Last season is irrelevant/We have a right to be annoyed

[YoungRed]

What a season we are having and what a position we are in. But seeing all this talk of be greatful for where we are and look at where we were last season for me just shows a lack of ambition. We should be frustrated at how we have let this slip and mostly becuase the performances since the new year have been nowhere near the quality we produced at the start of the season. I think constructive frustration is good as it shows we are looking for the next step. 7th or 21st makes no difference to me and Not making the play offs this year will be a massively missed opputunity and would break my heart knowing we threw it away.

[Pezo]

Everything is relevant!

I get the frustration but you could also say we were playing above ourselves, got a few lucky results and were higher than we should have been - now we're not getting that luck so it's balancing itself out.

[BRISTOL86]

God we need a win, this place is so frigging depressing 

[Son of Fred]

53 minutes ago, YoungRed said:

What a season we are having and what a position we are in. But seeing all this talk of be greatful for where we are and look at where we were last season for me just shows a lack of ambition. We should be frustrated at how we have let this slip and mostly becuase the performances since the new year have been nowhere near the quality we produced at the start of the season. I think constructive frustration is good as it shows we are looking for the next step. 7th or 21st makes no difference to me and Not making the play offs this year will be a massively missed opputunity and would break my heart knowing we threw it away.

How right you are-happy with mediocrity??...a great opportunity being let slip.

It pays to be a winner.

[YoungRed]

18 minutes ago, Pezo said:

Everything is relevant!

I get the frustration but you could also say we were playing above ourselves, got a few lucky results and were higher than we should have been - now we're not getting that luck so it's balancing itself out.

Personally I don't think we were playing above ourselves that's what we clearly are capable of but now we have just gone off it. 

[BS4 on Tour...]

15 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

God we need a win, this place is so frigging depressing 

I thought stuffing Holloway’s QPR would kick start us....but all to no avail....but the doom and gloom on here is just rubbish! We are very competitive in one of the top 4 or 5 divisions in Europe....and it ain’t March for another two hours....and we are 7th...

[Pezo]

7 hours ago, YoungRed said:

Personally I don't think we were playing above ourselves that's what we clearly are capable of but now we have just gone off 

So what your basically saying is if we hadn't played well at the beginning of the season then this run would be ok but because we played well and you let your expectations be raised beyond a realistic possition (based on the fact that we haven't made massive changes from the side that scrapped relegation last season) that doesn't mean you afford the team a little slack but actually get on a public forum and accuse them of showing a lack of ambition and we should be frustrated?

[Gert Mare]

9 hours ago, YoungRed said:

Personally I don't think we were playing above ourselves that's what we clearly are capable of but now we have just gone off it. 

Totally agree mate. As far as I am concerned the "playing above ourselves" line is utter crap. You don't play in excess of half a season "above yourselves", we beat 4 premier league sides in the Carabao Cup for Christ sake, not one!  Writing over half a season off with a happy clapper statement is a defeatist response to an awful run. It was more applicable last year when we were simply reliant on the goals of Tammy Abraham. This year we are a far more balanced side with goals coming from all over the park.

If we finish outside of the playoffs this year we have thrown it away, you are absolutely correct.

Every fan would have taken a top half finish before the start of the season, but that fits well if you are languishing at the foot of the table and then pick up enough wins to steadily move up the league, or to flirt briefly with the playoffs before finding our level, but to be in touch with top spot and 9 points clear of 7th for in excess of 2/3rds of a season and to then launch into a similar disaster to last year,  repeating the ways and mistakes we lost games last season, before dropping out of the playoffs altogether?......that cannot be seen as anything less than a 'concern' in my opinion.

[Lrrr]

I don't think finishing 7th or 21st is a great point tbh, yes it means we miss on the play offs, but if we finish 7th it sets us up for the potential of a much better transfer window then if we finished 21st, players will be more keen to move to us. 

[The hand of RO'D]

Youth of today, they want everything NOW. Can you not see the progress? This is probject, if you want instant success go support Man City.

[spudski]

Can't wait to make the play off's...then lose.

Kinnel...this place would be obscene :laugh:

God help us if we dared spent 10 seasons finishing mid table :laugh:

[Lrrr]

54 minutes ago, spudski said:

Can't wait to make the play off's...then lose.

Kinnel...this place would be obscene

God help us if we dared spent 10 seasons finishing mid table

Oh no, stability in a competitive division

[Jack Dawe]

11 hours ago, BRISTOL86 said:

God we need a win, this place is so frigging depressing 

There is a very obvious solution to your predicament there (bearing in mind your limitations in influencing the result on Saturday, or indeed the weather which may extend our wait for a win).

