Will SL let the big kids play with his toy?

[The Constant Rabbit]

For me, that is the million $$ question.

BCFC has been SL's own plaything for decades, not costing much (for him) and a distraction while he gets on with building the BS South Bristol Mega Empire.

It's now decision time.

Will SL be able to let go of 'his precious' and give it to other smarter, better credentialed kids who may do things with it he doesn't like?

Or see that the smarter, bigger kids can make his toy better than he could have ever hoped, and it will be much more fun to share it with others when they have transformed it?

 

It's a worry.

His own son as Chairman of the Board.

His mate who he lets play with his toy (while he watches of course) Mark Ashton, has seeded BCFC with sycophants from previous jobs in many roles behind the scenes.

Yes people, like Lisa Knights and Downsey get jobs for which they are obviously ill-equipped to do - but yes people mean SL can do what he likes with his toy.

His love affair with the Johnson family is proof personified that if you do what SL demands, then there is room for all the family, even Uncle Pete, to get a minute or two (under supervision again) to play with SL's toy.

 

For SL to appoint a Gerrard or Hughton,  just as it was with a Cotts (how did that end - even after making SL's toy better than ever) or a Coppell (again, how did that go?) - means SL needs to alter his mindset so much, that I'm not sure he can.

It's probably why people like Warnock and Moyes never got considered, while LJ was groomed for the job 2-3 yrs before he got it.

A yes man won't stop SL being in 100% control of his toy - ever.

 

Lansdown needs to decide wether BCFC is his toy for life, or wether the Rugby / Flyers success has shown him that sharing can indeed be ok after all.

 

Because if he decides it will be his toy for life, then Holden, Appleby or Flynn are the next coach and there will be a huge player exodus - players of quality who want to succeed.

Still, we can watch Pato,COD and Whiner Weimann run around pointlessly for 90 minutes as his toy slides down the Championship table. And out of it.

Mind you - a L1 promotion in the next few years sounds fun though eh?

 

OR - SL can see that the time is NOW to step back, give his toy to a proven winning manager who has been there, and done that- one that will make it  a toy that is moulded into an elite professional Football Club that gets into, and stays in, The Premier League.

BCFC can be a behemoth.

Ditch a dozen deadwood players to sign the 3 that will make all the difference - 2 elite midfielders and a top class keeper. That's all we probably need to have a really good shot of going up.

 

BUT....  SL will HAVE to give his toy to someone else who will have full control of it.

To remove the 'boot-room for the boys' culture - from DM,DH,Scotty (sorry Scotty) down to every single person appointed by SL, Ashton or a Johnson - they have to go. All of them.

It is the only way it will work - SL has to let go, sit back, remove the sycophants that are strangling any semblance of free thought and give a new man unfettered control over his toy.

Complete 100% control. No interference.

Then you get a Hughton, Gerrard or McCarthy.  Otherwise they just can't do what they need to do to get BCFC to the Prem - and stay there. 

 

Your choice Mr Lansdown - it's your toy, lock stock and barrel.

 

Can you let the big kids have it and make it better, or will it be forever smothered in your embrace.

 

I hope you can let go Steve, because the toy you will get back could be magnificent.

[WayOutWest]

His toy, 4 years on from when he hired LJ is bigger, better and stronger. 

Who ever handles it will need to get it into the big time. 

I can't remember a time where by City's next appointments sole agenda was PL football. 

It usually starts with survival and steadying the ship. A massive rebuild and reboot. That's when SL gets nervous and perhaps overbearing...  Can't say I blame him. 

For this reason, it's not about looking over his shoulder at the trap door (intrusion) it's more about that jump to the next level (less intrusion). 

Either way the next appointment will need to get on board with some of the processes in place. It's not like other football clubs in the world don't have them.

 

[Mr Popodopolous]

Hughton, Jokanovic or Cook please.

All would want a certain amount of autonomy yet both of the first two especially have worked under DoF or Sporting Directors IIRC. Unsure about Cook in terms of the latter!

Think both sides will need to give a bit- dunno if a new manager can have 100% control or autonomy but a lot, and the club will need to make adjustments/tweaks to the model as well.

[Port Said Red]

A thread about whether SL has ambition, I am amazed that no one has brought this up before!

Good to see you picked out the really important people at the club like Downey though, I am sure he has a huge say in the day to day running of the club. As for qualification for the role, both he and Knight, are well qualified in the broadcasting arena which is what is required. As for Ashton, he has overseen the transformation of this clubs recruitment policy and, despite the handicap of wearing a suit and using lots of flowery language has done a good job. People will always focus on the failures of course.

[Chappers]

What an utterly ridiculous post. We have an excellent owner (Look elsewhere, plenty of dodgy ones), who will be hiring a manager that fits the club in terms of many issues, including affordability.

Chucking money that we don’t have at Hughton (Or some other ‘proven’ manager) and expensive players guarantees absolutely nothing, other than serious problems if it goes wrong.

[Kykoliko]

What on earth did I just read? Have a word with yourself and maybe a glass of milk to calm down.

[CheddarReds]

I find it crazy the disrespect Lansdown gets. I'm sure he's not perfect and has made mistakes but we are so lucky to have him. The money and time he's put into developing our football club and our city is tremendous and I'm sick of hearing bull like this. 

 

[Bristolded1987]

I just can’t even believe what people think of Steve Lansdown . I’ve been a city fan for 30 years , and I have never seen us in such a strong position as a club. If it was not for mr lansdown we would be nowhere near where we are today . We would still be a league 1 team with the odd flirt in the championship. People who believe otherwise are too young to remember or just simply have no idea 

[Monkeh]

The annual sx227 slagging off lansdown Post fantastic

I stopped reading after you posted hasnt cost lansdown much,

Hes invested at least 150 million into the club you .......

[And Its Smith]

When you look at what can happen at a club (Wigan, Blackpool, Birmingham), it’s incredible how Lansdown still gets disrespected.  On top of the financial side, his last two managerial appointments have been proved to be correct ones 

[City oz]

7 hours ago, SX227 said:

For me, that is the million $$ question.

BCFC has been SL's own plaything for decades, not costing much (for him) and a distraction while he gets on with building the BS South Bristol Mega Empire.

It's now decision time.

Will SL be able to let go of 'his precious' and give it to other smarter, better credentialed kids who may do things with it he doesn't like?

Or see that the smarter, bigger kids can make his toy better than he could have ever hoped, and it will be much more fun to share it with others when they have transformed it?

 

It's a worry.

His own son as Chairman of the Board.

His mate who he lets play with his toy (while he watches of course) Mark Ashton, has seeded BCFC with sycophants from previous jobs in many roles behind the scenes.

Yes people, like Lisa Knights and Downsey get jobs for which they are obviously ill-equipped to do - but yes people mean SL can do what he likes with his toy.

His love affair with the Johnson family is proof personified that if you do what SL demands, then there is room for all the family, even Uncle Pete, to get a minute or two (under supervision again) to play with SL's toy.

 

For SL to appoint a Gerrard or Hughton,  just as it was with a Cotts (how did that end - even after making SL's toy better than ever) or a Coppell (again, how did that go?) - means SL needs to alter his mindset so much, that I'm not sure he can.

It's probably why people like Warnock and Moyes never got considered, while LJ was groomed for the job 2-3 yrs before he got it.

A yes man won't stop SL being in 100% control of his toy - ever.

 

Lansdown needs to decide wether BCFC is his toy for life, or wether the Rugby / Flyers success has shown him that sharing can indeed be ok after all.

 

Because if he decides it will be his toy for life, then Holden, Appleby or Flynn are the next coach and there will be a huge player exodus - players of quality who want to succeed.

Still, we can watch Pato,COD and Whiner Weimann run around pointlessly for 90 minutes as his toy slides down the Championship table. And out of it.

