Rudkin

[Aus Fox]

11 hours ago, Its11th heaven said:

Most people don’t really know Rudkin let alone anything about what he does. They target him because recruitment hasn’t delivered success and at the moment they can’t bring themselves to target RVN.

 

I’m not saying Rudkin is or isn’t good at his job but I don’t think it is reasonable to single the bloke out for chants of personal abuse based on limited knowledge.

At the end of the day, he is the person who is ultimately in charge of all things football through the whole club. So when we’ve fallen form challenging the big 5, to looking like two relegations in three seasons. With little to no recruitment (we are basically playing the same back 4 that got relegated two years ago, with the same 38 year old leading the line.)  Not a single position has been improved on since we last got relegated with the exception of goalkeeper- we are relying now on a GK who came through the system and still played the goalkeeper that was a large part of the relegation. 
We are not seeing the quality young players have a path way into the first team, unless there are significant injuries. We aren’t seeing our young players have successful loans and to make matters worse we played some of them in meaningless cup game, knowing they were going out on loan, and now those loans haven’t worked we can’t organise a new loan.

We’ve hung on to underperforming mangers - who told the board he didn’t have the players to be successful, put temporary managers in place for key games, hired Smith and Cooper and now looking like Rudd who don’t seem up to the task.

The last 4 permanent managers have all complained about being promised funds for transfers that didn’t materialise and have upset them.

I could go on, but you get my point? Rudkin though is ultimately responsible for all of these things.

Now there are others at the club such as Whelan, Top and other board members who are responsible for other calamitous decisions such as the £25 season card, the crap communication at all levels from the r club, the not allowing the mental health flyers, the lack of action on ground improvements, the fiasco with the shirt sponsor, kids not being able to get the same shirts as players, the failing to listen to the fans on a number of key decisions…

Again I could go on, but you get the gist? And see why supporters are pissed off? At the end of the day, if things are going well on the pitch you can forgive some of the rubbish of the pitch. Because we all want a successful club on the pitch and it’s what we live for. Rudkin is getting the brunt of it, because he’s the one responsible for these things. But more and more the on field is shedding a light on the off field, hence sack the board and top/whelan out chants.

[Its11th heaven]

12 hours ago, Foxin_Mad said:

He's director of football hence he is in charge of football, which has largely been shite for four years. He determines the strategy, the ethos, the philosophy, the structure, the direction of the football operation, he chooses the manager, he's involved in transfer deals. He decides if a player fits the clubs direction and strategy. All these aspects are a complete failure. Anyone with half an ounce of self awareness and decency would probably do the right thing and quit. 

So you’re saying he does everything? No one else involved?

[Its11th heaven]

31 minutes ago, Aus Fox said:

At the end of the day, he is the person who is ultimately in charge of all things football through the whole club. So when we’ve fallen form challenging the big 5, to looking like two relegations in three seasons. With little to no recruitment (we are basically playing the same back 4 that got relegated two years ago, with the same 38 year old leading the line.)  Not a single position has been improved on since we last got relegated with the exception of goalkeeper- we are relying now on a GK who came through the system and still played the goalkeeper that was a large part of the relegation. 
We are not seeing the quality young players have a path way into the first team, unless there are significant injuries. We aren’t seeing our young players have successful loans and to make matters worse we played some of them in meaningless cup game, knowing they were going out on loan, and now those loans haven’t worked we can’t organise a new loan.

We’ve hung on to underperforming mangers - who told the board he didn’t have the players to be successful, put temporary managers in place for key games, hired Smith and Cooper and now looking like Rudd who don’t seem up to the task.

The last 4 permanent managers have all complained about being promised funds for transfers that didn’t materialise and have upset them.

I could go on, but you get my point? Rudkin though is ultimately responsible for all of these things.

Now there are others at the club such as Whelan, Top and other board members who are responsible for other calamitous decisions such as the £25 season card, the crap communication at all levels from the r club, the not allowing the mental health flyers, the lack of action on ground improvements, the fiasco with the shirt sponsor, kids not being able to get the same shirts as players, the failing to listen to the fans on a number of key decisions…

Again I could go on, but you get the gist? And see why supporters are pissed off? At the end of the day, if things are going well on the pitch you can forgive some of the rubbish of the pitch. Because we all want a successful club on the pitch and it’s what we live for. Rudkin is getting the brunt of it, because he’s the one responsible for these things. But more and more the on field is shedding a light on the off field, hence sack the board and top/whelan out chants.

He sure is a busy man. 

[Its11th heaven]

9 hours ago, ozvaldo said:

Go to bed, Jon. 
 

 

No thanks 

[Its11th heaven]

12 hours ago, Royston. said:

Am i right that the only staff Top has ever sacked are team managers?

