Alessandro

I kind of hope we don’t see him till next season, even if he’s fit/getting fitter. Given his problems and our recent run on returning players, absolutely no need to rush him back and he may well benefit from an extended return over the spring/summer.

Glad he’s on the score sheet already - hope to see him back with us all the better for the loan

Disagree - I sense no entitlement of promotion. Has anyone said that, other than the club? You can talk about what did they actually say….well they actually said a lot and frankly one is always entitled to read between the lines - if in a position of comms that BT and JL are in they leave the option for people to read between the lines, then frankly they deserve what they get. They said the aim is promotion. They said the squad is underachieving. They said the squad is a good as it’s been in JL’s time here. They said NP is gone because we had a better chance with someone else of promotion. So I believe fans are absolutely right to hold those statements to account - and it is my personal opinion and belief of the vast majority of other city fans 2 things: 1) NP is gone, fine - we would have accepted a ‘mutual’ parting of ways statement or similar when he left - something respectful from the club - but they threw him and Rennie under the bus and rubbished parts the huge work they did (RG included) in getting us out of the mess SL go us in to. 2) They could have said any number of things without mentioning promotion - no one expects promotion, but we do expect their new man to back up their claims (otherwise what was the point?!) and have us trending upwards, not into relegation form. Top 10 would have been great, Top 8 fantastic and top 6 we’d all be delighted, just challenging and losing in the play offs frankly. If you want to talk about entitlement, talk to Brian “see you in the premier league” Tinnion and Jon “ambition to be promoted” Lansdown - and ask them why they’re entitled to make those statements without being held to account?

Plenty been posted many times: “We all wanted Nigel to achieve our ambition to be promoted but, with our recent results, feel that now is the time to make a change to give the club the best possible chance of success.” - JL ‘We want to get promoted this year' - Bristol City board on decision to sack Nigel Pearson - from Gavin Marshall https://www.bcfc.co.uk/video/interviews/jon-lansdown-talks-about-coaching-change/ Takes JL 30 seconds to mention premier league and best squad we’ve had here in my time - to name a few quick quotes.

Admirable defence of Tinnion, somewhat against the tide, which might tell you something… Personally I’ve always liked him, but does that mean I appoint him CEO? Absolutely not. The manner in which he has found himself in this position, absolutely stinks - jobs for the boys of the highest order. Does that matter? Well, no, not if he is a brilliant communicator, experienced leader, top negotiator, experienced in business or accountancy, or a former top level player or manager - he is none of these. Not one. What he’s shown himself good at is working with young talent - that’s where he should be IMO, i’d very gladly have him fronting the academy, scouting players and fighting their cause. But he can’t do that anymore because he’s buying players that block the pathway (Twine anybody) to save his own bacon. When I watch him talk in his role, I cringe. It’s awful. The poor guy is out of his depth again (dejavu) and again this will end in failure - will the Lansdown’s ever learn? I’m sorry “nice guy” isn’t the one fronting the club, negotiating our transfers and building the blue print for promotion. The reality is he is a strawman for the Lansdowns who’ve proved themselves incapable over 20 years of getting it right. I might going early on this, but there we go - I said when we appointed Holden it will set us back years - Tinnion in this role will set us back more - he will be fired or demoted long before we ever see the premier league and any replacement will need sometime to put it right. And that’s on the Lansdowns more so than it is on Tinnion.

You’re conviently missing out the squad depth though with this like for like argument. At a quick glance NP fielded 6, 6 and 7 academy players in his last 3 games vs Manning 1,2 and 2 in his last 3. The squad depth Manning has had at his disposal has been greater than that which Pearson had in the run up to the dip which saw us drop from 8th and him getting the sack, hence last 3 being appropriate sample.

Manning has had injuries to contend with yes - but the rate at which he’s been able to rotate the first 11 and the depth of his bench has been on another level to that which Pearson could have (he couldn’t)

Pay peanuts....get

For me you've both kind of touched on something here which isn't spoken about enough - that it's fine having an objective and a plan, but for success (in this case promotion) this has to be balanced with a target/limit/aim time wise IMO. I have no sense the club have a realistic time target that they're willing to stick to, 3 years, 4 years, 5 years whatever, pick based on academy prospects and budgets then stick to it. It's always have a go for 2 years then try something else for 2 years.... Especially when it comes to recruitment - fine recruit to a type but it needs to 'culminate'...i.e plan seasons ahead to a point where your best youngsters are blooming around the same few seasons, you do everything to keep hold of them, then recruit to fill in the blanks - under Gould and Pearson, I got more of a sense and faith that they understood that and could push for it. Under BT it's all recruiting to 'type' but what for? At the moment the club seems to care more about and talk much more about the cycle of producing and selling individual players rather than developing a successful squad. SL was so happy to talk about the great deal of selling Scott but forgot we needed to replace him... There has to be an 'end point' - even if it adjusts slightly or is missed - or we're stuck going round in circles.

