4 Years Ago Today - Ryan Sparks

My sentiments exactly. I just don’t get it. I bemoan Sparks probably more than anyone and I get criticised for it from certain members. I’m on at least 2 members’ ignore list

They obviously settle for mediocrity….

 

I’m honestly starting to think that this club doesn’t want to go up and master plan was to get us to where we are now.

if Rupp was serious then Sparks would have been gone years ago. We still have to put up with Sparks failures. It’s an insult to all fans.

 

Wow, find myself agreeing with Fordy here!!

From the off, the appointment of Sparks was wrong!! If Rupp, as a new SOLE owner of a football club, with no interest in football whatsoever, wanted a 'hands off' approach to his new club then he seriously needed someone with both business CEO type experience and some football knowledge to run it!! He got NEITHER - a media guy with no CEO or football experience!! You really couldn't make it up.....if it was a FTSE100 company you would argue the hiring Chairman had been negligent and failed due diligence!!

Sparks failings have been constantly and consistently racked up (and well documented and discussed on here!) over these years but still remains in post....again if it was a FTSE100 company you would argue the hiring Chairman had been negligent and failed their ongoing due diligence to manage the business!!

Can they list any footballing positives in this period....oh, one very last minute entry into the playoffs in which we capitulated with a whimper.....oh, and a pizza / paint cup semi final that ended in a whimper.....

We do need the majority of fans to really wake up and smell the coffee that we are really going nowhere with these 2 in control..... we need to properly start to take actions, even Morecambe had a visual protest in the stadium the other week....

 

It would be interesting to hear from those who still think Sparks is doing an OK job, just what it is he has done over the past 4 years that has put us in a better position now than we were in 4 years ago.
Don't all rush at once.

 

Sparks got lucky with Trueman and Sellars (thankfully), but everything since then has been a disaster on the pitch. Would he get another role as CEO at a league club? Very doubtful, maybe on the commercial side but definitely not on the football side.

Has he put in place a scouting/recruiting system that has shown any semblance of success (other than Cook)? No
Has he put together a successful medical and fitness team to work with the manager? No
Has he recruited to a club identity? No
Has he even put in place a club identity? No

What he has done is recruit managers completely opposite in style to the previous incumbent. Recruited and given ridiculous contracts on a whim with no checks and balances in place. We have had bloated squads season after season. We’ve gambled on injured players or not been able to get injured players back on the pitch quick enough. Is that because decent physio’s and managers alike are starting to avoid us like the plague.

The best thing that could happen is obviously Rupp sells up, but at the very least Sharpe replaces Sparks and is given the CEO position. I could only see this happening if we look like missing out on promotion this season.

 

I know he is operating under Sparks' shadow, but has Sharpe actually done anything since he's been here. I mean what does he actually do all day? It can't be a full time job. I genuinely don't know so happy to be educated

 

The question is whether his hands are tied. He’s having to answer to Sparks which I would imagine is restrictive, especially as he’s been used to having full control. We need to cut out the middle man and until we do, we won’t actually get to see what he brings.

 

Guys an egotistical fraud, impersonating a senior executive and doing a piss poor job. The club is mismanaged and we are constantly mis sold and misled by the guy. There cant be many fans left with any trust in the guy but we are all culpable for not making our feelings known loud enough.

 

What year did he say that ?????
The man is fooking clueless and giving McCall that contract for starters should have been a clear indication of how fooking bad he is at running a football club .......

 

Well Ryan last night showed what you have created within your spell .............an empty Valley Parade a sub standard team fook me you fook off you have managed to bring us down to alevel that nobody has seen

 

Rupp was duped in by Rahic makes you wonder if Sparkes is doing the same

 

He definitely is. He's another Billy Bullsh!tter and sadly, the gullible Mr Rupp has fallen for it yet again.

 

Stefan Rupp. But only because Ryan tells him that he is.

 

There is a constant throughout the whole period of failure. Rupp, and to a lesser time scale Sparks. Managers come and go but the common denomination remains. Alexander is just a direct byproduct of that.
Had to force myself to go last night, I hated it. From the sparse library like crowd to the performance on the pitch, could go on but havent even got the enthusiasm to be pissed off anymore.

 

Because you can only yank yourself stupid over a new club shop roof or Seabrook supplying extra free crisps for the Directors box so much before you realise the actual thing that matters (the on field stuff) is failing dismally and game after game fans are voting with their feet.

 

The club have lost the fans again.

the reactions to the club’s social media posts say it all.

here we go again….. Sparks sacks Alexander to try boost morale but by staying around himself, working for the same owner, the real problem elements that are killing the club remain.