Pearson & Fleming : OUT

[Selred]

41 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

A lot of it can come back on Pearson

We don’t have a right back…he signed Simpson

We don’t have a defensive midfielder…he signed James and King. If we needed one and they arent one then why didn’t he sign one?! 

It’s a shame how far standards have dropped amongst fans as well.  Whenever we play okay we see comments of ‘brilliant performance’ when in reality it’s just not been awful.  Pearson gets credit for identifying the issues from a lot of fans but those fans don’t then judge him on putting it right it seems.

 

The 3 players you mentioned were all on frees. Was there any right backs / defensive midfielders on frees, a low wages, who would of done the job? I don't know, genuine question.

We did however need CM's too, hence the signing of James and King. Plus needed people to set standards in training (that's why I see the signings of Simpson / King although not sure it's showing on the pitch from other players).

41 minutes ago, KegCity said:

Kalas and Bentley aren't leaders. Not a knock as not everybody is, but they aren't. Neither have suited the captaincy role. Klose I can't comment on as I've not seen enough of him but neither Martin or Weimann have appeared particularly vocal, but both lead by example.

Agree about training though. How have we not fixed the inability to mark a player in nearly 3 years now?

I did caveat it's also seasoned professionals, which they are. Klose captained Norwich. Weimann is incredibly vocal on the pitch so must disagree there.

 

Exactly, I'd rather we became a team who were hard to beat, even if it led to a lot of draws, than a team which need to score 3 goals a game to win.

[westonred]

11 minutes ago, Clutton Caveman said:

£38 million loss is not mush of a business

My point exactly

[KegCity]

Just now, Selred said:

 

I did caveat it's also seasoned professionals, which they are. Klose captained Norwich. Weimann is incredibly vocal on the pitch so must disagree there.

 

Exactly, I'd rather we became a team who were hard to beat, even if it led to a lot of draws, than a team which need to score 3 goals a game to win.

They should be doing better but you're either a leader or you're not. Seasoned professional or otherwise. I expected more from Klose but Weimann is going to struggle to influence the positional play of the back line. 

 

13 minutes ago, Clutton Caveman said:

£38 million loss is not mush of a business

It's ironic really, Lansdown prioritised being a business over being a football club (selling our best players to stay within FFP and be nice and profitable) just to leave us with a squad lacking real quality and leadership, and we've still nearly failed FFP! I'd rather we were in this position having held on to a few and at least tried to go up, than keep on selling and have terrible transfer business.

[Selred]

Just now, KegCity said:

They should be doing better but you're either a leader or you're not. Seasoned professional or otherwise. I expected more from Klose but Weimann is going to struggle to influence the positional play of the back line. 

 

I agree about positional play, but it's also about mindsets. We have a soft underbelly. And we have enough seasoned pros where we shouldn't. 

[Clutton Caveman]

1 minute ago, KegCity said:

They should be doing better but you're either a leader or you're not. Seasoned professional or otherwise. I expected more from Klose but Weimann is going to struggle to influence the positional play of the back line. 

 

It's ironic really, Lansdown prioritised being a business over being a football club (selling our best players to stay within FFP and be nice and profitable) just to leave us with a squad lacking real quality and leadership, and we've still nearly failed FFP! I'd rather we were in this position having held on to a few and at least tried to go up, than keep on selling and have terrible transfer business.

Can you imagine the losses if we didn't sell

Bottom line is that current wage levels do not allow a championship club to run at a profit. 

[Tin Soldier]

15 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Which is why you watch a player over several games before reaching an initial conclusion…and that may change over time too.

Most of my posts about Cundy from his previous game and a half were positive, i.e. he’s played decently, but tempered with, “wait and see”.  Last night was not on the same trajectory as the previous games.  Hopefully he will learn from last night.

I wonder whether there are a few people a bit more sheepish this morning about their proclamations?

We are just too quick to praise and criticise.

Not just us!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60752340
 

Firstly, I agree with lots of the sentiments / questions you raise.  I’m not happy either.  Incredibly frustrated with last night’s performance and result too (but I didn’t go overboard about Saturday’s win either).  I think your opinion is pretty popular at the mo’.  A lot of fans are “down on” Pearson.  I get why that is too.