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, spudski said:

Can't wait to make the play off's...then lose.

Kinnel...this place would be obscene

God help us if we dared spent 10 seasons finishing mid table

Dare I say it but making the play offs and losing would be in some ways acceptable given the nature of our sport .

Maklng the play offs and losing through lack of application or incompetence would not be . 

 

[Major Isewater]

16 minutes ago, hodge said:

Oh no, stability in a competitive division

Since the beginning of the year we have only been stable in relegation form, that is the worry .

It is unfathomable that we've gone from matching the best clubs in the world to losing against some of the worst . 

 

[spudski]

49 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

• Dare I say it but making the play offs and losing would be in some ways acceptable given the nature of our sport .

Maklng the play offs and losing through lack of application or incompetence would not be . 

 

One off games mate...anything can happen, like winning against Man Utd.

I can understand some fans being disappointed, however it's football. So many scenario's happen over the duration of a season.

So many things have effected our recent form. It hasn't surprised me that our form has dropped.

Lots have caught up.

People looking to blame, be it players, team selection, formations, buying in January etc.

It's not a computer game, yet some think it is.

It's not that simple...we are dealing with people not data.

I look at this division, the teams in it, those who have been building for many years, those struggling with far more resources, the ups and downs, there is no magic formula.

How do Reading finish 3rd last season and have such a poor season this?

And vise versa for us...all in the space of a few months.

People look to Bournemouth and Huddersfield and think that's the norm, and 'why can't we do it?'...'same old City' being spouted about.

Two years from complete rubbish to great season mainly in top 6, two great Cup runs, some fantastic football being played, that's entertaining.

If we had that every season...would we not be happy?

Fans are never happy...sometimes I envy supporters of the likes of Crewe, Rochdale, Bury and the likes.

You know where you stand, no aspirations...never deluded, you just go and enjoy the football with your mates, and a win is a bonus.

[Major Isewater]

23 minutes ago, spudski said:

One off games mate...anything can happen, like winning against Man Utd.

I can understand some fans being disappointed, however it's football. So many scenario's happen over the duration of a season.

So many things have effected our recent form. It hasn't surprised me that our form has dropped.

Lots have caught up.

People looking to blame, be it players, team selection, formations, buying in January etc.

It's not a computer game, yet some think it is.

It's not that simple...we are dealing with people not data.

I look at this division, the teams in it, those who have been building for many years, those struggling with far more resources, the ups and downs, there is no magic formula.

How do Reading finish 3rd last season and have such a poor season this?

And vise versa for us...all in the space of a few months.

People look to Bournemouth and Huddersfield and think that's the norm, and 'why can't we do it?'...'same old City' being spouted about.

Two years from complete rubbish to great season mainly in top 6, two great Cup runs, some fantastic football being played, that's entertaining.

If we had that every season...would we not be happy?

Fans are never happy...sometimes I envy supporters of the likes of Crewe, Rochdale, Bury and the likes.

You know where you stand, no aspirations...never deluded, you just go and enjoy the football with your mates, and a win is a bonus.

You echo most of my points Spudski. 

Whatever happens at the club no one is in the know completely so all we can do is air our humble views on here .

That is , is it not  , the reason the forum exists ?

All we have is our opinions which we are all entitled too . ( apart from Thatch , he hasn't the right ) .

 

[simon uk]

Starting to agree more and more with the original poster,,, attendances and revenue are probably at their highest in 40 years,, a well motivated young team, some fantastic performances in the cup,,, then january happens,,, or didnt in this case.

you could see from the villa game what was going to happen, our players were/ are knackered. We rely on a high press which is a killer for the players, and injuries meant we pretty much played the same team, for months. 

This isnt about lj or the players, who have given everything,, this is about the leadership of the club, who bottled it at the key moment. We are told all about the relationship with man city that lj has, we had the usual mark ashton/ david brent stuff coming out, but nothing has come of it, just when we needed it most. The fans, the players and the coaches all stepped up, but the club didnt.

 

 

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, spudski said:

 

It's not a computer game, yet some think it is.

 

Even Football Manager built some "forced random" into their game to avoid some winning runs becoming unstoppable.  

[BRISTOL86]

1 hour ago, spudski said:

One off games mate...anything can happen, like winning against Man Utd.

I can understand some fans being disappointed, however it's football. So many scenario's happen over the duration of a season.

So many things have effected our recent form. It hasn't surprised me that our form has dropped.

Lots have caught up.

People looking to blame, be it players, team selection, formations, buying in January etc.

It's not a computer game, yet some think it is.

