Good luck to him, he's come off the bench and done really well both times. He deserves his chance.

Not arf Micksey, did a very solid job when he came off bench and did everything asked of him. Will do his confidence the world of good. Good signing for the future and IMO will only get better in possibly a number of positions.

Nice to read comments of encouragement Micksey, Gumshoe, instead of some of the other drivel being talked by the knockers on other threads. This is a great opportunity for the lad but he will have to come on board full time and forget his 'chippy' business. Good luck to him. Lets hope he's another star in the making.

Its a pity you make these sweeping comments Haitch when you dont attend any matches.The lad's a trier but is just a stop gap really!!
Just hope the rest of the team try as hard as SEMI& LYNCHY over the final hurdles of the season.That way we can follow with a bit of pride about the BULLS.

HANLEY IS A LEGEND wrote:
Its a pity you make these sweeping comments Haitch when you dont attend any matches.The lad's a trier but is just a stop gap really!!Just hope the rest of the team try as hard as SEMI& LYNCHY over the final hurdles of the season.That way we can follow with a bit of pride about the BULLS.

I havent seen anywhere on here that one has to attend matches to comment.
Fortunately most people are respectful and realise that I do not call players names, accuse them of not trying or degrade them in any way. This is a game, a sport and I beg anyone who wishes to enter into our forum to come on here and do so and not to be intimidated by you.
Why don't you try smiling for once, lighten up and enter into the spirit of things.without fear of intimidation.
We are quite friendly people on here and although you seem unable to accept it we love Rugby League and do not stop opinioning because you tell us to do so.
From what I've seen of your posts, attending matches only serves to make you bitter. Better then I get my info from experience and the sources available to me.

"Congratulations".Yo
u have an opinion so do I.My opinions come from actually watching the team.I personally cant count on one hand when the BULLS my team as well as your's have played consistantly enough this season to be back in the BIG four.
I have made my comments on seeing the lads play, train and compete.Todate we have fallen very short of all our expectations.
But some players are simply not good enough at this level.Some players I believe are not fit enough. Some players have been not given a chance & some players have been given more than a chance.At the end of the day . Again its opinions .We all have opinions.I for one will not write all is well in the garden when it isn't. I do blame the "old regime" as well as the new one , but if the players are not fit enough & focussed enough we will carry on in free-fall.

haitch wrote:
Nice to read comments of encouragement Micksey, Gumshoe, instead of some of the other drivel being talked by the knockers on other threads. This is a great opportunity for the lad but he will have to come on board full time and forget his 'chippy' business. Good luck to him. Lets hope he's another star in the making.

His 'chippy' business? I hardly think a Fish and Chip shop is a suitable establishment for a professional (or semi professional) athlete to spend his days do you? I'm joking of course chippy refers to the fact he's a joiner!

Good luck to the lad he's shown a lot of loyalty to stay with the club after losing his full time contract initially. Hopefully he can win a full time contract and go on to be a suitable replacement for Hape. Shontayne certainly seemed to think he could be.

Ok. (though I don't see the need for the "congratulations" sarcasm)
I will tell you how I see it.
The table topping team was lost. It doesn't matter now how that happened it's gone.
The present team is being re-built and yes, it is known by the fans and the club that some are not good enough, but money and availability of players, salary cap and injuries are handicapping the club at present.
I believe the Bulls are better placed than most because of this. Other top teams have star men coming to the end of their careers and will not (under salary cap rules) be able to replace them with players of the same caliber. The 'cap' will bite as it is doing already and a more level playing field will prevail.
Bulls are well on the way in their planning for this but you will only see the benefit as we progress.
There was never a truer saying than "no pain no gain" and we are indeed paining at the moment.
It is my belief we should allow this to evolve. Stop calling players infit and not good enough etc and allow the club to sort it out. We are after all supporters which means we should do exactly that..SUPPORT!

