How does this club move forward?

The worry is as Leeds grows as a City and Leeds United eventually anchor their place in the Premier league, which I think they will, that we just become a satellite area of Leeds, akin to the likes of Rochdale, Oldham and Rochdale are for Manchester. I keep hearing this word 'potential'. Yet no one seems to be able to define it in our terms. What exactly. Is this potential? The city itself has died on its arse, its a dead end to nowhere. Both sporting clubs have no long term potential, all we have is an ageing ground we don't own in a run down area, same with the rugby team. A large number of fans enticed by dirt cheap season tickets does not define potential.

 

Julian Rhodes.

Been chairman at City for 17 years. In that time we have lost ownership of Valley Parade, been in admin, relegated from Championship to League 2, he tried to sell to a dodgy ex-QPR owner with no money, Sold part of the club to Etherington who had no money and ran off with a cheerleader, finally sold us to Rahic & Rupp..but hey we have had 2 great seasons and season tickets are cheap.

 

3/5 years is hardly short term, but as I posted apart from those two no one would know if a plan has been offered to Rupp who's knocked if back.
Unfortunatly @Feats Don't Fail Me Now is bang on with this post.

https://bantamtalk.com/index.php?threads/how-does-this-club-move-forward.3701/page-4#post-325686

 

who would you trust to spend what money *if* invested was spent correctly? at the moment there's not one in there I would.

 

Sheffield is one of the poorest ward cities in the UK when high to low income and social factors are taken in to consideration but it manages to successfully keep two good football clubs, a rugby team, basketball and ice hockey. due to the industrial downturn of the city in some ways it's massively punching above it's weight. one thing it doesn't do is feel sorry for itself.

 

Definitely agree Onside Chief scout needed.A friend of mine was a Coach and Talent Scout in fact he did scout for City until a slight fall out I believe. My point is they are lots of dedicated people with knowledge who can do this for clubs but you do need a boss man who can pass it on to The Manager

 

Both Sheffield clubs have far better history than we do, their stadiums lay claim to two teams with a tradition of a big football city. We've never had that, most of my 40 years supporting city has been of a city that's never really been in love with its football team like other cities.

 

The answer to that would be the manager at the time, unfortunately we know your stance on the present incumbent, but lets go back to the previous manager would you have allowed him to spend any of the funds made available by Rupp, to me it makes sense the man who is ultimately going to be responsible for how the team progress or otherwise should be the man who makes the calls.

 

100% this!

Bradford City is a sad club.

The whole club feels sorry for itself all the time but I think it's an act. A Rhodes act! So fans don't go above their station. A way of trying to control expectations!

Bradford Council acts in the same way!

Fans need to start putting pressure on the owner, CEO, directors etc because at this moment we getting treated like mugs. Stop making excuses for Rupp.. he either puts up or leaves! It's simple really!

Bradford City is a dream killer of a club now. Soon as you suggest something it's always impossible.

 

WARNING. THIS MAY HURT SOME PEOPLES FEELINGS

I have contributed and been part of a number of groups discussing the relationship between the likes of Manchester and Leeds and their smaller neighbours.

It is generally agreed that both Manchester and Leeds have reached the critical mass whereby they now suck in the investment and jobs from large surrounding areas. Think of it in terms of a black hole (yes we might think of Leeds in that way) and how it essentially sucks everything in. This is the situation that Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield (Hudds gets it from both sides, Leeds and Manchester!) and to some extent Wakefield find themselves in because they are close to Leeds and as mentioned above Bury, Oldham, Bolton, Stockport with Manchester.

So Bradford is already for all intents and purposes a satellite of Leeds.

In my opinion Bradford is beyond the point of competing with Leeds. I believe the quicker this is accepted and a strategy arrived at to take advantage of the proximity and reduced costs of using Bradford for ‘non essential functions’, with its great connections back into the main center (Leeds) the better.

Swallow our pride. Push for a Greater Leeds Council and look to make the best of it because there is simply no way that Bradford is ever competing with Leeds on equal terms again.

 

completely agree.

 

agree; Manchester takes on the role as the centre of Greater Manchester, Leeds will soon become the centre of the Greater West Yorkshire region incorporating cities and towns such as Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Castleford and Wakefield etc and Sheffield will become the centre of the Greater South Yorkshire region with Barnsley, Rotherham, Doncaster etc.

 

Great Post. Its the nature of the beast, the weak get picked off by the strong. Bradfords long term future is to service big businesses around Leeds and the M62

 

Agree, Bradford people are too weak and just accept failure!

I'm too young but wasn't Bradford ahead of Leeds as a City in the 80's? The Leeds came with its marketing in the 90's.

It's like with the football club. Training at a school isn't acceptable. I don't care what anyone says it's not! It's embarrassing! Not owning our stadium! Not having a long term plan. Fans make poor excuses and it's shameful. Just want more! Demand more! Stop being weak!

We either start wanting more and being positive or we became greater Leeds and sack everyone at Bradford Council because they're weak and lazy!

As for the club the sooner we all wake up that Rupp and Rhodes need to leave then we will be in a better place!!

 

Bang on in comparison both clubs dwarf Bradford City having said that Sheffield United we playing Bradford City in the 2016/17 season I'd say they weren't successful around that time just ticking over, they as a club had plenty of managers pass through the club and never brought success, until they gambled by bringing Chris Wilder to the club who'd done a very good job at Oxford but walked out on them to take over at Northampton ten lead them to be league two champions with 99 points.
They always had Kevin McCabe to support them financially then he brought foreign investors in Saudi Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad Al Saud, chalk and cheese mate to Bradford City, not forgetting they could always pull 20,000 into Bramhall Lane when doing well without cheap season tickets.

 

Well it looks like the Government are going to force us into that situation like it or not. We have been holding out well at least North and West Yorkshire have for a full Yorkshire Mayor, but once South Yorkshire caved in it was only a matter of time. Investment will happen, but they are looking for investment in the smaller towns and cities.

 

Why would anyone invest in Bradford as a city? Its a dead end transport wise and has a workforce that offers little. It angers me when we have idiots like Hinchcliffe and Ross Shaw in charge. They should be nowhere near being able to dictate the future of West Yorkshire. It should be the Leeds City Region.

 

Don't think we need a chief scout, stuart and Kenny Black, live and breathe football and are always out watching other teams play. As the old saying goes you can't polish shit. I believe if not this year we will have a team to be proud of next year and get promotion whilst playing the right way.

 

Well for a northern football club, I think potential boils down to population or as BFG called it, chimneys, he knew he couldn't "grow" Scarborough. It's amazing to think I've only had one chairman with any balls and a vision in my lifetime. The club has no long term successful future, it's fooked, the only way out is if somebody (completely crackers) took the club out of inner city Bradford and the obvious place, distancing ourself from competition & negativity is to follow the money along the Aire Valley.