My simple (general) answer to your series of Qs is we don’t get enough players playing well in the same game, we don’t get enough players to win their battles against their opponent.  When they do, we are competitive, when we don’t, we play like last night.  Individuals make too many mistakes - concentration, technical, physical, etc.  That to me says the players aren’t good enough, and by good enough I mean good enough to play at the required levels often enough.  They can all do really impressive stuff in odd flashes.

Its no good saying we have players who are good enough to be top 10, it’s the managers fault.  It’s pretty clear (to me) that this bunch of players (as a collective) can’t hit those heights often enough.  It is why we are where we are.

Thats not excusing Pearson either.  I’ve posted many times that I think he’s made mistakes, but it’s not like it’s just the young kids who are inconsistent, it’s pretty much everyone.  In fact you might argue that some of the youngsters have been more consistent that the senior players.  He’s had mixed “success” in recruitment, that needs improving.  He has “wasted” wages in the likes of Simpson and King, not fees and wages, nor are either player burdening us on 2/3 year contracts either.  That’s tempers some of the “failed” recruitment.  Compare that with Wells and Palmer for example.  Small crumbs???

If I felt the golden ticket was to replace the manager, then I’d say “go for it”.  It might be the right decision, but the financial mess is a huge burden….and any replacement is going to have to deal with that.  I really didn’t want to bring history into this, but the previous years of steady progress on the pitch (in the main), consolidate into a middle eight team, was covering up a meltdown behind the scenes.  We over-spent to become a middle eight team.  We are paying the price for that now.

As painful as it might be, I’d rather the experienced Pearson sails the ship through the early part of the rebuild, even if that means another season like this, next season. This first 18 months is not a phase for inexperience, too many costly mistakes can be made.  See my para above re Simpson and King compared to Palmer and Wells.

He is doing more than just managing the first team…and I think that is almost as important as results.

I’ve often stated that I don’t think he will see through the 3 years as first team manager…he will hand over the reins to someone else.  Whether he moves upstairs into a more oversight role, or retires to Devon, I don’t know, but it is clear that there is more to his life than football, especially after health scares.

So, I’d stick. Thats my honest view.

In hindsight - yes, you’re about to be shocked - looking back at where we are now, I’d have kept Lee Johnson (as divisive as it felt at times), got rid of Mark Ashton, and told LJ:

• Cut the budget by 15-20% each year (run with a tighter squad) for 3 years
• Grow the academy / prove the pathway is there
• Recruit to a clear plan
• Improve what you have by coaching 
• Maintain middle-eight status

Over to you Lee.  By year 3 our budget should be 60% of what it was….then we could fairly compare how we are doing to Luton, Coventry, Millwall etc.

However I don’t think SL runs Bristol City with enough critical analysis.  And there lie some of the problems.

 

Good points raised.
I’ve mentioned it on here many times but the whole Bristol Sport plan just dilutes the importance of a successful football club at AG. The players are allowed to steal a living too easily. For me there has been too little focus for many years on the strategic direction of the football club, transparency of senior management and the effectiveness of the Board (joke) at City. The club needs a root and branch external audit to expose the weaknesses that many know exist. Just been far too comfortable for far too long at this club.
The ground looks great, the team looks shite - I would much prefer the opposite.
Real shame. Just watch season ticket sales flop for next season. 

[Selred]

1 minute ago, Tin Soldier said:

I’ve mentioned it on here many times but the whole Bristol Sport plan just dilutes the importance of a successful football club at AG. The players are allowed to steal a living too easily. For me there has been too little focus for many years on the strategic direction of the football club, transparency of senior management and the effectiveness of the Board (joke) at City. The club needs a root and branch external audit to expose the weaknesses that many know exist. Just been far too comfortable for far too long at this club.

This was happening well before Bristol Sport, it's not exclusive.

The last time we had a plan, and structure was under Cotts/Burt in League One. Players identified for a formation, young players, and a great culture. 

[KegCity]

9 minutes ago, Clutton Caveman said:

Can you imagine the losses if we didn't sell

Bottom line is that current wage levels do not allow a championship club to run at a profit. 

