Most liked posts in thread: Protests Planned.

It's worth noting that since the 23rd March 2024 when the protests talk took up pace to their eventual gathering on the 29th March 2024 the following has happened.

Ryan Sparks has run off to Germany and conceeded he was out of his depth in the football operation side of the business.

David Sharpe has been recruited as Head of Footballing Operations.

The silent one has released a statement which included details of looking into possibilities to secure the ownership of
Valley Parade or future use when the lease comes to an end.

Bradford have won 5 games, drawn 1 and lost none, scoring 11 goals and conceeding only 5. (off the back of losing 4 on the bounce scoring only 1 goal and conceeding 13).

Bradford's season will still be alive until the final day following a resurgence where as none of the above would have happened had nothing been done and we might have seen a few draws as we played out a 14th place finish.

And some people still suggest these protests were counter productive and achieved nothing.

 

Well done to everyone who attended today. It was a good turnout no matter how much the club's mouthpiece Simon Parker wants to belittle it and tarnish fans as being xenophobic with inaccurate reports. And the WUMs on here - laughable. They're creaming themselves over Rupp's letter which would never have materialised if not for the threats of protests in the first place. Fan action is working, we need to keep it up.

 

Any action that meant their home is targeted is so wrong and also most likely illegal. You wouldn't accept if if someone targeted your house and made your family feels scared or unsafe in their own home. This has nothing to do with them and should be kept well out of it. Anyone doing that should be banned from the club for life, they are not a supporter of the club, they are using the club as an excuse to intimidate and harass people in their own home.

 

Good morning guys,

The protest will be carried out legally, and we will comply with police instruction. The protest is a static protest which will last for one hour and then will disperse to North Parade. Our group has tried to take the bull by the horns and deliver some form of action. Quite rightly we had, and continue to have sceptics. I don't think they will ever truly go away. I will say that we are doing this because we truly love the club, and want it available to future generations of Bantams. There is no self agenda, I would resign tomorrow if I could and let someone else take this mantle. But nobody else from a supporter group is prepared to challenge the club so I'm going to do it for a little while longer until we get a resolution that is good for our supporters. Contrary to some people's beliefs, we are not just targeting Ryan Sparks, and we wish him no ill will. However, we are targeting the machinery as a whole that has seen Bradford City move from season to season with no planning, no progression of note and what seems like a desire to walk all over its main assets, its supporters.

We appreciate that only fifty people might turn up on Friday...and we will take it...we had forty five people turn up to our forum and look at what we have done so far...signatures, national media, international media and a protest. We are only just getting started.

Thank you all for your support, the ideas, the advice and for giving me the strength to continue to push. I appreciate you all.

Steve

 

I for one will not set foot on the pitch, my white trainers would be ruined and if I wore wellies I would be easy pickings for the stewards running after me.

 

No but you can still say thank you to those who made Rupp pay attention. Had we done it your way the club wouldn't have been interested.

No offence. It's just how it works.

 

As a fan base we must not accept mediocrity. With the right people in charge we should be in the Championship at least.

I don't get all this looking back at our historical league position as a yardstick for our future.

Why the hell shouldn't we be in the Championship-we have the ground and we have the support. Those that just shrug their shoulders and say but it's always been like that are part of the problem if you ask me.

Be ambitious and don't settle for second best-which is what we are being subjected to right now. Just saying get behind the lads FFS just hasn't worked has it?

If we want a more positive season next season then there has to be a fundamental shift across the whole club in mentality.

Sustainability mindset gone -tick (TBC though )
Lack of investment gone-tick (TBC though )
Fans waking up and taking action-tick

We all want to get out of this khazi league by promotion but just accepting the status quo is getting us nowhere.

 

I’ve no idea why people are mocking the protests, well done to those who took part. I get why people are worried about the lack of renewals, we all are but without change the renewals will be at an all time low in the 21st century. The protest has already brought about a statement, but as we saw with previous statements until it is backed up with action it is simply not enough. The ISG want more and that is in all supporters interests so well done to them, ignore the silly jibes, although they’ll deny it in the future when positive change is made as a result.

As for the T & A belittling it, I’ll never read it again and will be unfollowing Parker as a result, even if he didn’t do the article he’s pinned his colours to the mask in recent weeks regardless.

Keep up the good work.

 

Have you got any examples of Rupps ownership having a positive effect?

 

Anyone who think that protests are a bad idea for whatever reasons they think deserve the club the get to watch right now.

 

Because without the planned protest Sparks would not have gone begging to Rupp cap in hand asking for a meeting in Germany.
Please don't knock the ones that felt the need to protes, they are just as much a part of this club as folk like yourself. When you have season ticket holders of 20/30+ years saying they are not looking to renew we should be asking why? We are not a well run club, the owner has admitted it in his statement and apology to the fans. Now if that means his admission of guilt will see change then it's the fans that like the independant supporters group and the non renewers that have helped necessitate that, not the fans than renew regardless.

 

I think a number of things contributed to the sudden announcement from Rupp and the appointment of David Sharpe;
The letters sent and returned by Rupp, which in turn lead to the protest.
The open letter in WOAP
The damning article in the Daily Mail which brought the situation at VP to a national audience.
And finally (and probably the biggest factor) was the mass desertion of fans. It escaped no ones attention that fans were voting with their feet.

 

But it still needed Sparks to demand yesterday’s meeting in Munich to hammer every point across and leave Rupp in absolutely no doubt how much has to improve.

Maybe the conversation in Germany went along the lines of “you ship up or I’ll ship out”.


If anybody was ever in any doubt about how far up Sparks’ arse Simon Parker is then the words above should finally dispel any uncertainty.

He’s written some shite in his time following City but this article isthe most kiss arse things I’ve ever read and should be treated with absolute disdain.

And he calls himself a journalist.
He’s lucky if he gets the date right.

 

Couple of mentions above about us being a well-run club. Sustainability etc.

As a reminder, we've gone from the cusp of promotion to the Championship to floundering at the bottom of L2.

We've also had around (I'm guessing) £3m of McBurnie transfer money in that period. No 'sustainable' club without that.

WE ARE NOT WELL RUN.

 

I get your point, but this is a completely different scenario though isn't it. Those invasions are joyful and celebrations in most cases. A protest pitch invasion, by it's very nature, is done in anger. Tempers will boil over, fans & stewards might end up in a fight.

We have a seen a couple of invasions, where there was nothing to celebrate, that had potential to turn nasty and police/ stewards have had to form a barrier to stop fans getting at the away end.

Either way it's illegal, so anyone entering the field of play risks arrest, and potentially risks the club incurring a points penalty because of previous flare incidents. At this stage of the season such a penalty could be for next season.

Furthermore, it could impact on our ability to recruit in the summer. Certain players might not want to come if they think we turn on players (who would be directly impacted by it). All it takes is one idiot whose had a raking of ale and/ or columbian marching powder to take a pop at Cook or Smallwood and the poopoo will fly off the whirly thing.

It's not a good idea. By all means protest, but do it legally and peacefully and above all aim it at the ownership not the players, however badly let down we might feel by some of them.