Stefan Rupp

My opposition to this 'self sustainable' idea is that it's been announced after Rupp has destroyed all the progress we made and now sit mid-table in League 2. It's so he doesn't have to put anything in after ruining the club, not so we don't end up like Bury, or because it's some noble cause that sets us apart from money clubs like Man City.

If we had a good academy and recruitment platform that allowed us to develop talent and sell them on for a bit of money then people would be far more open to being self sustainable. Instead we sign crap players that are on their way down the football pyramid and then have to pay off their contracts (as well as our bi-annual managerial appointment).

Sustainable under Rupp is letting the fans foot the bill on the promise of a promotion season, then signing shite players because he hasn't invested in a recruitment system, while he sits at the top of the tower declaring himself the custodian. If we want to be self sustainable then Rupp can feck off and we'll be fan owned.

 

Where are we going to find £8million+?

 

Every business wants to be sustainable, but there’s a reason start ups for instance aren’t as they need to grow. Like a start up we have no assets and no growth as a business, the only thing that has possibly grown is sponsorships under Sparks. Man City came out with a mission statement when on their way up that they’d be sustainable and making a profit within 10 years of their ownership, obviously money had to be put in to get them to be a top PL team and other things such as their training ground but they got their eventually and now spend less than the likes of United because they are geared up for success.

The question I’d ask the club and those who support our method is that is Bradford City geared for it’s aims and targets on a sustainable budget if so how? For me the simple answer is we are not, we have huge overheads for this level for a starter which automatically eats into our sustainable budget, therefore even if the play budget is acceptable something else has to give such as the coaching, scouting or medical science side of the club and god forbid us getting an actual asset that makes the club worth something other than just it’s FL membership.

I’d like to know what league the club actually wants to get to, until that aim is reached sustainability has to be put on the back burner. If Bradford City got to the championship or above then I’d definitely say try for a sustainable budget, anything else wound dangerous with how big player wages are up there, in league 1 and 2 you don’t have them same issues manageable debt isn’t something to be scared of in business. My thoughts are Rupp doesn’t care what division we are in as long as the spreadsheet remains black not red.

People are giving him another chance now as Sparks pull a rabbit out of the hat getting Hughes, if this fails let’s see how happy people are with the way the club is run. Hopefully Sparks and Sparky can exceed the tools they have been given and get us back to the top end of league 1 at least then that’ll be great but I’m not seeing an infrastructure being put in place should Sparky get a better offer elsewhere. Brentford fans were gutted when Dean Smith left, they got the next bloke of the talent line instantly and improved. There’s a well run club, but it wasn’t done on a sustainable budget it’s just not realistic long term.

 

If we are to believe how we managed to get Mark Hughes involved it had little to do with Ryan pulling a rabbit out of the hat more to do with Ryan reading his spam mail thank goodness, if Mark Hughes can turn our club around we will all be delighted but I hope Ryan doesn't claim it was his appointment with regarding his pursuit of Sparkie .

 

Agree with everything you’ve posted.
I just get frustrated that we could commercially be so much better, I used FC Venicia as an example of a club we should look to as a benchmark. Languishing in the 4th tier of Italian football following even more bankruptcy’s than us, they were bought by an American who most thought would fail. He took the brand global, used models on photo shoots round Venice to sell 4th division shirts around the world.......
Around the same time one of our fans was loved up with the worlds foremost supermodel, why oh why didn’t the club jump on this?
Because no one at the club thought of the potential brand expansion ms Hadid could have lent the club.
Where are the website options to view the site/ buy tickets in German/ Italian/ French/ Spanish?
Where are the on line brochures peddling sponsorship options in different languages?
Why aren’t we tying up deals to “twin” with clubs from other leagues, selling their shirts in our shop and ours in theirs? Deals with clubs who play in the same colours, Roma, Galatasary, Motherwell, suddenly we have Turks and Italians interested in our club, advertising opportunities opening up.
Think big Mr Sparks & Mr Rupp, get an identity and make us a global brand, then we can be sustainable AND successful

 

Are you really being serious?

 

Great post Meltham, The only limit to ambition is the one you impose on yourself, The internet has opened the world up to those that can see it,

 

What do you mean? Bradford is very much like Venice, we have, erm, a fountain. And a beck.

 

Even the ground has a touch of VP about it

 

20+ years ago we graced the top flight of English football no doubt all over the TV stations in Europe when we had top flight game .......... now it’s a lot harder to do

 

we can’t it’s just an impossible dream that folk seem to think can happen ......... you look at the majority of fan owned clubs and I bet you any money they have ended up being in that posistion because the club had either gone bust or where on the brink ............ we ain’t near either at the moment

 

And to kickstart the process, while languishing in the 4th division Venezia FC hired a much decorated, internationally renowned striker as manager who up until that point, had only managed at the highest level. GQ, here we come.

 

Pleasant situation..we have Canal Road they have a sea, yachts and a beach nearby.Still,Sparks would be able to sort a decent supply of pizzas!!

 

Is that Listers Mill in the background?

 

what a stunning place........ not Canal road..........