The flip side of that being that we're paying a lot of wages to players like Wells, Palmer, Kalas and Dasilva who aren't contributing a whole lot. Its all ifs and buts so no point going off on a tangent but they certainly could have been invested into trying to keep a few of the players we let go. Has no effect on the current situation so no point digging too deep.

11 minutes ago, Selred said:

I agree about positional play, but it's also about mindsets. We have a soft underbelly. And we have enough seasoned pros where we shouldn't. 

I don't think its a mindset issue as much as it is just lacking direction. There doesn't seem to be a clear plan of attack other than hoof it up to Martin and hope Semenyo reaches the flick on. Add in a lack of leadership and organisation at the back and you're in trouble.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

8 minutes ago, KegCity said:

They should be doing better but you're either a leader or you're not. Seasoned professional or otherwise. I expected more from Klose but Weimann is going to struggle to influence the positional play of the back line. 

 

It's ironic really, Lansdown prioritised being a business over being a football club (selling our best players to stay within FFP and be nice and profitable) just to leave us with a squad lacking real quality and leadership, and we've still nearly failed FFP! I'd rather we were in this position having held on to a few and at least tried to go up, than keep on selling and have terrible transfer business.

Name one of our BEST players who we sold against their own wishes and ambitions?

If opportunity to play at a higher level comes calling, it is not possible to prevent that player from leaving. Explain how any club like BCFC is able to keep a player from moving on?

Kelly, Webster, Bryan and Reid- not one of them wanted to turn down a big money move to the Premiership. Flint was unbelievably good business but Pack was probably the only one who we could/should have kept and would have stayed.Pack was definitely not universally seen as one of best players.

[Sleepy1968]

2 hours ago, GrahamC said:

You really think Cooper is operating under the same financial constraints as Pearson?

Inheriting the likes of Djed Spence, James Garner?

Signing Cook from Bournemouth (how much do you think he’s on?), Sturridge from Stoke, Panzo from Dijon & a 4th player in January alone.

Honestly? ******* deluded.

Agreed. With Forest it was more of an inditement of their previous manager (you know, the one many would've have been keen to have had here instead of Holden). Put a decent manager in charge of a decent squad and you get Nottingham Forest.

[Davefevs]

16 minutes ago, Clutton Caveman said:

Can you imagine the losses if we didn't sell

Bottom line is that current wage levels do not allow a championship club to run at a profit. 

The summer we sold Webster and Pack, let’s say £20m transfer profit on both, we spent £24m on 17 players (fees, loans and frees).  That’s not including loan fees, signing on fees, wages (that will have massively gazumped Pack and Webster’s wages).

Choices!!!

Ok, Webster, can’t stand in his way.  But you get my point.  We didn’t need 17 players, increasing the costs of the club for 3/4 years.

12 minutes ago, Tin Soldier said:

Good points raised.
I’ve mentioned it on here many times but the whole Bristol Sport plan just dilutes the importance of a successful football club at AG. The players are allowed to steal a living too easily. For me there has been too little focus for many years on the strategic direction of the football club, transparency of senior management and the effectiveness of the Board (joke) at City. The club needs a root and branch external audit to expose the weaknesses that many know exist. Just been far too comfortable for far too long at this club.
The ground looks great, the team looks shite - I would much prefer the opposite.
Real shame. Just watch season ticket sales flop for next season. 

I truly believe Gould and Pearson are doing that, but internally.

[tin]

2 hours ago, italian dave said:

We also hadn’t lost there for quite a long time! 

We lost 1-0 there last season, Dave!

[italian dave]

1 minute ago, tin said:

We lost 1-0 there last season, Dave!

2-2. (We lost 1-0 at home)

[Fuber]

46 minutes ago, Clutton Caveman said:

We have 2 defenders and coach and manager, 3 giants in a back 3 and we still can't defend a corner. Sorry but the least we have the right to expect is organisation at set pieces. Talking of set pieces, when was the last time we saw something that looked vaguely organised. Each week we see clear evidence of rehearsed moves from other teams but we just lump it in and hope for the best.

For me NP is just too arrogant.

How can you take on such a superior attitude when the press, when the team under your leadership for 18 months is failing on just about every front. Humble is clearly not a word he understands. Are the players from Barnsley better than ours. I think not. They are just more committed, better organised and playing for the manager.