Mind you - a L1 promotion in the next few years sounds fun though eh?

 

OR - SL can see that the time is NOW to step back, give his toy to a proven winning manager who has been there, and done that- one that will make it  a toy that is moulded into an elite professional Football Club that gets into, and stays in, The Premier League.

BCFC can be a behemoth.

Ditch a dozen deadwood players to sign the 3 that will make all the difference - 2 elite midfielders and a top class keeper. That's all we probably need to have a really good shot of going up.

 

BUT....  SL will HAVE to give his toy to someone else who will have full control of it.

To remove the 'boot-room for the boys' culture - from DM,DH,Scotty (sorry Scotty) down to every single person appointed by SL, Ashton or a Johnson - they have to go. All of them.

It is the only way it will work - SL has to let go, sit back, remove the sycophants that are strangling any semblance of free thought and give a new man unfettered control over his toy.

Complete 100% control. No interference.

Then you get a Hughton, Gerrard or McCarthy.  Otherwise they just can't do what they need to do to get BCFC to the Prem - and stay there. 

 

Your choice Mr Lansdown - it's your toy, lock stock and barrel.

 

Can you let the big kids have it and make it better, or will it be forever smothered in your embrace.

 

I hope you can let go Steve, because the toy you will get back could be magnificent.

Don’t worry about the aubergines mate. I thought it a valid post and you could be correct.

[GrahamC]

What a very odd OP.

I know our owner isn’t flawless & am no fan of Mark Ashton at all, but if you consider where we would be without Steve Lansdown then it is chalk & cheese.

I can also totally understand why his son is involved, let’s face it, it is his money, he is based in Guernsey so he wants someone he trusts much closer to it on a day to day basis than he can be.

As fans of the club knowing there is a system in place that should guarantee we remain owned by a Bristolian family rather than dodgy Russian or Chinese owners makes me feel pretty happy, too.

I may not agree with everything SL does but realised a long time ago this is business, not a democracy & he at least has the club’s interests at heart.

[irishreds]

I don't think the post is disrespectful, if we get to the Premiership collectively as City supporters the one person we'd be most delighted for is Stephen Lansdown, and it would be an incredible experience.   

It seems the club may need to change the structure slightly to achieve this aim, I agree Ashton is doing a reasonable job, but I would like to see his job description be closer to Mark Tainton's (CEO Bristol Rugby) and the new manager/coach have the same control as Pat Lam. The manager / head coach is the most important employee at the club, not Ashton. 

At the end of the day Stephen Lansdown will have to fund a Hughton, and the several changes he would want to make. Yes, we are extremely lucky to have the Landown's run our club, and with so many clubs in financial turmoil at the present time we have never had a better opportunity to make that next step with the right leader. Consequently it would be frustrating if we don't go for a proven manager, hopefully Ashton is on the same page as the supporters, but it's not our money.   

 

[Major Isewater]

32 minutes ago, Monkeh said:

The annual sx227 slagging off lansdown Post fantastic

I stopped reading after you posted hasnt cost lansdown much,

Hes invested at least 150 million into the club you .......

Peanuts to SX227 . 

[City oz]

2 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

Peanuts to SX227 . 

I do like SX227 reference to the club being a toy. It gives a different perspective on things. I know Lansdown has spent mega bucks. But the bloke does have mega bucks. It’s a bit like Dallas in a way. Major you have to admit questions need to be asked around the immediate family and the friendship with LJ. Most do make friendships in the work environment but they need to be kept seperate when the s^%t hits the fan like it did earlier this week.

[Numero Uno]

1 hour ago, Chappers said:

What an utterly ridiculous post. We have an excellent owner (Look elsewhere, plenty of dodgy ones), who will be hiring a manager that fits the club in terms of many issues, including affordability.

Chucking money that we don’t have at Hughton (Or some other ‘proven’ manager) and expensive players guarantees absolutely nothing, other than serious problems if it goes wrong.

