Cotterell Sacked [confirmed]

[youwhat]

If he had said back me or sack me I wouldnt have blamed him, when we gonna hear from someone up high? (Not DL)

[chipdawg]

For me, Cotts' problem was in what he didn't do rather than what he did. He didn't vary a formation that wasn't working. He didn't take out players who weren't performing. He didn't make the most of what he had. As I've said elsewhere, we can argue all we want about who's fault it is that we didn't get new players in, but the fact is that SC wasn't getting the ones who are here to perform. It's not that a group of players lacking in talent are performing out of their skins but just aren't good enough, for the most part this season we've been shit

And on the issue of the board being at fault, has anyone considered that the reason the manager and the board are giving different reasons for the players not signing is the manager himself? It's been hinted that Cotterill is not particularly well liked in football circles, but if he is the problem neither manager nor board are likely to want to admit that as it would make his position untenable. I have no inside info, that's just a thought

Thanks for the memories Cotts, for one season you were king

[Kingswood Robin]

9 hours ago, robin_unreliant said:

I reckon the Clough comment when he said it was down to wages was the last straw. Can't keep on saying the opposite of SL and expect them to ignore it.

Could well have been, seems odd to let him do the press conference and then sack him later that day. If it was just results, I'd have expected him to have gone Wednesday morning. I've only read the bullet points from yesterdays press conference but I wonder if they asked him to apologise for the little incident by the tunnel on Tuesday night or specifically told him not to infer we couldn't attract players again.  

I personally think he was let down in the summer, but the relationship between him and the board was clearly broken and you cannot continue with that. Lets hope all at the club up their game as the last few months has been shambolic.

[Harry]

6 hours ago, Robin1988 said:

Of pissing off the players by sacking a man they were firmly behind? For someone with so much inside knowledge you don't know much.

They won't be too bothered. Players move on quite quickly and rarely have any strong loyalty toward managers. 

[Robin1988]

2 hours ago, Fishponds_Red said:

I agree few players that we have were behind him all the way, he had clearly lost the plot but not the dressing room.  What's to say they won't get behind the new manager? 

He hadn't lost the plot. He was passionate - often too passionate - but that's nothing new. It just happened to be directed at a fan for 20 seconds.

6 minutes ago, Harry said:

They won't be too bothered.

Very quick to speculate on things you know nothing about - also not true.

[Harry]

2 minutes ago, Robin1988 said:

 

Very quick to speculate on things you know nothing about - also not true.

And your evidence is....... 

[Redmycolour]

I for one another gutted not his fault  board  capped  wages now nobody  will sign for us sorry  to see you go cotts best manager for  years

[Robin1988]

2 minutes ago, Harry said:

And your evidence is....... 

It's not hard to work out.

[EstoniaTallinnRed]

11 hours ago, Jesus said:

With the fact that a lot of the fanbase was still supporting Cotts and the fact that we're halfway through the transfer window, I would be utterly amazing if we haven't got someone lined up. 

I honest think we've got a fairly big name coming in. 

No Chance!

[EstoniaTallinnRed]

10 hours ago, Lucan said:

All the melodrama and crying in this thread. Brilliant stuff.

I for one am delighted he has gone.  I was never a big SC fan and now believe Bristol have a better chance of kicking on.

 

Bristol!   What's that, the Rugby team?

[EstoniaTallinnRed]

10 hours ago, Sniper said:

Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if this was planned to the day. Phaff about with getting in a replacement and probably lying to them to get them through the door. Then re-tract on what they promised, then Phaff about again with signings, oh know the transfer window has shut, looks like you'll have to get some loans in then.

We have got to be the weirdest run football club in the league. It's like one of those secret cult things where you have to knock 3 times on the side door and sing humpty dumpty backwards to get past the bouncer.

One day we might get it right, but I reckon I'll be pushing up the daisy's when that finally happens.

Thanks for last season Mr Cotterill, I feel you've been hung out to dry but will we ever hear the truth?

 

 

No!  We haven't even heard the truth about Coppell's walk away yet!

[EstoniaTallinnRed]

6 hours ago, RedBrizzleRobin said:

And this is the big one, if you want premiership football you need to show amibition and bring the those with the required experience and quality to do it, this starts with the manager.  If they go the cheap option, no one's going to take us seriously and we're going to struggle to attract players anywhere near the quality needed AGAIN. If they want prem football they need a man at the helm who can deliver it and as you said, its pointless throwing multi-million pound bids around only to skimp on the guy who actually builds and defines the team!