It's not that simple...we are dealing with people not data.

I look at this division, the teams in it, those who have been building for many years, those struggling with far more resources, the ups and downs, there is no magic formula.

How do Reading finish 3rd last season and have such a poor season this?

And vise versa for us...all in the space of a few months.

People look to Bournemouth and Huddersfield and think that's the norm, and 'why can't we do it?'...'same old City' being spouted about.

Two years from complete rubbish to great season mainly in top 6, two great Cup runs, some fantastic football being played, that's entertaining.

If we had that every season...would we not be happy?

Fans are never happy...sometimes I envy supporters of the likes of Crewe, Rochdale, Bury and the likes.

You know where you stand, no aspirations...never deluded, you just go and enjoy the football with your mates, and a win is a bonus.

Well said Spud. Too much bullshit from people who think real life is a computer game. 

[Lrrr]

8 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Even Football Manager built some "forced random" into their game to avoid some winning runs becoming unstoppable.  

And then having teams like Stoke/Palace becoming regulars competing for the champions league places....

[spudski]

25 minutes ago, simon uk said:

Starting to agree more and more with the original poster,,, attendances and revenue are probably at their highest in 40 years,, a well motivated young team, some fantastic performances in the cup,,, then january happens,,, or didnt in this case.

you could see from the villa game what was going to happen, our players were/ are knackered. We rely on a high press which is a killer for the players, and injuries meant we pretty much played the same team, for months. 

This isnt about lj or the players, who have given everything,, this is about the leadership of the club, who bottled it at the key moment. We are told all about the relationship with man city that lj has, we had the usual mark ashton/ david brent stuff coming out, but nothing has come of it, just when we needed it most. The fans, the players and the coaches all stepped up, but the club didnt.

 

 

Again...it's not a computer game.

Do you think Players magically become available during January?

Do you think we can just magic funds out of thin air and buy who we like, when we like, regardless of contracts, funds available, FFP, players out injured who are taking a wage, the size of the squad come the end of the season, who will be available then etc,etc,etc.

You can't just magic players in January...and even if you could, the chances of them all clicking and performing well like the beginning of the season ( where we had a whole season and pre season to adapt to 'our way' ) are pretty slim.

With respect...I really do wonder sometimes if fans understand how a football club runs.

It's like giving comments on the in's and out's of brain surgery...would we? unless you're Joe Bryan may be :laugh:

[Frenchay Red]

Do you think an eminent heart surgeon should give comments on the ins and outs of brain surgery? 

[spudski]

40 minutes ago, Frenchay Red said:

Do you think an eminent heart surgeon should give comments on the ins and outs of brain surgery? 

There is now way JB would ever be a brain surgeon...He might be ok when entering, but coming back out he'd be all over the place, having to rectify his mistakes ;-) said firmly with tongue in cheek ;-)

[JamesBCFC]

8 minutes ago, spudski said:

There is now way JB would ever be a brain surgeon...He might be ok when entering, but coming back out he'd be all over the place, having to rectify his mistakes ;-) said firmly with tongue in cheek ;-)

Put there by the surgeon I assume.

[Jack Dawe]

17 hours ago, YoungRed said:

What a season we are having and what a position we are in. But seeing all this talk of be greatful for where we are and look at where we were last season for me just shows a lack of ambition. We should be frustrated at how we have let this slip and mostly becuase the performances since the new year have been nowhere near the quality we produced at the start of the season. I think constructive frustration is good as it shows we are looking for the next step. 7th or 21st makes no difference to me and Not making the play offs this year will be a massively missed opputunity and would break my heart knowing we threw it away.

The "be grateful" thing is mostly, but not exclusively, put about by supporters that were around in the 1980 - 1983 era, a time when a season such as this, and a Bristol City such as we have now, was unthinkable. Three successive relegations - just imagine it.

That was heart-breaking. This season represents enormous progress for this club, even from 4 or 5 years ago, never mind 35 years ago. 

I think it will be a big let-down if - assuming we are not promoted this season - we do not challenge the top six again next season, and instead struggle the other end of the table. Or stagnate in midtable. And all the improvement simply fades and leads to nothing.

Being a young 'un, all the talk of 1982 from old timers might be a bit like your dad banging on about "kids today" not knowing you are born etc, but it is important context to our current form and disappointment. In 71 seasons since the Second World War, we have finished above halfway in the second tier/division 15 times, I think. That leaves decades of very underwhelming lower league football, far and away more frustrating/annoying than this season. 

This is one of the better seasons any of us will have witnessed, and this level of English football has never been more challenging or competitive. 