He holds grudges for too long. Is it really better to change the whole team than play Vyner at fullback

Does Wells not at least deserve a game instead of Martin who at times can hardly raise a trot. I guess whilst we have Bentley in goal who refuses to play from the back we have to keep Martin in.

Should Palmer be given a chance to put himself in the window and increase his value.

He doesn't like loan players but week after week we face teams who make good use of the loan system

His tactics are out of history and too easy to predict. Teams see our weakness and adapt to maximise the affect.

The team seems utterly confused by his tactics and changes during the game.

He has failed to create a good team spirit because he always blames the players and never himself.

Have we really moved on since LJ? In recent times our performances seem very similar to me.

Do we really trust NP with the funds we may get from selling our crown jewels. Based on the Leicester trio I think not.

After this amount of time I think we should at least see a well organised team understanding how to set up and being behind the manager. Sorry but I am just not seeing this.

Worth pointing out re set pieces that my understanding is that this was (at least previously) under the direction of the goalkeeping coach, i.e. Pat Mountain to sort.

The part of the summer I'm most interested in is backroom changes that could be made. Much of the current staff were appointed on two year contracts and /or rolling terms.

[pillred]

2 hours ago, Bristol Rob said:

Wasn't really paying attention to the commentary on Sky last night, but did they say that the average ago of our team was higher than that of the Barnsley side?

(Only mentioning it, as it might be a case of too many youth alongside too many who might not have the legs they once did and could this be part of the issue).

They did say at one point the oldest player on the pitch for them was 26, so yes they probably were a younger team than us, this age thing seems to be used a lot as an excuse for us by some posters on here yet at the same time our most valuable players are some of the youngest HNM Semenyo etc, not sure you can have it both ways, it's the lack of any coherent game plan that worries me more, first half against Birmingham and last night for the most part looked like 11 players who had met out in the car park before the game. 

Edited March 16, 2022 by pillred
Add comment

[Sleepy1968]

1 hour ago, GrahamC said:

Agree, but he was on the bench, is versatile & has an availability record few can match.

I actually think he took the opportunity to have a longer look at Cundy instead, he could easily have been taken off after being at least partially at fault for both goals, but who is out of contract this summer & he needs to make a decision on.

If that's what he's doing then I see merit in the strategy.

[KegCity]

15 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Name one of our BEST players who we sold against their own wishes and ambitions?

If opportunity to play at a higher level comes calling, it is not possible to prevent that player from leaving. Explain how any club like BCFC is able to keep a player from moving on?

Kelly, Webster, Bryan and Reid- not one of them wanted to turn down a big money move to the Premiership. Flint was unbelievably good business but Pack was probably the only one who we could/should have kept and would have stayed.Pack was definitely not universally seen as one of best players.

Depends on the lengths of their contracts. Can't remember the lengths of any of them so can't comment. If they're tied down then yes you can.

[Bristol Oil Services]

1 hour ago, And Its Smith said:

Is the squad that bad?  Go through each player and they are either very good youngsters or seasoned pros that have in the past show a lot better than they are producing now.  Drop most of our players into top half of the table teams and they will look a lot better.  Whether we like it or not, players need to be (a) motivated, (b) organised and (c) working to a plan.   The responsibility for all of those things come down to the manager.  
 

The jury has to still be out on Pearson as we need to be completely sure that a manager isn’t up to it before we get rid of them. I am sure this season will fade out like last season but he has then got to start next season showing signs of improvement, even if that is just a more solid defence 

Good effort, Dave. But have another go (start with this: "the  squad  he  inherited  is  ... )

[headhunter]

59 minutes ago, Clutton Caveman said:

We have 2 defenders and coach and manager, 3 giants in a back 3 and we still can't defend a corner. Sorry but the least we have the right to expect is organisation at set pieces. Talking of set pieces, when was the last time we saw something that looked vaguely organised. Each week we see clear evidence of rehearsed moves from other teams but we just lump it in and hope for the best.

For me NP is just too arrogant.

How can you take on such a superior attitude when the press, when the team under your leadership for 18 months is failing on just about every front. Humble is clearly not a word he understands. Are the players from Barnsley better than ours. I think not. They are just more committed, better organised and playing for the manager.

