Promotion/Championship/Finance/Ownership/Costs….

You can't sideways transfer a loss these days.

 

Fully agree. Many could be saying the same about our current league position at the opposite end of the table - truth is, table doesn’t lie.

 

We didn’t go for it because as much as the fans want promotion and players, I am not convinced the club does. When I mean club, I mean Rupp.

Going up means all hands on getting investment, selling the club maybe.

It’s not about the club being in debt because in life good debt is a thing! It’s about can Rupp really take us to the Championship and PL? Answer is no.

The signings we have made are ok. A few crowd pleasers in there due to their names but can they really produce?

For me we should have gone for it but back of mind is the club really don’t want to go up as I mentioned before.

 

Does this coincide when we rebuilding the ground after the fire and also using Bell end Rd and L666ds Rd?

 

Today’s T&A
CEO Ryan Sparks discusses Bradford City's transfer window

CITY showed their ambition in the transfer window, Ryan Sparks has insisted.

The Bantams made seven signings in the January market – and let seven go – as part of a revamp of Graham Alexander’s fifth-placed squad.

And Sparks believes they showed the financial fight needed to keep battling with rivals on bigger budgets in the League One promotion race.

The City CEO said: “We have approached this window in the same way we have every time, looking to enhance and further evolve our squad.

“In my view, we have finished it stronger and are really pleased with the work that has been done.

“We have been ambitious in our approach and our investment has been measured against what we needed and what we would like to achieve.

“Although we are significantly outperforming our budget, no-one is content – that just is not us – and we are committed to driving the club forward. We are excited about the prospect of where we might be able to get to.”

Teams around them in the leading pack have flexed their big-spending muscles.

Saturday’s opponents Luton, still benefiting from the second year of their Premier League parachute payments, signed Norwegian midfielder Sverre Sandal on a deadline-day deal reported to be worth £1.1 million.

And Huddersfield splashed £1 million on winger Bali Mumba from Plymouth early in the window.

There were reports that City had a “substantial six-figure bid” knocked back by Burton for former Bradford (Park Avenue) striker Jake Beesley. But Sparks said the club would not comment on speculation.

He revealed that owner Stefan Rupp had upped City’s budget to allow Alexander to strengthen his resources in January.

“Our main planning meetings for January began in November, where we discussed what we felt we needed to do to keep moving forward,” Sparks told the T&A.

“I met with Stefan in the weeks following and he agreed to provide further funds, increase the playing budget and lift the SCMP (salary cost management protocols) allowance.

"Effectively, Stefan has written off a significant amount of money, which then becomes donated back to the club as income and allows us to increase what we can spend within the rules.

“While several players have moved on, and we thank them for their services to our club, their replacements are certainly investments and, with that, we have taken our spending to within one per cent of our allowed limit and increased the overall budget.”

Four of the signings came in the final days of the window – with Lee Evans putting pen to paper from Blackpool just 15 minutes before the deadline.

Sparks said: “In any window, when you are working to a specific budget and have to consider the squad cap of 22 players, it is important to have patience and ensure you are able to recruit the very best talent.

“We discussed many players in the weeks and months prior to January, and during every single day of the window itself.

“And we were delighted to be able to sign Paul Mullin, Kayden Jackson, Ethan Wheatley and Lee Evans to our roster in the final week, to go alongside Louie Sibley, Joe White and Harrison Ashby.

“We have added further talent, character and experience to our ranks and are really looking forward to seeing them make their mark in claret and amber.”

 

We are within one percent of our budget..... so the Beesley fee and contract would have blown that to bits? It's Keiffer Moore all over again.

And.... roster can tell he's been around the yanks lately!

 

FIFA aren't interested because what they care about is the top tier of competition.

Anything in lower leagues would need to be FA or EFL driven.

 

The problem Rupp has , is he’s not wealthy “enough” to fund the largesses of the CC. ( I’m not suggesting in any shape or form he’s deliberately holding us back before anyone jumps on that bandwagon) He’s probably been very pragmatic maybe ?

Debt has to be funded and guaranteed by either Rupp himself OR saddling the debt on the football club at high interest rates . Remember we have no assets for lenders to fall back on therefore round 3 of Admin will surely follow if defaulting on any loans ?

 

Back then they may have come across as pretty decent.
Same year town averaged round about the same even being a league above

Leeds pulling in an average of just over 13k.

 

I’m sure some people think debt and admin are next to each other in the dictionary.

Get one and the other automatically follows.

God forbid we get in the playoffs and actually achieve our aim for this season.

 

Yes that threw me a bit
Spending more money on the playing budget and bringing in potentially better players is not investing, just spending more money
Strange way to look at things

 

Any other business running at such losses and surviving on directors loans, would not be in business
I know it’s how football works, I just don’t like it
Bury, Macclesfield and many other clubs ruined
By moraly wrong business practices

 

Not sure what belt tightening Bradford City could do, other than a reduction in the playing squad