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Steve Cotterill interview


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6 minutes ago, redsquirrel said:

didnt he have a thing about keep on going 3 5 2 when it just wasn't working in the championship?

I can remember getting annoyed with him when we could have done so much better I believe in those first championship games that saw him sacked.

the season before though I witnessed the best city season ive ever seen going to nearly all of the home games plus a trip to wembley

Exactly this. He may have been given more time had they been any signs of things changing but it was the same 11 in the same formation week in week out. The 352/532 that worked so well in league 1 was leaving us constantly exposed and the fact he kept bring on Callum Robinson at left wing back didn’t help.

That said, we certainly wouldn’t be progressing the way we are now if he had not laid the foundations. He gave us some of the most exciting players seen in a city shirt in many years, Freeman and Kodjia spring to mind straight away. These signings paved the way for where we are today and could have been more exciting had he landed his main transfer targets that summer.

Still can’t help but wonder what might have been had Freeman not been sent off vs Brentford and the gate was bouncing at that point and We were seeing a player Kodjia many of us must have thought we would never see in a city shirt, a genuine international star.

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2 hours ago, Phileas Fogg said:

It would be fascinating to see how we’d have done had Cotterill been able to bring in Maguire/Gayle/Grey.

He clearly had an eye for a player as all three of those have done well. 

I don’t believe he’s the type of manager the board of the ‘modern’ Bristol City want. They want someone amicable who is easy to work with in the current structure. Someone who’s progressive and will occasionally get us good coverage in the national press. Johnson epitomises that.

Cotterill was old school and I imagine wasn't always easy to work with - that’s no criticism, to function in such a competitive industry you need to disagree internally. I’m sure LJ does too when appropriate, but I’m guessing is more tactful and diplomatic.

I really enjoyed watching the 14/15 side - just a shame it worked out how it did.

I think a lot of the issue was that those disagreements became external. Everytime Cotterill spoke to the press during his last few months, it felt like there was a tension and a point to be made to the board. I remember how fraught it was even on here with people accused of siding with the owners or siding with the manager. Cotterill did an incredible job and was responsible for probably my favourite season as a fan. As you say, it's a real shame how it worked out, but he seemed to be so hacked off with the club that the board had little choice but to make the change. As @Loon plage says, he was so determined to prove a point to the board that everything else went out the window and it could easily have got us relegated. 

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9 minutes ago, Big C said:

but come on Steve ' A hunger for developing young players' , really? You wouldn't even fill the bench with them

Spot on.......and the main contributor to his dismissal.

Despite agreeing with SLs development strategy at interview he failed to implement it and when he went to SL asking for funds to buy players was the last straw that broke the camels back.

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2 hours ago, Phileas Fogg said:

It would be fascinating to see how we’d have done had Cotterill been able to bring in Maguire/Gayle/Grey.

That would be an awesome pairing but I think it was going to be one or the other with Grey our original target, Gayle as a ‘**** it! Let’s see if we can get him’ sort of bid then back to Grey when it became obvious Gayle wasn’t going to come. 

Wasn’t there rumours that we had farted around with Hull and Brentford over the Maguire/Grey potential transfers? If true you can understand why Cotts felt hard done by with the way it all turned out. 

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58 minutes ago, Simon79 said:

Did a good job, undoubtedly. But are some forgetting not filling the bench, even if only to give a youngster the experience of a match day, just to make a point. The club, the owner wanted to go in a certain direction & by all accounts, SC didn’t. Wish him all the best. But I think the route we are on is the correct one. COYR

Firstly, I bloody loved Cotts, SL you can probably guess I’m gonna defend him!!

That bit about the subs is often brought up....and if it were me, I would’ve brought a youngster up for the experience too.  But neither of us are Cotts.  He did things his own way.  He didn’t use 3 subs very often, and the likes of JET, a mercurial talent, often only getting 2 mins at the end of the game.  I guess he deemed it pointless.  He happily gave Bryan the nod and sold Cunningham.  He gave Burns a bit of gametime too.  I know he didn’t give them their debuts, that’s a different argument.  His squad was predominantly 22 and under.  It’s not that different to LJ....although LJ would always fill the bench, you’d suspect, even  though in an interview he has talked about going with 6 subs if he didn’t have a club-developed player.

51 minutes ago, redsquirrel said:

didnt he have a thing about keep on going 3 5 2 when it just wasn't working in the championship?