He holds grudges for too long. Is it really better to change the whole team than play Vyner at fullback

Does Wells not at least deserve a game instead of Martin who at times can hardly raise a trot. I guess whilst we have Bentley in goal who refuses to play from the back we have to keep Martin in.

Should Palmer be given a chance to put himself in the window and increase his value.

He doesn't like loan players but week after week we face teams who make good use of the loan system

His tactics are out of history and too easy to predict. Teams see our weakness and adapt to maximise the affect.

The team seems utterly confused by his tactics and changes during the game.

He has failed to create a good team spirit because he always blames the players and never himself.

Have we really moved on since LJ? In recent times our performances seem very similar to me.

Do we really trust NP with the funds we may get from selling our crown jewels. Based on the Leicester trio I think not.

After this amount of time I think we should at least see a well organised team understanding how to set up and being behind the manager. Sorry but I am just not seeing this.

Excellent post which largely concurs with the sentiments we express on FBC Podcast

[Sleepy1968]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

We are just too quick to praise and criticise.

It's no excuse I know, but it's difficult to be objective when it's your own club and you care so passionately about it. Who wasn't swearing and cursing when Andi Weimenn missed that chance from Seymeno's (rocket) ball in the first half?) I'm sure there were more than a few cursing him out personally in that moment (you know, the player whose probably done the most to keep us up this year). I probably was one of them!

It can be rationally explained, but as we trip, stumble and fall through another season, the frustration grows. And that's what we're seeing here.

#COYR

Edited March 16, 2022 by Sleepy1968
spelling

[pillred]

2 minutes ago, headhunter said:

Excellent post which largely concurs with the sentiments we express on FBC Podcast

And the majority of posters on here if they were really honest with themselves instead of constantly making excuses for our lack of any progress in the last 18 months, we are not the only club who have faced problems a lot have, lack of money has not stopped other clubs from doing well Luton being the best example I can think of and there are others, if NP is that good surely by now some progress would have been made, there is talk of some of our players going to Prem clubs for millions this summer so our playing staff can't be that bad. 

[Davefevs]

2 minutes ago, Sleepy1968 said:

It's no excuse I know, but it's difficult to be objective when it's your own club and you care so passionately about it. Who wasn't swearing and cursing when Andi Weimenn mixed that chance from Seymeno's (rocket) ball in the first half?) I'm sure there were more than a few cursing him out personally in that moment (you know, the player whose probably done the most to keep us up this year). I probably was one of them!

It can be rationally explained, but as we trip, stumble and fall through another season, the frustration grows. And that's what we're seeing here.

#COYR

It is hugely frustrating.

I couldn’t even lay some of the blame at the ref last night.  For once the referee (Webb) had no impact on our performance.

I want us to play more in the vain of the way we played v Blackburn on Saturday.  That should be our “average level”….however it appears that we play below this level too often, and rarely much above it.

[Davefevs]

2 minutes ago, pillred said:

And the majority of posters on here if they were really honest with themselves instead of constantly making excuses for our lack of any progress in the last 18 months, we are not the only club who have faced problems a lot have, lack of money has not stopped other clubs from doing well Luton being the best example I can think of and there are others, if NP is that good surely by now some progress would have been made, there is talk of some of our players going to Prem clubs for millions this summer so our playing staff can't be that bad. 

Luton’s lack of money…or better worded as “better effective use of their money” is why they are actually better off currently.  With a cost base of £19m (ours £60m) it’s impossible for them to get into FFP trouble.  They can “operate” freely, even in covid times.

We are a behemoth of cost.

That needs to change.

It has started to change….hopefully we’ve cut £12-13m off that £60m this season. But whilst we are doing tgat cost cutting it’s making it very difficult on the pitch.

The problem with selling Semenyo or Scott is that they don’t reduce the costs, just raise the income levels.  That’s fine short term, but until we get the ongoing costs of Wells, Kalas, Palmer, O’Dowda, Bentley, etc down, either by moving them on or restructuring their contracts (inc wages), we are swimming against the tide.

It’s painful.

The City “model” needs a huge overhaul.

[Mr Popodopolous]

3 hours ago, GrahamC said:

You really think Cooper is operating under the same financial constraints as Pearson?

Inheriting the likes of Djed Spence, James Garner?

