Mr Lansdown Just Stick With It!

[chinapig]

34 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Back to Cotts for a consistent playing identity.

I don’t think LJ had one.  He had short periods of success with lots of different identities, and short periods of failure with those and others.  Even the autumn of 17/18 never turned into “right, I’ve got my philosophy, everything is now geared to that”.

I bet if you asked most fans where we fell down in 17/18, it was knackering Smith and Pack, because when he rotated Brownhill centrally he lost what he brought wide, and when he put Bryan back to LB he lost what he brought down that left side.

He recruited in the summer of 2018.

Webster to replace Flint,

Weimann to replace Reid,

Assume O’Dowda was the Bryan replacement, which was fair enough at the time.

For me the combo of Reid / Paterson was consigned to the bin, because he had to accommodate Diedhiou, his record signing at the time, who didn’t fit the system he got going!

But tye obvious omission was the central midfielder to compete with Pack and Smith.  If he felt that Brownhill was that player, then was Watkins / Adelakun really the RM/RW replacement for Brownhill?  The answer is no!

That season was in fact the lowest number of players signed and lowest fees paid in his 4 seasons here.

For me the signing of Fammy was a pivotal point as you suggest. When he came in LJ said he wanted to play a quick passing, high pressing game, which was music to my ears and which he delivered for a period.

But as soon as you bring in a big man to lead your attack that goes out of the window. Then he never found a way of playing that fitted Fammy's strengths (clue: he isn't a target man).

I have no idea why he went down that road, though I wonder whether Fammy was one of those "trading club" signings - get a season or two out of him then sell at a profit and ignore whether he fits a playing philosophy.

[cidered abroad]

My first match at Bristol City. April 1950 a Third Division (South) against Aldershot. Harry Dolman had just taken over as the Chairman. The first eleven years we finished below Bristol Rovers who operated a "No Buy / No Sell" policy under a very good football manager.

I was football mad as a young boy. I also loved cricket and rugby, still do. I dreamt of City being in the FA Cup Final at Wembley and in the First Division. My Welsh father took me to Cardiff City, First Divsion, when we went to see Nana.

Promotion in 1955 with a mgnificent City team. HD was not shy with his money but goofed up with Peter Doherty so back to Div 3. Another five years to go up, followed by one year missing promotion to Division One by a gnat's whisker.

The AD with several relegation scraps before his youth policy began to work. After 65 years, we got back to where we should be. Harry D by this time was an old tired person and was surrounded by a board of greedy, selfish idiots. Sensible investment in players would have seen us stay there for a long time. Board and others, skimming of thousands of £'s. 36,000 gate for Man U turned out as 27,000 and the same for every home game. Save on the VAT, police numbers at matches and bring in players who were not good enough for Division 3.

So there ended my dream of us competing with the big clubs. Back to 2, 3 and 4 in successive years and financial disaster.

Since then under achievement year on year with one or two bright spots. Cooper from 4 to 3, Jordan from 3 to 2, Ward from 3 to 2 and straight back down. Johnson from 3 to 2, missed play off and back down again. Cotterill 3 to 2 all interspersed with the occasional "Micky Mouse" Cup. We have won this more than anyone else. WOW!

HD built the Dolman Stand - a two tier indoor bowling arena with seats on the roof. And then sold Chris Garland to pay for it! He did put in £55,000 in 1960 after relegation. The various chairmen between 1995 and now put some in, mostly squandered by various managers. Ward, three high price strikers when we needed a centre half. Danny Wilson's boozers. Cotterill wanted to get in two high value, centre half and striker, to improve us, make the most of promotion and the "New Stadium". Agreed, allegedly, and then blocked while he was on holiday.

Since then we have been on a money spending spree with LJ and the scumbag who's name I refuse to mention. £65 million is generally accepted as the amount. The first top quality manager, Nigel Pearson, since Cooper and Jordan, yet he is, IMO, doomed to relegation back to Division Three.

