Rhodes speaks

I really like what he says, and if clubs start going bust or clinging on for grim death for a bail out, then those clubs are responsible for buying into the bullshit that is the Premier League and the sheer volume of crap that is cascaded down. That we are safe is huge, and something our fanbase can take for granted and make snide comments about.

We ARE run the right way.

However I accept the view that the plan for success on the pitch just isn't there - and that's why I've said (since Rahic left) we need a DoF and that it should be Stuart. If the new CEO can juggle both, great, but success on the pitch is radically different to success offit (ie, being self sufficient), and for me that needs an expert ensuring sensible transitions from one season and one manager to the next.

We have handled management transitions as badly as I can conceive, waiting for transfer windows to close and pointlessly (even stupidly) switching between totally different managerial styles with no opportunity to actually make it work.

Nail that, focus on getting recruitment right for the club (not just the window, as with the debacle over Vaughan's replacement) and we have a chance.

Parkinson had to do all that on his own (excluding the managerial handover), and he was able to because he had time and support - the last four managers, less so.

Getting it right on the field is never easy - but it's certainly not as hard as we've made it seem.

All in all though, well said Julian.

 

Well yeah that aswell. I think all glory hunters have long gone

 

Great interview, it’s clear now we have a strategy. Just wait for about 40 clubs above us to go bust and we’ll be automatically put in the championship, simple

 

Holes?

 

Surely he wouldn’t have been discussing it with Rhodes in last couple of. Months when he only took the EFL job in the summer?

 

Just glanced through the piece in the T&A and nowhere does it say that talks have been going on during the last couple of months. I may have missed it mind..

 

Financial prudence, lacking ambition, the quiet one, whatever you think...

I'm gonna say thanks to JR for being around following the madness era of ER (and SR). Might not have been an exciting period (and some mistakes IMO) in the recent history of Bradford City but a purposeful job appears to have occurred. So fair play Mr Rhodes.

 

When have we been discussing it with him then? In the last few days? You’ve confused me here. Baldwin is and was in a job with the EFL. I highly doubt Rhodes has been talking to him to come in and as Rhodes says Rupp has asked him to hang onto it for the time being which suggests they were being appointed any time now? That already rules out Baldwin

 

How come a club like Harrogate (fresh in the mind example) can look a league above us operating on a shoestring budget for players.

I thought he was just bigging himself up and having a pop at supporters with ambition which he translates as overspending (see above it isn’t about money and even when we had it we wasted it), but didn’t acknowledge any of his own shortcomings, our on pitch decline, not to mention not doing his own due diligence on the duo he sold us to. A bit worrying that he now gets to chose his successor.

A turgid interview and depressing, basically keep treading water guys and we hope to be promoted again, one day. Where is his passion and desire, non existent.

Supporters care passionately about what goes on on the pitch, not that we made 1 million over 11 years.

Like Northern Monkey said I can see why he isn’t reeled out ahead of a ticket sales campaign.

 

Maybe. But the term used is "identified" - it doesn't even actually say an agreement has been made. Maybe that is what is being referred to. I dunno. Seems a bit odd to delay recruitment as it might backfire if they opt to not take up the post

 

A somewhat depressing interview.

Yes, we are fortunate to be in a stronger position than most and fans are grateful for that.

But we also want something to get behind. Hoping to achieve promotion one day, doesn't get the juices flowing. Much of it has already been said but where's the foresight with management succession, long term recruitment, club infrastructure? It just isn't there. A generation of City fans know nothing but the bottom two tiers. That isn't good enough I'm afraid.

We were told upon the first relegation to L2 in 2007 that we had a five year plan to be back in the Championship, we're still waiting 13 years later. In that time Yeovil, Burton, Scunny, Donny, Blackpool (even reaching the Prem), Wycombe, Luton (following 5 years in the National League) have all surpassed us and reached the Championship. Have any of those thrown cash at it? Are any of those better placed than us to have reached that level? Heck, even Harrogate look ahead of us now. It's not simply about more cash, it's about being wiser with the cash we do have.

The below list of 57 players has been posted by someone on Twitter today which kind of sums it all up nicely. 57 players over the last 3 years - how many a success?

 

Harrogate - have built that squad over about 4-5 years. Much like Parky did with us before Rahic meddled.

Rhodes doesn't have to big himself up. He is just explaining the current medium term strategy for the club. I agree that season tickets would have slumped if this had come out before the season.

I agree that Rhodes is not the future of Bradford City. I look forward to the new guy coming in and a bit of positivity coming back to the club. But it is still gonna be a massive slog and we'll all have to have patience.

At least the conspiracy theory of Rupp syphoning money out of the club has been put to bed.

I want us to romp up the leagues like the club I am proud to support should do. I just know there is a right way and wrong way to do it. Currently we are about half right. We just need to sort out the footballers!

 

Very good interview. If I remember a while back Rhodes saying the club was close to a replacement of CEO but something cropped up I wonder if that was Baldwin getting The league job

 

The new CEO won't be Baldwin,
as stated the time factor doesn't
match with his "notice" to EFL.
Rhodes says he thinks his replacement
would be "suitable" which doesn't
allude to Baldwin who would be perfect!

 

I think Bronco you are omtting Rupp from who left us with a club spiralling downwards. He was culpable. He sdmit is the owner a d can do waht he sees is to his benefit but imho he should have sold at a loss or given the club funds not loaned them to help the club - with the Mcburnie money on top we would be in an even better financially. As for Mr Rhodes - whilst on the financial side he may have helped to run the club on the playing front he hqs contributed to where we are - recruited Bowyer was in charge for two dreadful transfer windows - the latest is too soon judge. He waits until the January window finishes - where we lose to decent strikers, sacks the manager and then leaves the next manager we an even weaker squad.
It looks like the decision was made then to let the club tread water in the hope we did not get relegated. The Vaughan departure and no replacement is very disappointing just a big wage saving there. The recruitment based on performances so far this season looks likely we will continue to tread water - unless we see some leaping forward in individual and as a team in respect of performances. (Fingers crossed it does or next season tickets could see a further drop unless the new CEO produces something out of a top hat ).

 

Huw Jenkins maybe?

 

Odd one with Baldwin really, a friend I just spoke to said there was a piece about him last week in the paper stating how big of a Bradford City fan he was and he will only really ever have one club in his heart. It makes you wonder if it could be him or Jenkins as previously stated. I'd like to think whoever it is has a forward plan and as above a reset. One thing that I'd like us to do is appoint Weaver at the end of the season if Harrogate don't go up. He's been successful in the lower leagues, his teams play hard working, attractive and attacking football. He also is local and will have contacts around here and know what the club is all about.

 

Haha Dennis. That would be a really comical appointment. Bit like Rahic promoting his head coach from the U18s......

 

Would be a promotion at some rate that in 12 months