Bat Fastard

30 minutes ago, Eddie Hitler said:

The Wurzels are superb, but it isn't compulsory for all Bristol City fans to like them.

It should be compulsory to like them!

7 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Remember seeing the original deal details, and thought it alluded to this.

Question becomes whether RTV has enough benefit for overseas (and VPN) alone to continue being its own service or not.

I really hope RTV does continue or it will be misery for a great many loyal and lifelong fans, who, for one reason or another, are unable to get to the Gate to watch their team. Maybe if the club raised the price to £12.50 perf match, it would pay for their trouble. If they hired a full time team, they could also maybe cover reserve matches and even the WFL matches.

John Galley!

5 hours ago, Malago said:

 

Excellent! The pitch is remarkably bad - at least we have something to thank the Lansdown family for.

If I took my shirt off, it would be a red card and a lifetime ban.

The Zak sizes only go up to 2XL so I thought that I might start my own range of fashion gear and us my middle name:  "Effing" as in Bat Effing Fastard.  As a bit of market research, can I enquire how many people would support the "Effing" venture?  

I wonder if they do sizes to fit the larger gentlemen?

45 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I can’t be arsed to calculate the average, but to the eye, I’d suggest the minutes out of an available 990 (1170 v Forest) has stayed relatively the same:

Green - GK start (basically Max O’Leary!!!)

Red - outfield starter

Orange - outfield sub

Grey - unused sub

(mins played along the bottom)

When the original article was published after 16 league games, the percentage was 33.1% so won’t have changed much.

 

basically we need a couple more Haydon Roberts (free and young!), show PL academy players that they can get their chance here, rather than being a loan-pawn.

Impressive stuff! This should be used to tempt future Haydon Roberts types.  Good evidence, you should send it to the club!

1 hour ago, Numero Uno said:

If you have the experience in the building you can bring the Academy lads through which is what I think you are saying? You can even win football matches whilst that is happening.

The alternative Buy to Sell Strategy is literally the WORST OF BOTH WORLDS in my view. On one hand you are blocking player pathways from the Academy and on the other you are signing players who don't have here and now the experience to compensate for that. You have people still learning at a tough level who have played 75 games more, that's all. The days of an Alex Scott coming along will be even fewer and further between. You won't even get a Tommy Conway or a Sam Bell as often. The reason Nige called the policy bonkers is that it is a strategy that costs significant wedge in the long run, far more than the cost of a Cat 1 Academy which can also be offset against FFFP,  and might get you to the Premiership once every 50 seasons at best. It's hit and hope, shit or bust, Laurel and Hardy......you get the drift........

What is wrong with a strategy that aims for the Academy to be the priority where possible, supplemented by experienced and quality heads at the level, and allows the odd Buy to Sell merchant to be acquired where your scouting has identified it would be stupid not to? Isn't that more balanced? Got to be better than bringing in players left right and centre, loaning them back to their clubs, and hoping they hit the ground running for a manager who is "flapping" next season? All this whilst older Academy players are thinking "no chances for me then". This is no more than a "latest cunning plan".

You make a good case. I guess it may help if we could secure more "free" transfers or young players from academy set ups from the Premier League, who are potentially good Championship players but not likely to cut the mustard higher up. Any strategy can work if it is well executed. Sadly we seem to run a very small squad to help with the youth policy whilst running the risk of injuries scuppering our season.  It certainly looks like we could do with a few tweaks and that may be the thinking behind recruiting potential permanent signings like Twine.

2 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I bet if you looked at the cost of our academy in the last 10 years or so and the transfer fees received, it would show a better return than the “buy to sell” strategy.  Not saying we should therefore abandon buy to sell, but we should challenge / critique its success (lack of) and ask why we’ve not done very well in this respect.

I would expect that the wages paid to youth products will be lower as well. Win win!  All we lose is experience and know how, and that has to be bought in.

1 hour ago, westonred said:

The trouble is we dont see the benefits of the Academy as soon as a player is good enough we sell them

If they are sold for good fees, the cash can be used to build the squad and to keep us within FFP limits. It is a vital part of our club.

This may interest some on here.

Bristol City: How Championship club became a factory for homegrown talent - BBC Sport

1 hour ago, Silvio Dante said:

Quite.

 

Did we ever have a more entertaining player? I used to laugh so much in those days!!

5 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Highlights reels are just that though. Highlights reels. The number of people who look world beaters on them then panel beaters in the real world are countless - so I prefer an eyes on approach at the all round piece.

(To give a parallel here Mehmeti looked great on highlight reels but that doesn’t show his positioning when not in possession and his movement which is poor)

And he’ll get a lot worse in his career if he does make it than seen here, so I’m not sure the argument “don’t criticise in case he reads this” really holds water. Liam has said he doesn’t read social media in any case (he does) so I expect he gives that instructions to all his players…

But irrespective of if he reads or not. Man City were happy to get rid. Westerlo were happy to get rid. City don’t want to play him. It’s not screaming a top class player waiting to get out is it?

