spudski

I agree training shouldn't be the only yardstick. Having listened to NP and read transcripts, he continually reiterates that he's here to do a job for the club long term. To turn it around, create a better culture etc. I totally get this...it's needed. However, the situation is turning into how it was with SoD. He too came here and saw the problems. He became so involved in changing things for the better long term, that first team results suffered. Fans became frustrated and the rest is history. Coppel saw the same...instead he chose to walk as he saw it was a nigh on impossible task to overhaul everything and keep focussed on the first team. We are now in SoD territory with NP. It's a shame because this club needs a kick up the backside. And I feel he the man to implement it. However...like SOD you can see he's pigheaded. He has nothing to prove. The more you push him...the more stubborn he'll become. I want him to turn things around on the pitch, as what he's doing off it, is much needed imo. But he really needs to get more out of this team quickly. Otherwise the past two seasons will be a waste of time.

NP sees Tanner as a right back and not a wing back. He said so in his post match interview with the Bristol post. There is a transcript of it online. He said this when asked about Weimann playing RWB. He said Sykes was the only RWB. Also from the interview, he said the players picked for playing, were the ones showing up well in training everyday. I get he wants to create a dynamic, pro active, non lazy culture around the club, but it has to be balanced with progress on match day....not what wholly goes on during the week in training. What's the point of training brilliantly if you can't do it consistently on match day. Not every footballer trains brilliantly...however some can be very consistent on match day. A balance surely has to be found...creating a culture is great long term, but not if it negates what's going on short term and we end up getting relegated and the sack. I look at Atkinson...imo he's done hardly anything wrong on match day. Yet apparently not great at training. Points count on a match day...not at the HPC. If he was underperforming in training and on match day I'd get it...but he isn't. Cutting your nose off to spite your face comes to mind.

There is no reason why NP couldn't have played his most affective formation yesterday, with players playing in their more ' natural' position. Playing Weimann at RWB is a joke. It throws the balance of the team completely. 3412 has been our most affective formation when playing with players in positions that are accustomed to it. Square pegs again. LJ did this...trying to put what he considered his best players on the pitch whatever. NP is doing the same. Our midfield imo, and the team as a whole could have been more affective if we had gone... _________________Max_________________ _____Vyner___Naismith__Atkinson_____ Sykes_____James____Scott______Pring ______________Weimann_______________ _________Conway______Wells__________ With players on the bench that can be like for like... DaSilva for Pring, Tanner for Sykes, King and Williams for midfield. Semenyo for up front. Bents GK. Say Bell, Martin or Massengo or Close as the seventh. We have the players available in the squad, that can be utilised properly in natural positions, that whilst not pulling up trees, could be more affective and imo, be at least mid table.

I get the general consensus from here, that many fans see our squad as a lower to mid table squad. When we were playing attractive football and scoring goals for fun early season...many thought we were capable of mid to play offs, if we could tighten our defence. That's with the squad NP inherited. And the few he's added or taken from academy. I've said this on numerous threads...but NP said that he thought this squad is capable of being around the play offs. If NP thinks that, and the players are consistently losing games and now fighting relegation, how can we trust NPs judgement? He thinks they are capable...many fans think not. Who's right.... He sees them in training and knows what they are capable of. He's got years of experience. So I'm saying NP knows better than us. So why are we underachieving going by NPs views to our ability? For me it's in the way we play, our set up and playing players out of position. That's down to NP. These players are capable of better. So the excuse of poor inheritance is being used too often to given NP an excuse. Yes it's poor financially. But our players are far better than what our results are. They are underachieving.

You're missing the point. WBA got in a new manager, who transformed their results and now gets the best out the players. NP has admitted our squad are capable of doing better and should in his opinion be near the play offs. So who is at fault...him or the players? Or is his judgement flawed?

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/nigel-pearson-bristol-city-hostile-7970338 He really hasn't helped himself again in these quotes. Regarding WBA... Quote... 'They’re actually now getting the best out of their own players, but when we played them at their place, we beat them 2-0 comfortably on the night because they had players that were coasting, and they weren’t getting the best out of their players, so it depends how you want to look at it.' If that's the case...what does that say about his own management and our players?

Your wife has a very valid point. Whilst the results have been poor, and NP doesn't help himself in some aspects...we are a club that has supporters that sing and support when things are going well. Fans talk about a cosy soft club...well imo, compared to many other clubs, you can include the vocal support in the ground in that. Yes fans turn up and pay to be there. And I get it's hard to support something that's so frustrating. Fans expect the players to give their all. Turning up in numbers, shows support...but is it enough? Do the fans need to be more supportive vocally when the chips are down? I'm thinking out loud so to speak. Perhaps the fans are more vocally supportive when they see the team doing there hardest, and agree with the team set up/ selection...even if they are losing. I guess the lack of vocal support recently is because they aren't seeing that anymore and don't trust the manager. It starting to look like the last days of SoD and Cotts.

If there is change, it would be given to Jason Euell imo. Then a long term manager considered at a later date. The worrying thing is, NP just said in his post match interview, that he thought the players couldn't have given anymore. There's a lot of things I like that NP has brought to the club, that long term we should benefit from... But that philosophy of hard work from everyone has to be overseen by someone for it to continue. Otherwise it could easily slip back to being a soft cost club. Personally I think we could grind out results if we set up differently. I've said that for a long time. Another coach might see it as well, and be able to utilise the players we have in a better fashion.

Depends on teams results below, and goal difference. I can't see us getting anything against Millwall or Coventry. Just have to hope teams below us don't pick up points either. We are already in a relegation battle though.