Signing Cook from Bournemouth (how much do you think he’s on?), Sturridge from Stoke, Panzo from Dijon & a 4th player in January alone.

Honestly? ******* deluded.

Some Nottingham Forest fans claim their wages down on last year although I agree- those signings don't come cheap.

Paying off Lamouchi, hiring and firing of Hughton and compensation for Cooper should all stack up...

[Mr Popodopolous]

3 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Why are we seeing posters say Atkinson is “clearly not good enough”?  Does he first group of 15 games count for nothing? 

He’s come back into a team shipping goals, played the majority of last night’s game at LB, and is primarily used to playing in a back 4.

I thought he was ok last night, I thought he was rusty first half Saturday, then did ok.  Was he so bad in the last 2 games?

He’s good enough for this level, he proved it earlier this season.

Potentially clutching a bit but he had a bout of Covid prior to Bournemouth at home?

Wonder if that, combined with the fact he's a young player in his first season at this level has seen him stall a bit. Time, age etc on his side though so I'm not too worried.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

37 minutes ago, KegCity said:

Depends on the lengths of their contracts. Can't remember the lengths of any of them so can't comment. If they're tied down then yes you can.

That, in my opinion, is delusional. It's hard enough in normal business where you can put people on gardening leave and only prevent them from going to a new employer for a period.

May be a big Prem club with huge squads and resources can tough it out with a player like Pogba etc but a club like BCFC? No chance and has never happened.

If a player wants to leave, submits a request and there is a big money offer- the length of contract is irrelevant in that the player will leave anyway. The only thing that BCFC can do is ensure that a large fee is paid + sell on as they most certainly have done and done well where there is a contract of any length. Alternatively they leave for free as in Fam.

 

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

1 hour ago, Clutton Caveman said:

We have 2 defenders and coach and manager, 3 giants in a back 3 and we still can't defend a corner. Sorry but the least we have the right to expect is organisation at set pieces. Talking of set pieces, when was the last time we saw something that looked vaguely organised. Each week we see clear evidence of rehearsed moves from other teams but we just lump it in and hope for the best.

For me NP is just too arrogant.

How can you take on such a superior attitude when the press, when the team under your leadership for 18 months is failing on just about every front. Humble is clearly not a word he understands. Are the players from Barnsley better than ours. I think not. They are just more committed, better organised and playing for the manager.

He holds grudges for too long. Is it really better to change the whole team than play Vyner at fullback

Does Wells not at least deserve a game instead of Martin who at times can hardly raise a trot. I guess whilst we have Bentley in goal who refuses to play from the back we have to keep Martin in.

Should Palmer be given a chance to put himself in the window and increase his value.

He doesn't like loan players but week after week we face teams who make good use of the loan system

His tactics are out of history and too easy to predict. Teams see our weakness and adapt to maximise the affect.

The team seems utterly confused by his tactics and changes during the game.

He has failed to create a good team spirit because he always blames the players and never himself.

Have we really moved on since LJ? In recent times our performances seem very similar to me.

Do we really trust NP with the funds we may get from selling our crown jewels. Based on the Leicester trio I think not.

After this amount of time I think we should at least see a well organised team understanding how to set up and being behind the manager. Sorry but I am just not seeing this.

Really good post- well said, well written.

Another point I've been considering. Dasilva was one of the players that NP pretty much overlooked and everyone thought he was gone- one of 'the not up for it' brigade. Due to injuries- NP had no choice but to play him and low and behold- he's been one of our better defenders.

When NP feels a player has not performed or hasn't bought in to his 'my way or the highway' philosophy then he really really isnt very pleasant. Everyone then loves it because it's apparently what we need and a breath of fresh air, players have been stealing a living for too long etc. 

I think his management skills are outdated and destructive on and off the pitch. That is not to say he hasn't done some good or that he had anything other than a poison chalice. But he's had long enough and I'd like to see him leave at the end of this season.

[IAmNick]

3 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Ok, Dave ( and FYI @GrahamC )- how do you explain Blackburn ( where I felt we were incredibly lucky - missed pen and a moment of sheer class as a result of a massive miss kick) against the results and much of the performance at Barnsley,Birmingham, Forest and Coventry?

