Bristol Oil Services Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 Back in May, responding to rumours that West Brom might be after LJ, Steve Lansdown said he wanted to keep Lee "for the long term" and also: "We now have to learn from what we've done this year, and go again next year, and look to go a few steps further, get in the top six and vie for promotion at the end of the season." Steve Lansdown, 7 May 2018. That's on the BBC Sport website. I've put this up because some on here seem surprised and/or outraged with others on here and their "expectations" and sense of "entitlement." Others still, early this season, insisted we had no right to expect, or hope, that we could compete with the big spenders. I think we can take it that Steve's words quoted above represent his hopes for this season and the plans made over the summer between Ashton, Johnson and those responsible for delivering success on the pitch. It looks to me like Steve wants us to progress into a club that can be involved in the promotion "shake up" a lot deeper into the season than last year. He must think, if we can do this a few years running, we might just get lucky one season. So, there you have it: what Steve Lansdown wants to see this season. Presumably, he will use this aim - "get in the top six" - and where we are in reality in the table to assess his coaching staff and their performance and ability to deliver on these "hopes" (if not quite "expectations.") But he won't be doing this in October. Thankfully, there is plenty of time to at least improve on last season, if not a bit more than that. Meantime though, some supporters will assess the head coach on a week by week basis. But if it sounds like they are expecting way too much, they might be more in line with the owner's thinking than you had previously thought. Sounds like to me that Steve wants us to improve and get better so that one day, we find ourselves in a position where we have developed enough to overcome the many obstacles there are in this division to winning promotion like other clubs without parachute payments have done. Sounds like he wants us getting involved in the play offs, being in with a chance. Like me, he might've looked at what Huddersfield achieved, and Preston finishing 7th last season, and other contemporaries of ours and thought: if they can do it, so can we. But to the moaners, bear in mind the first quote - "long term" - and that success does not always occur without some bumps or setbacks along the way. In looking around the Internet though, I also found a quote from Steve in the run up to the Man Utd cup quarter-final, in which he said, quote: "I'd rather work with Lee Johnson than Jose Mourinho." You don't say, Steve! He then goes on to say of Lee: "his heart's in it" and I think that tells us a lot, and how problematic choosing his next h/c will be. Unless it's Jamie Mac. This last quote was in The Sun, mind...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Said Red Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 Maybe he like everyone else knows the season isn't 12 games long. You know those teams that make late runs for the play offs in February and March? Why do you think they need to make late runs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natchfever Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 As great as Steve is, he does occasionally talk shit, so I wouldn't put too much weight into what he said last May to be honest, because if we don't match those expectations, there will be a myriad of excuses why it didn't occur, and "we go again". Early days so lets see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carey 6 Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 I think at the end of last season, I too would've hoped for a play off push this year but my expectations changed big time when we sold 3 vital players & didn't really replace them. I don't think Lansdown would've made those comments a few months later after our summer business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiale Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 We have a larger but less capable squad than last year. I would love to see us improve year on year, but you need a assembly line of players coming up/through to replace your best talent when you lose it. Other than Lyod Kelly I cannot see us making any money on our current team, and he is probably the only player we have that has come in as a better prospect than what we lost (Bryan). Our best signing was probably Kalas, but he's not ours and he has been with Chelsea so long I imagine his career will continue to be season long loans on good money. It is disappointing as the club alluded to having a list of players lined up to help the club progress over time. Worst, we don't even seem to be giving our "ones for the future" that we signed a season or two ago any chance so their ability/value will not increase and we are probably looking at a loss on a number of them. We have also gone from having 2-3 academy players in the squad to just the one as well. This seems odd, as Bryan and Reid came through the academy when it was arguably at a lesser state / lower level of expectations than it has been the last few seasons yet only Kelly is even upto squad inclusion let alone first team ready. So a step back this season, not going to sell any players at a profit to balance those increased losses are BS CEO mentioned this time around - all around a little flat. Let's hope we have a plan to get things going again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenred Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 8 minutes ago, Fiale said: We have a larger but less capable squad than last year. I