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4 years ago today...


archie andrews

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7 minutes ago, redysteadygo said:

and all the promise thrown away against Wolves........

 

The Wolves league match had - and has - no bearing on my enjoyment of the Man Utd Q final. And, unlike the Man Utd match, I won’t remember the Wolves match for the rest of my life! In fact, I’d forgotten about it until you brought it up! 

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6 hours ago, Tin Soldier said:

Agreed, what a squad. Still get quite emotional watching that video.

Most of that squad sold off by that **** Ashton.

In fairness, while I have sympathy with the view the only real chance of holding that squad together and building on it was if we had gone up in 2017/18.

Not making the top 6- not necessarily top 2 but the playoffs, felt like a failure to me from where we were at the turn of the year- and with all that Cup experience in 2017/18 and to an extent in differing ways the previous seasons within that squad, we would never have had a better chance of winning the playoffs IMO.

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18 minutes ago, Banjo Red said:

Yes here I am concerned with the future not the past,great memories but we can all dwell on past glories. A bit irrelevant considering our current situation.

Crikey! If I didn’t remember the good times every time City have been in a rough patch in the last 45 years, there would really be no point in carrying on with this affair.

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17 hours ago, bcfcredandwhite said:

Ha!
I was far from speechless - I talked through the entire game - every kick - every decision - constantly for the rest of the night like a recording on loop!!!

 

I was certainly like that the next day! Credit to my wife, she does not give a toss about football but she understood the significance and let me ramble on without complaint ?

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3 hours ago, westonred said:

We should have built on that squad instead we sold off the crown jewels. if we ever needed new investment to come in it was then to push us forward. However the Lansdowns were basking in the glory and although it was only 4 years ago it feels like we have gone backwards 10

Unfortunately the club didn’t meet the ambitions of the players (Bryan, Flint and Reid) in 17/18.

Bryan allegedly had offers in the Jan window but club wanted him to stay to see if he could help get us up.  We tailed off badly as we all know, and all 3 left in the summer, plus Magnússon (and Djuric) netting us £20m+. We bought Weimann, Hunt and Webster, loaned Kalas and Dasilva, then Palmer.  It was the lowest amount in fees we paid in LJs reign, which was surprising with the amount brought in.  Re the 3 players that left:

I bumped into Joe Bryan at Cribbs just after our season ended.  There was all kinds of shit flying around that he was in Barbados (or somewhere like that) on a pre-booked holiday because he’d downed tool second half of the season and therefore knew we wouldn’t get to the play-offs.  Yet here he was chatting for about half an hour with me and (my) Joe, who he’d met several times at the Hospice, whilst waiting for his brother to pick up the wedding suits.  He was pretty open about his future.  Said he loved it at City, but needed a new challenge.  It wasn’t about money, he said he’d been brought up in a pretty privileged position.  It was obvious he wasn’t staying.

Flint, we’d managed to delay his sale by 12 months, again, a case of him wanting to do the best he could in a short career that started late for him.  I think it was play-offs or bust that season for him.

Reid was just a case of him having a stellar season and not being able to do anything about it.  Cardiff was a strange choice, but from the club point of view, you take the highest bidder.

So, yes, we should’ve built on that season, but the failure to get to the playoffs meant a mini-rebuild was needed.  In some respects finishing 8th (best finish under LJ) in 18/19 (we finished 11th in 17/18) justified it, but I think many would agree we weren’t the same team that season, we didn’t play great, but results kept us moving up the league (was it 13 unbeaten?), but having got into the top 6 we let didn’t win in 5, got a couple of results (West Brom (h) Sheff Utd (a)) before we didn’t win any of our last 5.  It was more boom and bust.

And then we lost Kelly (Bryan succession planning), Pack (the key to the system) and Webster.  Even Paterson going on loan to Derby had an impact.  In fairness to Johnson, he kept results going, but it wasn’t great to watch.  We didn’t really improve the squad, we just made loans permanent at a cost of £14m, and Nagy for Pack was a huge risk that ultimately failed and in part cost LJ his job.

So we lost 6 or 7 of our best / key players over two summers….then Brownhill.  I don’t think any replacement player, other than Webster for Flint, albeit, for 1 season only, has been an upgrade.  Couple that with the plethora of players that went this summer and it’s hardly surprising we are where we are now.

I can just imagine what LJ would be like if he had to deal with the current squad and it’s size.

It is a real shame.  What we need to do next (and are doing) is to continue to cut the wage bill and then recruit young, hungry players (like Ayling, Freeman etc) and develop our own.  We need to match the ambitions of the likes of Scott, Massengo (who has been up and down this season) and Semenyo, guiding them with signings like Wilbraham, Elliott and James.  We could actually have a very low cost squad in 18 months, that then gives us the opportunity to “go for it”.  It’s about getting through this season intact.  Feels like a waste, it is, but I don’t think there’s any other way.

