Daily Mail reporting on the situation at Valley Parade.

Well done @Bantam Steve for getting the first of the media outlets to highlight the plight of our great club

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13257075/Bradford-stagnant-apathy-owner-promises.html

Proud Bradford are stagnant and in apathy under a trigger-happy yet absent owner full of empty promises who admits football is NOT his thing

* Bradford have spent five years languishing in League Two despite their promise
* Owner Stefan Rupp is largely absent and spends most of his time in Germany

Another turbulent week in the life of Bradford City ended with the tonic of victory but it will take much more to restore self-esteem at Valley Parade.

It has become a miserable existence for their thousands of loyal and long-suffering fans, as the season nears its end with a humbling new local rivalry taking shape with Harrogate Town halfway down the fourth tier.

Old foes Leeds United, meanwhile, stretch further into the distance, with sights on a return to the Premier League.


Bradford have spent five years languishing in League Two.

There remains an outside chance of a late dash for the play-offs but it would involve a most radical reversal of form

The Good Friday win against Tranmere Rovers ended a sequence of four defeats, three of which came at home before a 3-0 thumping down the road at Harrogate, which proved an embarrassment too far.

Fans activated plans for protests against owner Stefan Rupp and the fanzine site 'Width of a Post' issued an eloquent open letter, imploring him to intervene or sell.

It is a competitive field for terrible owners in the EFL and Rupp is in the running.

He is largely absent from Bradford, spends most of his time in his native Germany and admits football isn't really his thing, he is more of a motorsport kind of guy.

Rupp and Edin Rahic bought the club together in 2016. At first, Rupp left it all to Rahic, who quickly destroyed a well-run operation in the style of tin-pot dictator until forced out within two years.

Rupp stepped in, promising supporters they deserved better, although, in truth, not a lot has changed

Managers still come and go with remarkable regularity. There is a skeleton board and most of the control lies with Ryan Sparks, an inexperienced chief executive promoted from a role within the media department.

The irony is communication reached an all-time low with Sparks in charge

Hundreds of fans joined forces to tackle the culture of silence and wrote to Rupp. They bundled up the letters and shipped the package off to his business address in Bavaria only to find it returned with a note to say not wanted by the recipient.

Season ticket prices, competitively priced for many years, are set to increase and the lease on the stadium is up in 2028, reheating rumours that they might move in with rugby league neighbours Bradford Bulls at the Odsal Stadium.

The backdrop to all of this is that the football club with its proud history and the city with its population of more than half a million should be capable of so much more.

Little more than a decade ago, they were on a riotous run to the League Cup final as a fourth tier club, topping that achievement with promotion.

They were challenging for promotion to the Championship under Phil Parkinson when Rupp and Rahic first appeared on the scene.

Then came relegation and after five years in the EFL's basement, everyone is demoralised.

Crowds appear to have held up at a glance, although official figures are bolstered by 15,000 season-ticket holders and do not chime with the swathes of empty seating in evidence at recent games.

Fearing the dangerous onset of apathy, sections of the disgruntled fanbase set to organising a protest, and Rupp tried to head it off with an open letter.

'Not good enough' and 'hugely disappointing,' he conceded. He vowed to do better, to bring in more expertise and address ongoing problems. He also apologised for his personal absence and the remote nature of his ownership style.

It was the full bingo card of contrition. Rupp also reiterated he would consider offers from potential buyers, although is thought to want back the £10million he paid, a price that seems unrealistic since the club has been so badly damaged since.

It was not particularly well-received by those who feel they have heard it all before.

'We are pleased that Stefan Rupp has made the effort to communicate some of his intentions for the club,' said Steve Hamilton, chair of Bradford City Independent Fans Group.

'However, he has made previous statements with promises which were not actioned. The club was challenging for Championship football when he bought it and have regressed to a lower half of League Two.

'Our supporters require regular communication and a short, medium and long-term plan that shows ambition and represents the sizable support given by Bradfordians over many years. This club should be flourishing and it is not right now.'

Disillusion reigns with Bradford bound for Grimsby Town.

PS: Admittedly not his most pressing concern, but Bradford City boss Graham Alexander has been dislodged from top spot in the ranks of Britain's high-scoring defenders. The title now belongs to James Tavernier, Bradford-born Rangers captain and right back, who scored his 131st goal on Saturday, against Hibernian.





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Now, now Mr Parker......