Lifting the ‘boycott’ and returning to VP

Jesus wept.

 

But you did say it.
I kind of understand that you don’t like the way the club is run and nobody more than me is pissed off with the last 7 years but how else can anyone interpret the words “when he restores the club to being a highly competitive league 1 club”
“I’ll consider coming back”
If everyone had those same views I think we’d fall a lot further down the football pyramid.

 

If you can't understand the wider context of what I wrote, I can't help you, because every other person who's referred to it, understood perfectly.

 

Where's Shoatsy? Loyal could do with a friend

 

I fully understand why some people do not attend evening games, Health , distance etc. it is also not easy to park around VP , especially at night.
Luckily i am still pretty fit so park a fair way off and walk.
I do thought struggle to understand staying away because or our current chairman, He is no better or worse than many we have had in the past.
I also think people are entitled to support or not in any way they choose.
I support the football club , my club , my City, for all its faults. The players come and go, the managers , the CEO and the chairmen, will all be long gone, when i am still dragging my self down to VP in 10- 15 - 20 years time.
If the body and mind is still active.

 

I think I understand perfectly what you wrote. Correct me if I’ve misunderstood.
You are a long standing supporter of 30 years who has become disillusioned with the last 7 years (rightly so) and you are not happy with how Rupp has run the club during those years and so you’ve made the decision the stay away. (That’s also rightly your choice)

it’s the bit about not returning until we’ve reached a level you find acceptable that I questioned.
Anyone can see that Rupp has invested into the club / squad this season and more so in the January transfer window which is now showing signs of reward (we are on course for auto promotion and playing some attractive football)

why not get back behind the club now ? Why wait until the threshold of being a ‘highly competitive’ league 1 club?

 

Fortunately I'm reasonably fit and healthy. I love a night match whatever the weather!

 

I can understand what Loyal is saying, maybe his way of putting it is a bit strong.
We could all say i am not returning until we get back to where we were in 1999.
The club has been run terribly since we climbed into the premier league.
its all subjective.

 

I agree with this.
Aside from Geoff Richmond I cannot recall another chairman who has run this club in any other way than the sustainability model. Rupp is no different.
In 1988 we were a *@?$ hair away from reaching the top flight but then within 3 seasons we were in disarray and had to endure the Docherty years.
I can’t remember such faux outrage from the fanbase with fans demanding to be back where we were before coming back. Maybe it happened but without social media it wasn’t obvious other than to compare the attendances.

 

Can not beat football under the floodlights, even with the rush of finishing work , wash and changed, tea and charge to the ground.

 

Maybe I do say things a little strongly but I’m passionate and I hate fickleness.

 

I never boycotted, just didnt buy a season ticket. I have picked and chosen this season. Done a handful of aways and probably 50/60% of home games. Like you, Tuesday nights dont wet my appetite either.

 

I think even Shoatsy would find that a tough ask.

 

I am behind the club, I always have been and always will be. I'm against the owner and the regime running the club. I fundamentally disagree that Rupp has invested in the club, or certainly that there's obvious evidence of such. What I see is a pattern of neglect, mismanagement, absenteeism, appointment of an unqualified CEO and an overall shambolic performance as owner, with the same said of the CEO he's appointed. There looks to have been no material progress in terms of ground ownership or other significant building of assets and value into the club. We've had 2 months of good form, and the spirit in the side looks good. But the bigger picture across his tenure as owner is very different. We're in a much, much worse position than when he bought the club.

Its not a binary as being about 'the level we're at'. Everything is context dependent. I'm staying away from VP because I don't trust those running it, and refuse to put my money into an owner that has been systemically failing in his duty and refused to sell the club (and I know for a fact there's been credible interest in buying the club), which furthers my distrust of him.

Reference to being competitive in League One is not because its the minimum level I'm prepared to entertain - Under Phil Parkinson's management I rarely missed a home game in League 2 and saw a good few away games too. THAT ownership regime had its faults, but it had appropriate ambition to move forward within the parameters it was operating within and sought to appoint capable people - didn't always get it right, but I trusted the intent and the fabric of those in charge, so I was prepared to give the club my time and money. Getting back to the top end of League One, would necessitate sustainably capable running of the club and would at least restore it to where Rupp found it, undoing - at least in part - the damage he's done to it.

I'll support the team. I'll cheer it on from the background and want GA and the players to succeed. But those are my principles, and I'm not changing them. It'll take a lot to shift my view of Rupp and Sparks, certainly more than a couple of months of good form.

 

Do you not see the irony in that statement. This specific thread is about the position of people who are 'boycotting' games. Its not that long ago that we had (more than one) period of serious unrest in the fanbase. Demands for fans forums, protests, media coverage about the state of the club. A few good results, and people have shifted their position - OK, each to their own. But I'd call that much more fickle than swinging from 'Sack the Board' to 'Everything's Great' on the basis of a few results.

 

I think you maybe overthink things
Really not that deep

 

For me, it is. As I say, its not long ago that organised fan protest was being planned. We looked much more likely to exit League 2 via the bottom than top end until recently. Some people have short memories I guess.

EDIT: These articles were published only 2 months ago.

An Open Letter to BCAFC – from Bradford City Fans Independent Group
If sacking the manager is the answer, then you’ve got the wrong question
The very long read: Bradford City has a choice, learn from history or become it

I'm fine for people to disagree with my view. That's fine, we all have opinions. But to infer its fickle (as others have), is literally nonsense. It's the opposite of fickle.

As I say, short memories.

And just to be clear, I'm only posting about this subject, in this thread, but it was created for such reasons. The narrative about the team at the moment should be exclusively positive. They're going great guns.

 

Night games as a kid, the old Kop. Late 80s. I'll never forget those memories.

 

If anything like last time I believe about 10 fans were shouting outside lol