Most liked posts in thread: BBC Radio Leeds Fans 'Forum' 7th Feb 6-7pm

You're definitely as thick as your posts make you look aren't you

 

But this is precisely the problem that we find ourselves in, Park. The club is owned by an absentee businessman with no interest in football, who was conned into buying it by an incompetent narcissist. The club is run, day to day, by a commercial sales manager with no expertise in football matters.

Every successful football club I’ve ever heard of has people in senior positions with passion for the game of football, knowledge of how to put together a successful team with actual football expertise and, crucially, ambition to see the club continually improve on the pitch, gain promotions, win trophies etc - ie, the very reason why football clubs exist and fans pay to watch them.

I didn’t listen to the Radio Leeds ‘forum’ programme. But the clips, quotes and explanations I’ve seen on here fill me with despair. I’m sure there are people on here who’d put me in the ‘happy clapper’ category, because I try not to jump onto so called worst case scenarios or conspiracy theories. But this is worse than either of those. We have our CEO actually telling us that his brief is to keep the club in existence, in the EFL. Nothing more. That is truly shocking. The disconnect between why fans go to watch this club and the attitudes of those running it can surely never have been greater.

As one of those fans, it makes me wonder, ‘what is the point?’ I’ve never felt more dispirited with the club. Even during the two admins there was a sense that the club was fighting. This just sounds like they’ve given up, if they ever cared in the first place. What’s the point of the club’s existence if it’s just happy to tread water in the middle/lower reaches of L2. It feels like the club has been gutted of any last vestiges of its soul and is simply existing, zombie like, until… what?

 

I think the forum was very useful because it has confirmed several things very clearly

- Sparks thinks he’s doing a good job and hasn’t been a failure
- Sparks thinks last season’s failed promotion campaign was a success
- Sparks thinks winning the FL trophy (whatever it is called now) would constitute a good season
- Rupp has little interest in buying back VP
- The club are considering whether to enter another 25 year lease (the intimation was we will probably……..“VP means a lot to a lot of fans”, Bradford as a City is struggling” etc or words to those effect)
- Rupp is not actively looking to sell the club
- we now have clarity in the clubs vision - “SUSTAINABILITY”. Nothing more. Rupp just happy to exist.

 

You made a silly comment yesterday about me & alcohol and I chose to ignore it. This time I will bite - I’m not sure why you think I have an issue with drink, but I really don’t and I never have. I rarely drink, but when I do, I can handle it more than well enough

I think it shows incredibly poor taste on your part, to try use something as sensitive as alcoholism as a beating stick rather than a proper comeback or argument, when you have no idea of fellow poster’s circumstances

Your advanced years clearly haven’t made you as wise and level headed as you like to believe you are

 

If the appointment of Mason facilitated the involvement of Baldwin (if he's interested), or raised the potential for a successful buy out, then I'm all for it. The longer Sparks is in position, the harder it will be for that to happen and for him to get the right manager and staff in the crucial positions at the club. Managers are openly rejecting us (Cowleys and Robinson), and I can't remember this ever happening before. The size of the ground, the setup, the fanbase, the potential are no longer seen as jewels in the clubs crown to hypnotise potential managers. They simply don't hold sway anymore and people are seeing Sparks for what he is. A charleton. If Sparks looked in the mirror and was true to himself, he'd have to admit the issue is him. The job is just too big. He got away with being the new kid on the block and revelling in being one of the youngest CEO's in town, but the novelty has worn off and he's being exposed as the inexperienced novice that he is. The bold proclamations have failed to materialise and are now being used as a stick to beat him. Making one error, then trying to correct it with another. Continually backing the wrong horse in the hope it pays off. No foundations for success. It's time for an older more experienced head to take the reigns before he blunders through yet another managerial appointment and we're left staring into the abyss.

 

Everything about that ‘forum’ indicates exactly why this club, is where it is.

The answer on ‘what our strategy is’, confirms we don’t have one. Trying to increase revenue to keep pace with the average wage bill for the league isn’t remotely a strategy. And Sparks claim to have improved turnover by 45% is completely disingenuous, as he’s clearly using the Covid season as the baseline.

Utter guff.

Bottom line - the mandate from the owner is ‘keep us in the league, don’t go bust’. That’s nowhere near enough, and frankly it deserves to see the club fail.

 

I'm still angry about Sparks new definition of the 'there is no room for mediocrity at this football club' statement, so I've been back to have a listen to the interview when he first said it to see if I had misrembered it. I hadn't. Here are some of the other things he said in that interview that proves what he said about it tonight is complete tosh.

'Being in league 2 is not something we as a football club are comfortable with at all, it doesn't work for this football club on a number of levels and we need to be in the third tier at the very least and we need to get there quickly.'

'I am obviously aiming high, I'm aiming to get us out of this division.'

'We have to bring success back to this football club because it has forgotten what it means and I want to have product on the pitch that matches my ambition for the football club'.

Also, remember that 2 seasons ago he said that anything less than promotion would be seen as failure, but now the vision is sustainability and keeping the business alive. The man is a complete and utter charlatan.

 

Our mandate is - stay in the league, don’t go bust. I mean, bloody hell, isn’t that what you’d expect from the likes of a newly promoted Barrow, or Harrogate, or Sutton?

It’s a f****g joke. This lot need hounding out.

 

I like how Sparks has moved the goalposts. Saying when he came in the brief was to keep us up and be sustainable, and that was what he meant by “mediocre”. Promotion had to be the aim given our top three and top seven budgets!

then he assumed last season was good enough because we hit the playoffs. It wasn’t. We should have gone up automatically!

now he actually thinks he’s doing a good job because he’s increased commercial revenue 45 % or whatever it was.