I understand your rhetoric and I agree to a lot of it. However...NP has said this season, that this squad is capable of being near/in the play off positions. If he thinks that, then who is at fault? Why aren't they playing to the ability that NP believes they are capable of? Is it the players, the manager, the coaching, the tactics, injuries, players chosen to play etc etc...or a combination of everything? Getting rid of NP right now is probably the worst time of the season. Deals for January are already probably lined up. Bringing in anyone new now would probably scupper all of that. Plus Gould is leaving at the end of January. We don't know if the club has a replacement yet. There are so many scenarios to think about outside of just replacing NP. However...we are in a relegation battle right now. And we are likely to be in the bottom 3 by Mid January.

We'll soon find out I guess

Maybe 3412 who knows

That could be... Vyner Naismith Pring James King Wiemann Scott Williams Conway Wells As in 352

There was a time, where there were more fans in the ground than the official numbers given ?

Decent size crowd as well.

On Monday 26th December 1977, we played against WBA at home. 45 years ago today. Exact same fixture, on same day and date. We beat them 3-1. Hoping for the same, to make it a complete coincidence.

Thanks for posting that Dave...really appreciated. That meant a lot for personal reasons. Thank you ??

I reckon someone may have had a word in his ear. He said it had been pointed out to him, what fans were saying, views etc etc post Stoke. Who would have pointed that out to him? Who has that job? Who is the go between, giving him ' a feel' to what the fans are thinking and reacting? I wouldn't envy anyone having to point out the negatives to him. Perhaps maybe the ' owner' had a bit of a chat with him? He did mention in the interview about the owners being good people. And that it's his job not to waste their money when buying players. ( When he mentioned that we had to pay players off to leave) In the same breath he mentioned that the owners want a team built around home grown products. And that our circumstances had probably sped that process up and given opportunity, where it may not have been, under different circumstances.

@Davefevs not just upstairs to watch at games...but it has crossed my mind that Pearson could in future be a great asset at the club to oversee how the whole club is run as a whole, and that we leave coaching/ tactics etc to someone else. That maybe the case now in training, but not so on match day.

The interview was insightful and pretty much underlines what most think is happening within the Club already. However it was good to hear some clarity. It highlights exactly where we are as a club and what it was like prior NP, and how the football world markets are changing/ expectations etc. NP also said the club need to be more informative and transparent to the fans, which they are doing. This sort of interview will really help keep the fans onside imo. The Atkinson situation is spoken about and insight given. As for the previous Atkinson remarks, you can see it came across through frustration after a poor result. I think a lot of fans frustrations/ reactions weren't so much about Atkinson perse being left out of the Squad, but it was compounded by the fact his ' replacement' his ' trusted player', made two errors of judgement that cost us the game. That's the frustration. You can create a squad of players that show desire, drive, passion, want to be the best they can be, are positive etc etc...that's all well and good, but if they keep making mistakes on match day and losing us games, how long do you give that process, however well intended and positive as a whole for the ' bigger picture'?. I personally think what NP is doing at the Club, is positive, and will benefit long term. The only concerns I have are over results and certain match day scenarios that come down to coaching/ tactics/ personnel etc. NP has said in the past that this squad should be towards the play offs. He obviously believes we have players to achieve that, otherwise he wouldn't say it. He talks about our next opponents WBA and there up turn in form from a new manager. And that manager is getting the best out of the players at his disposal. For I love about what NP is doing at the club...I am now questioning as to whether he's getting the best out of our players at his disposal. I can't all come down to individual errors. Situations arrive in games that force those individual errors. That's where I think we need to look at. The other view I've had...it's all very well giving players a kick up the backside by dropping them...Pring/ Atkinson as examples...so they aren't resting on their laurels in training etc...but it's counter productive if we lose games or are weaker if we don't play them. Imo...on match days we are stronger with both Atkinson and Pring playing. Maybe there are other ways of managing the kick up the backside, without weakening us on match day. I'm definitely in the view that NP is the right man for our current situation. As what he's doing long term for us imo is very positive. As I was with when SOD was here. As he saw exactly the same problems at the club. However...like SOD...the results aren't happening. It's a catch 22.

A little bit more meat to the bones. https://www.soccerstats.com/table.asp?league=england2&tid=j

??? True ...however it's had 27000 views, so I presumed many on here would be aware of it. I'm in the latter...can't remember last week, but can remember everything I did as a kid. Nuts innit ???

I'm surprised no one has seen it before. It was uploaded 15 years ago ?

I missed that on wine street. What a shame they aren't back. Definitely a market for it I feel. Could be Bristol's answer to the East ends pie, mash and liquor.

I remember asking in the past, what was a traditional food that Bristol and local area was known for. There wasn't any definitive answer. However the humble faggot was mentioned. From this thread...I'd say it is really popular from an older generation? My late father included. It's time that someone tried making it more in the public eye. Someone mentioned the similarity between the faggot and Haggis. Oddly I find Haggis more spicy because of all the pepper and coriander seeds in it. Haggis go amazingly well with cooked tomatoes. This past summer I made tapas and pizzas with haggis crumbled on top. Cheese, tomato and Haggis with some chilli oil on a pizza is a taste sensation. As is a bruschetta with crumbled haggis on top. Ill try it with crumbled faggots next year when I fire up the pizza oven. I could easily see a faggot, pea, gravy and mash pop up in St NICs market doing well. Even down the Gate...a food stall selling that...now that's an idea :laugh: