Super League XIV. Round 14. *contains spoilers*

toomevara

Fri 22 May
Salford City Reds V Bradford Bulls
ko: 20:00, Venue: The Willows

St. Helens V Harlequins RL
ko: 20:00, Venue: GPW Recruitment Stadium

Hull Kingston Rovers V Castleford Tigers
ko: 20:00, Venue: Craven Park

Warrington Wolves V Wigan Warriors
ko: 20:00, Venue: Halliwell Jones Stadium *SKY*

Sat 23 May
Celtic Crusaders V Catalans Dragons
ko: 18:00, Venue: Brewery Field *SKY*

Wakefield Wildcats V Huddersfield Giants
ko: 15:30, Venue: Belle Vue

Tues 26t May (WTF!!!)
Leeds Rhinos V Hull FC
ko: 20:00, Venue: Headingley Carnegie Stadium *SKY*

Can Salford put one over the Bulls? Can the Crusaders get a second straight win over the erratic Catalans? Will the Giants mid season slump continue at Bellevue. Oh, and why, in the name of God do Leeds have to play on Tuesday night...daft..I sense the dead hand of Sky!

Paul Tergat

Yes Salford can put one over on the Bulls, just like anyone can at the moment.

We've become a total joke, I expect us to lose these days.

toomevara

p_larkin99 wrote: »

Yes Salford can put one over on the Bulls, just like anyone can at the moment.

We've become a total joke, I expect us to lose these days.

Pretty prescient analysis, seemed like a fairly comprehensive win for the Reds. Don't know what's going on with the Bulls. On paper an impressive outfit who should be a match for any other SL club on their day. Just not happening. As a Loiner, I do like to see the Bulls in a bit of strife, but their current predicament is no good for the game. I've also been a grudging admirer of the muscular/hard running Bradford game, built around big packs, but their spark seems to have gone out at the moment.

You look at the Wire/Wigan game last night,two teams mid-table and it was great quality football throughout. Huge skills, guys like Mathers, Mcloughlin, Westwood, Gleeson playing out of their skins, finding rich veins of form, and you've got to worry for Bradford...Both Wigan and Wire had sloppy, uncertain early seasons, and have now come good. As I've said on here before the folk at Odsal must be thanking their lucky stars for the 3 year ring fence and the Celtic Crusaders...At least they get a weekend off with the challenge cup next weekend

Paul Tergat

Well I dont really know where to start with our problems.

It starts at the top. Basically it all boils down to money. The club is completely cash strapped. We've had this new stadium plans hanging over us for 10 years with no progress at all. Since our peak crowds have been decreasing and theyve hit rock bottom.

Following the lack of money means that our young talent has been leaving. Players like Leon, Reardon (gone downhill but when he came through was looking the real deal) and even things like losing Karl Pryce and Les to Union (money as well as the challenge for them) has just killed us. To replace these players we've made a lot of bad buys, some down to the lack of cash and some that have just not come off. The whole Iestyn Harris thing just did not work out for us. While he put in some good performances we were just paying him wayyyy to much and that really affected our ability to bring in other players due to the salary cap system (based partially on attendances - see above).

We're on a massive slippery slope and the low was shown with our lowest ever Super League crowd in a defeat to a team who haven't won all season (Crusaders). Our squad is littered with average players and then a couple of gems thrown in like Burgess/Menzies. The power we once had, literal powerful forwards, used to intimidate teams but with the players we have we have become a laughing stock. I have 0 faith in both the coach McNamara and chairman Hood. I reckon it will be a long long time before we can get anywhere near Saints or Leeds over the course of a full season. The mid table teams are getting stronger and we're being left behind.

It's so sad to see but I think it will get worse before it gets better.

Jesus I sound so pessimistic but it's how I and a lot of Bulls fans feel. Like you say Toom its a good job that we have this 3 year license.

Paul Tergat

Just while im on the subject of Odsal:

Developing a sports village at Odsal could cost either £75 million or £57 million, with the more expensive option meeting everything on backers’ “wish-list”.

Several ideas for Odsal Sports Village have been whittled down to two – with both containing a stadium for Bradford Bulls, a community sports facility with a 25-metre pool, and a 120-bed hotel.

But the £75m scheme involves a completely new 18,000 all-seat stadium created by raising the pitch level by 15 metres, 80,000sq ft of sports retail and extra parking.

