By Jason McKeown

Dear Stefan

I hope you’re well. It was interesting to see that you came over to West Yorkshire the other week. It’s a shame it was such a short visit, and you didn’t let many people know beforehand. There’s quite a few people who would have liked to have caught up with you for a chat about how things are going at Bradford City.

I imagine it was probably an eye-opening experience for you, attending the Mansfield Town game. I really do hope that you went away feeling you had plenty to reflect and consider. That it gave you a much clearer picture about how bad things have become.

And that’s really why I and others really want to reach out to you.

I know you watch all the games on iFollow back in Germany, so you don’t need me to remind you of our horrendous recent form. And I’m sure you’re under no illusions it has been a very disappointing season for Bradford City. But I think there’s a lot more going on than the form guide or league table would tell you. Chiefly, that things simply cannot go on as they are.

For me personally, I’ve found this season really disheartening. And it’s led me to the conclusion that this current model of ownership and day-to-day operational approach simply isn’t going to work. This is a high maintenance football club. For many reasons – some under your watch, others historical – it remains trapped well below its potential. Bad decisions are keeping us languishing in the bottom half of League Two. There’s nothing about this season that gives us any confidence of lessons being learned.

As a club, we’re high maintenance because we don’t own our own stadium or training ground. The pitch needs regular investment, above what many other clubs would have to put into maintaining theirs. The infrastructure is hampered by employing too few people for a club of such size. Did you catch the Derek Adams podcast interview earlier this season, Stefan? From his perspective, he thinks off the field we are “one of the smallest clubs inside in the league”. This from a guy who managed Morecambe, twice.

One of the biggest issues, Stefan, is you don’t employ enough people with genuine football expertise. At least not beyond the manager, who holds the most vulnerable position at the entire football club. I make it that Graham Alexander is the 10th different manager you’ve employed in eight seasons, Stefan? And that doesn’t include all the caretakers, the fact you’ve employed one guy – Stuart McCall – twice, and that you began this Bradford City ownership adventure inheriting one Phil Parkinson, the most successful Bantams manager in the last 24 years.

A lot of people in and out of the managerial hotseat, which suggests the people making decisions on Bradford City managers don’t really know what they’re doing. Maybe you heard the rumours too, Stefan, of good managers showing interest in the vacancy last October, and then ruling themselves out of the running. What are we showing or saying to them to put them off?

It all brings us back to the people you work alongside or employ to run the club for you. We’re grateful you eventually saw the light with Edin Rahic, Stefan, but the issue of day-to-day leadership of the club remains unsolved. We get that you don’t want to do it, and that’s fair enough. But do you have the contacts and expertise to bring in people who can do it on your behalf? The track record so far suggests not.

I’m sure when you attended the Mansfield Town game you noticed that the guy who sat next to you, Ryan Sparks, was getting as much stick as you were from nearby fans. I’m not here to tell you to sack someone whose livelihood no doubt depends on remaining CEO of the club. But equally, you’re a smart guy, who has made fortunes the rest of us can only dream of. In your business life, what did you do when employees appeared to be under-performing?

At the very least there’s some tough words for you to have with Ryan, and you may have already had them. If the plan is to let him carry on, is there more support you can give him? Is there greater accountability you can place on his shoulders? Maybe Ryan himself is the wrong person to ask in terms of what he might need. But I know from conversations with people within football that there is advice, support and help available to him if he wants it. Maybe you need to insist he takes it. And ease the burden off his still young shoulders.

You might also want to have a chat with Stephen Gent about the many players he has recommended who have not worked out. Again, does he have everything he needs? What’s stopping what seems on paper to be a decent idea from working? And then what about chatting to Paula, Mick, Mark H, Scott, Dom, Colin, Mark T, Ryan, Neil, Alan, Davide, Marco, Robyn, Brett, Michael and Lewis about where they think it’s going wrong, and what they need?

But before all of that, first and foremost there’s some other people you urgently need to speak to.

Us.

I’m not sure when was the last time you did a media interview or issued a club statement to supporters, but the fact I’d have to do quite a bit of Googling to find out doesn’t say much about the level of communication we’ve had. The three word social media dig after the Newport win – “for the doubters” – doesn’t really count does it? Oh, and it’s not aged well either I’m afraid.

I hope that when you came to the Mansfield game and saw the anger, you understand that the frustration amongst supporters about Bradford City this season is not mere “social media noise”. We get it, there’s lots of idiots on Twitter, some morons sending you private messages on Instagram. We know we’ve got some fools amongst us, and hand on heart we’ve all posted things ourselves in the heat of the moment that don’t reflect brilliantly on our judgement.

