Noble could fill in for axed Potter

Current head coach Mick Potter was one of those to be made redundant yesterday along with all his coaching staff and chief executive Ryan Duckett.

Even given their perilous position of requiring a buyer before Friday to avoid liquidation, it was a shock development few at a stunned Odsal expected.

The Bulls went into administration a week ago after the club’s directors failed to raise the £1.2m they say was needed to see them through to the end of the season.

Administrator Brendan Guilfoyle insists he had to make the savage cuts – saving an estimated £50,000 a month – as there was no money left to pay the wage bill and no offers from anyone to buy out the club.

However, it seemed strange that – with no players yet sold – he would make redundancies as a cost-cutting measure given at least one of those axed was on the minimum wage.

After this weekend, the administrator must find around £200,000 to pay the players’ wages and is confident, after meeting the Rugby Football League yesterday, that they will advance him the club’s next scheduled central payment to cover the cost.

“They have said they will let us have the money if it is directed towards paying wages,” said Guilfoyle as he addressed a 500-strong fans meeting in Bradford last night.

“They are very supportive of what I’m trying to achieve.”

However, yesterday’s development understandably infuriated Potter, who had inspired a famous 30-22 win at Super League leaders Wigan on Friday night.

He fumed: “I feel let down and deceived about what has been going on.

“We were kept being told about potential investors and that we were close and all the time it was garbage.

“I feel sad for the fans and the players and all the staff who have been made redundant.”

When questioned whether he felt if he had been stabbed in the back, Potter – whose wife Megan also lost her job in the ticket office – said: “I have been stabbed in the front. It’s a disgrace.”

Ex-chairman Chris Caisley had hoped to attract investors to take the club forward and disgruntled fans, many of whom donated £100 each to help them avoid going bust over Easter, will be desperately hoping he can still deliver.

It is understood Noble, who led Bradford to five consecutive Grand Finals when Caisley was running the club up until 2006, has been earmarked to step in on an interim basis.

Guilfoyle had asked Potter if he would work for nothing but, quite rightly, the Australian declined.

However, the equally dumbfounded players have been told to report for duty at 10am today.

Potter’s assistant, Lee St Hilaire, who has worked at the club for the last six seasons, was another who suffered in the blood-letting yesterday.

He told the Yorkshire Post: “I’m absolutely devastated and just can’t see how it has got to where it is. There had been all this mention of ‘advanced talks’ with potential investors and now, with the club in admin’, you’d think they’d be jumping at the chance. Something just doesn’t smell right.

“The players had been so jovial after doing great in that Wigan win but, the next minute, they’re told to go home as there’s no coaching staff to take the afternoon session.

“It was like someone had just died in that dressing room.”

Duckett, who had worked at Odsal since 1996 and the advent of a Super League era they initially went on to dominate, also spoke to the Yorkshire Post last night.

“It’s a sad day for the club. People have put their heart and soul into it for a lot of years and, understandably, there has been a lot of emotion (yesterday),” he said.

“The coaching staff have done a fantastic job under a lot of adversity and leave the club in better shape on the field than it has been for a while. It has been an honour to be part of a great club for more than 15 years.

“It has a fantastic set of supporters and I hope Brendan can now put some pressure on the various interested parties to secure a positive future for the Bradford Bulls.”

Club insiders were last night predicting there would be some sort of rescue package announced towards the end of the week.

Meanwhile, the players were left in a state of disbelief, too.

Winger Karl Pryce, who scored twice in that brilliant win over Wigan, said: “Everyone is just really shocked. Shocked and disappointed. At the moment, no one’s got an idea what’s going on.

“We’ll turn up for training in the morning and maybe all will be revealed. Maybe.”

Guilfoyle said: “This is about survival. We have no cash and no funds have been offered. It is with great regret that we have had to make these redundancies but there are no alternatives.

“We are in discussion with the Rugby Football League and believe there will be funds to pay the players.”

Five administration staff have been retained to enable Sunday’s home match against London Broncos to go ahead and Guilfoyle added: “A number of people have approached us to help run and coach in the club without payment – we are now pursuing these offers as a matter of urgency.”

That is where Noble, currently without a club, is likely to fit the bill but, worryingly, the RFL had not been given prior notice of yesterday’s brutal developments.