Stefan Rupp

I didn't go to that conference, but wasn't a question posed to the fans about where they'd like to see money invested? Team OR pitch?

And the potty Bradford City Horticultural Society voted pitch for some reason.

I don't think the intention is to be ultra competitive next season, and we can thank the Green Lawn Association for that.

Ridiculous decision.

 

That's just what I was trying to allude to earlier - without actually saying it.

I think Stefans investment is relative pocket money to him, whereas Edin has much more to lose. One can walk away with the rolling of eyes, and the other dare not.
This could well be a deciding factor in Edin engaging in any U turns.

 

I believe that was a 'straw poll' Jon , rather than a 'vote'

 

I know, but it's hardly going to encourage investment where it really counts.

We could play on a beach for all I care.

Players bring success, grass does not.

 

True, Jon. But craftsmen will always perform ...... It just helps an awful lot when you have the right quality tools. Our pitch is a tool, but of poor quality. If I engaged a carpenter to make me a bespoke dining suite, I wouldn't expect some rough pub type picnic table as a result, knowing the bloke had the right tools. So yes, tools are as much a part as skill.

 

It was a show of hands @JonButterfield , me and our lad were sat at the front so I didn't turn round but we were in a small minority we were told.

 

@Storck can we ‘pin’ this somewhere so it is easy to return to when a certain @Ricc has to eat humble pie?

 

Whilst you are right that the club have paid for players with fees, I’m not quite sure it can be seen as investment.

The owners bought the club but have pocketed a substantial amount of money since then, with monies from transfer clauses, player sales, increased ticket sales and a PO campaign. In addition, they slashed the salary budget and used the monies to pay for players. But none of it was their own money. So what exactly is the ‘investment’?

 

I’m sure @Ricc will be very happy to eat humble pie if we do well next year

 

How are you not tired of watching terrible football being played on a mud bath yet

 

But not enough to bridge the gap from earnings and expenditure

 

When you say the owners have pocketed substantial amount of money since what do you mean? Are you implying that they have personally taken the money out of the club? In which case how as it didn’t show in the accounts at Companies House, or are you combining the owners and the club into one entity, so it is the club that have pocketed the money, and then spent it on club related things?

 

I love the idea I'd somehow be gutted if we did well.

pin it, save it, stamp it on your forehead if you want - I'd be more than happy to be completely and utterly spectacularly wrong.

 

I doubt those who held their hands up for money to be spent on the pitch will accept it as an excuse for lack of spending on the team when it comes down to it.

 

Allegedly. Have you seen the accounts to back this up? I’m not sure how we could take in as much money as we have, saved as much money as we did and STILL make such a loss.

 

Yeah sorry if I didn’t make it clearer. I’m not implying the owners have done anything untoward. My point was that they haven’t yet put their hands in their own pockets. They are simply spending the monies earned differently to the previous regime.

Lawn/Rhodes/Parkinson refused to spend money on transfer fees and used the money to top up the wage budget instead. Rahic/Rupp/Abbott prefer to invest in players and have less money in the pot for wages.

Some see the dollars being spent on players and think they are bankrolling us, but they’re not. They’re just spending their money differently.

 

Some interesting comments in this thread.

The situation with Rupp, as I understand it from someone close to the club, is as follows...

Rupp was willing to underwrite signings in January, but as we know the club were unable to clinch the deals, he has been increasingly losing faith with the staff at the club and this was another black mark against them.

He had also decided that McCall couldn't quite cut it when it came to the matches that mattered (there were potential investors at Sheffield United and Wembley last year that Rupp has brought along when we bombed badly), so was behind the decision to sack him, rather than wait for his contract to run out.

The vitriol that accompanied the McCall sacking took Rupp aback, and his opinion of our fanbase is that we are largely a bunch of racist oiks, and he has no intention of pandering to such people. Coupled with his issues with staff running the place he's no longer interested in throwing good money after bad, though he is wealthy enough not to need to worry about having to sell up.

Rahic wasn't lying at the forum when he said the online abuse and Nazi stuff has cost us income, it's turned Rupp off for a start and Rahic has been desperately trying to source further investment, including those who ultimately didn't come in after being interested toward the end of last season mentioned above.

Simply speaking too many people and things at VP have pissed off the man with the money.

 

Sorry but i call BS on this . The board promised a competitive budget last season --- nothing, they promised in January to to strengthen the squad --- they didn't ,the blame then fell on SM , they sacked a club legend for their errors . That is when a small number of fans turned on them , they came into this club knowing jack shit about english football in general and Bradford City in particular .

 

I wonder if he's losing faith in Rahic?

 

More like xenophobic oiks / keyboard winkers.