The cheaper option would see the existing stadium redeveloped with seats and a cantilevered roof added to the existing east stand.

Current guaranteed funding only runs to £19.1m – with Bradford Council earmarking £15m of that from funds released by the sale of Leeds-Bradford Airport – and the remainder from regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.

The project’s steering group hopes to bring in £18.5m in commercial retail and sponsorship, £15m in contributions from its primary partners – such as the Bulls, Bradford College, Bradford University, NHS Bradford and Airedale – as well as more from Yorkshire Forward.

A further £14.8m could come from external grant funding, such as the European Regional Development Fund, Sport England, the Football Foundation, and the governing bodies of various sports.

A report to the Council’s decision-making executive states that the first scheme presents an opportunity for the district to “reposition itself as a centre for sporting excellence” and allows greater flexibility to incorporate additional facilities.

However, the “cost may be prohibitively expensive or cause delays in delivery as additional external funding is required”, says the report.

The build programme would also take longer with having to raise the height of the stadium.

The second option “presents a more affordable solution that can be built on a tighter timescale” and it might also be “better value for money”, the report points out.

Yet the mix of seating and standing at the revamped stadium would limit the options for it to be used for other events and sports.

Bradford Bulls chairman, Peter Hood, said: “The multi-faceted Odsal Sports Village offers many reasons for people to come to Bradford – there will be the possibility of students being able to enjoy full-time education on site and visitors who will boost tourism.

“The scheme is now at a crucial stage. A number of stakeholders – notably Bradford Council, Yorkshire Forward and Bradford Bulls – have pledged financial commitment. Other stakeholders such as some sports national governing bodies have yet to do the same.”

The meeting takes place at City Hall on June 2, at 2pm.

Councillors will be asked to choose the £75m scheme as the preferred option and Jane Glaister, the Council’s strategic director of culture, tourism and sport, is set to be authorised to appoint specialists to develop the project further on that basis.


Taken from Local Paper T&A



Heard it all before though, I imagine the dump that is Odsal will continue to just rot away

toomevara

Two excellent post there larkin, really informative and insightful. I sincerely hope that the Bulls get the stadium and facilities that a team with the tradition/support and heritage that Bradford have, deserve. Odsal is a complete dump (no offence) and definitely not worthy of a team like the Bulls..

I sincerely hope that with the disastrous legacy of the westfield development and the giant hole in the centre of Bradford fresh in their minds that local authorities will want to encourage a positive development which impacts on the grass roots of the community, while also attracting investment and cash into the local economy...

Paul Tergat

toomevara wrote: »

Two excellent post there larkin, really informative and insightful. I sincerely hope that the Bulls get the stadium and facilities that a team with the tradition/support and heritage that Bradford have, deserve. Odsal is a complete dump (no offence) and definitely not worthy of a team like the Bulls..

I sincerely hope that with the disastrous legacy of the westfield development and the giant hole in the centre of Bradford fresh in their minds that local authorities will want to encourage a positive development which impacts on the grass roots of the community, while also attracting investment and cash into the local economy...

Well to be honest the team deserves that dump (and i wouldnt take offence as its a total ****hole) but i think the reason the team is bad stems from a bad stadium - less money - etc etc. its a bit of a vicious circle but i do like the salary cap as i feel the game of RL can be easily subject to clubs overspending and suffering in the long term.

What will not help re: a new stadium is the state of the economy and to be honest Bradford itself. Like the Bulls Bradford isn't moving forward and is in serious lack of investment.

I think we will always have a decent youth academy and will continue to produce quality in this sense but we must retain those good players if anything to keep the fans in who love to see the local lads come through. Dave Halley was in the year younger than me at school and I knew him pretty well and thats the type of thing that we are losing at Bradford with our academy players disappearing.

Anyway, I promised before I'd have a rant on Bulls but sorry for taking this thread OT. Guess its pretty quiet in here anyway.

toomevara

Good result for Leeds tonight, a bit Jekyll and Hyde in the first, but we ran FC off the park in the second. Senior had a brilliant game, fitting for his 300th appearance in a Leeds shirt. Bailey and Smith were excellent too. Good travelling FC support badly let down by their team....

amacachi

Leeds good for their win tonight, some daft, daft refereeing decisions during the game.

toomevara

amacachi wrote: »

Leeds good for their win tonight, some daft, daft refereeing decisions during the game.