would love to see us improve year on year, but you need a assembly line of players coming up/through to replace your best talent when you lose it. Other than Lyod Kelly I cannot see us making any money on our current team, and he is probably the only player we have that has come in as a better prospect than what we lost (Bryan). Our best signing was probably Kalas, but he's not ours and he has been with Chelsea so long I imagine his career will continue to be season long loans on good money. It is disappointing as the club alluded to having a list of players lined up to help the club progress over time. Worst, we don't even seem to be giving our "ones for the future" that we signed a season or two ago any chance so their ability/value will not increase and we are probably looking at a loss on a number of them. We have also gone from having 2-3 academy players in the squad to just the one as well. This seems odd, as Bryan and Reid came through the academy when it was arguably at a lesser state / lower level of expectations than it has been the last few seasons yet only Kelly is even upto squad inclusion let alone first team ready. So a step back this season, not going to sell any players at a profit to balance those increased losses are BS CEO mentioned this time around - all around a little flat. Let's hope we have a plan to get things going again. Good point I think. This season has certainly felt a bit ‘meh’ both in terms of expectations and dare I say it atmosphere at the games as well (not a dig at anyone btw) imho. There could be quite a few contributing factors to the reasons why, but performances on the pitch is certainly one of the main ones. There’s just not been that excitement so far - neither in victory, draw or dare I say defeat, at the moment as I see it. Here’s hoping that it picks up soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 Said it back in August and will basically re-iterate it. This season IMO is likely to be fairly transitional- lot of changes and more crucially losing key players can do that- midtable with some scalps was my expectation in August...and we seem on course so far. Winning at Swansea, beating Sheffield United- check. 13th is it- check. The frustrating thing for me though, that even if that's the overall likely pattern of the season, we should be doing a bit better- tactics questionable, selections questionable- losing Kalas after a promising start like he had, a big blow also. If he was genuinely expecting an improvement off the back of a difficult summer, then as I thought back at the start of the season he might need to recalibrate his expectations a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screech Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 You don't sell 3 of your best performing players and expect to improve league position by replacing them with a bunch of triers. I was hoping for slightly better like him in May, but what has happened since then has me fearing we will be quite a bit worse off. Steve can say what the hell he wants before the season, he's the one who will decide if his man is making the best of his money. I think if he genuinely believes we will be pushing for top 6 without a striker or any goal scoring midfielders in the squad then he's going to be quite disappointed. This team will run and work hard but it lacks any kind of quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spudski Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 2 hours ago, Moments of Pleasure said: Back in May, responding to rumours that West Brom might be after LJ, Steve Lansdown said he wanted to keep Lee "for the long term" and also: "We now have to learn from what we've done this year, and go again next year, and look to go a few steps further, get in the top six and vie for promotion at the end of the season." Steve Lansdown, 7 May 2018. That's on the BBC Sport website. I've put this up because some on here seem surprised and/or outraged with others on here and their "expectations" and sense of "entitlement." Others still, early this season, insisted we had no right to expect, or hope, that we could compete with the big spenders. I think we can take it that Steve's words quoted above represent his hopes for this season and the plans made over the summer between Ashton, Johnson and those responsible for delivering success on the pitch. It looks to me like Steve wants us to progress into a club that can be involved in the promotion "shake up" a lot deeper into the season than last year. He must think, if we can do this a few years running, we might just get lucky one season. So, there you have it: what Steve Lansdown wants to see this season. Presumably, he will use this aim - "get in the top six" - and where we are in reality in the table to assess his coaching staff and their performance and ability to deliver on these "hopes" (if not quite "expectations.") But he won't be doing this in October. Thankfully, there is plenty of time to at least improve on last season, if not a bit more than that. Meantime though, some supporters will assess the head coach on a week by week basis. But if it sounds like they are expecting way too much, they might be more in line with the owner's thinking than you had previously thought. Sounds like to me that Steve wants us to improve and get better so that one day, we find ourselves in a position where we have developed enough to overcome the many obstacles there are in this division to winning promotion like other clubs without parachute payments have done. Sounds like he wants us getting involved in the play offs, being in with a chance. Like me, he might've looked at what Huddersfield achieved, and Preston finishing 7th last season, and other