to make sure we have got the money to pay them.

“We get distribution money from the Rugby Football League every month and we are looking to speed that up, which is £100,000. But the wage bill is now £200,000 and that means we are still £100,000 short.

“I need an interim coach to get advice from on what needs to be done, but player sales are a possibility. It might bridge the gap, but then again we might not sell anybody, but people are showing an interest in players.”

Guilfoyle said he had been overwhelmed with the turnout and support from the fans at the Guide Post hotel in Bradford on Monday, where an estimated 500 people turned up for a meeting about the club’s future.

Comments(25)

DCarbz says...
8:26am Wed 4 Jul 12

Personally speaking the administrator could do worse than ask Chev Walker to run the shop for him assuming of course that he is still on the books.

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birkybull says...
9:48am Wed 4 Jul 12

Its in the Hull Daily mail that Hull are in for Bateman & Whitehead. They are the only club with a lot of room under this seasons salary cap because of the players they have released. The fans are saying we took, Radford, Vaikona, McNamara off them by offering them big $$ so are happy there going to get revenge. Wakefiled are in for Kopjack & Gale also Wigan for Kearney, Elima to Catalans. If all sold????

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woollybully says...
10:09am Wed 4 Jul 12

Go back and ask Potter again! On record that £22k to put game on at Odsal now this guy is saving money it's £30k. I have confidence in this guy I don't think!

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Old Dave says...
10:42am Wed 4 Jul 12

who put it on record that it costs 22k to stage a match at Odsal? If its a quote from Hood then dont be surprised if its 30k, as the administrator will pay VAT!

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Solomon Grundy says...
10:50am Wed 4 Jul 12

Sounds like we need to stop bickering and get Nobby in to run the side for Sunday and put our money where our mouths are at the turnstile.

The offers for the players are 'derisory' - add to that Bateman has said he isn't going so hopefully it won't come to that.

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Prisoner Cell Block A says...
10:56am Wed 4 Jul 12

Sounds like you need to do anything you can as quick as you can to get rid of this Guilfoyle fella. Not even the courtesy to turn up to an 'emergency' meeting with the only assets the club currently holds. Nothing to tell them, more like scared to death he'd end up upside down in a wheelie bin going downhill faster than the club itself.

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bullman says...
11:52am Wed 4 Jul 12

Could Diskin be coach for Sunday? He's definitely not involved in the game and may be one of a very few people who could ask (and receive) advice from Potter/Cummins etc. ???

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mazrich says...
12:12pm Wed 4 Jul 12

what he means is he didnt realise that the fans were so passionate and is now sh*****g himself and knows he has to do someat bring back nobby it was wrong how potter was sacked but for sake of the club we need to forget about that for now and concentrate on having a club i personally believe guilfoyle as much as i believe hood

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Wharfebull says...
1:35pm Wed 4 Jul 12

It would appear that only Hull FC could take players as they must now be under the CAP.
Surley Wigan,Warrington, St Helens, Leeds etc are all up to the top of the CAP so how could they take any of our players if he decides to sell

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GC BD4 says...
1:38pm Wed 4 Jul 12

to many players spouting off at moment, if they care for the club then the players should band together and get training as one team. not sit on the fence awaiting for a coach to appear. Good to hear though that Garry Tasker is being mentioned as temp CEO.

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otleybull says...
2:11pm Wed 4 Jul 12

@rosshmediaman: Just spoken to Gary Tasker and can confirm he's the interim CEO at the Bulls. His 1st job is to get a safety certificate for Sundays game

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huggy b says...
2:34pm Wed 4 Jul 12

How the hell are the wages so high?! We don't even have any big name players!

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need to know says...
3:22pm Wed 4 Jul 12

All for getting noble back for as long as it takes for new investors to take over.Pay on the gate sunday no problem for most people just to show potential investors let us get there in numbers 10 000 would look good.

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Ralphie says...
3:39pm Wed 4 Jul 12

How on earth does it cost £30,000 to put on a game at Odsal? No cheerleaders, no Bullman/Bullboy, probably no announcer, half a dozen turnstiles open. Turnstile operators and stewards on minimum wages.
How is the wage bill now £200,000? the salary cap limit is £1,650,000 and Hood said we had not spent up to that. Therefore the wage bill should be around £130,000.