I have dreamed and dreamed all my life, but old age and the reality of Bristol City is to be where a chairman in the 1990's said " We like being the big fish in the pond(Third league). I's better that little fish in big pond. (Prem or Championship now)". Unless a miracle happens in the January window, I'm sad to say we are doomed to the drop. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by cidered abroad

[Red Exile]

1 hour ago, Pezo said:

He has stated that he thought it was too early for LJ in his management career but was convinced by LJ eventually, hardly sounds like an ego trip.

He didn't name the stand, he actually said something along the lines of if someone names a stand after me I will fire them. It was a board decision - a board he no longer sits on.

Other than getting basic facts wrong your post makes quite a bit of sense.

hmm...another very generous poster. 

Look...he wanted to be the star-maker with Lee Johnson. It didn't work out. If he was convinced by LJ's patter, well...what can I say?!

What was needed with a manager with a demonstrable track record. 

How many people doubted that the stand would be named after him? It was 'board' decision? - give me a break - who exactly is or was the 'board'? SL, his son, and his mates. There is no 'board'.

But fine if that's your take on matters.

[Pezo]

18 minutes ago, Red Exile said:

hmm...another very generous poster. 

Look...he wanted to be the star-maker with Lee Johnson. It didn't work out. If he was convinced by LJ's patter, well...what can I say?!

What was needed with a manager with a demonstrable track record. 

How many people doubted that the stand would be named after him? It was 'board' decision? - give me a break - who exactly is or was the 'board'? SL, his son, and his mates. There is no 'board'.

But fine if that's your take on matters.

Hmm... I've been critical of SL for things we can be critical of since he has been chairman and owner - you don't need to make stuff up.

His dilution of shares where he has been issuing new ones and buying them to take full control of the club to cover debts he has been responsible for creating is my biggest issue.

His it's my money and my club and I will do what I want attitude (with the first point in mind).

His appointment of Tinnion, Millen with zero experience, his inability to learn from these mistakes. His loyalty to pretty much all managers when it is clearly gone stale. A saying SL should be used to is "it's better to walk when people ask why rather than when people say why not" I would make this case for most managers he has employeed about 2 years before he has finally got rid of them.

That being said balance is what is needed in any criticism and IMO SL comes out about even which from his personal perspective must be embarrassing because if I had spent £150m+ to come out even I would be severely frustrated and wondering if it was me as the one factor that's been consistent along this period of time.

[Mr Popodopolous]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Back to Cotts for a consistent playing identity.

I don’t think LJ had one.  He had short periods of success with lots of different identities, and short periods of failure with those and others.  Even the autumn of 17/18 never turned into “right, I’ve got my philosophy, everything is now geared to that”.

I bet if you asked most fans where we fell down in 17/18, it was knackering Smith and Pack, because when he rotated Brownhill centrally he lost what he brought wide, and when he put Bryan back to LB he lost what he brought down that left side.

He recruited in the summer of 2018.

Webster to replace Flint,

Weimann to replace Reid,

Assume O’Dowda was the Bryan replacement, which was fair enough at the time.

For me the combo of Reid / Paterson was consigned to the bin, because he had to accommodate Diedhiou, his record signing at the time, who didn’t fit the system he got going!

But tye obvious omission was the central midfielder to compete with Pack and Smith.  If he felt that Brownhill was that player, then was Watkins / Adelakun really the RM/RW replacement for Brownhill?  The answer is no!

That season was in fact the lowest number of players signed and lowest fees paid in his 4 seasons here.

A fit Hegeler could have stopped us flogging some of those CMs to death, either as a third man at times or a rotation option at others.

Sadly he was not fit most of the time. Korey also had a long term injury, didn't seem to trust Walsh and Morrell was starting to  push through- we definitely needed one more, agreed.

Did Walsh have injuries that season? Can't remember but wouldn't surprise me.

Also agree on Diedhiou. He had his uses particularly away from home but often had a negative impact on our fluidity at home. Being a record signing probably increased pressure to play him.

