Andy Todd, Stefan Rupp & City's Financial Position

Just to add during Rahic's time with us he also got rid of James Mason, with Dave Hopkin walking I would assume he didn't get any sort of remuneration from the club, so lets have a look at it in reality, off the wage bill, Rahic and wife, James Mason, sub Gary Bowyer for Dave Hopkin, then we can add Collins paid off a the remainder of his 3 year contract, Anton McElhone sacked and whatever we had to pay for the remainder of his contract, did Abo leave or was he pushed through the ever revolving door.
I can understand Rupp wanting to trim the wage bill but with those sort of savings for Bowyer to want his own man in and getting knocked back stinks of penny pinching, add anymore that I may have missed.

 

Perhaps, perhaps not. If 2 people write off their cars. One because they were going 90mph on country lanes and went headfirst into a wall. Someone else does the same whilst driving carefully at 50mph but they couldn't stop because of bald tyres and worn brakes. The results are ultimately the same. Negligence and/or removing prerequisites can be just as disastrous as outright stupidity.

 

Not sure what you’re getting at?
As you say, both are “ultimately the same”. So how does that mean we are worse now than when Edin was controlling us from every angle, which was the point I was making?

 

It stinks in all honesty. Todd and Drury

 

OK, so not worse, there's no results or communication to evaluate how Rupp will run the club from here on in. I was highlighting the fact that there's a multitude of ways of getting it wrong. From Rahic in his sports car doing 90mph, to Rupp at home in Germany laying off the bloke that services his car(s).

 

And the above is why there is now people at the club having been brought in undertaking those actions to ensure the club is saleable.

 

A perfect scenario would be if Gibb or Tordoff were to invest or buy a stake in the club. That way we would have local part owners again, who, after an agreed timeframe could buy the remaining shares in the club. That would bring in additional funding at a time we need it most. Rupp could then disappear into the background in the knowledge that the club is being run as it should be.

All would depend on Rupp wanting to sell of course.

Great post @Onside. Captured what a lot of fans are thinking. I can’t help feeling though, that whatever statement is put out by the club, they’ll be damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
We were promised key appointments in the weeks and months, I’m assuming they’re still looking at putting this in place. Knowing which key positions they are, would help though.

 

I do hope your right @fredm.

 

If it is true what’s it going to do for the club in the short term a failing club on the pitch would be unattractive

 

Add to that a third option.....
A poor innocent person, aware of road conditions, driving a 100% road worthy vehicle driving at 40 mph, and being forced off the road by one of your initial errant drivers !..........
An innocent victim .......... The world is full of them, but all incidents have an effect, one way or the other.

 

The main thing here, and what I've read over the past week or so is, that so many are wanting answers they're not really entitled to, or not important enough for the wider fan base.
Taking onboard @Onside list of questions ......... Do we really need answers to all those ....... NOW ?
It really needs a statement of intent as to the direction the Club is moving, and how they are to address this that is most important to most fans.
Just a few questions, and doubts addressed, which Julian Rhodes could do at any time. There's no better time than the present !

 

A shrewd club is not necessarily a failing club.

But one that is chalking up £2 million deficits every single season and yet nowhere near the land of milk and honey isn't an attractive proposition.

If you bought Bradford City for £5m, let's say, and you implemented a 5-year plan, the way the club is right now you're looking at a MINIMUM additional £10m loss, and that's without having dramatically increased club spending.

£15m down the pan, and you're absolutely nowhere near the Premier League, the only profitable division in the English football pyramid.

Considering City fans think we're being tight with our money, who knows how much you'd have to spend to appease some of the so-called 'ambitious' fans.

Or, you could buy the club for £5m, with the club being vaguely self-sufficient (which we're NOWHERE NEAR), and you don't have to waste £10m just to tread water, instead using that money to make very real, very tangible improvements.

Apologies for the cigarette packet math, but any League Two club running with seven figure losses and no real room for manoeuvre in terms of infrastructure just isn't going to get bought out.

Let's face it, the belt-tightening won't be fun, but it looks essential to me following our relegation.

Rupp isn't going to throw good money after bad, especially when the good money will far outweigh what he spent initially.

 

Pretty much SPOT ON, Jon.
The sooner our greater fan base realise this, the better.

 

Whilst taking your point I still think a team struggling on the pitch in league two would not be an attractive proposition

 

Whilst I agree it is worrying that we have been unable to retain the services of the bloke that Bowyer brought in, I refute the claim that Todd was a “decent assistant manager”. In his short time with us, there was no inkling of how good he was. Wasn’t this is first post as assistant?

 

When Rupp took over we were one of the few profitable clubs in the football league.
I'm not saying luck didn't play a part in the cup runs etc.
I'm not saying the club didn't have problems and clearly investment was needed off the field in terms of infrastructure.
BUT we were a debt free club with a big fanbase on the verge of the championship.
£5 million is peanuts in football terms and the club was ripe for investment to take it to the next level.

Rupp has only got himself to blame for taking his eye off the ball and trusting his mate Edin.
We lost £2m last year because his mate went on a spending spree signing over payed shite.
Just imagine if a proper manager was given the same budget.
Bear minimum we'd still be in league 1, if not higher.

 

They said we would be competitive in L2 but then read Bowyers article in T&A and it sounds like towel been thrown in already.....

 

Bowyer failed to get decent results also.

He was offered a 2 year deal. Shall we sack him now?

Don't see how you can have a go at Todd without hammering Bowyer 1st.

 

It can't be that unattractive if potential new owners are looking at us, youd think it would give them more room to negotiate ?.