BOYCOTT STARTS TOMORROW

Please don't put me on the spot like that.

 

It's not my boycott, I'm not actually committed to the idea, and I don't think there is one. Fans seem to have only just got to the 'very angry shouting in the stadium at the end of games' stage, so I'd say it's still some way off.

Anyway, I appreciate your responses, and I'm not sure this forum is as toxic as you thought.

@River_City_Bantam has just highlighted the crux of the issue at present:

"SR: an absent, non-football owner isn't necessarily a (or the) problem, especially if there is a proper structure to the organisation beneath him. That, I think, is where we are failing."

I have, and always have had, a ton of suggestions about potential solutions. I've posted them on here for the last couple of years. Someone with a bit of long-term vision and a good understanding of football needs to come in, I don't care where, or in what position, or what we want to call it, but someone who can oversee transitions between managers/phases properly because I think that's where we've fallen down time and time and time again.

Ryan Sparks has had the opportunities to do this, but has failed.

He's gone from Stuart McCall (open, free-flowing, attacking football), to Trueman and Sellars (the ultimate ambassadors for young players), to Derek Adams (the antithesis of open, free-flowing, attacking football AND the antithesis to an ambassadorial position on young players).

How does that happen? How does someone appoint a man like that, when he's spent all Summer talking about link coaches and the value of young players and the value of SELLING young players?

Well, it happens because Sparks is told we are working to a budget, sustainability is the key, so he goes out and focuses too much on getting a manager that works to a budget and who has a history of working miracles on a shoestring (albeit in front of tiny crowds).

This is the kind of lack of vision that has caused all of the current discontent among fans.

Has Stefan Rupp noted this, and does he appreciate Adams was a terrible appointment?
No.

Has Stefan Rupp decided to ensure we don't continually flip-flop between managers that are the polar opposites of one another, thus inhibiting our chances of turning things round in six months (six months is as long as anyone's allowed, apparently, hence Adams has to go...)?
No.

Is this rocket science?
No.

It's a really simple, easy-to-implement change that is both achievable and DOABLE, but Stefan Rupp doesn't know enough about football to outline to Sparks that we can't just appoint managers in such an erratic manner and expect success.

Two transfer windows isn't enough for a manager to completely overhaul a squad and get it right. We should be appointing managers that BUILD upon the last one, not dismantle everything they've done and start again; but ever since Rahic, we haven't done it.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: a Director of Football/CEO/whatever you want to call it, IS the answer for the medium term future. Move Sparks to Commercial Director or keep him in the CEO role, I care not. But neither Rupp nor Sparks are savvy enough to be running this club,

AND THAT

is why people want change at the top.

Because they want people that are savvy enough to run this club WELL. And they're not it, for all the honourable traits that you point out that they both have. They're both good guys, but they're not good at running Bradford City.

 

Respect to you for giving us your incite and take on things John, can’t agree on some of it however and just because Rupp seems a decent bloke over a pint doesn’t mean he is fit to run a well functioning football club.

You mention lack of investment in previous years, nobody would disagree, difference been non of them owners are any longer involved as I hope soon Rupp won’t be as he has done nothing to change that. When you buy any business, it becomes your responsibility to run it correctly regardless of the past. He’s a multi millionaire who was conned by a second rate con man, that in itself is negligent and it’s a poor do when a fan like yourself has to pay out of his own pocket to do something about it. Rupp is part of the lack of investment, other than some new seats, which have come out of this years budget what investments has he made?

As for solely blaming Adams, yes it’s his fault we’re playing poor atm. But is it his fault we went from 5th in League 1 when Rupp bought the club to 15th last season? We could have gone down as well make no mistake about it. Is it Adams’ fault we have gone through 9 managers and 2 CEOs previously? Always someone else’s fault doesn’t wash with me.

What will you think of we sack Adams and things continue as they have the last 4 years and we do even worse next season, even get relegated who will you blame then?

It’s poor form to say people are having tantrums because they care about the club, and have seen 4 years of constant decline under this leadership just because you had a pint with the man in Germany and he sacked Rahic. People have genuine concerns and understand simply sacking another manager won’t be enough.

If the only thing you can say about Rupp is he stopped us going bust, which was to save his investment from totally going down the toilet then you’ve already lost the argument. I’m sure he recouped a nice amount of it from McBurnie anyway. He’s not a night in shining armour and it’s dangerous to say so as we will go down and as a result bust eventually if we carry on the trend we have with him in charge.

 

Swansea from Lge 2 to Top 8 of Prem, playing possession based football.

Molby to Martinez to Rodgers to Laudrup. The Manager was picked on the philosophy of the club.

Jenkins ran the show off the pitch.

It doesn't have to be possession based football, but there does need to be a plan.

