| |
Welcome to the NEW RLFANS.COM. After twenty-five years of service, the old site expired over the last few days. To maintain service we have had no option but to make an early switch to the new site which was in development/testing. Some elements of the new site are unfinished, such as; page numbering and quotations. We will fix these minor issues as soon as we can, please bear with us.
If you are having problems logging in, please try a different browser or platform, if problems persist then email support@rlfans.com
 |
| 
 |
| Rank | Posts | Team |
| Player Coach | 2408 | No
Team
Selected |
| Joined | Service | Reputation |
| Feb 2006 | 19 years | |
| Online | Last Post | Last Page |
| Feb 2012 | Sep 2011 | LINK |
| Milestone Posts |
|
| Milestone Years |
|
|
| Location |
|
| Signature |
|
TO BE FIXED |
|
|
Quote ="Roofs"Give us back Vella, Cook, Webster, Welham etc and it would have been very very different.
 icon_wink.gif" alt="icon_wink.gif" title="Wink" />'"
Vella, Webster I'll give you, Cook? If you mean Matt Cook behave and if you mean Paul Cooke it was your own decision to get rid of him.
Bradford put 40 on you earlier in the season so it seems feasible to say that if they had a handful of their players back they'd really challenge you. |
|
Quote ="Roofs"Give us back Vella, Cook, Webster, Welham etc and it would have been very very different.
icon_wink.gif" alt="icon_wink.gif" title="Wink" />'"
Vella, Webster I'll give you, Cook? If you mean Matt Cook behave and if you mean Paul Cooke it was your own decision to get rid of him.
Bradford put 40 on you earlier in the season so it seems feasible to say that if they had a handful of their players back they'd really challenge you. | |
|
| | |
| Rank | Posts | Team |
| Club Owner | 8224 | No
Team
Selected |
| Joined | Service | Reputation |
| Dec 2003 | 21 years | |
| Online | Last Post | Last Page |
| Sep 2012 | Sep 2012 | LINK |
| Milestone Posts |
|
| Milestone Years |
|
|
| Location |
|
| Signature |
|
TO BE FIXED |
|
|
Quote ="Offside Monkey"I watched the Bulls v HKR game and, I've got to say, the Bulls were pretty dire. Someone's already mentioned Michael Worrincy, but he really is stealing a living.
That said, all is not without hope, they have some players in Langley, Lynch, Nero, Menzies and L'Estrange that they could build a solid team around and they seem to have a decent number of youngsters coming ">through.'"
That's true. You can add Scruton and Kearney to that list. There are the pieces in place for the Bulls to rise again, at least in terms of playing staff. It's no coincidence that we were in 4th spot and still in the cup at the half way point this season. But our paper-thin squad meant that injuries to key players shattered the team and selection of players out of position did nothing to help stem the tide
|
|
Quote ="Offside Monkey"I watched the Bulls v HKR game and, I've got to say, the Bulls were pretty dire. Someone's already mentioned Michael Worrincy, but he really is stealing a living.
That said, all is not without hope, they have some players in Langley, Lynch, Nero, Menzies and L'Estrange that they could build a solid team around and they seem to have a decent number of youngsters coming ">through.'"
That's true. You can add Scruton and Kearney to that list. There are the pieces in place for the Bulls to rise again, at least in terms of playing staff. It's no coincidence that we were in 4th spot and still in the cup at the half way point this season. But our paper-thin squad meant that injuries to key players shattered the team and selection of players out of position did nothing to help stem the tide
| |
|
| | | |
| Rank | Posts | Team |
| Club Coach | 10399 | No
Team
Selected |
| Joined | Service | Reputation |
| Jun 2005 | 20 years | |
| Online | Last Post | Last Page |
| Jul 2016 | Jul 2016 | LINK |
| Milestone Posts |
|
| Milestone Years |
|
|
| Location |
|
| Signature |
|
TO BE FIXED |
|
| Quote ="Roofaldo"That's true. You can add Scruton and Kearney to that list. There are the pieces in place for the Bulls to rise again, at least in terms of playing staff. It's no coincidence that we were in 4th spot and still in the cup at the half way point this season. But our paper-thin squad meant that injuries to key players shattered the team and selection of players out of position did nothing to help stem the tide'"
Well, I reckon you've got the right man in Potter to start the rebuild. I'd also say that, even though I thought you played badly against HKR, you still scored 24 points, which shows the squad still has some abilty. I think all the bulls fans agree there's a bit of dead wood to be stripped off the playing squad, though. | | |
| Rank | Posts | Team |
| International Chairman | 32302 | No
Team
Selected |
| Joined | Service | Reputation |
| Feb 2002 | 23 years | |
| Online | Last Post | Last Page |
| Nov 2018 | Oct 2016 | LINK |
| Milestone Posts |
|
| Milestone Years |
|
|
| Location |
|
| Signature |
|
TO BE FIXED |
|
| Quote ="Adeybull"Gareth, you know where that (dumbass) "Peoples' Team" (a description that has not ben used for many years now) came from? It was Caisley's attempt to get across the message that the club had no rich owner, so it was more than ever dependent on the people of Bradford for its funding and backing. Badly failed attempt, as we all know. Not helped by a truly dreadful launch where none of this was explained properly.
'" I'd no idea about that to be honest but remember it being very vomit inducing at the time.
In a way it's been a shame for you longer term that your new supporter base had so much early success. I wonder if this current drop in form would have had the same effect on your support? | | |
| Rank | Posts | Team |
| International Chairman | 14145 | No
Team
Selected |
| Joined | Service | Reputation |
| Dec 2001 | 23 years | |
| Online | Last Post | Last Page |
| Aug 2020 | Oct 2019 | LINK |
| Milestone Posts |
|
| Milestone Years |
|
|
| Location |
|
| Signature |
|
TO BE FIXED |
|
|
Quote ="G1"I'd no idea about that to be honest but remember it being very vomit inducing at the time.
