With Or Without You (Jamie McAllister)

[Kid in the Riot]

17 league games with you:

Won 8 Drawn 5 Lost 4 = 29 points (1.7ppg)

17 previous league games without you:

Won 2 Drawn 4 Lost 11 = 10 points (0.59ppg)

 

Only a 17 game sample but that's play-off form versus bottom-of-the-league-by-a-long-way form.

Coincidence?

Or maybe a case of Johnson, McAllister and Holden... "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"?

Either way....here's hoping it continues

[Phileas Fogg]

I've met McAllister once or twice and he's a good guy. Typical Scot, tough and I can imagine he says what he thinks without too much superfluous fluff.

Strikes me as pretty intelligent too.

For me, no coincidence things improved when he came in - albeit a small sample size.

Maybe the 'synergy' of Holden/Pemberton/Johnson wasn't there, bit of an age gap between Pemberton and the other two which may not have helped.

By the same token - I remember when people saw Holden as some sort of Jonah last season! Poor guy, felt that was very unfair.

[reddoh]

8 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

17 league games with you:

Won 8 Drawn 5 Lost 4 = 29 points (1.7ppg)

17 previous league games without you:

Won 2 Drawn 4 Lost 11 = 10 points (0.59ppg)

 

Only a 17 game sample but that's play-off form versus bottom-of-the-league-by-a-long-way form.

Coincidence?

Or maybe a case of Johnson, McAllister and Holden... "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"?

Either way....here's hoping it continues

 

[Robbored]

The three of them work well as a team and it was LJ who brought them both in to his inner circle as part of SLs long term strategy.

 

[Port Said Red]

12 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

17 league games with you:

Won 8 Drawn 5 Lost 4 = 29 points (1.7ppg)

17 previous league games without you:

Won 2 Drawn 4 Lost 11 = 10 points (0.59ppg)

 

Only a 17 game sample but that's play-off form versus bottom-of-the-league-by-a-long-way form.

Coincidence?

Or maybe a case of Johnson, McAllister and Holden... "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"?

Either way....here's hoping it continues

That's very interesting, I know that you have many reservations about LJ in particular and the Pemberton situation as well, so it's good that you have pointed out these stats. I think one of the many things that were mentioned from the Q and A was Johnson saying how important it was to have people pulling in the same direction. Some mock LJ for being the Lansdowns lapdog and towing the party line, but I think if the players see that consistency in the message, that has to be better than seeing in-fighting and power struggles. 
 

[Jack Dawe]

It might be a few things, coming together.

If you listen to SL, he has used the word "trust" a lot when talking about LJ. Steve trusts Lee, to run and organise things the way Steve has set out (ie in the pillars). I think we can deduce from this that Steve did not trust all of his previous head coaches and managers.

And that this lack of trust was corrosive, and self-defeating. Where there is strife and friction between those deciding how we go about things as a club, there is poor performance on the pitch. We have seen enough of this at this club to fill a book. A big one. Aug 2015 to Jan 2016 was a very Bristol City own goal, **** up. We can all think of others, in SL's time, and before him.

Trust, and the resulting harmony, between owner and coaching/management, is, perhaps, one area where we can gain an advantage over larger clubs (think Leeds up until recently, Birmingham now, Derby at times, Forest), and others with parachute payments (pp) and other seeming advantages (Charlton, Cardiff, Hull; the list goes on). Lack of togetherness behind the scenes is difficult to prevent from impacting negatively on the team (although, Cotts, not sulking might help with this. But anyway...)

Just as Steve trusts Lee, so has Lee surrounded himself with people he unquestionably trusts. Including his squad, not just his assistants. Everyone rowing in the same direction. As talented, gifted as Tomlin was, it is never enough when he is rowing off on his own. Corrosive. Tomlin was replaced by an honest trier post Preston last season, and it all came together. Lesson learned.

Trust, harmony, singing from the same hymn sheet. And a clear sense of direction. These are our (some of our) strengths in this league, at this time. What would Sunderland give for this, and an owner not looking to get away (we cannot overlook this)?

Is there a Damascene moment going on here?

