Salford takeover

[ClaretTony]

David Beckham & Gary Neville with a group of investors taking over with Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes standing down.

[Silkyskills1]

The rugby league club needs massive help too. Went to grammar school in the city and always check results. A lot of my best friends are Salfordians.

[Pickles]

Always thought it bizarre (and wrong) that they changed the colours from orange to red to make them into a mini Man United.

[Winstonswhite]

The rugby league club needs massive help too. Went to grammar school in the city and always check results. A lot of my best friends are Salfordians.

I think they’ll be gone by the end of the month

[Stalbansclaret]

Was hoping this was about the RL club where there have been some optimistic rumours that the NRL club Sydney Roosters would come in and save the day. As it stands liquidation looms with HMRC owed a shedload of money.

[Dark Cloud]

Some of my family are from Salford and originate from Weaste which is adjacent to the old Willows rugby league ground. They still follow The (original!) Red Devils with season tickets for the home games and sometimes going away. They had a real renaissance over the last 2 or 3 seasons, finishing well up the league and were definitely going places, but have suddenly run into massive financial difficulties. According to those I've spoken to, they've been bought out by foreign "investors", but the bottom line is said investors only want the land the stadium is on and are strangling the club to send it under. Players aren't being paid and are either refusing to play or leaving and obligatory bonds payable to the league haven't been forthcoming which has incurred further sanctions. It's a mess and a shame and the future is bleak it seems. What doesn't help is that they have around 4,000 loyal fans which swells to a around 4,500 when it's going well. Not great when compared to the crowds some of the others in Super League can muster, so not particularly inviting to potential investors.

[NewClaret]

Possibly frees up Butt for a role with us?

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

Not looking good for Salford Red Devils. Reading today a lot of their fans saying worst thing they did was to move from the Willows to next to the Trafford Centre. Should be some serious questions asked about the rugby league officials who approved the takeover in the summer.

[ClaretTony]

Not looking good for Salford Red Devils. Reading today a lot of their fans saying worst thing they did was to move from the Willows to next to the Trafford Centre. Should be some serious questions asked about the rugby league officials who approved the takeover in the summer.

Neville tried to move the rugby league club to Moor Lane and the football club move to the AJ Bell.

[Dark Cloud]

The takeover in the summer was nothing short of a sham/scam and should never have gone through, but at the same time, the club were absolutely knackered without it, so the proverbial rock and hard place it seemed.

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

A real shame as they’ve been great to watch over recent seasons.

[Stalbansclaret]

They have indeed been a really good team over the past two or three seasons but it would seem this was built on sand financially and they have now had to lose most of their best players and look under very real threat of a winding up order. The takeover has turned out to be an absolute sham and raises big questions as to how it was allowed.
The RFL will be keen to prop the club up at least until the end of the season as they are contracted with Sky to provide 6 games for every round of Super League. This will be impossible if Salford fold leaving only 11 clubs ! If this happened I believe the rebate payable to Sky would outweigh the cost of keeping Salford going. However if HMRC, who are rumoured to be owed over £250k, step in then this will take things out of the RFL’s hands.

[Culmclaret]

Sad about the RL club. My grandfather was leading try scorer for Salford in a season in the early 1920s. I always look for their results and Swinton’s for whom he also played.