Gert Mare

I saw a lot of similarities between Dicks and Pearson which is why I felt buoyed by the appointment. Dicks downfall was his unwavering loyalty to his 'boys', but anyone who understands the history is that there was a lot of squabbling in the board room, lots of ego's and costly power struggles. They do say history repeats itself........

Those who think that creating greater disparity between football clubs is for the good of the game aren't seeing the whole picture. The day that football truly becomes a closed shop will be the death of the great game. It's a real shame.

You cannot compare LM with LJ. LM hasn’t started anything yet with this club. It might take many months to get an understanding of LM and then there will be external factors (like injuries) which could easily skew the external perception of ‘success’. Whilst stats have some relevance in football, following a defined process can be worked out and counter-acted. The most important requirements are natural ability (skill, strength, speed, awareness) , speed of thought (decision making), character (psychology / self belief ) and empowerment. You need to have certain attributes depending on where you are positioned in the team, but as a collective you only have 2 outcomes (score a goal / prevent the opposition fro scoring a goal). Football is a simple game and it doesn’t need to be blinded by science. Coaching is great, but natural ability is instinctive. We can make average players better, but football geniuses are blessed (they also know it because they are adored which in turn fuels their ego and self belief and they are able to be even more expressive and confident on the field of play). This is why psychology (mindset) is one of the most important things in any sport. When they talk about ‘great man management’ they usually talk about managers whose players have total faith in their gaffer, feel valued and are encouraged to express their ability. Great players understand their responsibility to still be part of a team and help other team members to score the goal (Goalscorers turned providers etc) Maverick’s tend to be more about doing something impressive for themselves as opposed to being impressive for the benefit of the ‘team’. Sometimes Maverick’s can turn a game on its head, or sometimes they can be seen as a ‘luxury’ and can go missing for parts of a game or a number of games if they’re not feeling the love. Good players are confident, have ability, are aware not just of the tactics and a plan, but they are aware of opponents intentions and seem one step ahead. They have options, tease the opponent (Cat and Mouse - as LM said), wait for the opponent to show their hand and counteract it quickly. If LM can do these things and can get the players he needs (not necessarily from the academy) then he’ll be successful. Better to be unpredictable in your approach. If you can do that it makes the opposing managers job almost impossible. The match could end up 4-3, but my god it’s edge of the seat entertainment! LM states he wants to go high press and said that if the opposition goes high press then we’ll just play over it. So what if the opposition play over our high press? That’s what I am interested in understanding. What’s plan B and C LM?

Worked it out ages ago. They didn’t want to give money to a manager who took Leicester up and who built the future Premier League champions (5000-1) against. Smell the coffee? It’s about egos. You can’t instruct someone who has been there and done it to do something completely ‘Your way’ when your track record of success is poor. It’s not rocket science.

Yep, with you on this. Each to their own though. Unless you stand up to it you enable it to continue. It’s difficult to split feelings for the club from the owners so many fans choose to let it go. I’m out until they are out. Wish Liam all the best and hope they let him have some money to spend. I just can’t support the current regime though.

Harry and Lou-Lou are left answering all those phones ringing off the hook

We dust ourselves down If you can’t be in possession then be in position Box Entries The Cage I usually have to change tactics 4 or 5 times during a game He DID say he likes a blend of youth and experience and he also said that you need to look at the Academy first….for experience? Be prepared for a lot of “In terms of” during interviews.

Good luck Liam. You’ve taken on a massive challenge with unrealistic expectations. If you can turn water into wine you’ll have my utmost respect. Brave, Brave man.

Great shout! I’d have @Kid in the Riot in there so we can stay in touch with the mood of our fan base. I’d also have @Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan involved to simply cut the Sags to absolute shreds about anything they do.

I don’t really care to be honest. I’m past caring. Everyone is entitled to their opinions which I respect. Just saying how I see it. Only time will show the true effects of the decision that was made to part way with Nigel Pearson and if there is some element of truth in what KITR says about the health concerns then it should at least have been handled with more dignity. I appreciate those that who will choose to carry on despite the changes as I stated. You can still be a passionate fan of Bristol City FC regardless of your own personal opinions. I’ve just decided for myself that I’m not going to invest in the Lansdown project and I’ll continue to dream of the day when the football club (and only the football club) can untangle itself from this mess. Might be waiting a long time but hey-ho it is what it is.

I still think it was a serious mistake to sack NP. It certainly was a grave one for me in supporting the club whilst the Lansdown’s remain at the helm.

Do you believe that the Lansdown’s would tell any prospective manager the truth about their role at the club? Apparently Nigel was sacked because the under 23’s weren’t in the top 6, but probably could have been following games against Sheff Wed and QPR? Spot on. Totally deluded. No offence to Manning or anyone accepting the widely accepted poison challenge of becoming the new ‘Head Pelham Puppet’ at Ashton Gate, but nobody with any serious ambition in management is going to want to work under this noddy setup. If Manning or whoever else comes in their yardstick won’t be a winning streak when people return from the treatment table, but whether or not they can put half of the academy in the top 6 with 12 key players out injured. They’ve said it themselves, it’s a sackable offence. This football club is so interwoven with the Bristol Sport monstrosity that has been created by these clowns that we are struggling to find a serious investor. We’re totally entrenched by these wallies and it’s such a shame watching fans reluctantly sucking it up, accepting we are where we are and supporting whichever ‘puppet’ accepts their career ending move. Torn between the passion for YOUR club and the total shit show that has ruined it. I admire your passion to let things go for the sake of the team, but I just can’t let this one go myself. Thanks for the cash and the investment, but in order to reach the Premier League you need a blend of youth and experience and there has to be a balance. Never seen a side full of kids from the Championship reach the Premier League and don’t expect to see it in my lifetime with this club. Oh, and P.S. Stop sending me emails about watching the ******* Flyers. Once these muppets are gone I’ll come back. The only way to get rid is to vote with your feet and not simply roll over for a belly tickle and an insulting pat on the head.

