Most liked posts in thread: Update

Do you remember in league 2 when our previous owners took a calculated gamble, provided us with a top 3 budget and allowed our manager to bring in quality players which resulted in promotion and getting to a league cup final? Could our current owners have done something similar during their reign?

During their first pre season we already had the basis of an excellent league 1 squad. We were, Imo, one star player away from promotion. If only we had the ambition to pay the going rate for that one game changer. We'd probably be in the Championship right now.

During their second pre season we had sold a record number of season tickets and had received additional income through player sales and sell on clauses. An ideal platform to build a promotion winning squad without the owners investing much of their own money. What did we do? We showed zero ambition in the transfer market and wasted close to half a million pound buying average league one players in Poleon, Mcarten and Reeves.

And finally, we've just had a manager with not one, not two, not three but FOUR league 1 promotions on his record. We didn't back him and he's gone.

Credit to the previous board, they were far from perfect but they saw an opportunity and took it. Under the current regime we've now had a least 3 opportunity to take a similar calculated risk and and we've blown all of them.

 

So if they wanted a head coach... Why did they bring in Grayson? And if they still want a Head Coach why were they convincing him to sign a two year deal?!

 

Actually, I think people will accept that - if it's clear there is a forward-thinking, long-term reason.

What I've asked for is the leadership to nail their colours to the mast. If it's promotion they want, the development squad is a hindrance and a waste of time. The transfer system, likewise, isn't even remotely conducive to the play offs. Coaches can be sacked based on their (in)ability to coach a bunch of players they didn't really want just because somebody thought they had potential, but ONLY if they are underperforming.

Quite clearly under Stuart, we were NOT underperforming.

If financial stability is what we're after, okay, let's show some patience.

If the development squad is the key to our success, fine, maybe we'll have enough players with resale value in three or four years time to actually cover the costs of being in the Championship.

But again, sacking Stuart for failing to achieve some moronic objective of promotion under those conditions is ridiculous and reprehensible.

Rahic and Rupp have spoken, they've said they want to continue with our transfer and recruitment policies, well, so be it. But don't tell us we're a top three side or that we have to achieve promotion next season, because frankly, eleventh is a bit of an achievement for us and our spread-too-thin-midtable-budget.

As for fans not wanting to show any patience, well, that's just not fair. We've asked the leadership FOR leadership, and clarity, and an understanding of our projected objectives. Hopefully, we're seeing the start of an actual consistent vision, which has been SORELY lacking up until this point.

If we're going to be asked to get behind younger players and show patience as we try to bring them on for an actual, valid reason (and there's hope of it working out), then let's show that patience.

But the way Stuart was treated (and from all accounts he was not alone) will not stand going forward.

This should be a last chance and a final warning for Rahic and Rupp.

Treat people right, run the club right, tell the truth, be open and honest, or get the hell out of Bradford City.

 

Yes. And then they hired an experienced manager with a proven track record who took THE SAME players down to mid table.

Edin, and a lot of City fans, didn't realise what an amazing job Stuart did.

Ironic that the board are now looking for someone who sounds remarkably like Stuart.

 

Pivotal was the Playoff Final and the Yeovil defeats, both arguably avoidable. 2 results that have brought us to where we are today. These were savage blows to the Club and have impacted hugely on finance and fans alike. We have to welcome the investment in the pitch and training facilities and the continuing youth development agenda as we start again from scratch.It is also of prime importance that we operate within our means and not incur unnecessary debt, this the Owners appear to be addressing, which is another positive. So wherever the blame lies for our recent failings we are still alive and kicking and we are making some progress in addressing some fundamental and long standing issues. So, in my view, it's not all doom and gloom and football being the life drug it is, I remain optimistic for next season and a fresh start. The curse of prejudgement and speculation hangs in the air, but Rome wasn't built in a day and in my 60 years of following City all of the bad times, apart from one, poignantly, fall by the wayside..and there have been far more disappointments than successes but anticipation remains.

 

"With regards to player recruitment, this process is ongoing"


Shouldn't we be leaving this with the new manager?

 

Updating the pitch and training pitches is a massive commitment and one which should be applauded.


Please please please stick to your words and appoint a head coach who agrees with the model. If that’s what they want then fair play. But don’t go for a Grayson type who wants the world from a division two club.

 

I thought "lessons have been learnt". It sounds like it's just business as usual then.

 

It's a game of opinions so I suppose it's natural that some will remain supportive of the owners. And my next comments are not intended to be offensive or reductive. But I struggle to see how it's not patently obvious just how much of a mess we're in. And some of that is a legacy which stretches over several years, but the current owners are a massive problem.

Parkinson took one look at Rahic and Rupp and left. Grayson took a good long look and left. McCall has been on record to say that he probably shouldnt have come back and was a relieved man by the end. He wasnt perfect but even allowing for the bad run at the end, hes the manager with our highest win ratio for 30 years. And that poor run clearly had much more behind it than the managers performance.

Mason finds it difficult to work with Rahic and is likely to leave this summer.
From what I've heard, Sam Collins has walked out because of a clash with Rahic.
Sponsors are walking away.
Players downing tools.
Shocking recruitment.
Supporters staying away in droves and not renewing STs.

