Lansdown should be embarrassed and ashamed

[Redrascal2]

10 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Over £150m 

What savage irony when in spite of this we look like going down and will most likely be passed by Ashton and Ipswich going up. The ultimate kick in the nuts. The difference being they have backed their Manager and Lansdown has left Pearson and the squad to wither away. We will not stay up unless Lansdown spends some money in January or finds somebody who is prepared to. Just do something.

[Banjo Red]

He was more interested in the egg chasing and took his eye of the ball and we all know where that has led us.

[TomThumb84]

As for thanking him for all he has done, there is an argument to say the investment has been ploughed into the wrong things and has ended up stifling us as the likes of Bournemouth, Brentford, Swansea, et al just stream by us.

I actually do not like Ashton Gate that much anymore. I do for a corporate or a business event, but not as a football ground. Lost all its edge.

I would, in a heartbeat, swap a night on the old East End, staring down across pitch into a rainy abyss of the open end, with no sports-bar, club shop, heineken lounges etc… just to have a team and a club that entertained and connected with the fans.

Actually jealous of Coventry, Blackpool and Luton at the moment.

Shows how much we have stagnated.

[jj77]

He spends crumbs on the club compared to his wealth. Lets not pretend he does more than any other billionaire owner (Mike Ashley excused)

 

[red panda]

So many people have such short memories. It wasn't very long ago that, at best, we were simply yo-yo-ing between the Championship and League One (or worse - remember it was only in the 2000s that it took us a whole EIGHT years to get out of League One), and we couldn't seem to stay more than 2 or 3 seasons in the Championship let alone achieve top half finishes and be seen as potential play-off contenders.  Things could be a lot better, but we are still light years ahead of where we used to be.

Still work to do?  Yes of course

Ashamed and embarrassed?  Grow up!

[Kid in the Riot]

7 minutes ago, red panda said:

So many people have such short memories. It wasn't very long ago that, at best, we were simply yo-yo-ing between the Championship and League One (or worse - remember it was only in the 2000s that it took us a whole EIGHT years to get out of League One), and we couldn't seem to stay more than 2 or 3 seasons in the Championship let alone achieve top half finishes and be seen as potential play-off contenders.  Things could be a lot better, but we are still light years ahead of where we used to be.

Still work to do?  Yes of course

Ashamed and embarrassed?  Grow up!

Yes, and for six of those eight years in League One, who was in charge? 

[Bristol Oil Services]

33 minutes ago, TomThumb84 said:

 

Actually jealous of Coventry, Blackpool and Luton at the moment.

 

Me too, mate. Looking forward to going to Highfield Road Saturday, though. 

[Phileas Fogg]

12 hours ago, Andrew_V1 said:

And being objective how much of that has been completely wasted due to at best naivety and worst downright incompetence? 

Not related to the thread but I've always admired your very 07/08' avatar and signature. Big artistic signatures like that have died out. I used to have some bizarre one some guy on a random football forum made for me. I told him to pick any of the Bristol City squad from that time (I think the 07/08 season) and he, randomly, chose Jamie McAllister. He accompanied it with the phrase "you shall not pass!". I might see if I can dig it up and resurrect it. Whilst insisting on only using old school emojis 

 

 

[TonyTonyTony]

54 minutes ago, Redrascal2 said:

What savage irony when in spite of this we look like going down and will most likely be passed by Ashton and Ipswich going up. 

What? We are 10 points clear of the relegation zone, and Ipswich are 9th in League 1. Stop with the sensationalist headlines

[TomThumb84]

6 minutes ago, Moments of Pleasure said:

Me too, mate. Looking forward to going to Highfield Road Saturday, though. 

32,500 capacity at the CBS Arena. They may fill it if they carry on this way.

Shows you that a period of change and transition is sometimes a good thing no matter how hard things seem eh?

[Bris Red]

13 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Yes, and for six of those eight years in League One, who was in charge? 

Indeed. Lansdown has been happy with mediocre when it comes to the footballing side at AG, anything more than that involves far too much investment which he is not willing to provide and before people talk about FFP he had years to go for it before it had even come in, the January of 2008 and the summer of 2008 being the obvious periods.

Edited November 3, 2021 by bris red

[Kid in the Riot]

5 minutes ago, bris red said:

Indeed. Lansdown has been happy with mediocre when it comes to the footballing side at AG, anything more than that involves far too much investment which he is not willing to provide and before people talk about FFP he had years to go for it before it had even come in, the January of 2008 and the summer of 2008 being the obvious periods.