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Prycey says...
5:57pm Wed 4 Jul 12

It seems to me that if I want to see us keep certain quality players I need to go on Sunday and pay at the gate. If he does get enough money he can hold off selling a player or two at miserable prices. If we can stop him selling to help pay the weekly bills then maybe a new owner steps in next week and he can keep certain players. I tend to think he needs a coach because he needs advive about the players - their worth, who to sell if needed and who he must try and keep, training and support needs etc. More I think of it Nobby is needed in there right now with Tasker to try and stop him selling all of our young lads if at all possible.

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Solomon Grundy says...
6:58pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Word going round that Potter's back at the club.

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Writer says...
7:21pm Wed 4 Jul 12

I don't mind paying as Prycey says but equally I don't want to shell out my money to fund the administrator's fees. I've already given money like many others but can I be assured that Sunday's gate money will only be spent on the Bulls?

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Prycey says...
7:36pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Absolutely right Writer. the money must pay wages and hold off the sale of players. Totally wrong for it to pay his fees.

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Rhinoman says...
10:11pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Solomon Grundy wrote:
Word going round that Potter's back at the club.
As a non bulls fan , but a RL fan i certainly don't want the bulls to fold , but if you are right Mr Grundy then even i as a Rhino's fan would rather see Mick Potter back as opposed to Caisley's puppet . Nobhead will never do it again and is only doing this for the I AM THE SAVIOUR image .

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Rhinoman says...
10:19pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Rhinoman wrote:
Solomon Grundy wrote:
Word going round that Potter's back at the club.
As a non bulls fan , but a RL fan i certainly don't want the bulls to fold , but if you are right Mr Grundy then even i as a Rhino's fan would rather see Mick Potter back as opposed to Caisley's puppet . Nobhead will never do it again and is only doing this for the I AM THE SAVIOUR image .
Just heard the news and how right you were , hope it last's mate .

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Shelfrhino says...
12:07am Thu 5 Jul 12

Rhinoman wrote:
Solomon Grundy wrote:
Word going round that Potter's back at the club.
As a non bulls fan , but a RL fan i certainly don't want the bulls to fold , but if you are right Mr Grundy then even i as a Rhino's fan would rather see Mick Potter back as opposed to Caisley's puppet . Nobhead will never do it again and is only doing this for the I AM THE SAVIOUR image .
You are an embarrassment to us Rhino's.
The dulls have dug themselves into a hole, tough.
Their best players should be sold on and the monies gained should go towards paying their debts off.

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Reality50 says...
1:50am Thu 5 Jul 12

As someone who opposes the franchise system I also oppose the salary cap and here is a perfect example why the cap is unfair.We could have the ridiculous scenario of Bradford being unable to sell good players due to other clubs being up to this ridiculous cap limit.RL was a far better game before this franchise and cap nonsense.The people who run the RFL and SL are clueless.

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Solomon Grundy says...
7:43am Thu 5 Jul 12

The salary cap has been a huge factor in creating the modern gamewe have now, where it is difficult to predict who will win individual games never mind the silverware.

Cheers Rhinoman - the real underlying issue here, and one the RFL know - is that losing the Bulls will be devastating to the game as a whole. Forget expansion and forget attracting inward investment to a game that loses one of it's iconic cornerstone clubs. The message it will send out is that RL is dying and that will cost the game and the RFL vastly more than whatever they have to do to keep the Bulls afloat in the short term.

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Tricky Dicky says...
9:48am Thu 5 Jul 12

Solomon Grundy wrote:
The salary cap has been a huge factor in creating the modern gamewe have now, where it is difficult to predict who will win individual games never mind the silverware.

Cheers Rhinoman - the real underlying issue here, and one the RFL know - is that losing the Bulls will be devastating to the game as a whole. Forget expansion and forget attracting inward investment to a game that loses one of it's iconic cornerstone clubs. The message it will send out is that RL is dying and that will cost the game and the RFL vastly more than whatever they have to do to keep the Bulls afloat in the short term.
Sorry SG but I know exactly where the silverware is going - Leeds, St Helens, Warrington or Wigan!

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Solomon Grundy says...
10:08am Thu 5 Jul 12

Some what contradictory statement, Tricky since that is four teams... so you, like me, don't know where the silverware is going.

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