We got lucky (overall) against Blackburn but it was just one win amongst 5 losses.

Another capitulation and a pattern that seems to mirror the same pattern at the end of last season. 

Every two steps forward is matched with two steps back.  There are flashes of progress and hope which are continually extinguished within a game or two and then same old same old.

How do you explain that since Nige joined us we have NEVER won two games in a row in over a year across two part seasons. How do you explain that Nigel Pearson is seemingly incapable of coaching his defence? 

How do you explain the fact that we have conceded 67 goals so far this season and only two teams have conceded more- Reading and Peterborough (73 & 72)?

How do you explain that in  50 NP league games and two transfer windows - 28 are losses and 10 are draws?

How do explain that he has beaten or matched some of the worst records in our club's history?

If it was solely about the players then we would already be in L1 or preparing for it. For some. criticism of Nige is seen as just an agenda not a rational opinion. Clearly James Piercy and Matt Withers have a similar agenda?

I'm perfectly aware that mine is not a populist opinion but I say it as I see it. It's not a popularity contest although, sadly, it is for some!

And for those who love to post misinformation- the last time I posted deeply critical comments about NP was November 6th 2021 - this very thread. I give credit where credit is due.

 

Good post and lots of fair questions to raise. For the record I think your opinion is fairly popular at the moment, or at least not unpopular.

I'm going to clarify this by saying I agree that the defence is poor, and Pearson should have done, and be doing a better job than he is at coaching them. We've conceded far too many goals, there are no two ways about it. We've also lost too many games. It's been worse than I hoped overall, though broadly what I expected.

Personally I also put this down to two things though:

1. The defence hasn't been settled all year. We can get into whether that's the medical team or not, or why else it may have happened but those are other discussions - the fact is we've been unable to play the same back 3/4/5 for a string of games all year. All of our defensive signings from the summer have been injured for a fair portion (Baker, Tanner, Atkinson) - with Baker being our best defender for some and Tanner obviously covering a critical position squad wise. That has a massive impact on your defensive quality.

Of the back 3 last night one of them none of us had ever heard of in the summer, one of them I'd be surprised if anyone really thought they'd be starting, and one was "one for the (near) future" we hoped would get a few games in and around the team this year. If you said Cundy would be starting alongside Atkinson and a random 35 year old 6 months ago the overwhelming response would have been "...Uh oh, something must have gone really wrong".

 

2. I think Pearson thought we were safe, so broadly had two options in January (which is when our really awful defensive record really kicked into gear, compared to the just awful one before it ). 

A: Bring in a fair few loans to tide us over until the end of the season. Upsides: We finish higher in the table (weren't going to hit the playoffs). Downsides: Wages (already a struggle), interrupts / blocks pathway (loads of promising youngsters kicking around at the moment)

B: We're safe, stick with what we have and risk some changes to sort of make it work, and see what happens. Upsides: Can get experience into the youngsters, keep control of the finances. Downsides: More inconsistent, small risk of going down.

I think he went with B which is why we're seeing a lot more of the kids now, we're scoring pretty freely but also conceding pretty freely. We look like a team full of kids and players who've barely played together which is exactly what we are. I reckon if we really were in the shit and had to knuckle down and grind out a 1 - 0 we could, but maybe I'm delusional there! I keep thinking - what does that get us? We're safe, is it more valuable to play Danny Simpson for the rest of the year and get x more points, or Pring / Dasilva / whoever?

 

At the start of the year, and for the last few years I've seen many comments about whether the academy is working and why do we even bother with it (Just look at Brentford!), stuff like "Just play the kids, I don't care if we lose! Give them a go!" and so on - well now we are, and we're getting wild inconsistency all over the pitch and people complaining about it.

Overall as I said the defence should be better. It's been awful, and it's not just the players of course - some of that definitely lies at Pearson and the team he's assembled too. I can see some reasons and mitigations there though - but it HAS to be better next year, and so do we overall. If we're looking the same by Christmas, then I'd be done with Pearson barring some exceptional circumstance. I want to see top half, and ideally top 10.

This year I expected bottom third and was hoping for avoiding relegation and seeing our promising youngsters which is exactly what we've got. It's certainly not been pretty (or enjoyable) at times but it's what I expected, and could have been a lot worse. I like to think I'm not blind faith, but I'm also not anti-Pearson... yet.

