Most liked posts in thread: Rupp & Sparks Out?

Really poor journalism.

Parker would be better engaging with the fans and of course getting that interview with Rupp and Sparks

If they won’t engage, then that says a lot about them and he needs to come out and say so.

Censored journalism is poor journalism. Almost like working in a dictatorship being told what you can and cannot say

 

And look at the headline:

'Boss rallies to the defence of Sparks'.

Wouldn't it be nice, if, just for once, someone at the club 'rallied to the defence of supporters'?

Supporters who've seen their club regress more than pretty much any other in the country over the last 7 years, a relegation, the pitch descend to a level that an amateur club would be embarrassed by, shambolic recruitment, one owner to which supporters had to literally jump on a plane to see run out of town, another one who couldn't care less if he tried, the twitter admin put in charge of running the club with no oversight or control by any board or experienced football professional, 10 managers in 6 years and who regularly boast the largest home and away following outside of the championship - only to be ignored or worse, blamed.

Dead right I'll be at the protest tomorrow. And whilst I won't be violent, neither will I be peaceful. I'll be making a hell of a din and I implore others to do the same.

Defended? We can't even get a f*****g conversation.

 

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.

 

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.

 

For some context Crawley were a complete basket case before the season started. No manager, no real squad to speak of. Favourites to go down, they currently sit 5 points above us. Just let that sink in.

 

I dont think many sensible fans are changing their minds on this after each result be it good or bad - did you change your mind after we beat a very youthful Accies team? I certainly didn't!
They just want to see some proper leadership at the club, to go to matches with some hope they will be entertained - crowds are definitely dwindling and a can't be bothered with this malaise is growing.
Whether its going to have any impact or not at least those trying to contact and engage Rupp are doing something. Anyone else noted Sparks has gone into hiding again since his much maligned interviews. Its a sad state of affairs

 

Following another home game postponement due to a waterlogged pitch yesterday, the Colchester owners issued a long statement to their fans, to explain the issues they have faced, what they have done in the past, and what they plan to do to rectify it. A very simple but effective method of communicating with fans, that is all we ask but it is something Rupp & Sparks have been absolutely incapable of for a good while now

As I trudged away from the match last night, I just said to my lad that I have never EVER felt so detached from the club. As @Petrov states above, the home form is absolutely abysmal, so unenjoyable and predictable, and the REAL attendances of the last 3 or 4 home matches are a sign of things to come

I truly fear the only way we are going to get out of this league under the current regime is downwards. Obviously not this season, but continue with no plan, aim or leadership and it is inevitable, and there's nothing us normal fans can do. I don't have money or know-how to run a club, 99% of our fan base won't

Utterly depressing

 

We go absolutely nowhere until they're both gone I'm afraid.

Bolton, a similarly sized(ish) club to City, got relegated to League Two after us. Completely and utterly bankrupt and as per Sky Sports News' classy countdown, were literally within an hour or so of going entirely bust.

Yet they bounced back at the first time of asking and now a handful of years later stand on the brink of a return to the Championship. The difference? They got a new board and owners with an interest in their club and a vision. Went out and appointed Evatt and stuck to a plan.

I'd not even be confident of City knowing the equivalent Evatt type manager now (Barrow were NL at the time) let alone going out appointing them and acting to a plan.

 

I think most of our fans are all mouth. When we went 4 down just before half time I stood up (midland road) and began the chant “Stefan Rupp, get out of our club”. Totally on my own, not a single person joined in

Spineless bastards

 

It’s like flipping North Korea is Bradford City. Simon Parker’s latest report is an absolute joke, it’s like Sparks and Rupp are paying him to make them look good and the protests are pointless because Sparks works hard ?! When this is all over the T and A need to think what direction they’re going in. Is it side with the club or side with the fans or maybe just be balanced? I remember when Bolton were in loads of trouble and their reporter was a big reason in ousting their terrible owners and getting the mainstream media involved to help them. I can only wish.

 

Things going well? Where is that exactly. Pardon me for stating the obvious but we're still in league 2 next season after what most would describe as a woeful season of football. Never in the top seven all season, an owner who admits he'd shown no interest, a CEO going cap.in hand to the owner cos it's gone tits up. Yeah, things going really well.

 

My daughter just came to me very upset.

She says her boyfriend isnt a very good boyfriend, he doesn't seem to recognise what being a good boyfriend should entail. Their relationship is going backwards and she doesn't hold much hope of it ending well.

She thinks she should end the relationship, but I've told her to knuckle down and stick it out until she comes to me with the name of a more suitable boyfriend first.

 

When the owners came in Rahic was supposedly the football man, and Rupp was bankrolling it with the finance.

we soon established Edin hadn’t a clue about L1/L2 and that his model wouldn’t work because he had recruited poorly within the structure and cleared out staff behind the scenes and left the club in a mess.

Stefan than removes Rupp, but he’s never replaced him with another football man. Rhodes was parachuted in to save us and groomed Sparks into the CEO role, but we’ve still not replaced the supposed football expertise in the business as Rhodes was consulting and left when Sparks was promoted.

in most cases the chairman usually provides the football expertise and financial support.

we are missing a limb.

yes, Sparks has done well commercially, but his background is rugby and interest is speedway, so how does Rupp ever expect us to return to the level we were at before they regressed us, when we STILL haven’t replaced the lost football expertise.

give Sparks and Longo all the credit they deserve for commercial activity success. But we need a bloody football man.

 

Enough is enough. Its OK, even therapeutic to vent on here, but it needs fan action. Boycotts, protests, because this club is being run into the ground. If anyone looks at the fact that our accounts don't show a loss recently and equate that to the sustainable running of the club, you're a fool.

Change is needed and it must be forced. Rupp, and Sparks need to be told and shown very clearly that they've failed, they're not up to the job, and they need to move on pronto. Because this football club is not a tool for their vanity.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if we don't get the accompanying video with the season ticket launch this year. It will just be a very lacklustre announcement along the lines of 'Bradford City 2024/25 season tickets are now on sale. Renew yours so you can continue to endure the mid table mediocrity you have all come to know and expect. For those wishing to inflict even more pain on themselves, hold back on renewing until the beginning of August when the price of securing your misery for another season will increase'.

 

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.

 

I really don’t understand that come back by some, and it’s very tiresome and not really helpful on a forum where we are supposed to debate and discuss things. Seems a bit counterproductive to try shut down discussion with such open ended nonsense.

To me it is like if someone came on here and had a terrible experience with the ticket office staff, and demanded they were sacked. Then someone goes and replaced with who? How the feck should we know there is a whole world of people out there, it’s the clubs job to get the right people not a fans it literally isn’t a question for a fan to answer. The club is failing and I’d love a fan who defends this rubbish to say how it isn’t and how much fun they had yesterday. No fan in the world is going to celebrate a new sponsorship deal.

We are massive underdogs for next Saturday and if we expectedly lose we could be 21st and 4 points from the relegation zone. So here’s a question to those who defend the indefensible, how long will you defend this crap for? Until the next loss? We get relegated to non league? Or maybe out of business will wake people up?

Rant over.