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CEO Ryan Sparks hits back to criticism from former manager Derek Adams about Bradford City

CEO Ryan Sparks hits back to criticism from former manager Derek Adams after he gave his thoughts about his time at Bradford City.

Having left Plymouth in April 2019, he became manager of Morecambe in November of that year, and would guide the club to promotion to League One in 2021, before leaving to take over at Bradford in June 2021, but after spending most of the 2021–22 season in charge at the Bantams, he would return to Morecambe once again.

On the 15th of February 2022, Adams was sacked by the club with his last match in charge being a 1–0 home loss to Exeter City that left his side in 12th place, eight points off the playoffs.

Following this defeat, Adams said in his post-match interview, “If [Bradford] are going to get a new manager in they’re not going to get as successful a manager as myself in the door. That’s obvious to everyone, because my record is up there with all the records in this league.”

They then replaced him with Mark Hughes, who on the 4th of October 2023, was sacked as manager with Bradford sitting 18th in League Two after it was reportedly felt by the Bradford players that Hughes was trying to shoehorn Premier League tactics into the League Two side, and this ultimately contributed to the lack of success in his second season.

Back to Adams now and he says he still feels like he would have taken Bradford into the playoffs – and possibly out of League Two – during his time in charge.

When questioned by the Pilgrims Podcast about why it had not worked out at Bradford, he replied: “Where do you start there?

“Bradford City has the biggest supporters base in the league. It’s one of the smallest clubs inside in the league.

“It’s got no structure, no idea of its way out, doesn’t own its stadium, doesn’t own its training ground and has no foundation to it.

“I thought I could, I probably could have. The problem is you’ve got to keep the supporters onside for long enough.

“I didn’t win enough home games at the time. We drew too many.

“I still think I would have got them in the play-offs that season and probably got them out.

“But what did I do wrong? I probably was too honest.

“I didn’t do what Bradford City’s Twitter account says every time they get beaten. ‘Sorry supporters’, I didn’t say that enough.”

“To be fair to the CEO Ryan Sparks, he has spent the club’s money on getting new seats for the stadium.

“They have to spend £500,000 on rent each year just to start the season. They then have to do all the maintenance on that stadium as well and it’s not easy.

“The best advice I could give to a Bradford City supporter is support your manager through thick and thin and eventually you might get through that.

“It’s not just the manager, the CEO, the board of directors … if you’ve got 20 managers over 20 years, your recruitment process or the people at the top … there’s got to be something wrong somewhere.”

As of the 8th of November 2023, Morecambe sit 6th in League Two with 27 points from 15 games, while Bradford are 16th with 20 points from 16 games.

Interviewer: Um, one of those managers, Derek Adams, has been quite critical about the football club and the structure of the football club within the last 24 hours. I just wondered if you had any thoughts on. On what he’s had to say and whether there’s any truth from your perspective in what he’s had to say.

Ryan Sparks: What were his thoughts?

Interviewer: That he felt that Bradford City was a club that lacked structure I think was the direct quote.

RS: Yeah. Anything else?

Interviewer: That Bradford City albeit is a big club in the league is a small club inside.

RS: Yeah. I mean it sound like excuses for someone that was given a good opportunity and didn’t deliver. What he set out to deliver was given a very strong budget. The budget is higher now but when it was that manager’s budget was the highest it had ever been given out in the Fourth Division by this football club and he came up pretty short. Some way short of our expectations. Disappointing to hear that but not a surprise.

Spark also was asked for a comment by the Telegraph & Argus on what Adams had to say: “Derek had an excellent budget here. To me, those comments sound like a lengthy list of excuses. He was someone who ultimately failed here at the job he was given.”

This is what fans said as CEO Ryan Sparks hits back to criticism from former manager Derek Adams about Bradford City…

@markg80: Why did he pretend not to know what Adams had said when he had had answered the same question in a newspaper interview an hour earlier

@revdavidcoleman:
Revealed-
1. RS doesn’t know meaning of 1st choice
2. Was no plan for replacing MH
3. Despite RS prev not heard DAs comments he gave him kicking
4. RS takes glory for ‘success’ of play offs & not being relegated but not the ‘not good enough’ 16th place
#SparksOut #RuppOut #bcafc

@Adam_dufton: I don’t like RS one bit has a shitty attitude. When he gets asked the question you see in his facial expression he knows the questions but has to ask back. Pot kettle black really, have we gone forward since he has been CEO? #bcafc

@PaulLHickey: Unless I’m mistaken, the owner appoints the CEO and it’s his job to get good commercial results and appoint the manager. It’s then the managers job to work within budget and deliver on the pitch? Adams, Hughes and Alexander are all good hires on paper. Am I missing the point?

@1903bw: Sparks needs to just shut the fuck up

@kyan_rane: Ryan needs to start looking in a fucking mirror! Digging his own grave day by day, sooner he’s gone the better #BCAFC

@joe_parkerrr: Completely and utterly delusional, Adams is right and this clubs management is the reason we’ve been pissing around in this league for so long

@bcampbellesp82: Poor form from Sparks. Should take the high ground and tell the press that Adams’ opinion is exactly that and it’s disappointing it didn’t work out for him at City… no need to go any further than that. This just comes across as petty and immature #bcafc

@BB_9Eth: Derek Adams being the #bcafc hero was not on my November bingo card

@bencunliffe14: Anyone who knows anything about football will be trusting what DA says far more than RS. He’s seen both ends at Argyle, us and Morecambe. I’m fully inclined to believe him. RS refers to DA’s points as excuses, which is sort of admitting he could have a point. #bcafc

@acole2211: Sounds like he’s talking about himself

@jameschamley: Someone’s been given a good opportunity yet failed to deliver? Sounds like someone else we know Ryan…

@nickfoster_: Loves the limelight this fella

@CarlosS1kRR: He’d have been better advised just to say “that’s in the past, I disagree with his comments & we’re focussed on the future with Graham” done . It’s a non story .

@TomSagee: You’ve been rattled

@CameronGC02: Don’t really understand why he’s laughing when we’re 16th in League 2. Adams isn’t the only one to “not deliver”

@Shrimps1000: Oh well at least you have the right man in now… Alexander the Failed

@LeonHobbes: Also it was incredibly telling in this interview the way he said he works with the scouts and Gent to provide players for the manager. He really is turning into Edin isn’t he. #bcafc

@GabSutton: Appreciate Derek Adams got a lot wrong at #BCAFC and wasn’t the right person – but I do find it telling that Ryan Sparks turned the attention straight back on him without directly addressing the accusation. Suggests there’s some truth in it – and fans deserve better.

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