Cheers BigBully my last post is a reply to Hanley!
Yes I thought when I re read it that chippy could be construed by many in the wrong way and with the comments re Sol's eating habits it was perhaps not the best use of words!!
Having seen the kid on TV against Leeds and again on video in the Hull game he looks useful and with a full close season could be a useful addition to the squad.

haitch wrote:
Ok. (though I don't see the need for the "congratulations" sarcasm)I will tell you how I see it.The table topping team was lost. It doesn't matter now how that happened it's gone.The present team is being re-built and yes, it is known by the fans and the club that some are not good enough, but money and availability of players, salary cap and injuries are handicapping the club at present.I believe the Bulls are better placed than most because of this. Other top teams have star men coming to the end of their careers and will not (under salary cap rules) be able to replace them with players of the same caliber. The 'cap' will bite as it is doing already and a more level playing field will prevail.Bulls are well on the way in their planning for this but you will only see the benefit as we progress.There was never a truer saying than "no pain no gain" and we are indeed paining at the moment.It is my belief we should allow this to evolve. Stop calling players infit and not good enough etc and allow the club to sort it out. We are after all supporters which means we should do exactly that..SUPPORT!

Come & support from the terraces Haitch. Then we will really see your SUPPORT.We all know the club is struggling financially. Come really show your Support!!

HANLEY IS A LEGEND wrote:
haitch wrote:Ok. (though I don't see the need for the "congratulations" sarcasm)I will tell you how I see it.The table topping team was lost. It doesn't matter now how that happened it's gone.The present team is being re-built and yes, it is known by the fans and the club that some are not good enough, but money and availability of players, salary cap and injuries are handicapping the club at present.I believe the Bulls are better placed than most because of this. Other top teams have star men coming to the end of their careers and will not (under salary cap rules) be able to replace them with players of the same caliber. The 'cap' will bite as it is doing already and a more level playing field will prevail.Bulls are well on the way in their planning for this but you will only see the benefit as we progress.There was never a truer saying than "no pain no gain" and we are indeed paining at the moment.It is my belief we should allow this to evolve. Stop calling players infit and not good enough etc and allow the club to sort it out. We are after all supporters which means we should do exactly that..SUPPORT!Come & support from the terraces Haitch. Then we will really see your SUPPORT.We all know the club is struggling financially. Come really show your Support!!

I don't know how many games you go to or for how long you've been doing that but even if you've been going to every game since year dot it doesn't give you any right to cast aspersions on anyone else over how many games they may or may not attend. Everybody's situations are different and no one owes the club their attendance especially during a recession. It's up to the club to persuade people that attending is a good use of their hard earned and is accessable financially to the majority of people.

As I said I don't know what your record of attendance is. Personally I attend all home games as a season ticket holder and as many away games as I can along with my fiancee. But that hasn't always been the case having moved away in my late teens I haven't been able to travel back for monetary reasons or otherwise to attend games regularly from '98 up until last season when my other half and I moved back to Yorkshire. I certainly don't feel any guilt over that and I don't feel like it made/makes me any less of a Bulls fan or that my opinion was/is any less valid.

Hanley. This is the Internet and we don't know who we are addressing. I don't know how old you are but suspect you have a number of years to spend supporting the Bulls.I on the other hand have been a lifelong supporter, Vice president Season ticket holder and believe me that was for a lot of years. I retired to Lincolnshire 10 years ago and have neither the strength or money these days to travel 200 miles round trip each couple of weeks to watch my beloved Bulls. I do however get great pleasure watching them on TV, Video and listening to radio and also from posting my views on here. I do not go away when someone says they think my view may be invalid because I don't attend.

Hear hear well said BigBullybooza & Haitch as well. Haitch lives in Lincs and supports the team from afar and on TV. If more people up here wgho do attend had a positive upbeat attitude and understood simple things like: it's a game, you have no God given right to win or be champions year in year out, and: each player does the very best he can and there is no point, grace or decency in berating them non stop , we might be a happier bunch, lift our team and players the better and encourage more support rather than always looking at what is wrong.

And that, in a nutshell, is what I find highly annoying about the knockers and nay sayers. They make thinsg worse not better.

