Bristol have been told they "could disappear down the plughole" unless the finances are in place to get them back to the Premiership.
Former hooker issues warning
Bristol have been told they "could disappear down the plughole" unless the finances are put in place to get them back to the Guinness Premiership.
Bristol missed the chance to win promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt after they lost to Exeter in the Championship play-off.
As a result, the club are faced with the prospect of their talented squad breaking up - with Luke Eves having already announced his move to Newcastle, while Tom Arscott is being strongly linked to a move to Leicester.
And former England and Bristol hooker Mark Regan believes the club need to react quickly if they are to avoid following the example of Orrell who dropped down the leagues having played in the top-flight in 1997.
"This was a golden opportunity for Bristol - possibly the best chance the club will have for a long time to get back into the Premiership - and they have not taken it," Regan told the
Bristol Evening Post.
Finances
"As a result, there are a bleak couple of months ahead for Bristol now. Where do Bristol go from here? They could either crumble or they could pick themselves up, dust themselves down and come back strongly.
"But, without the right finances, there is a very real danger that the club could crack and we could see another Orrell.
"Bristol could disappear down the plughole - and, if that happened, I wouldn't be able to handle it.
"Put it this way, I don't want Clifton to be playing against Bristol in a couple of years."