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35 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

 

It is a real shame.  What we need to do next (and are doing) is to continue to cut the wage bill and then recruit young, hungry players (like Ayling, Freeman etc) and develop our own.  We need to match the ambitions of the likes of Scott, Massengo (who has been up and down this season) and Semenyo, guiding them with signings like Wilbraham, Elliott and James.  We could actually have a very low cost squad in 18 months, that then gives us the opportunity to “go for it”.  It’s about getting through this season intact.  Feels like a waste, it is, but I don’t think there’s any other way.

Agreed. The transfer window Cotts had in the summer of 2014 was one of the best i can remember to be honest, not sure how easy that is going to be to replicate in 2022 and especially a division higher but like you said we have to at least give it a go and that has to be the model.

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46 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Unfortunately the club didn’t meet the ambitions of the players (Bryan, Flint and Reid) in 17/18.

Bryan allegedly had offers in the Jan window but club wanted him to stay to see if he could help get us up.  We tailed off badly as we all know, and all 3 left in the summer, plus Magnússon (and Djuric) netting us £20m+. We bought Weimann, Hunt and Webster, loaned Kalas and Dasilva, then Palmer.  It was the lowest amount in fees we paid in LJs reign, which was surprising with the amount brought in.  Re the 3 players that left:

I bumped into Joe Bryan at Cribbs just after our season ended.  There was all kinds of shit flying around that he was in Barbados (or somewhere like that) on a pre-booked holiday because he’d downed tool second half of the season and therefore knew we wouldn’t get to the play-offs.  Yet here he was chatting for about half an hour with me and (my) Joe, who he’d met several times at the Hospice, whilst waiting for his brother to pick up the wedding suits.  He was pretty open about his future.  Said he loved it at City, but needed a new challenge.  It wasn’t about money, he said he’d been brought up in a pretty privileged position.  It was obvious he wasn’t staying.

Flint, we’d managed to delay his sale by 12 months, again, a case of him wanting to do the best he could in a short career that started late for him.  I think it was play-offs or bust that season for him.

Reid was just a case of him having a stellar season and not being able to do anything about it.  Cardiff was a strange choice, but from the club point of view, you take the highest bidder.

So, yes, we should’ve built on that season, but the failure to get to the playoffs meant a mini-rebuild was needed.  In some respects finishing 8th (best finish under LJ) in 18/19 (we finished 11th in 17/18) justified it, but I think many would agree we weren’t the same team that season, we didn’t play great, but results kept us moving up the league (was it 13 unbeaten?), but having got into the top 6 we let didn’t win in 5, got a couple of results (West Brom (h) Sheff Utd (a)) before we didn’t win any of our last 5.  It was more boom and bust.

And then we lost Kelly (Bryan succession planning), Pack (the key to the system) and Webster.  Even Paterson going on loan to Derby had an impact.  In fairness to Johnson, he kept results going, but it wasn’t great to watch.  We didn’t really improve the squad, we just made loans permanent at a cost of £14m, and Nagy for Pack was a huge risk that ultimately failed and in part cost LJ his job.

So we lost 6 or 7 of our best / key players over two summers….then Brownhill.  I don’t think any replacement player, other than Webster for Flint, albeit, for 1 season only, has been an upgrade.  Couple that with the plethora of players that went this summer and it’s hardly surprising we are where we are now.

I can just imagine what LJ would be like if he had to deal with the current squad and it’s size.

It is a real shame.  What we need to do next (and are doing) is to continue to cut the wage bill and then recruit young, hungry players (like Ayling, Freeman etc) and develop our own.  We need to match the ambitions of the likes of Scott, Massengo (who has been up and down this season) and Semenyo, guiding them with signings like Wilbraham, Elliott and James.  We could actually have a very low cost squad in 18 months, that then gives us the opportunity to “go for it”.  It’s about getting through this season intact.  Feels like a waste, it is, but I don’t think there’s any other way.

You can tell Bryan isn't about the money. The flat he lives in in London is in a nice development, but my mate used to own one in the same block and the units are fairly modest sized 2 bed flats. A bloke on 30k a week could absolutely live in far more luxurious digs if he fancied it. But going by his Instagram Bryan lives there with his mate in his spare room. It's walking distance to the Cottage and a really nice spot, but it's not where a materialistic money man would live.

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1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

Unfortunately the club didn’t meet the ambitions of the players (Bryan, Flint and Reid) in 17/18.