Thanks for the memories though Steve, you created abit of history for yourself, us and the club that we'll all always be greatful for and well remembered.

It's all very well getting a manager who will possibly get us premiership status. but, what about the fact that who ever we get in that can do this, the wages will not be paid to enable this manager to get the players needed.   So all sounds very easy, but not attainable under SL's policies. 

[RedRock]

57 minutes ago, redmycolour said:

I for one another gutted not his fault  board  capped  wages now nobody  will sign for us sorry  to see you go cotts best manager for  years

FFP is hardly The Board's fault.

I'd put that down to rich, greedy Premiership club owners who want to keep the likes of Bristol City and others out of their elite little cartel.

Think people are missing the point. We can't pay massive wages as, presently, we don't have a massive income. If we do breach FFP then we will face massive fines.

People's venom ought to be directed to the people who administer the Premiership/Sky rather than the Board.

[Robin1988]

11 minutes ago, Moor2Sea said:

FFP is hardly The Board's fault.

This is true. But it wasn't just finances which let down SC. The tangled web of the mess that is our recruitment system (not SC or KB, they identify and sweet-talk the players) was to blame too.

[Aizoon]

I was going to rush back from Cornwall for the 'boro game. I'll take my time now. Gutted. 

[NOTBLUE]

2 hours ago, EstoniaTallinnRed said:

Bristol!   What's that, the Rugby team?

Ha ha ,exactly.

[somered]

10 hours ago, Robin1988 said:

They were behind him all the way, which is what I said before. The players have said plenty about him in interviews since he's been here, Wilbraham said he was the best manager he's played under as recently as last week in the Football League Paper. Plenty of other examples.

I suppose he would say that as he was always certain to be picked.

[Robin1988]

Just now, somered said:

I suppose he would say that as he always certain to be picked.

Funny.

[NOTBLUE]

13 hours ago, Lucan said:

All the melodrama and crying in this thread. Brilliant stuff.

I for one am delighted he has gone.  I was never a big SC fan and now believe Bristol have a better chance of kicking on.

 

Bristol,Oi! Lucan why don't you just get lost,oh hang on...........

[NOTBLUE]

1 minute ago, Lucan said:

 such harsh words

Agree with the melodramatic bit.

[One BCFC]

I loved Cotterill as manager down here think last season will rank as the best season I have experienced.
This season however there was mistake after mistake, going for players who were never going to come to City, matching that with his stubbornness to persist in a formation that the players were struggling to get to grips with in this League. 
The worst results were not the 4-0 defeats at Burnley and Derby. It was the fact we can barely beat any team around us which has ultimately cost him his job in my opinion. The 1-1 draw at Home to Charlton was the defining point in his sacking, I think that was the most gutting result all season and I think that's because everyone knew subconsciously that relegation is starting to look more and more likely.
I wish him all the best, no other Manager achieved two trophies at City in one season so for that he is up there with the best.

[Robin1988]

4 minutes ago, BA14 RED said:

This season however there was mistake after mistake, going for players who were never going to come to City

The way Gray/Gayle came out was unfortunately used as a stick to beat Cotterill with, and it wasn't unreasonable given they were the only names the club released. But why do you think they were going after them in late August?

Because they were nowhere near our first choices, but because the board had been so slow off the mark in chasing people further up the list, they had already moved on. The further down the list you go, the less desirable - or realistic - the signings are.

In the end, we ended up with dross like the overweight Simon Cox, Callum Robinson who isn't good enough for this league, and Liam Moore who has, for whatever reason, been dire in the last 18 months or so. They were there because it was the best Cotterill could do with the dregs left. Maybe he would've been better going without them. Both ways would've been rubbish imo.

[One BCFC]

1 minute ago, Robin1988 said:

The way Gray/Gayle came out was unfortunately used as a stick to beat Cotterill with, and it wasn't unreasonable given they were the only names the club released. But why do you think they were going after them in late August?

Because they were nowhere near our first choices, but because the board had been so slow off the mark in chasing people further up the list, they had already moved on. The further down the list you go, the less desirable - or realistic - the signings are.

In the end, we ended up with dross like the overweight Simon Cox, Callum Robinson who isn't good enough for this league, and Liam Moore who has, for whatever reason, been dire in the last 18 months or so. They were there because it was the best Cotterill could do with the dregs left. Maybe he would've been better going without them. Both ways would've been rubbish imo.

I think the one thing that frustrated us all the most was the fact the club was so silent on matters and still to this day there has been no answers as to what went so badly wrong. Letting JET and Cunningham leave without even a fight looks so bad now. 