 

That is just delusional and shows he has no vision or likely no desire to change things at boardroom level

People need a scapegoat because it makes them feel better. Doesn’t change anything but at least they’ve expressed their anger.

[fox_favourite]

5 minutes ago, Its11th heaven said:

So you’re saying he does everything? No one else involved?

Be he's the lead on the footballing side. He gets paid top dollar to have that responsibility. If he has others around him or below him (snigger) that are failing or part of the issue, it's his job to identify it and sort it. If it's failing it's his job to report it if it affects his department from other sides to the owner. 

 

Rudkin is part of the issue, the only issue, no. But it's his job to make the footballing side successful and at the moment it's a failure. Change is needed. Fresh ideas, fresh outlook and a fresh enthusiasm. It's stale and he's at the centre 

 

If you were failing in your job and it's affecting the business, your manager doesn't identify it then that falls on him. Same in this situation 

Edited 25 January by fox_favourite

[fox_favourite]

Is Rudkin the only issue - no. But he's one of the main cogs in a very broken engine. 

 

He knows how much these average players are paid, he can see it's not working, he employed the wrong man in the summer and sanctioned the players they bought, he was part of a board that let the most expensive side in premier league history get relegated. We know for certain he's involved in contract talks as Vardy say as much as the parade when asked if he was staying on. 

 

If a business failed in that way in the private sector, directors heads would roll to rebuild and not let that happen again. 

 

Like I say, not all on him, but he's a part of a bigger issue at the club. 

 

There's no hiding now.

Edited 25 January by fox_favourite

[smudgerfox]

Vesty seems to have been a first choice …no? 

[blue army 1988]

I get both sides of this.

No one really knows what Rudkin does at the club. Does he make the big decisions.....who knows.

Does he offer these stupid high wage contracts....who knows.

Personaly I think it's not just him but Top and Whelan too.

 

But at the end of the day he is "supposed" to be running the club. And if he goes and we get someone in who has experience in that role then hopefully it will start to trickle down the ranks and things will change.

[fox_favourite]

2 minutes ago, blue army 1988 said:

I get both sides of this.

No one really knows what Rudkin does at the club. Does he make the big decisions.....who knows.

Does he offer these stupid high wage contracts....who knows.

Personaly I think it's not just him but Top and Whelan too.

 

But at the end of the day he is "supposed" to be running the club. And if he goes and we get someone in who has experience in that role then hopefully it will start to trickle down the ranks and things will change.

I agree with your point and this is the frustration. No one knows as there has been a lack of transparency at the club. 

 

I would say he is part of contract decisions as Vards hinted to it at the parade. But he is part of the issue, like I say. 

[Foxy-Lady]

2 hours ago, Its11th heaven said:

He sure is a busy man. 

Thats why he gets paid a lot of money!   As a previous poster said, if he had been a director of a PLC overseeing such a calamitous period of performance in terms of results an financially, he would have been long gone by now

[Vazman]

On 24/01/2025 at 10:58, Dan LCFC said:

Is that Coady that Percy refers to on £100k a week?

 

Get this bloke out the club. They are purposely sabotaging us.

If true that is crazy 1. We are not getting that moneys worth of performance and 2. He simply put is not and has never ever been good enough to earn that much.

[lcfc_forever]

Put this in another thread but fits here as well: 

 

https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/leicester-fans-what-wrong-3498315

[Foxy-Lady]

2 hours ago, Its11th heaven said:

People need a scapegoat because it makes them feel better. Doesn’t change anything but at least they’ve expressed their anger.

Are you referring to the fans or Rudkin with this comment as we have had 7 managers in the past 7 seasons (excl Smith), and 5 of them have been sacked....so far!

 

For too long, supporters have looked to the managers as the scapegoats and Cooper was definitely the victim of this mentality and yet evidence suggests that changing the manager has rarely improved our situation.

Maresca was the only manager who left on his own accord but he succeeded in the Championship and not the PL.  The other 5 were sacked by the same people that appointed them and RVN s record so far does not indicate he will be  the answer to our problems either  (1/9 win ratio having Lost the last 7 consecutive games!) 

 

More tellingly, the only constant through this period of failure has been the Owner and senior management who oversee these managerial changes.

And yet, none of them have ever been sacked or accepted ownership for these failings. Its always been the manager that gets the blame (scapegoat???)....the same managers that they themselves appoint. 

 

We were promised a thorough and in-depth review of all operations after the disaster of the relegation season....and yet again, we heard nothing, nothing changed, no-one was fired and the same people are still in charge of making the decisions that continue to have disastrous consequences. 

And yet, the club continues to point the finger of blame at under-performing managers?????

