Mumblings on the Bulls board that we sacked (or released) Reardon today in addition to letting Gleeson go.

Bull (excuse pun) because we signed Mathers or true?

If true, TS is certainly not hanging around getting shut of Cullen's "world class" signings is he?

Not Mumblings on the Bulls Board.

Chris Irvine in the Times [url=http://timesonline.typepad.com/rugby_league/2009/04/martin-gleeson-signs-for-wigan.htmlhere.[/url

Lets hope so, more salary cap space, mediocre player gone. He'll get snapped up by somebody else. He'll come back to haunt us by handing off the whole team one after the other, fortunately he'll have only gone 4 yards.

More salary cap space indeed, but highly doubtful it will be filled....that spare cash, along with the Gleeson transfer money will be used to pay off the taxman, before the club finds itself in very sticky legal waters...



Put simply, don't expect any big signings very soon....

todays made up fact.

Don't be silly, the salary cap will be a totally different entity. I hardly think we'll go from paying £1.65m a year, to £1.4m or whatever because of tax implications. I'm sure if there's tax issues, they'll be sorted, it won't be to the detriment of the playing staff.

FWIW, I don't expect any signings for now, I think 2009, Smith will take a good look at the players, and by June/July etc when the anti tampering thingy is lifted, he'll know what/who he wants for 2010. Had these folk not gone, that was another £200k (ish) tied up that Smith couldn't do anything with until 2011 & 2012.

Folk keep talking about 'Now', I think there's a much bigger picture.

In simple terms, the Gleeson transefer fee, and the spare money will pay off any problematic finances we may have with the taxman...I agree entirely that we won't make any major signings this year.....A reassessment of finances is probably going on as we speak, and will probably continue for a while, after which Tony Smith will probably have a clear idea of what he wishes his playing staff to look like for next season, and then, hopefully with finances sorted out, the club can start recriutment again.

You're very clued up on HMRC stuff - when do the club have to pay the back taxes by?

He's not being that silly. I've explained elsewhere how this is likely to affect implicated clubs. But, very simply...you'll still spend to the cap. But some of the players will overnight cost more than they did (to get the same net payment into their pockets or image rights company or employee benefit trust). Which for a club spending to the cap will mean an immediate breach. I don't for one minute think the RFL will penalise past breaches now crystalised as a result, and I assume they will allow some limited transition. But, going forward, I fear one or two clubs in particular - ones maybe who appeared to be getting a lot more bang for their bucks - may have to trim their player spending to accommodate.

Incidentally, the Operational Rules for the Salary Cap make it clear its the GROSS value of any image rights or EBT payments, not the net.

I'll go away now, but I suspect one or two may have occasion to remember what I said in the not too distant future.

Not a clue when it'll have to be paid, however, I can't honestly see a £100k + tax demand being met with a casual shrug of the shoulders, and the letter being slung onto the 'to do later' pile , can you?

Why won't they just up the cap ? (Not massively, but it's been reduced slughtly in recent years, just bump it back up, problem solved, 10 clubs are affected anyhow, so it's only four who aren't, two of which are new, and spending knowhere near cap etc.)

As a club, it's been said before that financially, transparency wise, we lead the way. With that in mind, i'm not worried one jott. For all our on field problems, off the field we've never had an issue.

I doubt it but I have no idea what tax demand has been sent to the club, or what discussions have gone in relation to it, so it's difficult to guage their reaction. You seem to know as you suggest the clubs are sorting out finances as we speak.

Not having a go by the way.