I don't think employing Chris Hughton guarantees bankruptcy!! The guy will want paying well but will also work within a budget. I don't remember Brighton paying Billions of pounds per week when they got out of the Championship. I also don't recall LJ having to shop at Bargain Buys over the last few years either. If you can afford to pay literally millions for an 18 year old kid (an expensive player at our level in any lingo) and circa £1m a pop for players who have achieved zero in the game like Adelukan then there must be a few spare pennies hanging around the back of that sofa.

With us I would say that less is actually more. Stop taking out and out "punts" on the Adelukan's of this world and spend the same money in a better and more targeted way. Our squad is totally stacked out with very ordinary deadwood (just look at the absolutely massive number of mediocre midfield players we have on the books, it's mental and I've never seen anything like it) when we could have a smaller number of far higher quality players and create real competition...........and at the same time give ourselves MORE room and opportunity than there's ever been for the younger players to come through (which is a major part of the Steve Lansdown brief).

In summary, a "proven" manager could actually benefit us in ways we haven't realised.

[jj77]

You're not allowed to criticise the owner.

I made a comment that Lansdown is a cheapskate and he only spends what he saves as a tax exile on twitter once and they all came out of the woodwork.

[Major Isewater]

14 minutes ago, City oz said:

I do like SX227 reference to the club being a toy. It gives a different perspective on things. I know Lansdown has spent mega bucks. But the bloke does have mega bucks. It’s a bit like Dallas in a way. Major you have to admit questions need to be asked around the immediate family and the friendship with LJ. Most do make friendships in the work environment but they need to be kept seperate when the s^%t hits the fan like it did earlier this week.

SL has been on the money with the ‘backing ‘ and ultimately, the sacking of a ‘ friend ‘ he has known for donkey’s years . Likewise his Father .

I have criticised the set up as Bristol Cosy Football club but sense that SL , whilst he would love to have made the leap with his protege at the helm , is not prepared to see the club go backwards and will make  the hard decisions though not in a knee jerk style.

Let’s just see what the next coach says to us regarding SL’s ambition but I’m sure he didn’t sack LJ to hand over the job to someone less qualified to achieve it. 

[Port Said Red]

1 hour ago, jj77 said:

You're not allowed to criticise the owner.

I made a comment that Lansdown is a cheapskate and he only spends what he saves as a tax exile on twitter once and they all came out of the woodwork.

I am not surprised, considering the amount of tax he paid up to his move, and his collective businesses still pay. If he wants to invest that money in a more direct way then that’s his choice, he doesn’t have to do either he could just decide to sit by the pool and count it all.

To be honest, if I was in his position and saw some of the comments from some of the ungrateful ***** on social media, that’s probably what I would choose to do.

So easy to spend when it isn’t your money.

Just realised that this all sounds like the “What have the Romans ever done for us?” scene in Life of Brian.

[Leveller]

1 hour ago, jj77 said:

You're not allowed to criticise the owner.

I made a comment that Lansdown is a cheapskate and he only spends what he saves as a tax exile on twitter once and they all came out of the woodwork.

He puts in millions - and exactly as much as he is allowed to do by FFP rules. Unlimited expenditure would be lovely, but is impossible under FFP. Calling him a cheapskate is frankly pathetic.

[phantom]

Some of the points raised are very valid and accurate, but others are barking mad and why people are slating the whole response. 

An example of where you are correct, there are many positions around Bristol Sport where it's very much jobs for boys and more experienced and better qualified people have been replaced with very random appointments 

But equally there are people really growing in their roles. 

For anyone to suggest Scott Murray should be removed is nuts. This guy is a dieing breed of what it means to be involved with your local football club. He lives and breathes Bristol City and you can see from videos etc his role is much more than just being a kit man.

I'd bet players speak to him for support and also he knows about banter and life in and around the dressing room. Scott will hopefully have a long career at the club as him and Tins are all that is left from when we were a Football Club and not a business 

[City oz]

5 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

A thread about whether SL has ambition, I am amazed that no one has brought this up before!