I can remember getting annoyed with him when we could have done so much better I believe in those first championship games that saw him sacked.

the season before though I witnessed the best city season ive ever seen going to nearly all of the home games plus a trip to wembley

he did, but we’ve seen Wilder at Sheff Utd make it work.  LJ himself now employing a variant of it.  One or two or three players in key positions and we would’ve been a different proposition.  A CB, a CM and a CF would’ve seen us very competitive.

But, much as I loved Cotts, I think we just have to see it as a journey.

SOD > Cotts > LJ, all to progress the club

LJ needed the core of Cotts’s team.

Cotts needed the Fielding, Flint, Pack, Williams and JET from SOD.

Its all a bit futile looking at what could’ve been.

To end....as a fan and Dad, two things stand out about Cotts and LJ as people.

14/15 final day, Cotts made a special day more special for Joe (and me).  Whilst the players were dancing around the pitch, photographers following them, Cotts grabbed the trophies, put them in front of Joe and Oskar, and ordered the photographers to take a picture of him, SL and Oskar and Joe with the two trophies, whilst telling everyone “this is what it’s all about, not the players”.  I wish I had a photo of it. @Dollymarie - did you ever have one. I only got this one.

4B9CD00B-ABE4-442D-9D75-943E3B84AE4C.jpeg.61f07fe6590d2d380fd4c139912eaddb.jpeg
 

Feb 2016 - Joe was staying at Charlton Farm (CHSW) and they’d arranged a day at the training ground for him.  The night before, Johnson is appointed, but Olly at CHSW phone up the club, speaks to Lee and asks him if he’d rather postpone it.  LJ says no, bring him up.  So Joe and Mrs F spend a lovely day at the training ground on LJ’s first day as head-coach.  Would’ve been easy to cancel, but he didn’t.

2E3BF47E-CAB2-48C3-ABC1-9CBB394FCBB7.jpeg.6bc5cdf46fe17bae16e7eed33efb7b1c.jpeg

Long May this club continue to move forward whoever us in charge.

 

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Tipps69 said:

I don’t think Cotts being replaced was solely down to results, his behaviour towards the end (arguing with supporters) didn’t sit particularly well, it seemed like the pressure was very much getting to him.

100%. He was a dead man walking from that point on, he completely lost it that night.

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Cotterill was very good in league one.

In the championship he was woeful, sticking to tactics that wasnt working.

Players looked like they werent good enough - some of the same players kicked on under johnson.

Was no surprise he didnt do well at Brum.

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15 minutes ago, Fordy62 said:

I wish I could love LJ as much as I did SC, but for whatever reason I just can’t. 

Same mate. Lj is the nice wife, SC is the fit ex 

1 minute ago, Riaz said:

Cotterill was very good in league one.

In the championship he was woeful, sticking to tactics that wasnt working.

Players looked like they werent good enough - some of the same players kicked on under johnson.

Was no surprise he didnt do well at Brum.

Bit unfair, brum has killed many a good manager in recent years 

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24 minutes ago, Fordy62 said:

I wish I could love LJ as much as I did SC, but for whatever reason I just can’t. 

Mental isn't it. I don't know why it is. 

Cotterill didn't take any shit & said it exactly how it was, think that was one of my favourite things about him. I don't think they'd take the chance on him, but think Cotterill would be good for Millwall. 

Hope a club takes a chance on him soon & he does a good job (Unless it's the Gas)

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Two reasons that SC was sacked -

1) failure to implement SLs development strategy

2) the recruitment of LJ.

SL wanted a man in charge who not only agreed with the development strategy but actually implemented it and SL trusted LJ to do exactly that - which he has and continues to do.

 

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13 minutes ago, Carey 6 said:

Mental isn't it. I don't know why it is. 

Cotterill didn't take any shit & said it exactly how it was, think that was one of my favourite things about him. I don't think they'd take the chance on him, but think Cotterill would be good for Millwall. 

Hope a club takes a chance on him soon & he does a good job (Unless it's the Gas)

Completely feel the same way. I am not sure why either as we have obviously progressed and are in fine shape now.

If I think about the managers I’ve loved (JW, DW, GJ and SC) what is about them that LJ hasn’t done? The obvious one is he hasn’t achieved anything material. As good as a position as we are in LJ hasn’t won a trophy or gained promotion. 

Maybe that’s what will create the love?

I certainly don’t dislike him and I appreciate what he’s achieved so far; just don’t have the X Factor feeling! 

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8 minutes ago, One Team said:

Completely feel the same way. I am not sure why either as we have obviously progressed and are in fine shape now.

