B-Rizzle

So much hysteria on this thread. I totally get the frustration of the Lansdown’s lack of transparency in recent times but so many are talking as if NP is the messiah. I agree he’s done a good job in difficult circumstances and that we’re now in a healthy position football wise (with a optimistic future) but the jury is still out on the pitch, to a certain extent. If we were to lose the next 4 games, how many on here would have changed their minds. A lot, I expect!

I was very much in the Pearson out camp last Christmas before he started sorting things out a bit. I’ve never been quite convinced by him nor do I buy into the ‘he’s sorted the wages out’ narrative as that’s not his remit. However, I do respect the circumstances he’s worked in, the stability he’s slowly built and the strong foundations of a squad and coaching staff that we now have. He definitely doesn’t deserve to be sacked but I do understand the reluctance to give him a new contract as he hasn’t ever quite done it on the pitch consistently, yet. I think this season with the good squad we now have is key in my mind about whether he deserves a new deal and the next couple of months could be key in this. Have a good run = new deal. Go on a bad run = could easily be sacked. My biggest overall frustration in this is the lack of comment from SL from so long which has resulted in so much speculation. I wish he’d communicate better, or allow his employees (Tins) to on his behalf.

Of course I’m speculating and any potential takeover is hypothetical. I’m just trying to present a different interpretation of recent events because I’m struggling to make sense of them without!

How do you know?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This must be something to do with a potential sale, no? SL has had a lot of grief in recent months: first over the lack of investment following the sale of Scott and now this. While I agree with most, that this doesn’t reflect well on SL, it does seem to me that he’s preparing for a fairly imminent sale… He’s making us more financially attractive and doesn’t have a manager under a whopping long contract (that future owners might want to replace at some point). We might not like it right now, in the short term, but if this strategy results in us in getting the best possible new owner then isn’t this actually good stewardship from SL and good for Bristol City? (it’s always good to play devils advocate a bit otherwise people just keep whipping each other up into hysteria)

No news on this yet?

I’ve no idea what the craic is with Phil Alexander but to me it’s becoming clearer and clearer that SL in general is succession planning and preparing the club for a sale. A previous poster compared us to Ipswich pre their takeover and commented that they were appealing FFP-wise. Is that not what SL might be doing now, getting finances in order? Yet, everyone’s slagging him off for not pushing the budget. Isn’t a sale what these same people want?!

We don’t have details yet but am surprised how many people seem really attached to Alexander and are furious about this. Has he done that good a job so far? Too early to tell really but can’t say I’m overly fussed. Think many are using it to push an anti SL agenda without knowing any facts.

Percy Parrot?

Gary O’Neill once he gets sacked at Wolves

I agree with you but also think your post sums up entirely what the issue is… What more could Pearson do? Answer: coach a successful football team. Make us better than the sum of our parts. Get us winning more games than losing and get us climbing the league? Sound like a big ask, it is but that’s literally the job of a football manager/ head coach. All those things you list are things the club have achieve that aren’t primarily NPs role. He hasn’t lowered the wage bill, improved the academy pathway and singed young players. He’s worked in a wider team that have achieved those things. Credit to him that he’s been willing to do that and certainly credit to him in being bold with playing young players but I don’t buy into giving him credit for financial matters - THAT IS NOT HIS JOB. And all this is precisely why I’m not 100% sold on him as we’re pretty bang average and have been the entire time under his tenure. I think SL also feels this and that’s why I don’t think we’ll see him here loads longer.

