HIS answer was short, straight to the point and followed by a delayed laugh.

“No,” was the response from Julian Rhodes when asked if City had even considered ditching their cut-price season ticket scheme.

An ambulance siren wailed past in the background but the club’s interim chief executive made it clear no alarm bells had rung with owner Stefan Rupp about extending the renowned pricing structure into a 13th year.

“Stefan was keen to show his commitment to the affordable prices and he’s happy with everything – despite the fact he’s got to fund a loss this season,” said Rhodes, referring to a shortfall likely to be touching £2 million.

“He’s very determined to right the wrongs of the last year and he knows that this is all part of it.”

At £150 for adults, the equivalent of £6.52 a game, City have maintained the tradition first introduced by Rhodes, Mark Lawn and David Baldwin when the club dropped into the fourth tier in 2007.

That threat remains as City sit in the bottom four on goal difference but Rhodes feels the tide has turned under David Hopkin’s command. He can also sense a growing unity once more between team and supporters after the divisive reign of Edin Rahic.

A chorus of “we’ve got our City back” resonated through Valley Parade in the first home game after the German’s exit. That is the theme for the ticket campaign – to re-engage with the fanbase.

Rhodes added: “When I came back we were bottom of the league by a long way, seven or eight points from safety so you can understand the mood.

“But it was more than that. It was ever since last February (and the sacking of Stuart McCall) when everything started to go wrong.

“It’s disappointing when you think of the way things were. I always got the feeling that people bought into what we were doing and genuinely felt involved – and they were.

“All the money that we made from season tickets was going into getting the best squad we possibly could.

“It really meant something to the players being at Bradford City and that’s what we’re trying to get back to. Fans can associate with that.

“We want to return the club to how it was when we enjoyed year-on-year progression and supporters played such an enormous part.”

This is the first time City have unveiled season tickets while hovering in the relegation zone. Rhodes admits it is a gamble but he can see parallels with how they beat the drop in Phil Parkinson’s first term in charge.

“It has all the feel of 2011-2012 with a bad start, an early change of manager and the new man comes in and does enough to keep us in the division. Then he can stamp his own marker down from next season on.

“David has instilled the sort of work ethic into the players that City fans like to see. They want their team to give everything.

“He’s getting back the values that people appreciate and this club have been associated with in recent years.

“It might sound fanciful but I’d like to think we can get back to pushing 20,000.

“It’s a tough sell because of where we are in the league. But the plan is we pull away from the drop zone to ensure League One survival and get back to where we were.

“David has got all the players believing we will stay up and there is a more positive feeling again.”

City have removed the “red tape” of the membership scheme that Rahic introduced. The £50 flexi-cards will be transferable to make it simpler just to turn up on a whim.

Rhodes said: “The affordable season tickets have been a great success and I’d be loathe to go back to anything else.

“If people feel they can afford to pay more, then buy a season ticket for £150 and a flexi-card – which anybody can use. Let them pay a tenner on the gate and actively help us to build the crowds back up.

“It’s not as simple as saying that you’ll get more money by putting prices up. If you do that, people can’t afford to come.

“We are one of the top clubs in League One for generating ticket income. If we can do that while getting big crowds, it’s a win-win for everybody.

“You get the atmosphere, the players love it and hopefully you get the results.

“We have won five of the last six at home, scoring 15 goals in the process, and hopefully that will continue into next season.”