Exclusive with Bradford City owner Stefan Rupp part two

In the second part of Rupp’s first newspaper interview for four years, he talks about the timing of the managerial change, his future plans with the club and the keyboard warriors.

Q: Do you feel that the timing of the change in manager was right?

“Better late than too late. In retrospect, you think, ‘should we have done it four weeks earlier?’ “But it is a process and you stick to your decision. You don’t throw everything overboard because you have lost some games.

“But when you have reached a point where you feel that it won’t recover but only get worse, then you have to simply do it or risk losing more momentum.

“You see how the squad is playing now and we are building something. If we can take this upturn in fortunes into the summer break and then start full throttle next season, then it has made perfect sense.”

Q: City are always a prize scalp in League Two – is it fair to say that target has got even bigger with such a famous face in the dug-out?

“Of course, but this is exactly the challenge we all face. Mark is an absolute professional and I don’t think his blood pressure is rising because of this threat.

“He’s used to this and I think he appreciates it. You can see the players enjoy playing for him – it’s a big difference.

“What better situation can you have as a player than to play under Mark Hughes?

“It’s also about improving because he’s the type of guy players love to work with. Everyone will give their best knowing that he can make them better.”

Q: What are your plans for the future? Where do you and this club go next?

“My short-term vision would be that we get promoted. We are ambitious, of course, but I’m also very careful with raising expectations too high too soon.

“After what I’ve experienced over the last few years, I’ve learned that destiny can be a bitch!

“As an owner, I want us to be successful. Look at the sheer size of the club, we don’t belong in League Two but it’s down to us to change that.

“For myself, Ryan and the management team, the only thing we can do is create this environment to do well. Try to hire the best manager we can get, sign the best players and go from there.

“Once we are back in League One, then we take it from there and we are aware of our potential and work towards that every day.

“I won’t be making any announcements like you have heard in the past about playing in the Premier League in the next five years and selling tickets for one pound!

“You will never hear me saying something like that. We want to be realistic.

“We’ve gone through some difficult times. Even for me, it was a steep, steep learning curve.

“I don’t want to set ambitions that we cannot fulfil. That just makes it worse when it doesn’t happen.

“But I can assure you our aims for next season are well and truly what they were this year at the very least.

“It’s not about me or Ryan but the football. We want to let the football do the talking.

“If you’re successful on the pitch, then the whole club is successful. We can only do our best to support that.”

Q: Do you ever think back to how close City came to reaching the Championship in 2017?

“I was in my first year of ownership, and if I’m honest, maybe the situation would have gone even worse if we had got promoted. I think we would have got carried away.

“What we have learned over the past few years and through the pandemic is to keep it real.

“Don’t try to raise expectations beyond your capabilities.

“We are in a good place financially and hopefully, next year, on the sporting side of things as well.

“We have no outside debts. Look at other clubs in League Two who go bust – that will not happen here.

“This isn’t just Stefan Rupp opening his wallet. We are able to run the club on a self-sustainable basis and that’s what I’m really proud of.

“As an owner, I can only thank the whole team who are doing a great job off the pitch to make this possible.”

Q: Is self-sustainable another way of saying that the club are trying to run things on the cheap?

“That’s definitely not the case. It’s a lot of effort and planning and always asking yourself if you could do things better.

“The guys here have done an excellent job bringing the club through the crisis and not drowning with the financial obligations.

“We are always in permanent contact and I’ve never had the sense that things were running in the wrong direction.

“Now I have people in the club that I can trust and that’s a big asset, if not the biggest asset.

“I’m pleased with how it’s going and we’ll see what the next 12-24 months bring. I sleep well because I know the club is in good hands.

“I remember how the stadium looked five or six years ago and now you see how tidy it is.

“Nobody wants to live in a messy flat and it’s the same here. People can see that difference and it gives me a good feeling.”

Q: What was the last game you saw at Valley Parade before Saturday?

“Exeter, November 2019 and we won 2-0. We were near the top at the time.

“Then ‘corona’ kicked in with all the travel restrictions and the gap was much longer than I’d originally expected.

“It’s easier to travel now and I plan to come over more regularly. I came in on Thursday and nobody wanted to see a vaccination certificate or whatever.

“But I think the crisis teaches you some dignity and a lot of other clubs were and are still in deep trouble.

“We went through the crisis relatively unharmed.

“I have to say that I’ve enjoyed it, even with the ups and downs. Some evenings I might sit there and wonder but in the morning it’s all good.”

Q: You’ve received a lot of criticism as City’s owner during the bad times. How do you react to that?

“It doesn’t bother me that much because I cannot change it.

“I have a long-term relationship with the club. If we get beaten on a Saturday, then I’m over it by the Monday.

“You don’t leave your wife because she didn’t cook the food you like on Sunday. On Monday, maybe the meal is better.

“People want to blame somebody if things go wrong and I have to take it.

“But it depends on what level you are attacked. If it gets personal or really rude, then of course you think, ‘I wouldn’t treat you like that so why say such things?’ You get a thick skin.

“In most cases, it’s the keyboard warriors on the internet. I think it would be different if you visited them at home and met them face-to-face.

“Ryan and I went through much worse situations over the last four years. There’s absolutely nothing that can disturb me right now.”