The guy is a deluded fool. He’s won’t resign because he was a £25k social media man and is now probably getting paid a five figure CEO wage. Who would give that up?

When the ST campaigns bombs, he’ll be gone. Two months left max.

felt sorry for GA. The grievances from fans aren’t with him.

didn’t think Gent came across well, and Sparks was, as others have said, a car crash.

the lack of interest from Rupp came across so badly via Sparks too. No interest in buying ground. Not actively looking to sell. Just happy to exist and be sustainable.

 

Just had chance to catch up with the full 'forum' - embarrassing beyond words

Sparks should simply resign after that performance - he takes us all for fools, contradicts himself and out of his depth

Gent?? Talk about uninspiring!! But listening to him tonight paints a much clearer picture on why our recruitment has failed

And Alexander, probably shouldn't have been there as a shield for the muppet brothers but he increasingly doesn't fill me with much hope

What a depressing night but all too predictable, god speed the revolution!

 

What bloody vision? We will keep us in league 2, and we won’t bust the budget!

What surprises me, is this; how on earth do they think they can con ST holders to keep buying the product? Not only is it taking them for granted it is laughing at them. Here is question for Rupp et al, why should I part with my money to watch sustainable football or worse? Here is another little nugget of advice for you, you cannot run a sustainable club and not get relegated at some point. As the entertainment continues to be poor season after season your ability to be competitive decreases every single season. ST holders see what is front of them and say “no more” You are on your own Rupp, I am out of here.

I will get my club back at some point when you finish the job that Rahic started.

 

Why is GA being put on the spot? Surely this should be about years of decline and not the last 8 or so weeks of his tenure. The fact Rupp isn’t participating means it’s a completely useless exercise. He’s the owner and the only person to be held to account. Radio Leeds have apparently made numerous attempts to interview him and he either hasn’t responded or has declined. For Rupp to have publicly addressed the supporters on fewer than half a dozen occasions during his ownership, shows the total contempt he has for the supporters of this club. We’ve seen his true colours in the tweet following the Newport game. Absolutely no acknowledgement of the suffering we’ve endured over the past 6/7 years. What will we learn from the usual “ we have regular contact” comment? Sparks can say what he wants, but he’s not going to say anything controversial that could jeopardise his own position. He won’t comment on whether he’s asked for more cash input and been refused. He probably won’t answer whether his own position is under threat.

 

I thought tonight was an absolute car crash. Really worrying that these three are the most important cogs in the machine on a day to day basis. Felt for GA though, been handed this garbage by Gent and had to front up about the players not performing. What a mess. We’ve got plenty more bleak years ahead whilst these are in charge. The club is slowly dying year by year. What a mess.

 

It's backfired because once again they've not read the room.

If there'd been humility, and a recognition and empathy as to why fans are so unhappy, rather than a dismissive 'win a few games and it'll be fine', even an appeal as to how crucial the fans are and some demonstrable sense of a plan, maybe they'd have won people around. There was none of that.

 

Well you know what kind of club we have become and its about time we stopped funding this fooking sham we are.

You buy a ST you are basically rewarding piss taking twats fook each and every one of them.


£375 i pay for what ???? For 18th place and happy to stay in this league so long as we dont lose money ............hes really let the cat out of the bag with that one

 

Well, another bit of waffle from captain soundbite is over. To be honest, I feel more in the dark than at 5:59pm about the club.

He just sounds clueless. Fair few contradictions in there about the way we operate. Anyone else just fed up? With all of it?

 

Utterly depressing wasn’t it? And if Rupp and Sparks think thats enough to retain the masses, they’re in for a shock.

All tonight did was confirm what we know, and give further cause for concern as to the ongoing trajectory of the club.

Unfortunately, whilst tonight had to be allowed to pass and listened to with an open mind, focus now needs to shift squarely to putting pressure on Stefan Rupp. Without a change in ownership, this club is in serious trouble.

 

A fans forum with no fans. Sounds very City.

 

I have sent these in:

The questions I would like to be asked at the forum are:

1. Ryan, nearly 3 years ago you said the club wouldn't accept mediocrity, whilst 14th in League 2. We are now 18th in League 2, with 2 managers gone and who knows the number of players bought and sold in that period.

We have Head of Recruitment, back to scouts, back to Head of Recruitment.

We have had one playing style, to another and back to another.

We have "leaner and meaner" to being bloated with average players.

It is obvious that the club lacks direction, leadership and football expertise to get us promoted.

More than 91% of members on Bantam Talk have expressed their desire for a change at CEO level.

Do you think your position is now untenable? If not, why not?


2. Ryan, on football matters you seem to be reactive rather than proactive whatsoever...

See Stockport County plans...
Training Ground Guru | Simon Wilson: Stockport County's seven-year plan

Please outline our plan, specifically, not in your usual 'sound bites' but with substance!


3. Ryan, are you strong enough to be CEO?

You had a Head of Recruitment - Derek Adams didn't want one - you changed direction.
You said "Meaner and Leaner" just last summer - Mark Hughes wanted more - you changed direction.
You said about youth and development of players but signed off many over 30s with lengthy contracts.
You allowed Mark Hughes to change his formation and style when the players didn't suit it and we just needed a couple of new players.
You sacked Mark Hughes when there was no real need to do so other than social media pressure.
You seem to wilt whenever there is pressure, from managers or supporters.


4. Ryan, given the current state of the club, its league position and discord amongst club and fans did you not think it was very narcissistic of you to focus on yourself in the recent ITV Interview? The club itself was barely mentioned. No one person is bigger than this club!

Hey ho!!

 

Well that wasn’t informative at all! Apart from I have learnt what the plan is. Don’t go broke and conduct financial affairs that make this club sustainable. There is no plan for promotion! The rest is just waffle. GA need not have been there. Gent doesn’t really know what he is doing.