What are Stefan's intentions for the Club?

I’ve no problem with the sacking of Adams after the window,the fans had turned on him and it would have been stubborn of Sparks to keep faith with him,but he realised it wasn’t working and took the hit to sack him. Can I point out that we paid fees for Odisina, Jake Young ,and Odasabe. All undisclosed so could be just small amounts. We don’t know what sort of wages we pay out but we had a huge squad last season and it’s big this season. I would agree it would be good if Rupp could push the boat out and get extra quality but he wants a self sustaining model and most owners would want that. As regards Trueman and Sellars they deserved the extra contract as it gave them a bit more security but harsh though it seemed It was the right decision also to bring in a more experienced manager. You haven’t said what you would have done. After gaining 33 points from 15 games would you have just sacked them? Trueman of course is still on the coaching staff so he can’t be that bitter. I know you despise Rupp and probably Sparks but you were probably one of the many on here going ballistic that he didn’t sell to Wagmi in December 21, well that’s gone well with Crawley. Going back to McCall ,Sparks was just toeing the party line when Rhodes extended McCalls contract on the day Sparks was announced as CEO.

 

It’s not prime and a perfect target at all mate.

A serious investor isn’t going to have bother dealing with buying a stadium and training ground to help move the club forward or to gain maximum value for the club.

We scarp about and act poor.

 

Have we progressed though? As a club?

All well and good eating pawn sandwiches with others that don’t care about the club but we just in the same boring position as years ago.

Not moving forward at all.

 

Commercial success - come on mate. Same old boring local companies are main sponsors. 18k fans and we still can’t attract major companies to fully sponsor us.

It’s ok having this pretend partnership agreements to make our make things are happening but really it’s not. We are not moving forward.

 

I thought Morrisons were a major company

 

Well shut up then because I it’s a continuous circle. At this level we are big, but no assets, no investment. No investment. No assets. Stop repeating the same crap that we all know.. if you are a clever business man, economically clever and sharp eye for success with a thriving local business surely you can get a local consortium to buy valley parade, that would cut the circle. Oh sorry, I can read through you, you’re all words.

 

Despise Rupp.. absolutely not. Think he’s an incompetent football owner absolutely. RS again no anger just believe he’s not delivered on what I think is and most reasonable fans would think are his main deliverables.


I have a completely different slant on the TS situation. It should never have gotten to that stage but we had produced such a poor squad (c19 clear driver I get that) which got SM the boot. So TS felt the benefit of the club having to invest in January as I strongly believe they felt the season was going to be stopped or they could just coast.

Even though results under TS improved it was basic football and clear as day these wouldn’t be able to cope with the pressures of 15k demanding fans.

Their appointment again was appealing to the masses. Reality was what unfolded. What I would have done… kept them As interim until the season finishes.

It’s history , but that was of RS making and not exactly a tick in his football judgement column.

 

There were a bunch of backwards decisions made immediately after Sparks' appointment, and I still wouldn't trust him to proactively appoint a quality candidate.

Rupp kinda recognises his own incompetence, in my opinion, by being so hands off.

There's nothing wrong with that, but I've always held out that if I was the owner and recognised a certain level of incompetence on my own part, I'd go out there and get the BEST CEO money could buy, not make an internal appointment of a guy who had promise but wasn't a proven commodity.

I get the criticisms of Sparks that he doesn't seem to be a footballing CEO, which is ultimately what we need if we don't have a Director of Football. We've got a great commercial team in thanks to Sparks, I like a ton of the stuff the club have done to modernize us, but the product itself is the football.

If Hughes goes, I think we're buggered.

With the knowledge that Hughes could fail this season, not having a Director of Football or a footballing CEO in place RIGHT NOW sifting through the situation with a a fine-toothed comb is a massive worry to me. That said, I don't think Sparks is failing at all, I think he's doing a quality job and could go on to something bigger - but that 'bigger' won't be appointing players or managers for another club, in my opinion. It will be slotting in somewhere doing what he's actually good at.

 

You’re wrong Fordy. The value of this club is its fansbase, Ground, Training Ground, they’re just assets to be weighed on a balance sheet.

 

Has Hughes actually said on record he has been told by Sparks/Rupp that we can't afford to pay transfer fees?

 

Has Hughes actually said on record he has been told by Sparks/Rupp that we can't afford to pay transfer fees?

Your high opinion of Hughes (the manager) continues to surprise me as he hasn't really impressed me in over a year and a half. Stodgy playing style, many poor signings, very prickly when questioned, and for me failed badly when we have had our big opportunities.
That said (i sound like Alan Partridge ) I do think the next 10 games or so will define MH at our club - if his new formation settles and we actually sign two or three more quality players (round additions for round hole's) then we might really kick on. But at this stage not sure I share the feeling for Hughes (and Gent)

 

I think Rupp would be afraid of making that call to replace Sparks because as you say, it's not something he knows a great deal about. Swapping out someone who's making him money and not costing him money would be a brave decision. All the backroom staff are rowing in the same direction, why risk bringing someone in, and ending up with another Rahic scenario where everyone either left, or hated the job they were in. If Rupp sells then it'll be down to the new owner to decide if he wants Sparks to continue, or if Sparks wants to stay.

 

Good points. I'm more than happy to write off what was paid to T&S in that extra contract as a "bonus" for keeping us up when Stuart has well and truly lost the plot. As for backing, had Stuart stayed, would we have signed Andy Cook & Danny Rowe, both of whom contributed in a big way to stopping our slide into the National League ?

 

On the point of a "known name coming back in a few weeks", isn't David Baldwin looking for a new challenge after leaving his role as interim CEO at The Dogs ?

 

Geoff Horsfield is coming back..... or Kirstian Dennis I telltheeeeeee

 

So is the University so are JCT, so are Flamingoland. Our Sponsors input is now massive. It’s the sum of the parts that counts.

 

On yesterday BBC radio Leeds match build up he said categorically we can not afford to pay fees. Now that has to be a directive from Rupp and RS.

I know I keep harping on about it but record league 2 revenue and we can not afford to make purchases. That doesn’t feel right.

Am not talking Millions am talking small investment in assets. Like other clubs have had great success at, like the plan we had when these guys first come onboard with the Wyke transfer.

Something has been off all summer with regards to this window I put it down to cost cutting. Maybe we pushed the boat to far last year and this what we are left with.

If so it reflects even worse on Hughes Gent Rupp and RS on the crap that they brought in.

 

i really hope that’s gamesmanship by Hughes to try make lower bids. As you’ve said with the incomes we have there should be money to spend

 

How many teams have paid transfer fees this summer in league two? I would guess not many

 

Transfer Fees are dead money. We might push the boat out for an exceptional player but why should we for lg2/1 players? We are happy to pay good wages for good players. Sponsors might chip in if an exceptional player becomes available.