In a way it's been a shame for you longer term that your new supporter base had so much early success. I wonder if this current drop in form would have had the same effect on your support?'"
Vomit-inducing doesn't even come close - and we had to live with it! eusa_sick.gif" alt="eusa_sick.gif" title="SICK" />
I think it was cause and effect. The earlier Bullmania support base built up as the club invested the Sky money far more sensibly than most - into coaches, marketing, infrastructure, youth development (where Bulls had been dire) etc rather than joining in the player salaries arms race that absorbed so much of the early years SL money at big clubs that should have known better. Instead, the Bulls selectively picked a number of key players form other clubs who together meshed to form a team as strong as any in the competition.
So this led to success on the field backed up by a huge marketing drive and effort off it. Now wonder the crowds soared.
But even then, the signs were there that it would be hard to sustain. Look at 1998 - lots of injuries, too-high expectations, disastrous marquee signing (do they ever learn...?), the froth had already gone off Bullmania, even then.
My guess is that had the massive marketing effort off the pitch not been matched with the 1997 carry-all-before-us performances ON the pitch, then we'd not have seen crowds anything like those we did. And the whole huge gamble might not have paid off, and sponsors and everyone else might soon have decided the bubble had burst. Just my opinion, mind.
Fortunately the bubble did not burst. 1998 was a lean year, but things picked up again.
Until, for whatever reasons the money ran out... |
|
Quote ="G1"I'd no idea about that to be honest but remember it being very vomit inducing at the time.
In a way it's been a shame for you longer term that your new supporter base had so much early success. I wonder if this current drop in form would have had the same effect on your support?'"
Vomit-inducing doesn't even come close - and we had to live with it! eusa_sick.gif" alt="eusa_sick.gif" title="SICK" />
I think it was cause and effect. The earlier Bullmania support base built up as the club invested the Sky money far more sensibly than most - into coaches, marketing, infrastructure, youth development (where Bulls had been dire) etc rather than joining in the player salaries arms race that absorbed so much of the early years SL money at big clubs that should have known better. Instead, the Bulls selectively picked a number of key players form other clubs who together meshed to form a team as strong as any in the competition.
So this led to success on the field backed up by a huge marketing drive and effort off it. Now wonder the crowds soared.
But even then, the signs were there that it would be hard to sustain. Look at 1998 - lots of injuries, too-high expectations, disastrous marquee signing (do they ever learn...?), the froth had already gone off Bullmania, even then.
My guess is that had the massive marketing effort off the pitch not been matched with the 1997 carry-all-before-us performances ON the pitch, then we'd not have seen crowds anything like those we did. And the whole huge gamble might not have paid off, and sponsors and everyone else might soon have decided the bubble had burst. Just my opinion, mind.
Fortunately the bubble did not burst. 1998 was a lean year, but things picked up again.
Until, for whatever reasons the money ran out... | |
|
| | | |
| Rank | Posts | Team |
| International Board Member | 3776 | No
Team
Selected |
| Joined | Service | Reputation |
| Dec 2002 | 22 years | |
| Online | Last Post | Last Page |
| Jul 2013 | Apr 2013 | LINK |
| Milestone Posts |
|
| Milestone Years |
|
|
| Location |
|
| Signature |
|
TO BE FIXED |
|
| Quote ="Adeybull"
My guess is that had the massive marketing effort off the pitch not been matched with the 1997 carry-all-before-us performances ON the pitch, then we'd not have seen crowds anything like those we did. And the whole huge gamble might not have paid off, and sponsors and everyone else might soon have decided the bubble had burst. Just my opinion, mind.
'"
I would say that is a fair assumption. The whole off-the-field activities of Bullmania, such as significant investment in marketing, merchandising and the 'game day experience' concept also coincided with the club's first Wembley appearance for twenty-odd years and first silverware for sixteen years.
Although I'd gone to a couple of games in previous years, I first really started going to watch Bradford regularly in the 1997 season as a 13 year old. The fact the 22 game season began with a 20 game winning streak was pretty amazing and it used to be awesome going to Odsal, watching us destroy teams with so much stuff going on around the stadium. If 1997 had been a 1998 style season and 1998 was the same, I don't think it would have been the same going to Odsal and I probably wouldn't have gone back every other week and still be here 13 years later (albeit, not necessarily going back every other week!). | | | |
| |
All views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the RLFANS.COM or its subsites.
Whilst every effort is made to ensure that news stories, articles and images are correct, we cannot be held responsible for errors. However, if you feel any material on this website is copyrighted or incorrect in any way please contact us using the link at the top of the page so we can remove it or negotiate copyright permission.
RLFANS.COM, the owners of this website, is not responsible for the content of its sub-sites or posts, please email the author of this sub-site or post if you feel you find an article offensive or of a choice nature that you disagree with.
Copyright 1999 - 2025 RLFANS.COM
You must be 18+ to gamble, for more information and for help with gambling issues see https://www.begambleaware.org/.
Please Support RLFANS.COM
|
|
| POSTS | ONLINE | REGISTRATIONS | RECORD |
|---|
| 19.67M | 499 | 80,283 | 14,103 |
| LOGIN HERE
or REGISTER for more features!.
When you register you get access to the live match scores, live match chat and you can post in the discussions on the forums.
|
|
|
icon_wink.gif" alt="icon_wink.gif" title="Wink" />'"
