How to encourage Rupp to sell the Club

This pretty much sums up my thoughts prior to deciding not to renew for this season. A significant change of approach from Rupp needs to be forced and this is the most effective strategy IMO.

 

We basically are Oldham. Yes, our league badge says L2 rather than NL like theirs does, but Christ, the gap in quality between them as a team at the top end of the NL and us languishing in midtable L2 is so negligible it is essentially non-existent.

 

Where are we going to play if in the remote event we are relegated based on the rent and upkeep of VP alone? There isn’t yet any answer to this basic question and if they think seeing a poorly performing side in L2 is going to attract less than 7k , yes we have seen crowds drop to that alarming level , that we would sell 10,000 seasons in the NL at a ground most likely outside of Bradford ,( I still can’t think of one). Then it will “ for our good “ like some suggested.


All these people supporting the suggestion, who presumably going by “a poll” didn’t rock up to VP on Boxing Day are very very quiet. ( Highest home support for a long time )

There is no guarantee whatsoever to any landlord , ie Gibb, that we could afford the ground rent or upkeep for a month never 25 years? What would we he do, He’d sell the real estate or let it rot away .

Until this question is resolved , everyone is blowing in the wind , where will we play, if I were to have a stab, groundshare with another club 20-40 miles away….Circa less than 2k seasons in that case!

 

Yes of course it’s my view , my opinion . Who else’s would it be? I don’t need agreement for an opinion to formulate Dennis and certainly don’t expect anyone to agree with it however it raises a viable number of questions.

Returning to the prime question , where would we play IN THE EVENT we cannot afford the rent, new or old (terms) AND the upkeep of VP and playing surface (on limited attendances) .? The VIABLE logistics have to be speculated on, so why are those suggesting it may work , ducking the question ? Its basic business sense you probably understand that quite well.

 

Who has suggested it may work though? You seem to be arguing the point like it's a commonly held view but I don't see anyone suggesting that at all.

 

Are you really suggesting there were 18k yesterday? Do your eyes not work?

 

Go back two or three weeks from memory and someone suggested it wouldn’t be a bad thing if we got relegated and it was supported , ( liked) by a number of others , without any logistical thought . Hence my simple question over the past number of days.

Relegation would be a club and financial disaster without financial backing to progress, aka, Notts County, Chesterfield , Stockport and Wrexham ( And now York) to name but 5 who’s owners chucked lots of money at gaining promotion? Rupp has shown he won’t already.

 

I didn’t count them from my armchair, but someone said earlier it was the largest crowd at VP for a long time. Did you miss it? Posted earlier from memory?

And yes they do but thank you for your concern. Reported figures are an EFL requirement right?

 

Yes I was there and can guarantee you there was not 18k in the ground

 

They cant bud that the issue they would rather try and make out its US that hurting the club rather than look at the real problem here

 

I believe the odd one or two were suggesting going down the none league route would be a way of getting rid of Rupp I've not seen anyone say with regard protests "we'd be automatically be relegated to the NL" it could happen as a consequence of starving revenue to the club hence Rupp runs the club on incoming reduced finances and that could equate to us being relegated.

 

He wont be “ forced” to do anything unless he wishes it to happen. As I said the other day , him pulling up the drawbridge and handing over the franchise to some other “ speculator” is no different to handing it over to Rupp and his once upon a time side kick . That hasn’t ended well other than he needs credit for keeping us afloat during covid? Even then it will be repaid if not already?

 

Can't understand why he feels he has to do nothing and still get his money back. He could have sold us already albeit at a loss and bearing in mind who was trying to broker a sale, had it gone through, it would have been good for us.

 

I am one of those fans you speak of that believes if we lost half the total number of ST holders for next season that it would inevitably lead to a poorer playing squad and ultimately a relegation fight.
Do you honestly believe Rupp would stump up the shortfall of cash to keep us in League 2. He won’t even invest to get us promoted let alone to keep us where we currently are.

a serious loss of hardcore fanbase would equate to a threat of relegation and that’s my stance and final opinion

 

The chain of events are all linked.
A serious loss of income brought about by fans not renewing ST’s would cause a couple of critical issues.
1. We might not be able to afford the rent
2. The playing budget would be massively reduced.

point 1 would lead us to being evicted.
Point 2 would most likely lead to relegation.

if relegation was to happen then point 1 would be inevitable unless either of the points below were to occur.
1. Gibb reduces rent
2. Rupp injects cash to fund the deficit.

Neither would be likely so we end up with no home, ground sharing in the NL.

Are you following? Is any of this making sense to you or have you got your head in the sand thinking none of it would / could happen.

 

5,000 supporters boycotting costs Rupp a max of £1m in ticket income.

If he believes he can sell the club for £5-10m then why won't he cover a shortfall and then actively pursue a sale?

He's covered shortfalls after Rahic and during COVID to protect his investment in the club, so why wouldn't he again?

 

You're not wrong, but it's this sort of defeatist, unambitious thinking that leaves us never moving forward. There's no risk free approach here - the point is, whether the risk created by a boycott outweighs the risk of ongoing stagnation and regression under Rupp and Sparks. And whether the upside either way is greater, and how you trade that off against the risk. With very, very few exceptions, no business or organisation can move forward without taking risks.

The fundental point here is to demonstrate, tangibly to Rupp, that the cash drain of propping up deficits and this being a non viable business MUST force a sell at a much more reasonable price than the 10m he's been demanding.

Many people, I'd say a majority, have had enough, hence the empty VP even for 'big' games in League 2.

 

Well there's only so many times that doing it is palpable. The first time, post Rahic, he may have felt morally obliged (rightly so). And with Covid, he had no choice and would have seen it as exceptional circumstance. Doing it because of mass supporter unrest is a different kettle of fish.