Good to see you picked out the really important people at the club like Downey though, I am sure he has a huge say in the day to day running of the club. As for qualification for the role, both he and Knight, are well qualified in the broadcasting arena which is what is required. As for Ashton, he has overseen the transformation of this clubs recruitment policy and, despite the handicap of wearing a suit and using lots of flowery language has done a good job. People will always focus on the failures of course.

No one one is critising the commitment. SL has commitment and passion for the club. However and quite frankly people have the right to comment on his family appointments at the club and his relationship with LJ. It’s time now to get over this as we are embarking on a new era.

[Isawjonshaw]

It could be much worse.  I remember Les Kew

[City oz]

20 minutes ago, phantom said:

Some of the points raised are very valid and accurate, but others are barking mad and why people are slating the whole response. 

An example of where you are correct, there are many positions around Bristol Sport where it's very much jobs for boys and more experienced and better qualified people have been replaced with very random appointments 

But equally there are people really growing in their roles. 

For anyone to suggest Scott Murray should be removed is nuts. This guy is a dieing breed of what it means to be involved with your local football club. He lives and breathes Bristol City and you can see from videos etc his role is much more than just being a kit man.

I'd bet players speak to him for support and also he knows about banter and life in and around the dressing room. Scott will hopefully have a long career at the club as him and Tins are all that is left from when we were a Football Club and not a business 

Phantom I agree. Look at the bigger picture we will always be a football club and those that have been with the club we all commend . Look forward to the future where Scott and his asset is great and will never be forgotten.

However time to change of which a new manager will bring in as reality is Prem football at BS 3 and unfortunately not the qualities around a kit man either good or bad is relevant.

we all need to except change 

[MATT BCFC]

I hope and think he might be on the right track. There's definitely something in getting young talented players for cheapish making them better and selling them on. 

I think the problem is as I have said previously that under LJ we didn't have a clear style of play or philosophy and therefore signed a number of players who although talented didn't fit in e.g Palmer and Schmodics. 

If we adopt a style of play and get similar players to what we have been but ones that actually fit our style of play think we will have success. 

 

[tin]

This is a massive appointment for SL. He's shown ambition with Bears and needs to do it with us (whoever that is) to silence these sort of questions once and for all.

Another job for the boys or cheap inexperienced punt will only add fuel to the flames, not that SL's concerned about that. He could get away with that approach when we were in League One, but we're an established Championship club supposedly with aspirations of getting into the PL. It's time to back that up now. 

[marcofisher]

These Stone Age topics are getting boring now.

[Fjmcity]

Wow what a offensive way to describe the man who has invested his own money into our football team and ensures we never and will never be in a position like Wigan et al.

If I were him and read this I really would be like why the **** do I bother

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, And Its Smith said:

When you look at what can happen at a club (Wigan, Blackpool, Birmingham), it’s incredible how Lansdown still gets disrespected.  On top of the financial side, his last two managerial appointments have been proved to be correct ones 

The only criticism I have of SL was when he said (paraphrased) “I’ve put in more money than the fans so I’ll do what I like” - of course it’s true but the way he said was pretty poor.

Other than that we are lucky to have him.

He won’t be made a fool of.  I’m not saying LJ did, but there was no real sentiment in his TS interview re sacking.

[Port Said Red]

1 hour ago, City oz said:

No one one is critising the commitment. SL has commitment and passion for the club. However and quite frankly people have the right to comment on his family appointments at the club and his relationship with LJ. It’s time now to get over this as we are embarking on a new era.

One family appointment surely? And if he feels his son is the person he trusts most to look after what is ostensibly his money, then that’s fine. I hi on seems a well educated and sensible person, who has learned what’s required. Neither of the Johnson appointments were failures, Senior got us within a whisker of the promised land and junior, gave it a good go and brought value into the club. 
When it became clear that he had reached his limit, he let him go. He has no reason to review these appointments.