Yes, I do wonder if retrospectively he regrets not going for it more pre-FFP. I suspect he probably doesn't as he has had his fingers burnt so many times making poor appointments.

I remember there was a time in the 2000s when he was one of the richest owners in English football, I want to say even top 5. 

The last list I saw published he was still 15th, above many owners of clubs that have been far more successful than us. He's twice as rich as Brighton owner Tony Bloom, for example. 

What could've been, eh. 

[Redrascal2]

31 minutes ago, TonyTonyTony said:

What? We are 10 points clear of the relegation zone, and Ipswich are 9th in League 1. Stop with the sensationalist headlines

I hope it is sensationalist headlines but how do you see it possible to turn this squad around. Unfortunately Pearson seems unable to do it. And with no funds how is it going to improve.

[maxjak]

I actually have a great deal of sympathy for Mr Lansdown, he runs an enormously successful business, which has made him a very rich man.  Unfortunately he is/was under the impression that if you excel in one aspect of your life, it naturally follows that that success can be replicated in another sphere.  But, and it is a Big but, he has knowledge and ability aplenty in his chosen field of finance, but is naive and misguided in the world of professional sport.

His ego has intervened, and his mistaken assumption that success in business naturally equates to success in a completely different field, has led to numerous mistakes over quite a number of years.  If only he had taken advice from experts who excelled in THEIR chosen profession, namely the big bad world of professional football, and had left his ego aside?   Then perhaps the current mess we find ourselves in could so easily have been avoided?

All that money and all that time, and for what? An ailing, under achieving   football team, that if given the right direction and recruitment, could so easily be riding high in the upper echelons of the sport, given the huge funds that have been pumped into the club  ............if only, if only...............                

Mark Ashton, really?  Do you recruit in an equivalent manner in your financial business? I don't think so?   So yes i do feel sorry for SL, because he meant well, and has given us a wonderful infrastructure, it's just a shame about the team?

 

Edited November 3, 2021 by maxjak

[Mendip City]

12 hours ago, Wiltshire robin said:

Or you can ask Brighton, Stoke,Bradford ,hull,Oldham, Barnsley,Swansea ,Swindon ,Ipswich,charlton,Wigan ,Blackburn and reading .

whilst some of them are in a lower league than us atm they have all had more success than us and will probably be at the same level as us before we ever do anything worthy of talking about .

This is it…. Our standing still for decades is just so dull. At least those clubs are, or have been, on a journey. Assuming history repeats itself we will be back a the third level before long having never really threatened to leave the division through promotion. 

[Fuber]

1 hour ago, jj77 said:

He spends crumbs on the club compared to his wealth. Lets not pretend he does more than any other billionaire owner (Mike Ashley excused)

 

Wouldn't agree with that. Compared to most owners at this level is net spend is very substantial. I also don't doubt SLs commitment to the club.

The fundamental issue is that basic decisions have been wrong, name at the top of the heirarchy and with regards to all management appointments.

[ashton_fan]

14 hours ago, dREDful said:

Miss his first full season? Lucky you!

We finished 17th that season, which is higher than where we are now. 

[Show Me The Money!]

I’m not going to join in with the Lansdown bashing as I think he has done more good than bad, but what does baffle me a little bit is why being an owner of a big investment company he hasn’t brought other investors in?

You’d think he’d have some brilliant contacts who’d be interested in investing in the club

[Clevedon Red]

12 minutes ago, Show Me The Money! said:

I’m not going to join in with the Lansdown bashing as I think he has done more good than bad, but what does baffle me a little bit is why being an ex owner of a big investment company he hasn’t brought other investors in?

You’d think he’d have some brilliant contacts who’d be interested in investing in the club

Fixed that for you,

[dREDful]

4 hours ago, ashton_fan said:

We finished 17th that season, which is higher than where we are now. 

3  points off relegation is very much at risk. 

[Merrick's Marvels]

6 hours ago, maxjak said:

  If only he had taken advice from experts who excelled in THEIR chosen profession, namely the big bad world of professional football

 

To be fair, he eventually realised that's what he should do.

He just ****** up the selection process and settled on the wrong candidate (as per usual) - namely, The Snake. 

[Bristol Oil Services]

No shame in trying, but one play-off place attained in 13 attempts and not one season at the top after two decades is embarrassing. Considering the heap of money thrown at it. And the public statements of some of his trusted lieutenants "we call ourselves a Premier League club in waiting," "other clubs are looking over the wall at what we are doing," and so on.