 

Consider this...

 

We are one of only 2 clubs in PL history to have ever won the PL title and then been subsequently relegated. 

Blackburns success was built purely on the back of Jack Walkers £millions and their demise was the result of a disastrous change of ownership when the money dried up. 

Our success was the complete opposite and was NOT bought in any way.....and we actually made £millions on the back of subsequent player sales.

And yet, the money has still dried up...!

 

We have received transfer revenue in excess of £500m in the past 8 seasons yet we have no money left to spend on player recruitment due to some disastrous signings, player wages being significantly over-inflated Vs performance and long-term contracts being awarded to under-performing and ageing players who we are now unable to move on because other clubs wont match those wages.

And in the midst of all that, we had 3 players who cost us a combined spend of £100m leaving us on FREE transfers because we allowed them to run down their contracts (Tielmans, Soyuncu, Perez)

And yet....we faced a points deduction for breaching PL PSR financial rules which we only narrowly avoided purely on a technicality

 

And Yet.....despite all this EVIDENCE, you still think its the fans that are looking scapegoats?

 

Im not sure its the fans that are looking for a scapegoat. I think the scapegoats have always been the managers and the real issue has gone unresolved for far too long.

 

Quite simply, we have an under-qualified DoF who would probably have never got the job in the first place at any other PL club and will almost certainly never get another job at a similar level at any another PL football club......and who would have been fired long before now if he worked in private industry and overseen the results that he has in the past 7 years. 

 

 

 

[Vlad the Fox]

3 hours ago, Its11th heaven said:

He sure is a busy man. 

He is, maybe he should have stood down from his other jobs and focused on being a dof, got good people in around him and we wouldn’t be in this mess. 
 

But he hasn’t and as such should face the consequences of his failure.

Edited 25 January by Vlad the Fox

[Foxy-Lady]

2 minutes ago, Vlad the Fox said:

He is, maybe he should have stood down from his other jobs and focused on being a dof, got good people in around him and we wouldn’t be in this mess. 
 

But he hasn’t and as such should face the consequences of his failure.

Those who know him will tell you that Rudkin is a very manipulative and calculating person who has reached the levels he has by throwing a lot of other people under the bus.

Personally, i suspect he has always been insecure in his role as DoF as a result of not having the experience or CV to fit the role and it was purely a result of "timing" and his relationship with KV and Top that elevated him to the role of DoF in the first place

 

In business (as in life!), the reality is that Insecure people will rarely surround themselves with good people as they will always perceive that as a threat.  Insecure people tend to surround themselves with "yes" people who aren't necessarily capable of giving the best advice, but will always be loyal to them.....hence why so many bad decisions get approved and not properly challenged.   

[foxinsocks]

1 minute ago, Foxy-Lady said:

Those who know him will tell you that Rudkin is a very manipulative and calculating person who has reached the levels he has by throwing a lot of other people under the bus.

Personally, i suspect he has always been insecure in his role as DoF as a result of not having the experience or CV to fit the role and it was purely a result of "timing" and his relationship with KV and Top that elevated him to the role of DoF in the first place

 

In business (as in life!), the reality is that Insecure people will rarely surround themselves with good people as they will always perceive that as a threat.  Insecure people tend to surround themselves with "yes" people who aren't necessarily capable of giving the best advice, but will always be loyal to them.....hence why so many bad decisions get approved and not properly challenged.   

I met him a few times.... he seemed vague and unfocused.   He had no insight into why we won the epl.

Professionally I have worked with directors of ft100 companies... he is nowhere near that standard

[Vlad the Fox]

20 minutes ago, Foxy-Lady said:

Those who know him will tell you that Rudkin is a very manipulative and calculating person who has reached the levels he has by throwing a lot of other people under the bus.

Personally, i suspect he has always been insecure in his role as DoF as a result of not having the experience or CV to fit the role and it was purely a result of "timing" and his relationship with KV and Top that elevated him to the role of DoF in the first place

 

In business (as in life!), the reality is that Insecure people will rarely surround themselves with good people as they will always perceive that as a threat.  Insecure people tend to surround themselves with "yes" people who aren't necessarily capable of giving the best advice, but will always be loyal to them.....hence why so many bad decisions get approved and not properly challenged.   

I know one person that used to know him (coach) and he didn’t like him, said he belittled people. 
 

Never understood the feeling threatened by having people has good as or if not better than you, if you’ve put that team together you’re as much a part of the success as the people in the team. In part your skill is in identifying the people to make the company/department a success. It certainly makes your own job easier than fighting fires all the time. 

Edited 25 January by Vlad the Fox

[HankMarvin]

21 minutes ago, foxinsocks said:

I met him a few times.... he seemed vague and unfocused.   He had no insight into why we won the epl.

