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  • "
    Nickloza wrote:
    dannbradfc wrote:
    dannbradfc wrote:
    My initial thoughts upon seeing the headline was SEASON TICKETS.

    Rhodes has obviously been drinking from the same glass as Lawn.

    One view of this is that he has to say these things to justify fans upset at last season renewing their tickets. Its taken Rhodes a long time to come out with this. Why didn't he support Lawns initial similar claims at the time and thus deflect some of the stick that Lawn got?

    For everyone who has been crying out for a long term strategy for the club, well this is why its not happened.

    Both chairman could see that after only 6 games that the squad were going to go down. Hardly an endoresement for a long term business plan is it?

    I actually was prepared to give them more time. Indeed there were signs that the side were starting to gel but we'll actually never know. We only lost games by one goal under jackson and with just a couple of more players, one a central defender this may have been resolved. We certainly saw more attacking play under Jackson and more football imo.

    Did we improve? the league position would suggest no compared to the season before. Both chairman are pretty good at blaming the previous managers for a variety of failures. These managers have no right to reply contractually wise. However both chairman forget that they chose to employ these managers in the first place. They set the criteria and budgets etc. they are also culpubable for any failings.....

    As i say this as to be the party line due to poor season ticket sales thus far. Fans need convincing. Why would that be? Are we all wrong? We will now be offered 'tit-bit's' of potential signings and rumour, of which i'll pay attention when they actually sign a contract.

    Most notably should be the fact that we were the 5th highests spenders and yet its to Parky's great credit that we managed to survive!! That must be down to the signings of Reed, Haworth, Atkinson, Smalley etc

    At least Rhodes acknowledges that the loans were mainly useless. However these were the current managers choices and not Jacksons....hmmm.

    VILLAGE BANTAM begins this headline with a good positive rallying call. However he spoils this by suggesting that some fans maybe looking foolish next year. By this logic does this mean he/she looks foolish now?
    We ALL want to be cheering success but can only do this when its actuality. Why would this be foolish? Despite all the resorces we nearly went down so why would we be cheering the mangers name?

    Those accused this season by others of been negative are in fact the positive one's in that they want us to progress and not accept mediocrity. To many pandoras box-types will accept everything untill its too late. I like ALL city fans will be cheering like crazy IF we achieve success next year and will have earned the right to do so. If however this isn't the case, how will you be feeling village bantam?

    It
    ps had lawn and rhodes been together when city were 22nd in the league after 10 games before winning promotion to the prem would we have ever got promotion?
    Whose money bankrolled City to get us in the prem? The Rhodes family!
    AND?

    Richmond was chairman and i think you've missed the point in that Jewell was given the time and we didn't panic.....Lawn and Rhodes imo did this season....."
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Julian Rhodes insists Bradford City have made strides with Phil Parkinson

8:10am Saturday 12th May 2012 in Bantams Photograph of the Author By Simon Parker , Bradford City Reporter

Phil Parkinson inherited a City squad that was "worse than the previous season" Phil Parkinson inherited a City squad that was "worse than the previous season"

Julian Rhodes today denied he had set the bar too low by insisting survival was the only goal for City last season.

The Bantams matched the previous year’s 18th-placed finish but the joint-chairman believes the club have made strides under Phil Parkinson.

And he claims another disappointing campaign was mainly down to the “mistakes” that Peter Jackson made in the transfer market last summer.

Rhodes said: “I reckon we’ve ended up with the fifth-largest budget in League Two. But we had to spend a lot of money to rebuild the squad because it patently wasn’t good enough.

“We were only going one way. Our squad at the start was worse than the season before, when we only just survived, and the division was better.

“It was hard work to turn it round but we have spent a lot of money on people who clearly weren’t up to the job.

It was hard work to turn it round but we have spent a lot of money on people who clearly weren’t up to the job

Julian Rhodes

“We spent all season down the bottom because of the mistakes we made last summer. Phil needs to be judged on how we get on next season.”

Parkinson took over at the end of August after Jackson suddenly walked away. Rhodes insisted that cash had been made available to the previous boss to put things right.

He said: “I don’t care what anybody says, the first four games of the season were terrible – particularly the two at home. Those two rank along some of the worst performances I’ve ever seen.

“Anyone watching that who didn’t think we were going out of the league are kidding themselves. The alarm bells were ringing.

“We saw it wasn’t working and Peter agreed. We told him money was there to strengthen, which we had to do, but instead he decided to do the honourable thing and stepped down.

“If your squad isn’t good enough, you’ve got problems. It was difficult for Phil because he came in when the transfer window was about to shut.

“He had to look at loan signings and players who weren’t tied up for one reason or another.

“I don’t think we’ve done great with the loans but permanent signings like Kyel Reid and Marcel Seip were instrumental in keeping us in the division.”

City never got above the bottom seven all season but Rhodes has seen enough in Parkinson to feel more confident for the future.

He said: “I think Phil’s done well. There are a few things I’ve fallen out with him about, which you do over the course of the season.

“In the main, I just told him to make sure we stayed in the league and he did that with three games to spare.

“We had to spend money to do it but now we move on. Everybody is enthusiastic about it.

“Look at the home record from November onwards with only one defeat in 15 games. That’s quite impressive from a team that was struggling.

“Hopefully we can take that on into next season. I know some of the signings he wants to make will strengthen the squad.”

Sources on the south coast are linking City with right winger Kelvin Etuhu, who played 13 games for Portsmouth last season.

Cash-strapped Pompey want to re-sign him but are currently not in a position to do anything until their ownership is resolved.

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