Bradford City chairman Stefan Rupp on his new approach to owning the League Two club

Although he is very quick to point out he watches every game, he almost always does so on internet streams. Or did.

In March came a seismic shock.

Yet another failure to get out of English football's fourth tier, where the former Premier League club have been marooned since 2019 brought angry protests against the absentee landlord and his chief executive Ryan Sparks.

Lessons have been learnt, Rupp insists. Things are about to change.

He will be more communicative, more vocal and dig deeper into his pockets. He is looking to buy back Valley Parade and for the division's biggest club to start throwing its considerable weight around. Fans got it in writing three months ago and on Tuesday in person.

The process started with a rare trip to Valley Parade to see his side trounced 5-1 to Mansfield Town, the second of four consecutive defeats in March.

"I was there to the very last second of the game," he points out, realising his role as lightning rod.

“It’s different (watching games in person) than if you see it on iFollow, no matter how big the screen is.”

At the end of the losing run, and after Sparks requested a one-to-one in Germany, Rupp wrote an open letter promising change, albeit not the change of owner many wanted.

On the back of it, the team got its act together.

Six wins and a draw in the last seven games was too little, too late – classic Bradford, building hopes up only to smash them down, missing the League Two play-offs by a point.

It could have papered over the cracks but on a hot Tuesday, Rupp was coming good on the promise in his letter to be more communicative and more visible. First he fronted up to local media, then a fans' forum.

It is a sign of things to come.

“When I bought the club eight years ago, I always wanted to be the guy in the background and not in the limelight," he admits. “But over the years, it became more clear that it’s more important to talk to people.

“The most important lesson I have learned is you have to take the criticism of the people very seriously.

“Nobody owns a football club because it’s nice to have. You want to win promotion.”

He says he does not only want to talk more, but listen more.

“If there is criticism, I’m happy to take it and to learn from it," he says.

"It’s a forward-and-back communication. It’s not just about me talking but also people asking questions and giving me their feedback. This is the best way of communicating.”

A key promise Sparks extracted in March's Munich summit was to loosen the financial handcuffs of his break-even policy.

“We are not there to end up somewhere mediocre in mid-table," stresses Rupp as Sparks listens on. "Our main goal is getting promoted. I have to provide the funds to do this.”

It all sounds like Rupp is here to stay. In late 2021 he discussed selling to cryptocurrency firm WAGM United but got cold feet when there was another backlash. They bought Crawley Town, last season's League Two play-off winners, instead.

“It’s like a marriage,” he smiles. “You don’t have only good times – you have bad times and have to stick together and make the best out of it.

“I think I have a responsibility for the club, the supporters and also for the city. I don’t want to give that up.

“If you look actively for an investor, it won’t be a good one that comes along. If someone comes along with much deeper pockets and can provide much more than I could, of course I would consider a sale.

“You always have conversations but there are a lot of tyre-kickers. I’m not here to sell the club. I want to be a good custodian.”

Minority investors seem to be all rage now – what about that?

"Honestly speaking I have not thought about that.

“I knew it could be an expensive endeavour. You always have to find this fine line between investing enough and being competitive but making sure you don’t accumulate debt that could close you down.

“When we took over, we faced quite difficult times and I could have easily turned around and gone away.

“Last season, we got to a semi-final (in the Football League Trophy) and almost went into the play-offs for the second time in a row.

"Sometimes it’s two steps back and one forward but you go on.

“I want to see this club being successful again and see it being where we were. That is my intention.”

There are limits to Rupp 2.0, though. He will not be taking back the power he has delegated.

“You should not try to do something you don’t have a clue about," he laughs. “You need the right people in the right positions and I feel we definitely have that.”

The words were good but like everything in football, they will be tested on the field.