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by IAmNick

[exAtyeoMax]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Which is why you watch a player over several games before reaching an initial conclusion…and that may change over time too.

Most of my posts about Cundy from his previous game and a half were positive, i.e. he’s played decently, but tempered with, “wait and see”.  Last night was not on the same trajectory as the previous games.  Hopefully he will learn from last night.

I wonder whether there are a few people a bit more sheepish this morning about their proclamations?

We are just too quick to praise and criticise.

Not just us!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60752340
 

Firstly, I agree with lots of the sentiments / questions you raise.  I’m not happy either.  Incredibly frustrated with last night’s performance and result too (but I didn’t go overboard about Saturday’s win either).  I think your opinion is pretty popular at the mo’.  A lot of fans are “down on” Pearson.  I get why that is too.

My simple (general) answer to your series of Qs is we don’t get enough players playing well in the same game, we don’t get enough players to win their battles against their opponent.  When they do, we are competitive, when we don’t, we play like last night.  Individuals make too many mistakes - concentration, technical, physical, etc.  That to me says the players aren’t good enough, and by good enough I mean good enough to play at the required levels often enough.  They can all do really impressive stuff in odd flashes.

Its no good saying we have players who are good enough to be top 10, it’s the managers fault.  It’s pretty clear (to me) that this bunch of players (as a collective) can’t hit those heights often enough.  It is why we are where we are.

Thats not excusing Pearson either.  I’ve posted many times that I think he’s made mistakes, but it’s not like it’s just the young kids who are inconsistent, it’s pretty much everyone.  In fact you might argue that some of the youngsters have been more consistent that the senior players.  He’s had mixed “success” in recruitment, that needs improving.  He has “wasted” wages in the likes of Simpson and King, not fees and wages, nor are either player burdening us on 2/3 year contracts either.  That’s tempers some of the “failed” recruitment.  Compare that with Wells and Palmer for example.  Small crumbs???

If I felt the golden ticket was to replace the manager, then I’d say “go for it”.  It might be the right decision, but the financial mess is a huge burden….and any replacement is going to have to deal with that.  I really didn’t want to bring history into this, but the previous years of steady progress on the pitch (in the main), consolidate into a middle eight team, was covering up a meltdown behind the scenes.  We over-spent to become a middle eight team.  We are paying the price for that now.

As painful as it might be, I’d rather the experienced Pearson sails the ship through the early part of the rebuild, even if that means another season like this, next season. This first 18 months is not a phase for inexperience, too many costly mistakes can be made.  See my para above re Simpson and King compared to Palmer and Wells.

He is doing more than just managing the first team…and I think that is almost as important as results.

I’ve often stated that I don’t think he will see through the 3 years as first team manager…he will hand over the reins to someone else.  Whether he moves upstairs into a more oversight role, or retires to Devon, I don’t know, but it is clear that there is more to his life than football, especially after health scares.

So, I’d stick. Thats my honest view.

In hindsight - yes, you’re about to be shocked - looking back at where we are now, I’d have kept Lee Johnson (as divisive as it felt at times), got rid of Mark Ashton, and told LJ:

• Cut the budget by 15-20% each year (run with a tighter squad) for 3 years
• Grow the academy / prove the pathway is there
• Recruit to a clear plan
• Improve what you have by coaching 
• Maintain middle-eight status

Over to you Lee.  By year 3 our budget should be 60% of what it was….then we could fairly compare how we are doing to Luton, Coventry, Millwall etc.

However I don’t think SL runs Bristol City with enough critical analysis.  And there lie some of the problems.

 

The only bit I don't agree with is keeping LJ. I might have made him coach and got someone in above him as manager but I don't think he had the right qualities to be in charge.

[headhunter]

1 hour ago, pillred said:

And the majority of posters on here if they were really honest with themselves instead of constantly making excuses for our lack of any progress in the last 18 months, we are not the only club who have faced problems a lot have, lack of money has not stopped other clubs from doing well Luton being the best example I can think of and there are others, if NP is that good surely by now some progress would have been made, there is talk of some of our players going to Prem clubs for millions this summer so our playing staff can't be that bad. 

Here, here!!