 

@johndewhirst thanks for your input if your not on the club's pay roll you soon will be after SR reads your posts, you've told us more in an hour than anyone at the club has done for years most don't expect a detailed account but anything would be better than nowt, having said that some wouldn't believe anything they are told.
After 60+ years of supporting our club I can't honestly say apart from the dark days of the two admins the meeting af St George's and sitting in the old stand that Sunday morning listening to Jack/Stafford and the likes of David Ward I have ever felt so disalutioned, with the goings on at my club I won't give up on them but I can understand why others say they won't be renewing next season.

 

Next season as a supporter you have a choice. Either bite the bullet and sign back up knowing what you know or find something better to do with your time. I'm not decided yet but with Stafan Rupp showing no interest and Derek Adams looking increasing like a bad fit for the club I'll likely go with the latter. That may change if I see a change in either the owner or manager, which in all honesty looks unlikely.

 

I came off Twitter about 6 months ago…….Boy do I feel better!

 

The boycotts been going on for weeks now sadly these lot will have the world believing that are gates are still around the 14k mark when in reality over 5k have stopped going ............ now we ain’t talking this is happening with two games to go with nothing to play for ............. it’s happening with well over a 3rd if the season left to play .............. now if that ain’t concerning for them at the top then god knows what is ???

 

You are right Gaz, but who’s noticing? Rupp doesn’t attend so isn’t going to and Sparks may notice but is that news he wants to share with his boss? He paid Morecambe for Adams and tied him into a good length contract, promised lots to the fans and probably to Rupp himself. I imagine his Zoom calls with Rupp are somewhat diluted from reality.

 

You are on a totally different planet to me. This forum is about as Toxic as it gets, hence the reason I haven't posted for a week (or even looked at it much).

What John has said, and what DA said on Saturday were right, keep sacking managers, keep abusing players and we become a destination of last resort for both. I've got caught up in some of the arguments recently and regret expressing some ill thought out views in agreeing with some, though in my defence I've had my head up my own arse for the last three months or so and not been a brilliant place mentally.

In hindsight, boycotts and constantly shouting for the owner to go (when his only crime is living in Germany or to some just being German) and demanding DA be sacked after 3/4 of a season are wrong. We have no right to instant success and have to work hard to find it again, even if that takes a few years.

Back in the glory years, the years of Bantam Progressivism, we had fantastic supporters, now an increasing number are just jumping on the worldwide trend of "virtue signalling" and demand instant gratification at every point and are ready to blame when any little thing goes wrong.

Bottom line is it's not DA or RS or SR who are to blame, it's society and Maggie Thatcher for the greed and total lack of compassion she instilled in the UK and made it a horrible place to live.

Unless a miracle happens, this season is over, If it does, then great we can all enjoy a day out at Wembley. If it doesn't then roll on August and the chance to go again. My football is more about friends and enjoying their company than it is about getting depressed over the result.

I'll see you all on the other side,

 

The club currently have twelve Associate Directors, a number of whom, I believe, were active in the Rahic era. Those individuals are not dependent on the club for a living.

 

Sounds familiar

 

SR didn't inherit Rahic, he brought him with him! But sure, let's trust a man who chose to align himself with Rahic...

Interest in the club but speaks about it once a year, last time that he spoke was only because someone wanted to buy us and it hurt his image...And he was so interested in the club that it took you flying over to him to let him know what's going on..

We were top 5 in League One when he bough us WITH Rahic, and have finished every season in a worse position. We're in League Two now, going on to our 4th year here. Unacceptable.

I would love to hear the figures regarding the amount of money our sugar daddy custodian Rupp is ploughing in to the club. Where are the millions going? To say he is ploughing money into the club he must be a really shitty businessman if all it achieves is worse results year upon year. He must be losing millions at this point but still won't sell? How odd.

While I respect you've been a supporter for more years than a lot have been alive, and persuaded Rupp to rid us of Rahic, this all reads as some bizarre PR piece to paint Rupp as some innocent angel who just happened to stumble upon purchasing the club, and then all of a sudden Edin appeared!

No. Rupp brought Rahic to us, and has overseen I believe the 2nd worst decline out of every professional football club since. He doesn't give a toot about our performance and has ruined the club. But sure let's offer him kindness and forgiveness whilst we work our way down the leagues because well...he seems like a swell guy!. Absolutely fecking bizarre.

Rupp OUT

 

I wont be boycotting, unfortunately I'm old enough to remember City playing a lot worse than this and being bottom of the old 4th division and having to be re-elected, the system they used in the day.

 

I do but, no I won't out of respect.

 

Thank you for that it’s spot on

 

I have looked at that and listened to Ryan Sparks twice saying SR takes nothing from the club and he wouldn’t be here if he did. The holding company was set up obviously by Edin Rahic who took consultancy fees from the club I wonder if that money is owed to him or part of the deal to end his association with the club

 

Rupp bought it off him, try again.

 

So you are calling Ryan Sparks a liar then

 

Edin Rahic no longer has any interest in ER Sports. I really think you need to give up on this one now Park