Bryan allegedly had offers in the Jan window but club wanted him to stay to see if he could help get us up.  We tailed off badly as we all know, and all 3 left in the summer, plus Magnússon (and Djuric) netting us £20m+. We bought Weimann, Hunt and Webster, loaned Kalas and Dasilva, then Palmer.  It was the lowest amount in fees we paid in LJs reign, which was surprising with the amount brought in.  Re the 3 players that left:

I bumped into Joe Bryan at Cribbs just after our season ended.  There was all kinds of shit flying around that he was in Barbados (or somewhere like that) on a pre-booked holiday because he’d downed tool second half of the season and therefore knew we wouldn’t get to the play-offs.  Yet here he was chatting for about half an hour with me and (my) Joe, who he’d met several times at the Hospice, whilst waiting for his brother to pick up the wedding suits.  He was pretty open about his future.  Said he loved it at City, but needed a new challenge.  It wasn’t about money, he said he’d been brought up in a pretty privileged position.  It was obvious he wasn’t staying.

Flint, we’d managed to delay his sale by 12 months, again, a case of him wanting to do the best he could in a short career that started late for him.  I think it was play-offs or bust that season for him.

Reid was just a case of him having a stellar season and not being able to do anything about it.  Cardiff was a strange choice, but from the club point of view, you take the highest bidder.

So, yes, we should’ve built on that season, but the failure to get to the playoffs meant a mini-rebuild was needed.  In some respects finishing 8th (best finish under LJ) in 18/19 (we finished 11th in 17/18) justified it, but I think many would agree we weren’t the same team that season, we didn’t play great, but results kept us moving up the league (was it 13 unbeaten?), but having got into the top 6 we let didn’t win in 5, got a couple of results (West Brom (h) Sheff Utd (a)) before we didn’t win any of our last 5.  It was more boom and bust.

And then we lost Kelly (Bryan succession planning), Pack (the key to the system) and Webster.  Even Paterson going on loan to Derby had an impact.  In fairness to Johnson, he kept results going, but it wasn’t great to watch.  We didn’t really improve the squad, we just made loans permanent at a cost of £14m, and Nagy for Pack was a huge risk that ultimately failed and in part cost LJ his job.

So we lost 6 or 7 of our best / key players over two summers….then Brownhill.  I don’t think any replacement player, other than Webster for Flint, albeit, for 1 season only, has been an upgrade.  Couple that with the plethora of players that went this summer and it’s hardly surprising we are where we are now.

I can just imagine what LJ would be like if he had to deal with the current squad and it’s size.

It is a real shame.  What we need to do next (and are doing) is to continue to cut the wage bill and then recruit young, hungry players (like Ayling, Freeman etc) and develop our own.  We need to match the ambitions of the likes of Scott, Massengo (who has been up and down this season) and Semenyo, guiding them with signings like Wilbraham, Elliott and James.  We could actually have a very low cost squad in 18 months, that then gives us the opportunity to “go for it”.  It’s about getting through this season intact.  Feels like a waste, it is, but I don’t think there’s any other way.

Good overview that. Marlon Pack and Korey Smith were so important to that team. Never got my head around them leaving. I can see Lansdown trying to sell off/find new ££ backers for the football part of Bristol Sport at some stage soon. If City was run as a football club and not an accountants business model (Bristol Sport), some of those players would have stayed.
From what I heard, there was very little attempt to keep some of those players. It was all about getting ££££s in. In effect selling the family silver and buying brass.
Awful mistakes made. Put the club back 10 years.

Edited by Tin Soldier
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2 minutes ago, Tin Soldier said:

Good overview that. Marlon Pack and Korey Smith were so important to that team. Never got my head around them leaving. I can see Lansdown trying to sell off/find new ££ backers for the football part of Bristol Sport at some stage soon. If City was run as a football club and not an accountants business model (Bristol Sport), some of those players would have stayed.
From what I heard, there was very little attempt to keep some of those players. It was all about getting ££££s in.

It’s written with hindsight (I’m generally a positive person) so a bit after the event, but I truly never understood the Pack sale at the time.

I genuinely think that it was in Ashton’s best personal interests to have a lot of churn.  If there was a nice stable squad, where would his ego get the air-time?

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Dropped my phone and smashed it to pieces before kick off, so have no imagery to remind me of that night. 

The bloke next to me in S26 was imploring me to record it, and god I wish I had something left of it. I've never heard Ashton Gate as noisy and as terrifying as that, I felt like it was destined to happen. It was so loud, every single part of the ground was vibrating and perfectly in tune with the movements of the players - beyond football, one of the most oddly beautiful things I've ever seen live.

It still doesn't feel real, and if that makes us sound small time then **** it, I don't care. I watched that ball bounce past Romero and I will take that with me through the rest of my life. 

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