Held an occasional view, that if we were to play Diedhiou it should have been 4-3-3 with wingers. O'Dowda right, Eliasson left kinda thing.

That aside..Diedhiou aside. Fielding was injured until January after all.

           Maenpaa

Hunt Kalas Webster DaSilva

                 Pack

Brownhill Walsh New CM Paterson 

              Weimann

Could go Pisano and Kelly at full back to go narrower.

A fit Hegeler could have been used more readily either to partner Pack or cover at times.

              Maenpaa

Pisano Kalas Webster Kelly

Brownhill Pack Walsh DaSilva

                Paterson

                Weimann

Or my (if fit)Hegeler alternative.

             Maenpaa

  Hunt Kalas Webster Kelly

              Hegeler

Brownhill Pack Walsh Paterson

              Weimann

Obviously can switch full backs as required, could go asymmetrical with a Hunt-Brownhill or Kelly-Eliasson left side or focus on more true width- Kelly-Eliasson.

Weimann central would surely also lead the press quite well in that side, a good focal point.

Edited November 5, 2021 by Mr Popodopolous

[mozo]

Steve Lansdown is 69, so still plenty of living left to do. But he is on track to go to his grave with a billion in the bank, if not two, (paying as little tax as he can). That makes no sense to me.

I'm not saying he should one day throw one and a half billion at Bristol City, but hopefully he will throw that much at good causes. Preserving billionaire status for the Lansdown estate would be a sad legacy in my opinion. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by mozo

[Red Exile]

1 hour ago, Pezo said:

Hmm... I've been critical of SL for things we can be critical of since he has been chairman and owner - you don't need to make stuff up.

His dilution of shares where he has been issuing new ones and buying them to take full control of the club to cover debts he has been responsible for creating is my biggest issue.

His it's my money and my club and I will do what I want attitude (with the first point in mind).

His appointment of Tinnion, Millen with zero experience, his inability to learn from these mistakes. His loyalty to pretty much all managers when it is clearly gone stale. A saying SL should be used to is "it's better to walk when people ask why rather than when people say why not" I would make this case for most managers he has employeed about 2 years before he has finally got rid of them.

That being said balance is what is needed in any criticism and IMO SL comes out about even which from his personal perspective must be embarrassing because if I had spent £150m+ to come out even I would be severely frustrated and wondering if it was me as the one factor that's been consistent along this period of time.

Can’t see that I’ve made anything up. But have it your way - LJ was very persuasive and he is forced to grin and bear sitting in a stand with his name emblazoned on it. Poor chap!

Hey - we’re all frustrated City fans. Personally I’ve had enough. 

[Alessandro]

17 hours ago, Supersonic Robin said:

I do sort of see where you're coming from - looking to the long term future, I'd perhaps rather be in our position than many other teams due to our ultimate overall potential.

However, if we're simply looking back on the last couple of decades, it's very very hard to make an argument that we'd be the preferable choice.
How many Hull and Cardiff fans are on their forums saying "Were those seasons of success really worth it when we could have had what Bristol City have?". 

I can see what you're saying - but to be honest in my opinion it's kind of a pointless debate, because it's all hypothetical. What if this, what if that. Positives and negatives. Whose to say "going for it" would have worked, even for a season?

I think my over-arching feeling r.e SL is - despite the many mistakes made and all the money wasted, there are 2 main thoughts I have, which aren't hypothetial 'what if's:

1) The club is in a better position than when he arrived. Certainly off the pitch and generally in terms of average league position on the pitch.

2) SL has never IMO, unlike Allam at Hull, Morris at Derby, Tam at Cardiff, Venky's Blackburn, Dr Xia at Villa etc etc etc list goes on - gambled with the long term future of the club or been reckless financially. For that I applaud him. Even for one season in the big boys league. That's just my opinion. 

Everything in between i'm happy to debate till the cows come home, and there's plenty to debate!