Prepare for a totally underwhelming appointment

Having watch Brian Tinnon's video several times I have come to the following conclusions: - 1) "What is best / we want AS A FOOTBALL CLUB" = What Steve and Jon want 2) All teams will play the same way and young players will move up to the 1st team when required. 3) Spending money on players isn't sustainable - SL has invested in the academy and infrastructure (rather than spend vast amounts continuously in the transfer market and expects to see the return on that investment). Therefore, the academy is where the new "Head Coach" will be told to get new players from as they will have been trained to slot straight into Championship level football and understand their job 4) The new "Head Coach" will be expected to do exactly as they are told by SL / JL. They will need to be involved in training, play attacking football, utilise whatever resources they are "told" to utilise, without question, or face dismissal. 5) The new "Head Coach" will have to accept opinions from others who hold high positions within the club regarding team selection. Any inference as to who should and shouldn't be playing should actually be taken as a "firm directive". 6) Regardless of injuries, financial constraints, experience of regular Championship football, level of development, age etc. the team MUST be challenging in the top six or the "Head Coach" will be scapegoated for failure and dismissed. 7) The "Head Coach" must not have a strong personality or consider any instruction by the board to imply as "advisory" or they will be dismissed. 8). Supporters, sorry, CUSTOMERS must get behind whatever decisions the club makes as SL/JL are OWNERS, not CUSTODIANS of the Bristol Sport Group of which Bristol City FC is just one entity and tenant of a multi-purpose event stadium. 9) SL/JL or any other member of the club will not just front a response every time some of the customers may feel upset about any club decision. 10). As Brian Tinnion stated (and has been said many times before). This will be about sustainability, not a bottomless pit of cash, it's where we are, it's where we are going in the future, so shut the **** up and live with it!

They shot themselves in both feet and we laughed at them………..then we proceeded to shoot ourselves in the head.

I think I’ve seen enough now, especially with Tinnion’s interview posted earlier. We’re basically a club that will be run with the academy providing players to the first team and as soon as an offer comes in for those players they will be sold. No big investments in the market, just kids. The new coach won’t be able to question those above at all and will be sacked if the kids aren’t in the top 6. I’m now officially done until the Lansdown’s are gone. Just a bunch of complete head’s gone’s!

So from what I understand Tinnion says…. ”The next Puppet (Head Coach) has got to develop this team into the way the Lansdown’s want without questioning them at all. And then you’ll see a lot of young players coming through the academy into the team because we’re not prepared to spend any money in the transfer market when we’ve invested in the academy instead to make this club sustainable. And the coach has got to do exactly as they are dictated to by the Lansdown’s. TOUGH! That’s what the Lansdown’s are doing and if you don’t like it as fans you can **** off because we don’t care what you want. The next puppet (Head Coach) will do exactly as they are told and will be scapegoated if promotion isn’t achieved despite having no input of their own. Shut up and do as you are told or you’ll be sacked. Oh, and you’ll get sacked anyway when this cuckoo idea fails”

Lots of lip licking and rigid body language. The actions tell more of a story than the words.

Wow, just wow! Delusion confirmed directly from the crayon munchers mouth. They have an idea of the puppets they want to speak to next for the position of “Do as you’re told”. **** right off!

That was nearly it for me too and then they went and appointed Nigel Pearson and it felt like they were going to finally make a good decision for the club.

Great point. I think that the Lansdown's trusted LJ implicitly. Seems to be a bit of a Mexican stand off with anyone else. Especially if they have a difference of opinion regarding footballing matters.

Superb article. A club struggling to find its identity. Seems to be more about power struggles than a shared vision of success. The eyes of the world are now watching. The view of the Lansdown’s in the wider football community have changed and not in a positive way.

A couple of years ago this forum was full of supporters who were almost polar opposites in opinions. There were those that were almost anti anyone and there were those who were labelled “Happy Clappers”. Many brutal arguments ensued and always seemed to result in the questioning of how true a City supporter people were. One noticeable change under the Pearson regime seems to be the appreciation of differences of opinion amongst supporters. It does seem to me that everyone has been behind the team whether they are happy with the way the club is being run or not. I don’t think this can be underestimated as this could be a very toxic place at times. I attribute this to Nigel’s visibility and honesty. Like him or loathe him at least we understood his stance. Has anyone else noticed the change amongst us as supporters over the last few years?

I’m still pretty disillusioned by the decision to get rid of Nigel Pearson, even having had 24 hours to let it sink in. This could turn out to be either a master stroke or another complete balls up which sets us back. I guess time will tell? We have to get behind the new manager and the team, but right now I’m very concerned about the custodians of the club. Whilst I appreciate the money that has been invested I feel a disconnection that only appears to be growing. I’m beginning to lose interest and faith is shot to bits right now. I’m going to see how it goes over the next few weeks and months, but I do know that if we go backwards again following this latest decision then I’m done with the Lansdown regime as I just can’t see us going anywhere or taking any statement that they come up with seriously. The statement about expecting promotion with the state of the current squad is just totally unrealistic. At the moment I’m very close to calling it a day until the Lansdown’s are out of this club.

Did what he was asked to do and improved the fitness of the team noticeably. Changed the mentality and made us competitive in every game despite injuries to many key players. Expectations by the board to achieve promotion under those circumstances is delusional to say the least. Thanks for committing to a project that many managers would have point blank refused to even consider seriously.