When is enough, enough? (Width Of A Post Article)

Scathing.

 

This season has been a masterclass in losing your audience.

The season isn't a complete disaster, yet it feels like it: why?

Last season saw fans make their feelings clear. Stefan Rupp decided the answer was to kick the can down the road. Well, we're now down that road. Stefan Rupp's recent statement could not have been more poorly timed. Nothing short of a disaster. Talking about being in touch with the promotion spots and in two cups.

5 days later, cup dream blown against a dreadful side thanks to a dreadful performance, and the promotions spots are drifting further away.

5 days it took.

Based on his performance to date, Rupp is either a liar, an incompetent, or both.

Sparks very definitely is both. He promised not to accept mediocrity but won't resign.

They have lost the fanbase - yet again - because of what they both bring. Not because we're bottom of the table, simply because of what Rupp and Sparks promise but cannot deliver.

Enough is enough. Get out.

 

Great post honestly if it meant dropping down into non league then so be it so long as we got OUR CITY back ..............i mean it doesnt always go right but there are enough examples of it going right the likes of Luton,Stockport,Mansfield and Wrexham backing it up

 

"Rupp himself has repeatedly failed to deliver on his previous claims. And what of the role of Ryan Sparks, who seems almost entirely absent from any meaningful communication with supporters? It is telling that we probably hear more from Rupp these days than from Sparks, who was supposed to be the face of the club’s communication when first appointed. Where is he? What is his current purpose? It’s certainly not to add football expertise. And it can’t be to communicate with supporters or enhance supporter relationships? "

The whole piece is fantastic but this stood out for me.

 

You could say the same about clubs dropping to League Two level. We didn't exactly bounce back like Bolton, Plymouth, or Coventry.

The lower you fall the more investment you need.

Us going down with this regime would make everything much harder.

 

The only thing I can think that will influence his decision is the loss of fans money especially ST sales as that not only is it instant cash but also influences sponsors contributions. Then the club will be in dire straits financially and may well get relegated as a result.

He then is faced with having to dip into his own pot of money or sell the club or just allow the club to be relegated. Either way he will lose money big time.

 

What is the difference between them and us incidentally……..?

Don’t forget the obvious!

 

They found interested owners and made sure they weren't settling for second best.

 

Owned by people who genuinely wanted to be involved in football.

 

I personally think by dropping the club out of the league would be a unmitigated disaster and finish it completely, years back some on here when we were in league 1 and struggling said dropping down to league 2 would help us come back stronger well that played out well !

 

The best article by WOTP yet.

Look, if Rupp removed Sparks from his role or Sparks did the right thing by the club and resign I might feel more positive.

Like @Dennis says does Rupp really know the full picture of what’s happening at Bradford City? Does he care enough? Well Sparks going will highlight he cares or at least make him care.

Rupp talks about going to 3 games this season like it’s a something special. He lives in Germany not Barbados. It’s a joke!

Our club is ran by someone that is clueless and an owner that doesn’t care. It’s no shock we are failing badly, If us fans think how we do the players will think even worse.

We need to get Sparks out. That simple.

 

I'm in the same boat, I just cant see how this club would survive in NL. Like with the teams mentioned, Wrexham would still be a mid table NL club today if they didn't luck out in the best way possible moneywise. Their ground rent at the time was £100k per season which stumped them most years in NL. Mansfield town were relegated and their owner sold the club for a reported £1 (yes one whole pound) to a consortium after being attacked by fans, but he kept the stadium and still made good money from the club in rent for 5 or 6 years later (£200k per season) until he sold the ground for a fee reportedly in the region of £3m-£4m to their new-ish owner at the time.

Luton became fan owned the year they were relegated after the club went into administration and that had its own challenges whilst they were in non-league, I couldn't find any figures but the lease is described as "favourable for the club" as they rent their ground from the council. Stockport another who were seemingly stuck in NL until a local multi millionaire came on board, another who had a favourable rent from the council on their facilities. Even now, Stockports latest lease renewal was an increase but only has them paying £88k a year until 2066.

Most these clubs were either in limbo until someone with multi millions came along, or had favourable sales or leases on their facilities and we have neither of those. I know we pay in the half a million per year ball park for VP, what to we pay to the school? Unless Rupp puts us up for sale for peanuts, this club would be another with a questionable future as there is no way on earth we'd be able to afford to rent VP if we went down.

 

That all tallies with what I have. We certainly don't make a habit of keeping our managers around for long. Imagine O'Rourke and his 537 league matches in charge...nowadays we struggle to get someone past 37!

RCB

 

Many owners don’t know about how their business works, they hire a CO to do it.
So lets start simple, remove Sparks and replace him with a new CO who knows football clubs and how to run one.
Rupp is just a sleeping figurehead

 

How much longer will the sponsors hang around if we’re bumbling along as we are? The watching footballing world has moved on from us, we’re no longer the side that other supporters might tune in and watch. If there’s no audience outside of Valley Parade, what’s the incentive to sponsor? The deals brought in during the Hughes era have probably expired or will be in their final year, gates are dwindling week by week even though we’re higher than the same time last season. It’s just an empty shell of a club with no attraction, no purpose and no excitement. From top to bottom we have no personalities, just mundane plodders.

 

I agree with you regarding Sparks. Get him out the club and give the role to someone with experience. We can knock Rupp all we want, but the amount of money Sparks has wasted is inexcusable. It probably doesn’t need massive amounts to get out the league, it just needs someone who knows how to spend it wisely. Rupp hasn’t learned his lesson from the Rahic era by not stepping in sooner, and he’ll soon be propping up the wage bill when the inevitable drop off in supporters through the gate materialises.