The man with Bradford Bulls' fate in his hands

Any news from Guilfoyle today?; is Guilfoyle likely to make any big announcements?; what is Guilfoyle going to do next?” – these are the questions repeatedly being asked in living rooms, newsrooms and, no doubt, the Bulls dressing room.

Two weeks ago, the name Brendan Guilfoyle would have meant nothing to many Bradfordians. Now the name is on the tip of the tongue of Bulls fans and sports reporters alike. Pick up the paper, log onto the internet or turn on the TV, and it is this man’s name that leaps out time and time again.

For it is he, the joint administrator called in to salvage something from the wreckage, who will make any key announcements in the coming days, whether good or bad. It is he who will, hopefully, deliver news of the salvation of this once-great rugby league club or, unthinkably, a dagger through the heart of the Odsal faithful with a final announcement of the club’s demise.

Of course, the current problems were not of Brendan Guilfoyle’s making. His involvement was recent, with his company first brought in to conduct an independent financial review by a group of majority shareholders, led by former chairman Chris Caisley, to try to save the club from financial ruin.

Mr Guilfoyle’s task now, as an administrator working for The P&A Partnership, is to sort out a dire problem that others had created. But it is the way in which he is dealing with the crisis that is now coming under microscopic scrutiny from those who care about the club’s future.

So what do we know about the man whose name has become so inseparably intertwined with the daily drama unfolding in south Bradford?

A chartered accountant, Mr Guilfoyle is said to have a strong understanding of the large corporate sector. He joined the P&A Partnership in 2001, heading the Leeds office for a company that specialises in turnaround and insolvency.

Mr Guilfoyle has a general interest in sport and freely admits to being a “football fanatic”.

And it is football that has taken centre stage in his work life in recent years, as the man involved in handling the administration process at Crystal Palace, Leeds United, Luton Town and, most recently, Plymouth Argyle.

Indeed, it is his handling of the Plymouth administration, and the lessons he promised to learn from the experience, that provide the most fascinating insight into his approach to the Bulls crisis.

After the Plymouth situation was resolved, Mr Guilfoyle said: “Like many other parties both ourselves and Walker Morris [solicitors] have waived a significant amount in fees to ensure the survival of the club.”

Walker Morris has also been involved with many other football club administrations, including those of Portsmouth and Crystal Palace.

One of the partners in Walker Morris is Chris Caisley, a previous Bulls chairman.

There is speculation among fans, in particular, that Mr Caisley is waiting for the value to fall to rock-bottom level before returning to buy the club and reinstate former Bulls star and coach Brian Noble to run the team.

But Mr Guilfoyle told a packed fans meeting there was no “cunning plan” for any past directors or shareholders to buy the club debt-free.

Speaking late last year about football rather than rugby league, Mr Guilfoyle pledged to draw up new practices for dealing with clubs in the administration process after his experiences in the South-West.

At that time, he revealed how he thought the extended sales process at Plymouth had penalised players, staff and advisers, and stated that a new model had to be created.

With his colleagues from P&A, he set about drawing up a new model that he said would be “fairer on everyone, more realistic about the chances of saving a failing club and make the process quicker and more transparent”.

Tellingly, Mr Guilfoyle, outlining his strategy for future administrations, said there would be a “shorter deadline for bids – probably a month. We either get the money in full for the deal – as with other administrators – or the club has to be shut down.”

And, to the casual observer, it would appear that Mr Guilfoyle is applying his new model, the post-Plymouth Model, to the Bradford Bulls.

In respect of ‘shorter deadlines’, the initial ten working days until liquidation, now likely to be slightly extended, certainly ticked the box, the brief nature of the period coming as a shock to many.

In terms of ‘making the process quicker’, there can be little doubt that the redundancies of 16 staff on Monday was a quick, decisive and, as Mr Guilfoyle would argue, necessary move.

On the topic of being ‘more realistic’ about survival prospects, Mr Guilfoyle has been frank in admitting that he has been “dealt a very poor set of cards” and that few offers have been forthcoming, if any.

At times during the Plymouth crisis, Mr Guilfoyle thought he would have to admit defeat, but eventually secured a buyer to allow the club to survive. Anyone who has ever stood on the sweeping terraces of Odsal to roar the Bulls on to victory will hope his current efforts will have a similar happy ending.

“It won’t be for lack of trying,” said Mr Guilfoyle, speaking after Monday night’s fans meeting.

After playing his part in saving Plymouth, Mr Guilfoyle said it was “without doubt the most challenging rescue of my career.”

Maybe now, he finds himself embroiled in an even more challenging one!