Yeah, there were two that caused real controversy in the stands, but as me sky+ let me down, I cant play em back and recheck...there was one knock-on decision which I just cant get me head round on any level...

amacachi

toomevara wrote: »

Yeah, there were two that caused real controversy in the stands, but as me sky+ let me down, I cant play em back and recheck...there was one knock-on decision which I just cant get me head round on any level...

That's why I asked before if the momentum rule applies to knock-ons, because for a lot of the ones on or near the ground it's the only way I can see how it could be a knock-on.

The Leeds try that was disallowed was a joke, but once he had given the one earlier it was obvious the next one wouldn't stand, the usual making up for a bad decision.

WakeyTyke

I thought Alibert had one of his better games!

Certainly none of his 'debateable' decisions influenced the direction or result of the game - Leeds were just too powerful for Hull in the second-half.

toomevara

WakeyTyke wrote: »

I thought Alibert had one of his better games!

Certainly none of his 'debateable' decisions influenced the direction or result of the game - Leeds were just too powerful for Hull in the second-half.

Yeah I agree Wakey, its just some of these decisions are becoming increasingly daft from so called professional refs, and it seems increasingly touchies are mere ornaments...

Hull were woeful, The Pride of East hull must be revelling in it. The upcoming Leeds/KR clash is looking more and more mouth watering....

WakeyTyke

toomevara wrote: »

Yeah I agree Wakey, its just some of these decisions are becoming increasingly daft from so called professional refs, and it seems increasingly touchies are mere ornaments...

Hull were woeful, The Pride of East hull must be revelling in it. The upcoming Leeds/KR clash is looking more and more mouth watering....

In 40 years of watching and playing RL i have never seen a perfect refereeing performances and one or two 'strange' decisions are to be expected.

I agree entirely about linesmen they need to be far more proactive.

My main bugbear is the number of times defending players get away with stripping the ball out and the officials give a knock-on.

I could well envisage the two ref system coming to SL next season.

toomevara

WakeyTyke wrote: »

I could well envisage the two ref system coming to SL next season.

Seems to be working well in the NRL games I've watched this season. It's cut out a lot of the nonsense in the tackle, but it seems to be increasing the amount of tries disallowed for obstruction...often well removed from the crucial area. Its leading to defenders purposely running into dummy attackers running decoy lines, in the hope that tries will be scrubbed off...

amacachi

2 refs like in the NRL but no video ref for blocking, as I said before if the refs and linesman can't see an obvious obstruction during play then in all likelihood there was none, slowing it down by 10 times and watching it back makes everything look deliberate and dramatic.

toomevara

amacachi wrote: »

2 refs like in the NRL but no video ref for blocking, as I said before if the refs and linesman can't see an obvious obstruction during play then in all likelihood there was none, slowing it down by 10 times and watching it back makes everything look deliberate and dramatic.

Totally agree, also amacachi, see your point about momentum and knock-on's. I would have said it doesn't apply, but after the last couple of weekends there have been a number of decisions which seem to indicate that some refs believe it does...(daft, imo)

amacachi

toomevara wrote: »

Totally agree, also amacachi, see your point about momentum and knock-on's. I would have said it doesn't apply, but after the last couple of weekends there have been a number of decisions which seem to indicate that some refs believe it does...(daft, imo)

Aye, must email Boots n All about it, see if we can get a line from them about it. Wonder if the refs are applying the rules or just making mistakes from a distance. If it's the latter then it comes back to needing the linesmen to lend a hand more often.

couerdelion

WakeyTyke wrote: »

In 40 years of watching and playing RL i have never seen a perfect refereeing performances and one or two 'strange' decisions are to be expected.

I agree entirely about linesmen they need to be far more proactive.

My main bugbear is the number of times defending players get away with stripping the ball out and the officials give a knock-on.

I could well envisage the two ref system coming to SL next season.

Completely agree.

More people should try refereeing to see just how difficult it is!

With regards to stripping the ball its hard to judge, there is an onus on the player to look after the ball too and if it wasn't for the replays of sky we wouldn't notice as many refereeing errors.

toomevara

p_larkin99 wrote: »

Heard it all before though, I imagine the dump that is Odsal will continue to just rot away

It's got the go ahead....at last, some good new for the Bulls and Bradford.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/bradford/8081796.stm