If I think about the managers I’ve loved (JW, DW, GJ and SC) what is about them that LJ hasn’t done? The obvious one is achieved anything material. As good as a position as we are in LJ hasn’t won a trophy or gained promotion. 

Maybe that’s what will create the love?

I certainly don’t dislike him and I appreciate what he’s achieved so far; just don’t have the X Factor feeling! 

Yeah could be it, I do get it's a lot harder for Johnson to achieve something in the Championship though. 

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I can say with absolute certainly that SL isn’t remotely interested in the managers relationship with the fans. All he wants is for the Head Coach to do the job expected of him and so far LJ has delivered not only with development but with the sustainability as well. 

SL expects progress season on season despite the sales of our better players and LJ continues to deliver essentially with one hand tied behind his back - the guy is doing a cracking job.

He may not experience the same warmth as SC from the fans but to me he doing a far better job than SC did and in tougher conditions.

This most recent window we saw LJ recruitment as the best so far particularly the likes of Messengo, Rowe and the currently injured Nagy joining City and I reckon we’ll be in with a serious chance of promotion come April.

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8 minutes ago, One Team said:

Completely feel the same way. I am not sure why either as we have obviously progressed and are in fine shape now.

If I think about the managers I’ve loved (JW, DW, GJ and SC) what is about them that LJ hasn’t done? The obviously one is achieved anything material. As good as a position as we are in LJ hasn’t won a trophy or gained promotion. 

Maybe that’s what will create the love?

I certainly don’t dislike him and I appreciate what he’s achieved so far; just don’t have the X Factor feeling! 

To be fair, none of the above managers achieved promotion from the Championship, nor won a trophy in a competition in which Championship clubs compete.  Lee has, however, taken us to our second highest finish in the past 39 years, which is some achievement.

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9 minutes ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

To be fair, none of the above managers achieved promotion from the Championship, nor won a trophy in a competition in which Championship clubs compete.  Lee has, however, taken us to our second highest finish in the past 39 years, which is some achievement.

Yes that’s fair it’s just I don’t feel the same way about LJ achieving that as I do Danny Wilson winning the LDV.

I get the gap in quality and relativity of the achievements, just pondering whether it’s those big moments, sense of achievement or a big day out that does it. 

 

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13 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

Do you have a link to the official site article where that was stated please? Must have missed that. 

Obviously not......but I worked with several powerful and successful people over my career and they all had the same mindset as SL......

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32 minutes ago, Robbored said:

I can say with absolute certainly that SL isn’t remotely interested in the managers relationship with the fans. All he wants is for the Head Coach to do the job expected of him and so far LJ has delivered not only with development but with the sustainability as well. 

SL expects progress season on season despite the sales of our better players and LJ continues to deliver essentially with one hand tied behind his back - the guy is doing a cracking job.

He may not experience the same warmth as SC from the fans but to me he doing a far better job than SC did and in tougher conditions.

This most recent window we saw LJ recruitment as the best so far particularly the likes of Messengo, Rowe and the currently injured Nagy joining City and I reckon we’ll be in with a serious chance of promotion come April.

Yet again, you spell a player's name incorrectly.

3 minutes ago, Robbored said:

Obviously not......but I worked with several powerful and successful people over my career and they all had the same mindset as SL......

Hilarious reply

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I am absolutely convinced we would have gone down had we not sacked Cotts. Very good job in league one, couldn't do it in championship.

I don't get why Cotts would not simply go to a back 4.

                Fielding

Ayling Flint  Baker  Williams

Bennet K.Smith Pack Bryan

                 Freeman

                   Kodjia

Wouldn't that side have done a bit better?

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13 minutes ago, JonDolman said:

I am absolutely convinced we would have gone down had we not sacked Cotts. Very good job in league one, couldn't do it in championship.

I don't get why Cotts would not simply go to a back 4.

                Fielding

Ayling Flint  Baker  Williams

Bennet K.Smith Pack Bryan

                 Freeman

                   Kodjia

Wouldn't that side have done a bit better?

He did...lost 0-4 at Derby.

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20 minutes ago, JonDolman said:

I am absolutely convinced we would have gone down had we not sacked Cotts. Very good job in league one, couldn't do it in championship.

I don't get why Cotts would not simply go to a back 4.

                Fielding

Ayling Flint  Baker  Williams

Bennet K.Smith Pack Bryan

                 Freeman

                   Kodjia

Wouldn't that side have done a bit better?

You’re probably right JD.

Cotterell was out of his depth in the Championship but it doesn’t really matter now, water under the bridge and all that.

What I don’t understand is the SC love in on here...........:dunno:

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