Most liked posts in thread: Radio Leeds fans forum

Some fans need to get over their obsession with McCall and trying to create a role for him.

I respect and love the man as much as any fan, but we need to let go. Besides, he has a role at Blackpool now anyhow.

 

What does Warnock know about getting out of Div 2 this century?
I cant believe any serious City fan can suggest SM has anything left in his management locker to deserve a fourth go

 

My guess is that Rupp is not willing to finance the club, sensibly or not. I don’t for a second think he’d see us fail, but my guess is his instructions to Sparks are along the lines of everything you spend you have to earn, I’m not adding a penny more unless I absolutely have to. If someone comes along with an offer that meets his valuation, he’s out of here.

If you sit back and look, the ahem average summer recruitment, all the commercial partnerships, all the 1903 club profits go to the player budget, hiring a manager who might get us promoted on a small budget, letting Crankshaw go when on balance he could have probably have stayed. It all points to sticking to the budget. In the unlikely event we go on a cup run, then I’d imagine the money earned would go in to the playing budget.

Rupp probably doesn’t care about City like we do as fans, but I’ve no doubt he wants the best for us, if only because that’s how he’s getting some of his money back.

 

That old chestnut eh? Three years in a few weeks since he left, only ROD still here and he’s on a new contract, the McBurnie money was a record transfer fee received.

Until they change my mind by publishing the full accounts for the period since Rupp and Rahic took over so we can judge on hard evidence what the mess was, anyone still blaming Rahic is in my opinion either deliberately misleading or plain lazy.

Six months ago it was buy season tickets, 1903 membership, shirts, sponsorship and any old shite on eBay so we can get promoted. Now it’s the old rAhIC lEft US iN a MesS rubbish so we can’t sign any new players.

Rahic AND Rupp put us in the mess, one with reckless spending the other by not having his eye off the ball.

One is a pariah, one is a saviour.

I’d like to know
What happened to the Crankshaw money so we could sign a free agent?
How much does ER Sportsgroup charge the club in management fees and/or loan interest?
What’s the plan for 2022/23 if we don’t get promoted? Do you still expect to sell as many season tickets and sponsorship? If failure to gain promotion is failure, why should my business sponsorship be associated with failures?
Despite your promises, why haven’t you published the full accounts?
Alex Gilliead? Why? Who decided a two year contract was a good idea?
Stefan Rupp? What’s his exit strategy?

 

We’ll be ready for the Jan window. Work has already started.

Rupp cares about this club and backs us.

It’s the same old shite every time. Like we are idiots hence why it’s pre screened questions & agreed questions now.

 

The armistice silence requires gravitas and taking te knee does not provide that.

 

DoF = Salary.
Salary = One less player.

Clubs in League Two do not need a DoF if they employ the right manager.

 

Ryan isn't doing particularly well, nor is he doing particularly badly.

His skills as a salesman are obvious, and the season ticket campaign was a success. The commercial aspect of the club has been much more energetic and bullish, suggesting Sparks is very good in this area. New seats, a new dug out, stadium improvements, new food and drink offers have all been touted by the club - but can you say you've HONESTLY noticed an improvement in the food/drink aspect? Certainly not in the Midland Road stand, where it's exactly the same. Absolutely no differences noted. I believe the Sunwin stand has a fresh look for it's kiosk, but I wouldn't know from personal experience.

Sparks also bagged the manager he wanted, which was impressive all things considered, so he can obviously sell the club to potential incoming staff.

However, it's not all good, is it?

Unusual murmurings from the manager implying that things aren't all they're cracked up to be, performance on the pitch has been mediocre at times, even though Sparks pinned all of our hopes on Adams' ability to achieve promotion without needing to spend a ton of money, the season ticket campaign was run rather like an American election campaign filled with grandiose assertions that just don't ring true, and the back room staff clearly is just selected from a pool of Ryan's mates.

We don't need more amateurs at the club, we've got enough people who aren't ex pros or legitimate football experts.

In many, many ways, nothing has TRULY changed. It still feels all our appointments are made down the local boozer and rely entirely on being matey with the people in charge, and while the trio of scouts could be promising, it's hard to believe anything will last long under Sparks.

Which is where he has TRULY failed. The wrong appointments, the wrong moves at the wrong times, the wrong characters coming in as players, etc. You can say 'He can make tough decision', but isn't that saying 'He just can't get things right?'

Based on his current performance, I would say Sparks is under-performing. And I can't say that is in any way a surprise, because since day 1 it was pretty obviously a lazy appointment.

 

Hmm. Interesting dynamic.

Sparks was on all out attack in the Summer, talking every verse end. He did a decent job selling season tickets and hyping the coming season, talking about every individual sponsor deal he struck, etc etc etc. He spoke more than T&S seemed to.

Now he's disappeared behind the scenes and will be taking pre-screened questions alongside Derek Adams, and after Sparks' scouting man was replaced by Adams' scouting team.

It almost... ALMOST... feels like Adams has pulled rank on Ryan.

 

I agree with you here, seen a few on here say he’ll go onto bigger things. First of all who? Secondly what has he done to get their attention?

3 years in football with no prior knot experience, 1 year as CEO and he’s gone through 3 managers and we get gates of 15k and sit mid table league 2. Plus he’s talked up promotion this year, so if that doesn’t happen it’ll be another thing against him.

Other than new chairs, paint and talking a good game what are his achievements to declare he’ll be off to better things? If he is to he needs this club to succeed first, that’s what he’ll be judged on by any potential employer.

 

Hope not....The traditional 2 minute silence is perfectly adequate.

 

You mean the same Stuart McCall who re-signed Dylan Motley Henry and thought his squad was good enough after the first lockdown?

Not for me. Ambassador yes, DoF definitely not.

 

But that doesn't really square up with his stated ambition of promotion unless he's changed his mind on that the same way he changed his mind on a director of recruitment and promoting our own juniors.

More U-turns than Boris, that lad.

 

I can’t remember the last time we didn’t go into January needing a “goal scorer”.
It’s a bit of a myth sometimes. We had two in vaughan and Doyle previously and binned them off without a second thought. We deserve to be at the bottom end of league two the way we are run

 

For the record, I'm behind Adams 100%. He needs to be given more time and the backing to further shape the squad. Never in a million years should we be changing manager again this season.

 

When is Rupp going to leave the club. Waste of space.

 

He’s chalk and cheese compared to Rhodes as CEO. He communicates with fans well, puts his head over the parapet when things go wrong and is making a very good impression with sponsors and visiting directors. Surely talking up promotion is the right thing to do if it’s realistic or would you prefer him to launch the season ticket campaign by promising a mid table finish at best. Stafford Heginbotham who was the best always talked up promotion and was always upbeat.
As for the three managers, McCall was a Rhodes appointment and the ridiculous decision to extend his contract was a leaving present from Rhodes. Sparks had to say the right things but he quickly corrected the mistake and fired McCall. Not many disagreed with Trueman and Sellars being replaced by Adams.

 

Ryan - you want the club to develop its own talent but this season they don't seem to be getting a look in. Take Reece as an example but even Kian. Finn only got gane time through injury but right back has hardly been our strongest position this season.

Are you moving away from your stated ambition of developing our own talent to either play in the first team or sell on?

 

Anyway, have we changed the badge yet? That'll sort it.