He has to have highlights to have a highlights reel. The way he played and the technical ability he displayed were certainly impressive.  Mehmeti has flashes but, in my humble opinion is let down by lack of pace. He may improve as many young players have in the past. Mebude is much younger and could do with a run of games in a team that is playing well, which ours is not.  It is unrealistic to hope a 19 year old can come into a failing team and turn us into world beaters.  Time and support will achieve more than criticism and undermining the lad. I really want to see him succeed and bring some of the qualities he displayed in youth football into our first team.  I watched Albert Adomah whilst I lived in Barnet and he developed over the time he was these and I sent an email to City suggesting we look at him. Albert was older then than Mebude is now. Time will tell - if he is allowed that time.

14 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

To be clear the initial nature of my OP was to highlight a semi amusing story, and frame it against what has clearly been a terrible signing for us at this stage irrespective of ability DM may or may not have. Nobody can argue that six weeks into a loan spell and the manager totally reticent to put him on the pitch when also not filling the bench most weeks represents anything other than a bad signing.

But on this post specifically. As I’ve said before football is littered with kids who look good at academy level and don’t make it at men’s level. And you’re going to look better at Man City as you have better players around you. Being a good academy player means the square root of nothing even at Man City

To expand on that, I’ve just looked at Man City’s team in the 2019 youth cup final (so they’ve had time to work out if they make a career or not). 11 of the 16 man squad are playing below the top level (some loans). A couple of the alumni are playing for Ramsbottom and Waterford respectively!

The fact is that he went to Belgium and Westerlo didn’t play him (and not for work permit reasons as stated by the club). Hes now here and a coach who needs inspiration and goals won’t play him.

He’s 20 in two months with less than 300 minutes senior football to his name.

How much exactly do you want to bet that he’ll be worth a “huge transfer fee”. (Define huge) - all the signs at the moment are that he was a good “age group” player but no more - which is insanely common at academy football.

What you write seems entirely reasonable - but if he is a "confidence" player, what point is served by posting negative comments about him?  I really hope he fulfils his potential and becomes a great player, ideally for us.  If he is unwise enough to read this forum, it could certainly have a negative impact on his career.  Have you seen a youth player in our set up with more promise than he showed on his highlights reel?  For me, 5p would be a massive bet because I simply do not bet and don't even know how to place a bet.  As I said before - just support the lad!

2 hours ago, Bat Fastard said:

On the Man City highlight reel that showcased his progress with them.

Having watched many hours of our U21s over the last two or three years, it is clear that Mebude is well ahead of any similar player in out youth programme. I believe he was the player of the year at Man City in one of their youth year groups.  To laugh at him at this level of his development is really unfair and NOT what a supporter should be doing.  Maybe the lad would be helped more at this stage of his career by enthusiastic support rather than wall to wall criticism. It almost seems that some on this forum would be delighted if he failed.  If he does not succeed with us, I would bet heavily that he will turn up somewhere else and eventually be worth a huge transfer fee. I would rather we received the benefit rather than a competitor. Just support the lad for heavens sake!

Just now, BigTone said:

By a mile

The commentator on the West Brom feed said he was our best player. Go figure!

2 minutes ago, phantom said:

Out of interest when did you see any of these?

On the Man City highlight reel that showcased his progress with them.

10 minutes ago, redkev said:

If he can’t get on the pitch in our current form ffs when will he get on the pitch 

He may get on the pitch when the senior players are playing well enough to support him better.  He clearly has great skill, pace and touch, he is only a very young man and needs help to capitalise on his skills and assets. Hopefully Brian Tinnion will be helping him to adjust to Championship mentality and through the current crisis with an indifferent head coach, who may lack the necessary qualities to help the lad to progress.

14 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Et tu, Britus?

It's a shame we missed the ides of March - the perfect date for settling business.

OK - here is the solution that JL needs to consider: 1. Sack Manning and "Hoggy".  2. Appoint Andy King as manager.  3. Persuade Nige to come back as a "consultant manager" to help King to establish himself. 4. Apologise to the fans for bogging up the season - he could call it an "honest" mistake (and he might even believe it). 

21 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

That’s quite a reversal of posting “form”???

Not really. I posted about my distress at Nige's sacking at the time and also that is wasn't broke and did not need fixing. You may be confused with the fact that I do not blame Brian Tinnion for the decision. I also said at the time that LM seemed to lack confidence and was not the strong character that Nige was. I still believe that all those remarks were correct. I may be proved wrong in time but I feel that we have made a wrong turn with this appointment and it will be damned expensive to reverse. The brand of football served up by LM is certainly not to my liking and I'm sure that the players would perform better under a different manager...... or get Nige back!

4th from bottom in the last six according to the form table. I reckon we will beat relegation by between two and four points.  A shocking reversal since the days of Nige. I hate to tell JL that "I told you so" - but I bloody well did tell him. It wasn't broke and he tried to fix it.

31 minutes ago, wurzelali said:

Arena sports 2 Serbia 

My internet protection software gives warning not to use this site because it may open your computer to "phishing".  

More confused than scared, I would say.