contemporaries of ours and thought: if they can do it, so can we. But to the moaners, bear in mind the first quote - "long term" - and that success does not always occur without some bumps or setbacks along the way. In looking around the Internet though, I also found a quote from Steve in the run up to the Man Utd cup quarter-final, in which he said, quote: "I'd rather work with Lee Johnson than Jose Mourinho." You don't say, Steve! He then goes on to say of Lee: "his heart's in it" and I think that tells us a lot, and how problematic choosing his next h/c will be. Unless it's Jamie Mac. This last quote was in The Sun, mind...... Nearly every owner in this division would be saying the same thing. Nearly every manager and owner in this division would be putting in plans and 'hoping' they make the play offs. You quote Huddersfield...look where Reading were that year in the division and what's happened since. You mention Preston finishing 7th last season...just 2 wins more than us over a season. And look at them now. Look at Derby, Villa, Hull, Stoke, Birmingham, Norwich, Swansea, Reading, Preston, Ipswich, QPR now.... Any fan that thinks SL actually thinks we should make the play off's is delusional imo. He will plan and hope...just like the majority. But he won't think we have bought enough quality to guarantee top 6. It's such fine margins...two wins over a season can be the difference between mid table and top 6. You need everything going for you over a season to make top 6...especially a squad like ours. You don't need your best player ( Kalas ) being injured...your Goalkeepers getting injured, Your midfield missing it's grafter, two of your new signings injured so early. It's little things like that, that make such a difference between top 6 and mid table imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miah Dennehy Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 Is the season over already? Bloody hell, I hope not for our sake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanterne Rouge Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 2 hours ago, Miah Dennehy said: Is the season over already? Bloody hell, I hope not for our sake! Oh I don`t know Miah. It`s probably only going to be downhill from here on in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davefevs Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 3 hours ago, billywedlock said: It is hard when you have the financial restrictions, but equally people should not think that all of our summer business was the cheap option, it was not. Kalas and Weimann are earning more than Flint and Reid were . We have spent more on wages than fees . But overall, you cannot think that from the team of last year to this one there would be any reason to think we would be challenging for promotion. With LJ in charge and learning (slowly) on the job avoiding relegation is a success . I am sure Sl is finally starting to realise that . Good post BW. Agree with the sentiments...and you’re right, definitely not cheap options either. Our 17/18 accounts are gonna see some interesting numbers....wages especially imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristol Oil Services Posted October 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 3 hours ago, spudski said: Nearly every owner in this division would be saying the same thing. Nearly every manager and owner in this division would be putting in plans and 'hoping' they make the play offs. You quote Huddersfield...look where Reading were that year in the division and what's happened since. You mention Preston finishing 7th last season...just 2 wins more than us over a season. And look at them now. Look at Derby, Villa, Hull, Stoke, Birmingham, Norwich, Swansea, Reading, Preston, Ipswich, QPR now.... Any fan that thinks SL actually thinks we should make the play off's is delusional imo. He will plan and hope...just like the majority. But he won't think we have bought enough quality to guarantee top 6. It's such fine margins...two wins over a season can be the difference between mid table and top 6. You need everything going for you over a season to make top 6...especially a squad like ours. You don't need your best player ( Kalas ) being injured...your Goalkeepers getting injured, Your midfield missing it's grafter, two of your new signings injured so early. It's little things like that, that make such a difference between top 6 and mid table imo. So many on here are often so sure about others being deluded, never that they themselves might be. Interesting. You have fixated on me and my thoughts - regret adding any of my own now - and intentionally ignored/ lost sight of the purpose of the thread: to put Steve Lansdown's clear hopes for this season in black and white, for those that appear to be unaware of or confused about the owner's opinion on what he is looking for from his coach and team this season. "Any fan that thinks SL actually thinks we should make the play offs is...." So, we are not to take SL's own words as any indication as to what SL thinks, but instead listen to some bloke on a fans forum?! Brilliant. Steve Lansdown not a good enough source on what Steve Lansdown thinks for spudski?!! Please tell us what he's thinking then. In future, if I want to get some idea of what Steve Lansdown thinks, I will ignore what Steve Lansdown says and wait for you to enlighten us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abraham Romanovich Posted October 9, 2018 Report Share Posted October 9, 2018 Like us all SL is getting no younger and I can't see one of the richest men on the planet being content to see not being relegated / mid table as a reason to celebrate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.