Professionally I have worked with directors of ft100 companies... he is nowhere near that standard

What insight could he offer that a fan wasn’t aware of? It was essentially a miracle if there was a blueprint we wouldn’t have been relegated and look like being relegated again.

[Foxy-Lady]

25 minutes ago, foxinsocks said:

I met him a few times.... he seemed vague and unfocused.   He had no insight into why we won the epl.

Professionally I have worked with directors of ft100 companies... he is nowhere near that standard

Exactly the same for me!

[Foxy-Lady]

10 minutes ago, Vlad the Fox said:

I know one person that used to know him (coach) and he didn’t like him, said he belittled people. 
 

Never understood the feeling threatened by having people has good as or if not better than you, if you’ve put that team together you’re as much a part of the success as the people in the team. In part your skill is in identifying the people to make the company/department a success. It certainly makes your own job easier than fighting fires all the time. 

Exactly right.

But unfortunately, its part of human psychology

Surrounding yourself with good people, listening to them, giving them freedom to challenge and empowering them is a huge part of any success.....but its not what insecure people do

 

The collapse of Lehman Bros bank is a very infamous case study of a meglomaniac leader who surrounded himself with very good people but then instilled a sense of fear in them so they refrained from challenging bad decisions for fear of losing their well paid jobs which ultimately resulted in his disastrous leadership decisions never being challenged....and the spectacular collapse of the bank as a result of those disastrous decisions. 

 

[5waller5]

9 hours ago, Its11th heaven said:

He sure is a busy man. 

Is this Babylon’s alternative account?

[ealingfox]

Will always make me chuckle that some people think 'we don't know what he does at the club!!!' is a defence of the bloke and not another reason to get rid.

[5waller5]

6 hours ago, Foxy-Lady said:

Are you referring to the fans or Rudkin with this comment as we have had 7 managers in the past 7 seasons (excl Smith), and 5 of them have been sacked....so far!

 

For too long, supporters have looked to the managers as the scapegoats and Cooper was definitely the victim of this mentality and yet evidence suggests that changing the manager has rarely improved our situation.

Maresca was the only manager who left on his own accord but he succeeded in the Championship and not the PL.  The other 5 were sacked by the same people that appointed them and RVN s record so far does not indicate he will be  the answer to our problems either  (1/9 win ratio having Lost the last 7 consecutive games!) 

 

More tellingly, the only constant through this period of failure has been the Owner and senior management who oversee these managerial changes.

And yet, none of them have ever been sacked or accepted ownership for these failings. Its always been the manager that gets the blame (scapegoat???)....the same managers that they themselves appoint. 

 

We were promised a thorough and in-depth review of all operations after the disaster of the relegation season....and yet again, we heard nothing, nothing changed, no-one was fired and the same people are still in charge of making the decisions that continue to have disastrous consequences. 

And yet, the club continues to point the finger of blame at under-performing managers?????

 

Consider this...

 

We are one of only 2 clubs in PL history to have ever won the PL title and then been subsequently relegated. 

Blackburns success was built purely on the back of Jack Walkers £millions and their demise was the result of a disastrous change of ownership when the money dried up. 

Our success was the complete opposite and was NOT bought in any way.....and we actually made £millions on the back of subsequent player sales.

And yet, the money has still dried up...!

 

We have received transfer revenue in excess of £500m in the past 8 seasons yet we have no money left to spend on player recruitment due to some disastrous signings, player wages being significantly over-inflated Vs performance and long-term contracts being awarded to under-performing and ageing players who we are now unable to move on because other clubs wont match those wages.

And in the midst of all that, we had 3 players who cost us a combined spend of £100m leaving us on FREE transfers because we allowed them to run down their contracts (Tielmans, Soyuncu, Perez)

And yet....we faced a points deduction for breaching PL PSR financial rules which we only narrowly avoided purely on a technicality

 

And Yet.....despite all this EVIDENCE, you still think its the fans that are looking scapegoats?

 

Im not sure its the fans that are looking for a scapegoat. I think the scapegoats have always been the managers and the real issue has gone unresolved for far too long.

 

Quite simply, we have an under-qualified DoF who would probably have never got the job in the first place at any other PL club and will almost certainly never get another job at a similar level at any another PL football club......and who would have been fired long before now if he worked in private industry and overseen the results that he has in the past 7 years. 

 

 

 

The best post on FT for quite some time!! 

[Mickyblueeyes]

5 minutes ago, ealingfox said:

Will always make me chuckle that some people think 'we don't know what he does at the club!!!' is a defence of the bloke and not another reason to get rid.

Gives us a new idea for a chant:

 

”We don’t know what you’re doing”