Thank you BigBully and Micksey for your balanced views. That's exactly how it is, Well said.

I think that this is a very difficult decision for the Bulls to make. Presumably he is on a decent income and gets paid above that for playing rugby. Therefore he would need a fairly reasonable contract to compensate him to go full time. That obviously takes up some of the salary cap and presumably the 25/25 rule if that still exists.
He's had a couple of games coming off the bench and he has done ok but having seen them I'm not sure whether he would make an impact in the super league particularly at the expense of signing a player from outside the club.
I think that this is one of the negative aspects of the salary cap that discourages clubs from taking this sort of risk.

BigBullyBooaza wrote:
HANLEY IS A LEGEND wrote:haitch wrote:Ok. (though I don't see the need for the I agree with you wholeheartedly.My arguement all along is that some of the things that have happened at the club could have been sorted out earlier.Training , fitness & Squad selection decisions have been poor this season & that is my honest opinion.Some players ( Nero, Platt & Tupou)have got a shirt when they have under performed this season.I for one want the BULLS TO BE VERY SUCCESSFULL.Everbody on this site has an opinion.All I will do is say as I see it.If that doesnt please some people so be it.

Its great to see young English players coming through the ranks. Hopefully over he next few years we will see plenty more. Wigan to lose against Leeds & Saints and Bulls to pip them to 5th position. Come on Bulls!

Sign him up ang get him in his natural Centre position...there's a shortage of BRITISH centres in the game and (fingers crossed) Johnson will get a full time contract and we'll have two young Brits on the flanks. Quality player...even for a part-timer he looked the real deal. Exciting few weeks to come. We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. A win against Hull KR & Cas away and we might just have some confidence back.

Adey wrote:
Sign him up ang get him in his natural Centre position...there's a shortage of BRITISH centres in the game and (fingers crossed) Johnson will get a full time contract and we'll have two young Brits on the flanks. Quality player...even for a part-timer he looked the real deal. Exciting few weeks to come. We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. A win against Hull KR & Cas away and we might just have some confidence back.

Well said Adey! IMO many of the SL clubs are going to start and struggle with the magic '16' starting next season and I just hope that Red Hall are strict with the new rules and don't allow certain clubs to get away with bending them.
Johnson did a good job on Sunday and last week and the good thing for me is he didn't seem daunted by the fact he was in first team, shows he is a confident guy who will only improve - well done Richard!

See Mathers got away with murder from the gutless panel at Red Hall, its only the 2nd time he has done it this year, imagine if it had been Tez.........

we've been written off before and done it.

so to all doubting thomases, get to odsal, cas, and put your vocal chords to good use. instead of sitting on your posteriors moaning about what is, maybe, could be.

like haitch, old age and poverty has caught up with me and i cannot make the journey to my beloved odsal anymore. i stated aged 2 so they tell me, worked my wayup to playing there. saw the northern go to the wall, was there to help pick 'em and start again. in my mary shaws drinking days.

so again to all those who can go GO and lets help the lads to another grand final.

Hi Viking,
Steady on mate I didn't say old age and poverty!!
Still I suppose it's close I did retire young and am in my 60's and of course once you stop earning it's a case of watch your pennies!

I do remember the good old days (and very bad old days) at Odsal and was a keen Bfd PA supporter too. I can remenber going with Dad to Park Ave from Keighley by train and walking over that rickety bridge from Park Ave station to the ground. I think Odsal (Gratton) is a great stadium for Summer Rugby and with not too much spent could meet todays criteria just fine.

haitch, i agree, why is it bulls and park avenue go together.

i retired early too and am 60+ have no time for fairweather supporters. came across alot of that while playing. we called them medal chasers or they like to follow a winning team. i would has at guess the loiners gates swelled with dissatisfied bulls fans.

Viking,I suppose BPA and Odsal go together, first because they are roughly same side of Bradford but maybe mostly because no self respecting Avenue fan could ever support City!!
I have fond memories but love the whole idea of SL and what it has done for Odsal.