Well, I think we could be - could have been - 9th to 13th in this league first season up, given the aforementioned trust and harmony (look at Sheff Utd just now), and comfortably last season, with a number of other coaches, but we don't appoint coaches by committee and only one bloke chooses them (until Keith puts his foot down/Steve's all out of options) so we are now charged with trusting that Steve's trust in his hc and the subsequent trickle down of trust through the club will manifest itself in a team on the pitch pulling together and becoming greater than the sum of its parts (it'll have to, while we wait for Fam to get his thing together).

We saw this in a small run of games, with the finishing line in sight, post Preston last season. Now we need to see it over 46 games. Or 92 games, even.

That there are always bigger, better supported, more historic, geographically better placed clubs (some of whom in receipt of pp) than us in this division is never an excuse for this club failing in this league. Because there are always smaller, not as well supported, sometimes no more "historic" (and not in receipt of pp) clubs than us doing ok in this league, finding a way to be competitive - and sometimes triumph over - the big guns. They find a way, so there are ways; we just fail to find them. But almost every year a minnow finds a way, which must mean we can too.

Maybe this trust and harmony - and stability - thing is one of these ways, and before Birmingham cotton on to it, let's make the most of it/see where it takes us. 

 

Although, needless to say, where it will not take us, is to a win at Molineux. I have no idea what it takes to win there but I doubt if trust, harmony and Jamie McAllister will quite be enough.

 

 

 

 

[shelts]

Loved him as our lefty. I blame Dean Holden 

[swanker]

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

The three of them work well as a team and it was LJ who brought them both in to his inner circle as part of SLs long term strategy.

 

Europe here we come!

[Welcome To The Jungle]

So I was furious when Pembo left and Jamie Mac was appointed. But it seems to have improved clearly. 

[Kid in the Riot]

44 minutes ago, Jack Dawe said:

It might be a few things, coming together.

If you listen to SL, he has used the word "trust" a lot when talking about LJ. Steve trusts Lee, to run and organise things the way Steve has set out (ie in the pillars). I think we can deduce from this that Steve did not trust all of his previous head coaches and managers.

And that this lack of trust was corrosive, and self-defeating. Where there is strife and friction between those deciding how we go about things as a club, there is poor performance on the pitch. We have seen enough of this at this club to fill a book. A big one. Aug 2015 to Jan 2016 was a very Bristol City own goal, **** up. We can all think of others, in SL's time, and before him.

Trust, and the resulting harmony, between owner and coaching/management, is, perhaps, one area where we can gain an advantage over larger clubs (think Leeds up until recently, Birmingham now, Derby at times, Forest), and others with parachute payments (pp) and other seeming advantages (Charlton, Cardiff, Hull; the list goes on). Lack of togetherness behind the scenes is difficult to prevent from impacting negatively on the team (although, Cotts, not sulking might help with this. But anyway...)

Just as Steve trusts Lee, so has Lee surrounded himself with people he unquestionably trusts. Including his squad, not just his assistants. Everyone rowing in the same direction. As talented, gifted as Tomlin was, it is never enough when he is rowing off on his own. Corrosive. Tomlin was replaced by an honest trier post Preston last season, and it all came together. Lesson learned.

Are we seeing SL creating a kind of bunker mentality at Ashton Gate?

[Super]

Not a case of LJ getting better then?

[The Fat Controller]

If we are using PPG as an acceptable measure, then (according to transfermarkt) LJ's ppg over his time here is 1.38, which would be 63.48 over a season. 

That would have us finish 11th based on last seasons table. 

[Robbored]

49 minutes ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

So I was furious when Pembo left and Jamie Mac was appointed. But it seems to have improved clearly. 

LJ wanted his own people in, just like any manager does. 

In any workplace you have to get along with the people you work closely with and if you have the choice you'd choose people whose opinions you value and trust and that's exactly what LJ has done.

[BRISTOL86]

Liked him as a player and from speaking to him a few years back, like him as a person. I'm glad he's doing well.

[Davefevs]

I see positive signs of the club pulling in the right direction. 

A point at Brentford from s losing position

Two points gained at Reading 

One lost at Birmingham 

Do that's plus two in my book  

I could say that we'd have lost Millwall and Villa last season but that's unfounded.

At the start of the season I said if we can turn 5 defeats into draws those extra 5 points would give us a relatively safe season  

 

 

[Curr Avon]

3 hours ago, Robbored said:

The three of them work well as a team and it was LJ who brought them both in to his inner circle as part of SLs long term strategy.

 

City announced the appointment of McAllister as Assistant Head Coach on Tuesday March 7, prior to the Norwich home game that evening; https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/city-announce-staffing-changes/ .