EDIT-below

My BS? OK well you're the one who has immediately looked to deflect me asking you opinion as a point scoring exercise and you keep talking about forum popularity - you come across in your posts as rather sensitive to being challenged. All I did was ask you a question. It's OK to be wrong. That's the point of the forum, right. Last para - Ah that old chestnut,"if it's so easy why don't you do it"...I'm not paid £100k's plus a year to provide anyone with answers, if you want answers to that ask Jon Lansdown and Tinnion etc, that's what they are paid to do. So no, i'm not going to give you some detailed plan on promotion, because I don't have to - BUT despite that, what I do know is, it exists, and many many many clubs overtaking us have shown that - it's just that 20 years show Lansdown still doesn't and can never learn from his mistakes. Every year is another team he says we should emulate...Brentford, Brighton, Luton, Ipswich...the list goes on, the record stuck. So as long as they want our money and talk about promotion, that is reason enough for me to question the club and it's operations (without having to tell them what to do) until we are the club people look to emulate.

I’m no scholar on the history of the culture wars so bow to your better judgement - but I’d certainly argue it’s the right’s favourite political tool…

Out of reactions

He may be right about this binary world - however it has ALWAYS been this way in football - long before the right wing started their culture war. Football is and always has been tribal - fans generally either like or dislike a manager, or should I say rate or not rate - often for some intangible emotional reason and will focus on the negatives (defeats and sometimes even wins!) rather than the positives (wins and good performances) or excuse the negatives and focus on the positives. Has been that way with teams and managers for as long as I can remember. Nothing new.

I’m not on a points scoring mission, I don’t need the likes - strange you think that…and strange you seem rather sensitive at someone challenging you - given your earlier posts and wish to give it the old I told you so quite prematurely about Manning to several others - all rather stones in glass houses. As you said yourself, it’s OK to be wrong. No incandescent rage needed - you are incorrect there. Difference between you and I is you’re happy with the basic burger and I’m not. Then don’t be surprised when people challenge you when you suggest that the burger is as good as it can get.

The behaviour of the Lansdowns and their historical appointments suggest you might not be wrong. I also get the sense they really, really want to ‘prove people wrong’ who have criticised them. “See you in the premier league” Tinnion is an extremely telling quote.

“We all wanted Nigel to achieve our ambition to be promoted but, with our recent results, feel that now is the time to make a change to give the club the best possible chance of success.” - JL ‘We want to get promoted this year' - Bristol City board on decision to sack Nigel Pearson - from Gavin Marshall

Your posting comes across as someone who the club would absolutely love - come pay your money and don’t complain. I ordered the £50 steak rare and it came well done, but the setting was nice and they tried their best so…I didn’t say anything. Perhaps maybe you don’t go to games or have a season ticket, follow from a far, hence the apathy? A post which completely lacks passion and ambition. I personally hope, wish and want so much more - and do you know what, it’s possible. It’s not a pipe dream. It’s not about entitlement, it’s about ambition and application.

People confuse SL’s success as a businessman in a completely unrelated field as a foundation to run a football club. Even with finances he’s not managed it properly, has he?! FFP anyone? And the biggest elephant in the room, he wants to sell, but he’s built something he can’t sell! That wasn’t very good planning was it Steve….it’s like the old man who spends £250k over the market value doing up their bungalow and want it back when they sell, sorry it’s still a bungalow. SL continues to run the club like it’s a small business, he wants to be over every decision, every invoice, every meeting - he now does it through his son and lackey “see you in the prem” Tinnion - with no doubt weekly if not daily phone calls. 20 years counting and it hasn’t worked, will it ever change? Doesn’t look like it. As time goes on you get more of this concerning dictator feeling/behaviour setting in too - an ever smaller group of people in “power”, a delusional sense of entitlement “this is my club” and the world (City fans) are against them. In fact the appointment of Tinnion is perfect because he was always likely to ‘fail’ as he’s completely unqualified and inexperienced - so now he gets flack from us and the Lansdowns can put their arm over his shoulder and say look how mean those horrible city fans are - and they can all continue living in their detached from reality world to excuse their continued lack of progress…everyone else’s fault but theirs. OK artistic license on last paragraph - but the rest stands - until they relinquish control of the day to day to 2 or 3 top top talented directors and coaches, we’re treading water at best and the losses will continue to mount.

Sack or don’t sack - we need to invest in the squad - so I don’t like any option involving that. As we’ve seen and the Lansdowns are finding out…holding back funds from a manager you ultimately cut your nose off to spite your face. Review at end of season for me. If he does go, Tinnion also has to IMO or the charade will continue. Let’s ******* have some people in positions of power at the club that actually inspire excellence.

“We all wanted Nigel to achieve our ambition to be promoted but, with our recent results, feel that now is the time to make a change to give the club the best possible chance of success.” - JL We want to get promoted this year' - Bristol City board on decision to sack Nigel Pearson - from Gavin Marshall

.

People can talk about feelings and memories - but here it is in cold hard fact, easier to understand when seen - we’re trending downwards and worryingly so.

Hamburger Hill springs to mind

Last week he publicly questioned their mentality. This week he’s publicly questioned their ability. With results the way they are, it won’t end well for Manning. We’ve got 3 HUGE games against Cardiff, Ipswich and Swansea up next - 3 games with heightened emotional attachment. He needs results soon or it will get very toxic.