Rupp & Sparks Out?

Get the plane out then Jon, you did it once and you were backed. Just don't cave in to anyone from the club. Talk to those from TCA and WOAP and that Nigel bloke on Twitter. There's enough dissenters now to make a real difference.

 

I feel the situation is significantly different to the position when the plane was being organised. Then we had a malevolent force within the club that needed to be removed. The required end was that person leaving.

There's a risk that just campaigning for Ryan Sparks removal looks like a noise from a small group of vocal fans. Similarly, even on here, the role of a DoF has been debated as to what it is and what they need to do.

As many have acknowledged, Ryan Sparks has done a very decent job on the commercial side and the club needed that.

However, as Jon rightly says, we are a football club and that side of things isn't working.

As fans, I think we can be influential, but there needs to be a vision of what a 'DoF' can bring to the club and how things could be different and better. We need a story that people can get behind rather than just a campaign against an individual.

 

I was never keen on a DoF but i realise we need someone to point this club in the right direction. Its clear neither Rupp or Sparks are capable of it, our current league position testament to that. So a role needs to be filled, whether that be a new owner, CEO or a DoF and as it stands i can't see Rupp selling due to wanting to much money, Sparks won't get a CEO role elsewhere so i can't see him wanting to downgrade so its left i guess our only option would be a DoF. Not sure how that would sit Graham Alexander though.

 

Can't blame Sparks for taking the job as this opportunity would not have come along anywhere else. The commercial side would be much better of we were in League One or the Championship. A qualified CEO with a football background would surely not have made as many terrible footballing decisions as Sparks. Depite being from Bingley, he had never set foot in Valley Parade until he staretd working there. He boasts the club were heading for National League football if it wasn't for him. Four years later he may want to shake his head and look at the table. The only way to get rid of Rupp and Sparks is to stop buying merchandise etc. It's a tough call, but nothing will change unless we hit Rupp's pocket and the bonuses he hands out.

 

Ideally, what I would like to hear is that the club is employing a consultancy for a period of time to assess the football side of things.

Questions should be asked of the structure and approach that has led us to the position where we are near to the bottom of the league, with what appears to be a low-quality squad even for L2, and onto yet another manager. Get some insight and expertise from those involved thus far and then look to address these shortcomings. A CEO isn't a god, acknowledge that we have a problem here and come up with a strategy to address this with support.

We don't need a running commentary on this, but a public recognition that the club hasn't delivered on its promises to fans and than it is looking to change this would, for me, send a positive message. It also, I feel, gives a bit of air cover for Graham Alexander as he tries to sort out the mess that he has been given.

 

And therein lies the problem. The DoF needs to be a precursor to the managerial choice, because it should be the hiring decision of the DoF, aligned to their vision.

 

You know my first question Jon.?

 

It's an interesting point. Who's decision would it be, Sparks or Rupp? It should be the CEOs call, but I believe Sparks ego and lack of self awareness is what precludes him from bringing someone in. It's sign of strength as a leader, bringing in people with the skills needed to compensate for your own shortcomings, not weakness.

 

Set up a crowd funding page maybe?
I have a spare 2p somewhere in the car

 

Fordy called it.

 

That's exactly my view. He's done a decent job on the commercial side which seems to be where his skill set is, but his lack of knowledge and experience on the footballing side is slowly killing us. As you say, a good leader recognises their own shortcomings and delegates to someone with the right experience, but unfortunately, I don't think he is a good leader and I have a feeling that the current circumstances with Rupp disinterested and far away and Sparks the king of the castle suits him very well thank you.

 

One word there that sums up the whole shitshow.
Vision. Something we don't have.

 

Excellent post. Yesterday should be used as a benchmark to where this club currently sits. The fact that Barrow beat us again and it comes as no surprise to the fan base. An outfit that has only been back in the league 3 or 4 seasons, with a limited budget and squad looks far better drilled and organised than we do. Same happened last week at Sutton, these are teams with very little league experience.
I'm writing this with the same enthusiasm I had yesterday sat in the kop, a kinda why I'm I bothering? Until something changes with the hierarchy all we can hope for is Alexander somehow strikes gold. Or we just keep going round in circles like the Bismarck while little ships keep firing torpedo's in to her.

 

Its not going to happen certainly until Alexander has been given a chance, what is the relevance in Sparks being from Bingley and never having set foot in Valley Parade, McCall was already at the club as manager even though giving him an extention and sacking him a few weeks later was a poor call.
Derek Adams CV with promotions at Ross County, Plymouth Argyle and Morecambe looked a very good appointment at the time as did Hughes, out of interest who was our last CEO who had a footballing background, Julian Rhodes, Mark Lawn, Geoff Richmond,Staffortd Higginbotham, Dave Simpson,

 

Even a clocks right twice a day.

 

Kevin these posts from yourself are becoming as predictable us conceding a late goal to a rag and bone side from the old conference league.

People can suggest that x and X need to leave without having to dig out the CV of a potential replacement to suit you.

It's not the job of posters on here to find and provide replacements should we force our CEO out.

You keep telling us about your wonderful business knowledge, in that case you will know once a customer base loses confidence in a certain direction they will move on elsewhere.

These are businessmen in charge of the club, they should have contacts within the business to know where to source these football minded people, even if that means headhunting from another club. That is not the job of @JonButterfield

 

Don’t they say the hardest part of fixing a problem is actually acknowledging that a problem exists in the first place?
I don’t think either Rupp or Sparks think we have a problem.
Rupp is more than happy to tootle along with his “sustainable” mantra which Sparks gives him.
Sparks just trots out the “competitive budget” (which we know could be massively improved) guff alongside his other meaningless sound bites.
The increased commercial side of the business is obviously an improvement but like others have said,we aren’t an advertising agency,we are a football club who’s success is based on one thing and one thing alone- position in the EFL ladder.
When Sparks took over 3 years ago we were 20th in Lge 2
Today we are 18th in Lge 2.
But at least the boardroom has Seabrook crisps in their nibbles bowls and we’ve got a car that brings the ball on to the pitch.
As much as it’s part of business,99% of fans don’t care about that.
All fans care about is the playing side and our constant scattergun approach to managers and bloated playing squads year after year would suggest that something’s not working.
Unfortunately Sparks’ ego means he is going nowhere through choice and Rupp isn’t sacking him anytime soon so we may have to just get used to being a bit shit.

But at least we aren’t Bury.

 

Agree with the post, but changing ‘needed’ to ‘needs’ from my POV.

Our club assets are small - Sparks manages this very well which you rightly acknowledge. We cannot afford to lose this within the current structure of the club, via Sparks or another.

That said on the footballing side it is counterproductive as most of past 8-10yrs have been a failure. Both the football and business part need to work hand in hand and for that we simply must find a solution.

Football has evolved. I hope Alexander can break the mould and achieve what we need (promotion) but I’m not confident within current club set up. Even if he was, to sustain continued success we simply have to invest on the back room footballing side before we get left seriously behind.