My view is: The club HAVE invested (certainly prior to Scott’s sale), using the Semenyo money. But perhaps this hasn’t been to the degree that some hoped/ expected, particularly since some big earners have left and we’ve pocketed £25m. I, along with others, feel we’re a little short in numbers and there could be issues if there are significant injuries to our GK, a centre half or another striker (we’re already struggling having TC out). It’s interesting to hear the club say we’re right on the limit of our wage budget complying with FFP. Haven’t quite got my head around how this can be. Quite a few people have commented on rumours that SL isn’t sold on NP and for what’s it’s worth, I’m not 100% sold either. Currently looks unlikely that NP will be offered a new deal. Are the club (SL) holding back a little either with a view that they’ll invest more heavily with a new coach in the future, or, is SL preparing the club to be in a good position selling wise. E.g. get the wage bill under control, invest a bit in youth and bank most of the revenue from player sales so that the club are in a good FFP position so that future investors have more FFP wiggle room to ‘go for it’ a bit more when they first come in?

He’s likely waiting until the window closes and then will sign for someone. I expect he’ll sign somewhere in early September. If he’s not got a club after a week or two then he’s clearly not played this situation very well.

That’s fine but that policy suggests that our wage budget is significantly lower than rivals which I don’t think is true (apart from parachute payment teams). If other teams can recruit from abroad to fit their wage structure, why can’t we? I do accept the clubs stance on prem loans being too costly though but I’m not sure I quite buy into the rest of their narrative. Having sold Scott for £25m, we should have enough free money to replace him with someone who is more than an academy prospect. Having offered Kalas a contract that wasn’t signed (yet), we should have budget for another centre half.

Think the Europe point is a good one. We never seemed to recruit from Europe, then we had a bit of a foray under LJ which largely didn’t work out and now we’ve reverted to domestic recruitment only. Think we’re missing a trick tbh when you look at other teams in the league.

The alleged victim has a right to life long anonymity which is exactly why they won’t tell you that the person he’s had a kid with is the same person - that would ruin their anonymity, wouldn’t it… as bizarre as that might sound.

In my view, you’re right to a certain degree but you can’t hide away from the fact that the recording IS in the public domain. He may not have been found legally guilty of any crime but as that snippet of evidence is public, the public will make up their own minds about him in line with their own moral compass. My question is: Are United actually able to legally terminate his contract if he’s not been found guilty of anything? If no, then it’s conversation over regardless of how any of us feel about that. Personally I get Utd’s point about also having a responsibility to MG himself and rehabilitation etc but I think they can still ‘support him’ without keeping his employment as a footballer.

This is rubbish news! Feel so sorry for TC - thought he was going to go from strength to strength this season. On the frustrating amount of injuries front, does anyone have any data (Fevs?) that can compare the amount of injuries to senior players we’ve had compared to other sides in recent years?

Fair enough. Don’t mean it in a derogatory way against Naismith himself at all. Shall I try again?… Seems like Naismith is quite injury prone at the moment which is a frustrating one for him and us. We need him available more than he was last year, especially with Atkinson out for another few months.

Naismith becoming a little bit of a sick note? Frustrating one.

Do we still think the Kalas offer will be on the table once Roberts signs? Do we still have the budget/ space for him? Particularly as NP likes a small squad? Depth: Pring Atkinson, Roberts Dickie, Vyner Tanner, McRorie Are we more likely to go back in for Currie or sign up Kalas? For me, there’s only space for one more body in that back line without things looking too ‘busy’. Thoughts?

It’s pretty fair enough that Bryan is considering other options. If they don’t materialise then of course NP would still be up for signing him. That is literally how the transfer window works. There’s nothing to get pissy about. The only issue is if NP feels we need to move onto other targets and that waiting for JB is too greater gamble. If we sign Roberts or Currie then that will put Joe Bryan’s return to bed - regardless if he finds a contract abroad or not.

Yeah, but that isn’t advertised as ‘first day back’ on socials at the start of June, is it? Still seems weirdly early but the previous point about lots of players on international duty makes some sense.

Burnley have just tweeted that they’re back for preseason today. Today!! The EPL has only just finished, play offs only just finished and they’re back already? What? Why? How? Isnt it usually around 1st July for most clubs or last week of June at earliest?

That’s the usual pattern but JB is still on loan at Nice and don’t think their season finishes for a couple of days. Pretty sure we won’t hear anything until their season has finished and he has ‘returned’ to Fulham.