Time To Go, Stefan

I wonder if he sees it as holding all the cards! Probably more of a poisoned chalice.

In the absence of any serious alternative I would be relaxed about Rupp as owner IF he'd bring someone in to run the football side, I am worried about the consequences if that doesn't happen soon.

 

In his defence, he has been royally stitched up firstly by Rahic and then by Rhodes.

He made it clear from the very start that he was very much a silent partner, when he broke this silence to oust Rahic I was pretty hopeful but then Rhodes got his grubby little mitts in to us again!

I don't know much about Rupp, what his other business interests are but having dealt with other organisations much larger than Bradford City - business owners/holding companies tend to leave the running of the business to the CEO and company board of directors and are more interested in the return their company is offering rather than the ins/outs of the business. I appreciate football is an entirely different world but I would imagine there are similar principles.

Rhodes is a bean counter, do we know if he has submitted any proposals which have been declined by Rupp? Somehow I just do not see Julian as being confrontational or demanding, but more a 'Yes man' intent on delivering the return that he promised to the owner.

 

I don't disagree, I've got no issue with a silent owner as long as he has competent people running things.

I think a lot of our fans don't get how normal that is in business and think that an owner has to be visible and have a high profile.

 

So therefore, lets get an experienced CEO in. Oh, whoops.

Hopefully, really I don't see it, but perhaps we've gone on the cheap with Sparks, so we can spend some decent money getting a Director of Football in? Doubt it, but would be the way forward. Marmite @Fordy117 has been suggesting for a while now. I'm on his side mostly, and I agree with this.

 

Tea lady, don't forget the tea Lady, she didn't give me de-caf , I was hyper all night

 

Not sure your grubby little hands and stitched up comments with regards Julian are correct, he's done what he said he would do, came in, steadied a very rocky ship, identified a new CEO (many will disagree with that decision) and left as he said he would.
I'd say Rupp would have been like a fish out of water trying to sort a new CEO out at the time he got rid of Rahic, so he gave Julian a call as Julian offered his services if they needed advice when he and Rahic took over the club, obviously taking advice from anyone was not the way Rahic worked, I'm not sure anyone who is not involved with the club on a regular basis could make those accusations

 

Investing a reported £6million of your own money with a charlatan as a partner, to then turning to the previous owner - an owner who has already overseen a huge decline. Given his lack of football knowledge, I would agree he would have been a fish out of water appointing a temp or permanent CEO but that does not mean that he hasn't been stitched up by both.

Okay, so that was Julian's mandate and based on what exactly do you think he has delivered on this? Has the decline on the pitch stopped, has the divide between fans and owners been bridged, is this 'ship' now sailing pretty, has he identified a competent CEO???

I would beg to differ on every single point!

 

I'd suggest Rupp was far too trusting with regards Rahic, a man he'd had little or no previous dealings with, thrown together by his bank manager, he literally took all Rahic said as the truth, many would think a guy who put most of the money up to purchase the club would have had far more input into the running of the club certainly in the early days, it didn't take him long to suss out the "club within a club" and take the appropriate action.

 

I've covered that above, his time at the club was longer than he wanted, we were told he had identified his replacement who then turned the job down, neither you our I know the parameters of bringing someone in to replace Julian Rupp may have set down, hence Ryan is offered the job, that's not a pop at him but I'd suggest he's hardly being paid a fortune whilst learning on the job.

How has Julian stitched him up, Rupp requested he took over the day to day running of the club, it wasn't until he saw the situation the club was in hemorrhaging money, neither knew the situation Rahic had got the club into, yes we were relegated under Julian but I'm not sure that would not have happened under any other CEO the dice had been cast by the previous incumbent.

 

Rupp for some reason invested money in to a business and organization that he knew very little about. He was probably sold a promise of the riches which awaited him by Rahic. Clearly that never happened and we all know what did - so at that point where do you turn? Particularly when Bradford City's saviour from the last 20+ years is there offering his services.

You are quite correct, nobody knows exactly what was asked of JR but from the outside in I am honestly struggling to see exactly what he has done. If all that it is is balancing the books then I would suggest that there would have been quite a fair few people with the 'ability' to do this.

Rahic started the decline that is abundantly clear but let's not kid ourselves, Julian Rhodes has not done anything to improve the situation.

 

Rupp seems to have got mugged off by his chosen ‘leaders’ in all this but I can’t help feel a bit of sympathy. He trusted people who by and large, screwed up big time. He’s 100 percent the worst owner at choosing his football men to run the club on his behalf.

He hasn’t been shy to dip his hand in his pocket when he was sold a potential return on the cards, or to cover deficits. Good lad. By all accounts he is very rich, so admin seems highly unlikely, as imo despite current form does relegation.

He brought back the manager with ‘unfinished business’ who got the bullet some say harshly, swallowing his pride.

His first decision was his worst decision and the clubs paid the price ever since.

I just hope if (surely when) he sells he chooses the right people with a robust plan they can execute, something Rhodes and Lawn failed at miserably.

 

Rupp never brought McCall back, that was Rhodes. Rupp will have gone along with whatever Rhodes did.

 

He was the CEO when Bowyer was appointed and given a very good player budget bringing in the likes of Vaughan & Donaldson, unfortunately it proved to be a poor decision, but with regards not improving things off the pitch, as I posted neither you or I are privy to the details I would hope all City fans accept the seriousness of situation when two fans met Stefan and convinced him of what was happening at our club, I'd suggest Julian has saved Rupp a lot of money, for starters to bring a top CEO in would have cost him far more than Julian was getting.
One thing for sure Ryan will know exactly what he's let himself in for if he reads (which I'm sure he does) message boards like ours, the kids getting pelter's for accepting the job, that's not aimed at you by the way.

 

It is slightly ironic that you highlight the seriousness of the clubs plight being pointed out to Rupp then but not now.. surely we require the exact same approach!

Fair point with regards to Bowyers budget, but this also merely highlights Rhodes lack of ability to identify the correct personnel. I said it at the time, but what did Bowyer do in his interim spell in charge to justify having his contract extended and then to be backed? It is a recurring theme with the common denominator being Julian Rhodes.

I am not happy with the appointment of Ryan Sparks, the first decision made under his stewardship is absolutely ridiculous and he either stood there and watched it happen or he has infact made this decision himself. Either way it is completely ridiculous and does not bode well for the future in my opinion.

 

This is your last paragraph which is a part of our difference's of opinion :
Rhodes is a bean counter, do we know if he has submitted any proposals which have been declined by Rupp? Somehow I just do not see Julian as being confrontational or demanding, but more a 'Yes man' intent on delivering the return that he promised to the owner.
Don't you think its a little contradictory, if he's delivered on his promise he gave to the owner I'd suggest Rupp would be more than happy ?.

I've made my opinion on the latest McCall appointment and the reasons why I may be wrong but I believe Julian thought McCall could keep us there or there about's and maybe get us into a play off place, it wasn't looking good when the pandemic came but I honestly believe that was the reason behind his appointment.

 

True, but he signs it off, and could have said no.

 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing BUT imagine if Stuart McCall had not been mentioned by Rhodes and it had been left to Mr I know football Rahic to make the relevant call with regards the coach/managers appointment we could have seen earlier if he was as good as he obviously thought he was, not sure anyone but McCall that season could have got us to Wembley, but that's only my opinion, he did and both Rahic & Rupp dined out on that appointment.