You are right though: being second, and then third/fourth for so long, and now finding ourselves 7th is frustrating, and defeats like Sunday annoying. But there is enough about us to have some faith that whatever happens the end of this season, good and exciting things are still possible and likely in the future.

 

 

 

[spudski]

14 minutes ago, Jack Dawe said:

The "be grateful" thing is mostly, but not exclusively, put about by supporters that were around in the 1980 - 1983 era, a time when a season such as this, and a Bristol City such as we have now, was unthinkable. Three successive relegations - just imagine it.

That was heart-breaking. This season represents enormous progress for this club, even from 4 or 5 years ago, never mind 35 years ago. 

I think it will be a big let-down if - assuming we are not promoted this season - we do not challenge the top six again next season, and instead struggle the other end of the table. Or stagnate in midtable. And all the improvement simply fades and leads to nothing.

Being a young 'un, all the talk of 1982 from old timers might be a bit like your dad banging on about "kids today" not knowing you are born etc, but it is important context to our current form and disappointment. In 71 seasons since the Second World War, we have finished above halfway in the second tier/division 15 times, I think. That leaves decades of very underwhelming lower league football, far and away more frustrating/annoying than this season. 

This is one of the better seasons any of us will have witnessed, and this level of English football has never been more challenging or competitive. 

You are right though: being second, and then third/fourth for so long, and now finding ourselves 7th is frustrating, and defeats like Sunday annoying. But there is enough about us to have some faith that whatever happens the end of this season, good and exciting things are still possible and likely in the future.

 

 

 

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2017/09/20/the-story-of-bristol-citys-three-relegations-in-747-days/

[Garland-sweden]

Its a long season and I think we had our dip. Think we will finish the season well and be top six.

[JamesBCFC]

2 hours ago, Jack Dawe said:

The "be grateful" thing is mostly, but not exclusively, put about by supporters that were around in the 1980 - 1983 era, a time when a season such as this, and a Bristol City such as we have now, was unthinkable. Three successive relegations - just imagine it.

That was heart-breaking. This season represents enormous progress for this club, even from 4 or 5 years ago, never mind 35 years ago. 

I think it will be a big let-down if - assuming we are not promoted this season - we do not challenge the top six again next season, and instead struggle the other end of the table. Or stagnate in midtable. And all the improvement simply fades and leads to nothing.

Being a young 'un, all the talk of 1982 from old timers might be a bit like your dad banging on about "kids today" not knowing you are born etc, but it is important context to our current form and disappointment. In 71 seasons since the Second World War, we have finished above halfway in the second tier/division 15 times, I think. That leaves decades of very underwhelming lower league football, far and away more frustrating/annoying than this season. 

This is one of the better seasons any of us will have witnessed, and this level of English football has never been more challenging or competitive. 

You are right though: being second, and then third/fourth for so long, and now finding ourselves 7th is frustrating, and defeats like Sunday annoying. But there is enough about us to have some faith that whatever happens the end of this season, good and exciting things are still possible and likely in the future.

 

 

 

I find that highly unlikely, but it's a popular thing to do on here- put the younger ones down.

[simon uk]

4 hours ago, spudski said:

Again...it's not a computer game.

Do you think Players magically become available during January?

Do you think we can just magic funds out of thin air and buy who we like, when we like, regardless of contracts, funds available, FFP, players out injured who are taking a wage, the size of the squad come the end of the season, who will be available then etc,etc,etc.

You can't just magic players in January...and even if you could, the chances of them all clicking and performing well like the beginning of the season ( where we had a whole season and pre season to adapt to 'our way' ) are pretty slim.

With respect...I really do wonder sometimes if fans understand how a football club runs.

It's like giving comments on the in's and out's of brain surgery...would we? unless you're Joe Bryan may be

Well we have people in the club whose job is to sign players. We were a top 6 championship club, and had just knocked man united out of the cup, and due to be playing man city twice. 

We didnt have to magic players, we actually signed 3 didnt we?? One was a million quid and had made no impact when clearly we were desperate for some immediate support for smith and pack. One was a loan striker with a likely quite significant loan fee paid,,, presumably which would be offset against any transfer fee in the summer, and hes made no impact when clearly we were desperate for some inmediate support for reid. The other is a winger, where again there was probably a fair sized loan fee,  presumably to throw into the squad to compete against the likes of patterson, eliason and probably bryan, with O’Dowda due back within a couple of months.

real life might not be like a football game, but it certainly is possible for a championship club to sign a player in the january transfer window. If thats the best the club can come up with then thats fine,,, but dont start blowing smoke about going for promotion. We may as well not have bothered.