The following day bcfc.co.uk released a video of Adam Baker interviewing Mark Ashton. Ashton revealed that LJ's long term plan was to replace Pemberton at the end of the 2016/17 season. The City CEO added that he suggested to LJ that he should' "change the dynamic" by bringing this forward, following the drab draw against Burton.

We were therefore left to assume that Pemberton may have seen out the campaign without Ashton's intervention.

[cidered abroad]

12 minutes ago, Curr Avon said:

City announced the appointment of McAllister as Assistant Head Coach on Tuesday March 7, prior to the Norwich home game that evening; https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/city-announce-staffing-changes/ .

The following day bcfc.co.uk released a video of Adam Baker interviewing Mark Ashton. Ashton revealed that LJ's long term plan was to replace Pemberton at the end of the 2016/17 season. The City CEO added that he suggested to LJ that he should' "change the dynamic" by bringing this forward, following the drab draw against Burton.

We were therefore left to assume that Pemberton may have seen out the campaign without Ashton's intervention.

I suspect that other factors were involved which hastened Pemberton's departure.

 

[Jack Dawe]

1 hour ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Are we seeing SL creating a kind of bunker mentality at Ashton Gate?

I did think - as I was typing all that - to myself: "could this all get a bit cosy?" with not enough readiness to speak up when things are going wrong, but for ñow I am going with something a little more hopeful (of midtable security; nothing more than that) and crossing fingers etc that, coupled with all the recent developments, this might give us some sort of edge over other clubs not involved yet in chasing promotion.

I think this is our best shot, at least for now. If it doesn't work with LJ, where does SL go from there? To someone he trusts less, presumably. We need LJ to be successful, to have us finishing somewhere between where we are now, and about 13th or 14th. Early signs are, this could be on.

I also need a year off from fretting, and subsequently moaning on here. This might be on, too 

[Negan]

29 minutes ago, Jack Dawe said:

I did think - as I was typing all that - to myself: "could this all get a bit cosy?" with not enough readiness to speak up when things are going wrong, but for ñow I am going with something a little more hopeful (of midtable security; nothing more than that) and crossing fingers etc that, coupled with all the recent developments, this might give us some sort of edge over other clubs not involved yet in chasing promotion.

I think this is our best shot, at least for now. If it doesn't work with LJ, where does SL go from there? To someone he trusts less, presumably. We need LJ to be successful, to have us finishing somewhere between where we are now, and about 13th or 14th. Early signs are, this could be on.

I also need a year off from fretting, and subsequently moaning on here. This might be on, too 

I think Jamie Mac is the sort of person to speak up when something isn't go right. Not sure on Holdens personality but can't imagine he's a yes man. Also LJ, for his faults, can see when something isn't working, hence so much chopping and changing last season. Hopefully he learned a lot during that time.

 

I think we have a solid management now and it needs backing. Last seasons struggles are in the past and so far I'm liking what I'm seeing. Would be better if Diedhiou can find his scoring boots but that will come in time I'm sure. 

 

Keep up the good work boys! 

[BobBobSuperBob]

43 minutes ago, Negan said:

I think Jamie Mac is the sort of person to speak up when something isn't go right. Not sure on Holdens personality but can't imagine he's a yes man. Also LJ, for his faults, can see when something isn't working, hence so much chopping and changing last season. Hopefully he learned a lot during that time.

 

Totally agree - and very important that he and DH do so (Not publicly) and they have a strong input even if LJ has to make the final call - I do think they do and will and in fairness to LJ I think he would be receptive to others views and opinions 

JM in particular looks and seems to be a very good foil for LJ 

We stopped tinkering with formations after JM arrived and subsequently found some consistency - a coincidence ? Or did JM suggest ? (I don't know) 

 

[Phileas Fogg]

1 hour ago, Thatch35 said:

Why are you facepalming my clearly ironic use of the word synergy

[Phileas Fogg]

16 minutes ago, Thatch35 said:

Oh sorry...its because you use LJ's buzz words all the time....'ironic'....not so sure.

No @Thatch35, as someone who hates corporate buzzwords and cliches, I can assure you it's ironic.

It's taking the piss out of Ashton more anyway as he's the main culprit.

[ashton_fan]

Defence definitely tighter since he came in but improved stats also down to January transfers