But the point is this – this dark mood around the club isn’t social media noise, it’s much deeper and much more considered. It’s all that fans are talking to each other about, the buzz conversation in pubs before the game and on the walk to Valley Parade. It’s leading to people storming out of games early and not always coming back the next time. I’d love to know the ‘true’ Valley Parade attendances of late. I suspect you know it yourself. And as you put season tickets on sale for next season with some poorly judged hashtag about how it’s a Bantams thing, you’re probably already noticing the low take up.

I find it so heartbreaking and sad that people I’ve spent hours and hours with, attending Bradford City games up and down the country over the years, no longer want to go. That my own kids, who initially loved the Valley Parade experience, hate the idea of going anymore. I really worry about the future and what sort of crowds will become the norm.

As fans, we absolutely love our football club. It means so much to us. It’s our weekends, our way of life. The highs and the lows of the club’s history are our highs and lows. We’ve seen some incredible moments and some truly dark days. You should never underestimate how much we are emotionally (and financially) invested into Bradford City. And the extent to which we’re fretting and worrying right now.

I think that’s why the lack of communication feels so insulting to us, Stefan. We’re upset, and as a football club you’re just ignoring us. It seems like you’re all trying to ride it out, instead of taking any responsibility. And yeah, saying anything in public will attract ire and criticism. But saying nothing at all is utterly cowardly and shameful.  

I know you’re not a public talker, that this isn’t your gig. But it must strike you as weird that you employ a guy with a comms background to be your CEO, and the club’s communication approach is completely awful. And if people whose job it is to speak to us aren’t doing it, well then it absolutely comes back to you, Stefan. You can’t own a business with thousands of passionate people so invested in its fortunes, and expect them to accept being ignored.

I and hundreds of others actually wrote to you recently. The independent supporters club invited us all to write to you asking for a fans forum, and posted these letters to you on our behalf. Apparently, they couldn’t be delivered? Something about receiver not wanting to accept them. I hope it’s a case that stereotypes about German efficiency are wrong and the postal company messed up, meaning you never got them. We’ve got a term in the UK for poor delivery service, Stefan – Yodel. The alternative, that you knew you’d received hundreds of letters from worried supporters and refused to even accept delivery, doesn’t reflect well on you.

We’re now in a position where protests are set to begin. And the rotten mood around the club is only going to get worse. And maybe it’s too late to stop the ill-feeling. Maybe the damage done is now too great. But things have to change Stefan. This can’t go on.

The way I see it, there’s two options. One is to commit to Bradford City. Talk to us, on a regular basis, and back up words with strong actions. Invest more into the club to give it a better chance of success. From the infrastructure to the resources. Give those trying to turn around the club’s fortunes the tools to succeed, and give us evidence you’re listening and taking the relationship with supporters more seriously.

It won’t happen overnight, but there is a way to build bridges and gradually restore trust. It won’t be achieved by maintaining this status quo.

The second option is to sell Bradford City. Not to any old chancer, of course, and we’re grateful you’ve resisted the urge to do just that in the past. But if there are people with the financial resources, good character and expertise to give Bradford City a brighter future than you can provide, please don’t stand in their way.

I know money is a big thing. You spent a lot to buy us, and have put in additional capital when we’ve needed it. Have you put in more than the club is worth? I’m no accountant so I can’t answer that myself, but I imagine so. Maybe you have to write off some of the money you’d like to one day reclaim. Because in reality, it probably isn’t going to be retrievable.

The big thing from where we are standing is it appears you don’t want to put in the financial and time investment to bolster the value of Bradford City, and yet seemingly hope it maintains or grows in value anyway. I don’t think football works like that. Especially when you’re overseeing a football club languishing 17th in League Two. And especially when you consider the even graver financial implications you would face if it gets even worse from here, and City go down to non league.

So Stefan, I and others urge you – this can’t continue in this way. Please give us something to have hope about. Please talk to the fanbase about what you see as the way forward. Please understand that the concerns of Bradford City supporters have gone well beyond a mere bunch of moaners and spread to even the most pro-club of fans. Please understand that thousands of people are deeply hurt and upset by what is going on. And they’ve got a right to be heard and to hear back.

You once said, “The people of Bradford deserve much, much better”. Now is the time for you to show that you mean it.  

Categories: Opinion

Tags: BCAFC