Indeed, when Mark Ashton's time here is considered, it's humiliated not embarrassed.

[Tin Soldier]

3 hours ago, Show Me The Money! said:

I’m not going to join in with the Lansdown bashing as I think he has done more good than bad, but what does baffle me a little bit is why being an owner of a big investment company he hasn’t brought other investors in?

You’d think he’d have some brilliant contacts who’d be interested in investing in the club

Because Hargreaves was the brains behind the business, not Lansdown.

[Mr Popodopolous]

10 hours ago, TomThumb84 said:

As for thanking him for all he has done, there is an argument to say the investment has been ploughed into the wrong things and has ended up stifling us as the likes of Bournemouth, Brentford, Swansea, et al just stream by us.

I actually do not like Ashton Gate that much anymore. I do for a corporate or a business event, but not as a football ground. Lost all its edge.

I would, in a heartbeat, swap a night on the old East End, staring down across pitch into a rainy abyss of the open end, with no sports-bar, club shop, heineken lounges etc… just to have a team and a club that entertained and connected with the fans.

Actually jealous of Coventry, Blackpool and Luton at the moment.

Shows how much we have stagnated.

Depends when and do have some sympathy with that post but pre FFP, 2008 January especially would have been the time...

Bournemouth- outright cheated at a time where there was little downside risk. Brentford and Swansea had their unique models that served them/are serving them in Brentford's case very nicely.

Yes, atmosphere has a lot of the time, gone post redevelopment but sadly we have to chase as many revenue streams as possible to try and pour back into the club/side.

3rd bit- those 3 have passed us back up now, but horrible lows not that long ago. Interesting to see how they maintain it or don't but all credit to them.

Edited November 3, 2021 by Mr Popodopolous

[Smokey]

1 hour ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

To be fair, he eventually realised that's what he should do.

He just ****** up the selection process and settled on the wrong candidate (as per usual) - namely, The Snake. 

It only took him over a decade to work that out then still got it wrong

[ray savino]

The problem for me is not the amount that SL should or should not be putting into the club. It’s been the structuring and decision making of the Board on the football side.

As with most things on here, it is mainly pure speculation what goes on at the top table of this club. But the evidence of the decision making comes down to what we have experienced as fans/spectators over the years measured against the implicit or explicit marketing/messaging about BCFC ambition - getting to the Premier League. We haven’t done it, and what’s more, but for a few good seasons worth of performances, it’s mostly been mediocre, pretty low on entertainment and excitement with the occasional good performance. Also “the plan” seems to follow the pattern of build up hope, tear down when hasn’t worked, try something/someone else... and repeat.

I think SL, deep down is frustrated and maybe just a tiny bit angry at himself for us being in this position. I must say we are not alone in feeling like this as fans. The fast majority of clubs can moan the same. We can’t all be winners - that’s sport. We have no divine right to win.The frustration for me appears to be a continued repetition of doing the same things with recruitment, policy, team build, etc with the same results whoever the coach or manager.  If this was any other business or organisation, we as customers would have long gone by now and given up on it. But were not just normal customers, we’re fans - maybe fickle a lot of the time - but we find it hard to just walk away. Although I must confess, after 55 seasons of following this club, it’s really beginning to test my patience, not so much the lack of real success, but more the lack of exciting football, let alone “good” football.

[Kid in the Riot]

4 hours ago, Show Me The Money! said:

what does baffle me a little bit is why being an owner of a big investment company he hasn’t brought other investors in?

You’d think he’d have some brilliant contacts who’d be interested in investing in the club

Because doing that would mean ceding power to others, and he is a control freak. 

That said, he has clearly reached a point, and probably age now, where is willing to take more of a backseat and concede some power for significant investment. It will have to be done on his terms though, and I wonder how attractive that is for prospective investors. 

There was serious interest pre-covid, maybe that will return as (or if) normality resumes... 

[Phileas Fogg]

3 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Because doing that would mean ceding power to others, and he is a control freak. 

That said, he has clearly reached a point, and probably age now, where is willing to take more of a backseat and concede some power for significant investment. It will have to be done on his terms though, and I wonder how attractive that is for prospective investors. 

There was serious interest pre-covid, maybe that will return as (or if) normality resumes... 

Did the current US group who are at Ipswich also look at us? 

[Kid in the Riot]

3 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Did the current US group who are at Ipswich also look at us? 

Of course. And one from Asia

[Robbored]

7 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Of course. And one from Asia

Got an evidence? a link maybe?