[Robin1988]

1 minute ago, BA14 RED said:

I think the one thing that frustrated us all the most was the fact the club was so silent on matters and still to this day there has been no answers as to what went so badly wrong. Letting JET and Cunningham leave without even a fight looks so bad now. 

JET wasn't getting in the team and neither was Cunningham. Cotterill was, in hindsight, naive to assume he would have the backing to replace them without actually seeing it happen before he let them go.

[BS4 on Tour...]

2 hours ago, Aizoon said:

I was going to rush back from Cornwall for the 'boro game. I'll take my time now. Gutted. 

For a moment I thought that was a 'Warnock quote'....

 

[pongo88]

I think we need to ignore any comments made in public by players about Cotts. Players in a team rarely say anything bad about a manager as it might result in them being dropped. Those not in a team don't say anything bad because they want to get into the team. The real views are kept private and known only to a few. 

[Son of Fred]

12 hours ago, MarkRed! said:

Shocked beyond belief that SC has been sacked. I would like to make the following observations: 

1. SC rescued the team when it was at its lowest point and heading towards relegation under SOD. It is worth pointing out that the last managerial appointments of this board have been nothing more than abject failure Coppell, Millen, McInnes and O'Driscoll. Our success has nothing to do with the leadership of the Board. 

2. With some astute signings he led the club through its most successful season in recent times. However, he did not spend wildly and achieved considerable success with a relative small squad and some smart loan signings. I can't think that he brought in one bad player. Even El Abd came when our defence was woeful and needed some resilience added. He did that. He also cleared the decks and got rid of players who were overpaid squad players.  

3. He played a brand of refreshing football that was great to watch. 

4. I will never forget the night in Bradford when we totally murdered a strong and powerful side with free flowing attacking football. Arguably the best performance I can recall in the last 5/6 years. For the success he achieved, SC will rightly have a place in BCFC history and the respect of its support. 

5. it did not appear to me that the players were not playing for him. Our performances have generally been good without getting the points. 

Clearly football is a results business and objectively what has been achieved this season is not good enough. Other managers have been sacked for far less. However, the lack of communication about policy, including transfers was bewildering. I personally fail to see that this was squarely at the door of SC. I know for fact that past managers have had players imposed on them by the board and McInnes, for example, was allegedly given the team sheet by JL on occasions..... SC would not stand for this which is why he refused to accept the title of Head Coach. However, he was still required to work within the structure. It was inevitable that there would be a clash at some point. 

This leads me on to the following points:

1. In my view all was not well within the club over the summer and clearly the inconsistency in what was being said by SC and SL was inevitably going to lead to a collision. SC was moody and appeared even early doors to be disaffected. Was Zach Clough and our inability to match his terms the final straw? Our transfer policy has been a joke but can this really just be down to SC. 

2. SC's use of the squad and loan players was also baffling and was never really questioned in the media. Fans have questioned it and drawn their own conclusions. The use of the formation was now an issue because of results - personally it makes no difference and we shall soon see in this respect as I suspect this will now be changed. 

3. It seems a knee jerk sacking - if he was gonna be sacked for results, he would have gone before XMAS. This would have enabled the club to have appointed a manager and then to have had a transfer window to try and rebuild in the short term. Let's face it, there was nothing in our results which suggested we were going to go on an unbeaten run. 

4. To have sacked SC mid-transfer window makes no sense to me. I know that fans have been polling for him to be sacked but I certainly have never felt hostility to SC at the grounds or vocal calls for him to be sacked at games. The BCFC support has on the whole been patient and superb both with him and the team. 

5. What is more bewildering in all of this is the role of the board and the director of football. Do we really believe that they left it all to SC - course they bloody didn't. The communication on every level has been a disgrace unless there trying to show us pictures of the stadium so they can flog more tickets.... 

6. For BCFC fans, what confidence do you have that we will appoint a premier league calibre manager? I have none. Nothing we have done lends itself to say we will make a high calibre appointment. I really hope I am wrong here. I don't believe we are learning from the lessons of the past within our own club. Sacking the manager has rarely proved to be a successful strategy and our roll call of managers is appalling. Only SC and GJ have brought success and they have been dispensed at the first sign of discontent. GJ was sacked with us mid-table FFS. 

Oh well..... just time to say thanks for the memories SC and I do wish you the best.  

 

 

How could SL spout premier league ambition then enlist our next manager 'on the cheap???.....watch this space.anything less than proven/tried and tested at this level he loses all credibility at this club.