I wonder at what point those who have faith will see the gravity of the situation.

If it's a Cellino/Hockoday appointment will that be enough? Or will it be 'just give him a chance'.


If we're bottom come Christmas will that be enough? Or will it be 'look at Plymouth last season or Barnsley a couple of years ago'.

These owners will take this club backwards at an alarming rate. I can very much see 2 relegations over the next 3-4 years if they're left unchecked.

 

Were being informed! Well done the club

 

I agree and its the same folk spouting the same vitriol every time.

Wind your necks in. Things won't change in one day. If youre that negative then take a break, go outside and spend some time in the fresh air. It's boring reading the same folk smashing every post with negativity on every single thread.

 

Norman I’m sorry but I think you’re deluded. This pair said we’re going for top 2, we’ll back the manager, we’ll try to sign Moore and buy Kai. It’s all well and good upgrading the ticket system, investing in marketing and youth development, but at the end of the day nobody gives a toss we’ve a great ticket system and a promising 17 year old if we’re on the end of a dry bumming every week.

Nobody wants a Richmond style six weeks of madness, but a recognition that you can’t get promotion and have lucrative cup runs with threadbare and inadequate squad. The right manager with a sensible budget left to get on with out interference will do well.

Bradford City is a private business being run to make two wealthy men even wealthier. I’m fine with that, but if Morrisons served shit food in a decrepit store with half arsed staff would you say nah give ‘em a chance to fix it or would you go to Tesco? If they want a return on their investment they need the paying public on their side and they won’t get that if they carry on how they have the last six months.

 

Option B all day long. In addition to buying my season ticket, I’ve opted in to buy the top level membership, purely out of blind loyalty and to help the club generate as much revenue as it can. I for one would be happy to pay £250 for my ticket alone if I thought it’d give us a top 6 budget but appreciate not all will feel the same.

It’s the chicken and egg analogy, from this start point, we either start with 2/3 of the support we had last season with a mid table budget and simply hope we have a successful season to bring the supporters back through the gates, or next season, we raise prices significantly, which may reduce the amount of season ticket holders, to hopefully get a more competitive budget, to hopefully increase the chances of success, which will then bring more supporters back through the gates.

What really pisses me off is how we’d actually achieved success and built a decent team / squad under PP and the previous owners. We had momentum, had seen the success which had seen interest and support for the club reach fantastic levels. The squad simply needed tweaking, tying down the assets longer term and adding a bit more quality to it. A really great platform to start from. Yet sadly, the decimation of the squad, the idea of implementing of a model (which is largely redundant in L1 which many see as being unnecessary) has seen the club undo all of the good work that had gone before and now we’re effectively back to square one. It’s understandable why so many have lost faith and have not renewed. The new owners have a hell of a job on their hands now to get us back to where we were!

 

In Abbott’s statement before he left, he had stated he had already submitted his lists to the owners.

I don’t understand why this is all such a shock to people?

 

They can't win can they, it's just a witchhunt

 

Because they've made it clear they wanted promotion.

You can't have both on this budget.

Jacob Hanson won't get you promoted.

 

https://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/news/2018/may/update-from-the-club/

in red what they really mean..


After Simon Grayson left the club earlier in the week, the club remains fully focused on making wide-reaching improvements on and off the field.

We appreciate that it is important to keep our fans informed of our plans. With regards to player recruitment, this process is ongoing. The structure we have in place has allowed us to continue preparing for the upcoming transfer window.

On the managerial front, our preferred criteria is that the Head Coach we appoint must have the proven ability to develop a team over a longer-term period and, (basically we know we cant deliever our three year promsie & want to keep slipping in this 'longer term' thing as often as we can so we can backtrack & get out of our original promise
most importantly, to improve each individual player within his squad. (basically, we cant afford any new players so we want a manager who can try get the best out of this bunch of league 2 standard players and hope for the best)

Many interesting candidates have already put themselves forward for the job and each will be now assessed based on how well they fit with this long-term strategy. (see, we slipped in that LONG TERM thing again

We must do all we can and take as much time as necessary to give ourselves the best chance of getting this right. (another way of slipping in that LONG TERM thing again, the more we put this in we will hopefully subliminally get the message through we fecked for a few years cos we signed all these crap players on long contracts & dont know how else we can fix the problem)

We believe that this appointment could be the most important decision the club will make in the coming years. (YEARS, yeah cos this is a LONG TERM thing, please forget the 3 year plan to the get promoted thing we promised)

In addition, next Monday (14th May) will see major pitch renovations kick-off at The Northern Commercials Stadium. (we actually not fixing the problem of the pitch we just laying a new pitch like we do every year but because we have absolutely no other good news to give we will clutch at straws and tell you this so you think we are doing something)

This is in conjunction with the redevelopment of our Woodhouse Grove training pitches, which is already well underway.

All this makes for an exciting but crucially important time for our club. We will keep you updated throughout this period.

 

Did we really need another thread for another message where you rip them apart?

“We want messages from the club, they don’t communicate enough”

We get them and all we get is everyone slating them and picking up on hidden messages that aren’t even there like bloody forensic analysts