Another turbulent week in the life of Bradford City ended on a winning note but it will take much more to regain self-esteem at Valley Parade.
It has become a miserable existence for their thousands of loyal and long-suffering fans, as the season nears its end with a humble new local rivalry taking shape with Harrogate Town in the middle of the fourth tier.
Meanwhile, Leeds United’s old enemies are moving further and further away, with their sights set on a return to the Premier League.
Bradford have spent five years languishing in League Two.
There remains a slim chance of making the play-offs late, but it would involve a radical change of form.
Bradford have been languishing in League Two for five years and disappointment reigns at the club
It has become a miserable existence for the team’s thousands of loyal and long-suffering fans.
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Good Friday’s victory against Tranmere Rovers ended a sequence of four defeats, three of which came at home before a 3-0 defeat at Harrogate, which proved too embarrassing.
Fans activated protest plans against owner Stefan Rupp and fanzine site ‘Width of a Post’ published an eloquent open letter, imploring him to intervene or sell.
It’s a competitive field for terrible owners in the EFL and Rupp is in the running.
He is largely absent from Bradford, spending most of his time in his native Germany and admits that football is not his thing, preferring motorsport.
Rupp and Edin Rahic bought the club together in 2016. At first, Rupp left everything to Rahic, who quickly destroyed a well-run operation in tin dictator style until he was ousted after two years.
Rupp stepped in and promised his fans that they deserved better, even though in reality, not much has changed.
Protests against owner Stefan Rupp (right) implored him to sell, but they fell on deaf ears.
Managers still come and go with remarkable regularity and the club should be able to do more
Managers still come and go with remarkable regularity. There is a basic board of directors and most of the control lies with Ryan Sparks, an inexperienced CEO promoted from a position within the media department.
The irony is that communication reached its lowest point with Sparks in charge.
Hundreds of fans joined forces to address the culture of silence and wrote to Rupp. They grouped the letters and sent the package to their business address in Bavaria only to find it returned with a note saying the recipient did not want it.
Season ticket prices, competitive for many years, will rise and the stadium lease will end in 2028, reheating rumors that they could move in with rugby league neighbors Bradford Bulls at the Odsal Stadium.
The backdrop to all this is that the football club with its proud history and the city with its population of more than half a million should be capable of much more.
Just over a decade ago, they were on a mad dash to the League Cup final as a fourth division club, surpassing that achievement with promotion.
Most of the control falls to Ryan Sparks, an inexperienced CEO promoted from a media position.
Bradford had pushed for promotion to the Championship before dropping down the leagues.
They were fighting for promotion to the Championship with Phil Parkinson when Rupp and Rahic first appeared on the scene.
Then came relegation and after five years at the bottom of the EFL, everyone is demoralised.
The crowd seems to have held up at first glance, although the official figures are reinforced by 15,000 subscribers and do not match the swathes of empty seats evident in recent games.
Fearing the dangerous onset of apathy, sections of the disaffected fan base prepared to organize a protest, and Rupp attempted to head it off with an open letter.
“It’s not good enough” and it’s “hugely disappointing,” he admitted. She promised to do better, bring in more expertise and address current issues. He also apologized for his personal absence and the remote nature of his ownership style.
It was the complete bingo card of contrition. Rupp also reiterated that he would consider offers from potential buyers, although it is believed that he wants to recoup the £10m he paid, a price that seems unrealistic given the club has since suffered serious damage.
Graham Alexander is now in charge but Bradford are likely to miss the play-offs.
It was not very well received by those who think they have heard it all before.
“We are pleased that Stefan Rupp has made the effort to communicate some of his intentions for the club,” said Steve Hamilton, chairman of the Bradford City Independent Fans Group.
‘However, he has made previous statements with promises that were not kept. The club was challenging for the football championship when he bought it and fell back to the bottom half of League Two.
‘Our supporters need regular communication and a short, medium and long term plan that shows ambition and represents the considerable support provided by the people of Bradford over many years. “This club should be flourishing and it is not now.”
Disappointment reigns with Bradford bound for Grimsby Town.
PS: Admittedly it’s not his most pressing concern, but Bradford City manager Graham Alexander has been evicted from the top spot in the ranks of Britain’s top-scoring defenders. The title now belongs to James Tavernier, Rangers’ Bradford-born captain and right-back, who scored his 131st goal on Saturday against Hibernian.
FALKIRK BREAKS TO THE TITLE
Last week’s look at Farnham Town’s unbeaten Combined Counties South campaign sparked correspondence about fond memories of similar achievements over time and I will try to get back to as many as possible before the end of the season.
This week, however, the praise goes to Falkirk, who clinched the Scottish League One title with six games remaining following a 7-1 win at Montrose, their biggest away win in 55 years and marking the end of five years in the third division.
John McGlynn’s side, which includes Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn’s brother Stephen, have 25 wins and six draws, five games away from an unbeaten league season. Another promotion next season would see them return to the SPL in time for the 150th anniversary celebrations.
Happy days once again for Falkirk, a club that set a world transfer record 102 years ago when they paid West Ham £5,500 to sign England international centre-forward Syd Puddefoot under the noses of Arsenal and Tottenham.
Falkirk clinched the Scottish League One title with six games remaining after beating Montrose.
VINDICATION FOR RUBEN
Cesare Casadei turned his back on Inter Milan to sign for Chelsea. He was quickly loaned out to Reading, one of the most extreme clubs in English football. He then went to Leicester, where everything was going well until his retirement in January.
Leicester haven’t been the same since and the 21-year-old midfielder has been limited to a total of 17 minutes in three appearances for Chelsea, all coming off the bench. Meanwhile, Inter escape with Serie A.
This was once the maddening existence of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who finally escaped Stamford Bridge last year and is now in double figures for goals in his first season at AC Milan after scoring in a 2-1 win at Fiorentina Saturday.
Young midfielder Cesare Casadei has been limited to just 17 minutes for Chelsea so far