Mendip City

1 hour ago, Cityboy1954 said:

Just need to stay up mate at all costs 6 month deal 

I’ve not read the whole thread in detail but I can’t help thinking… On 1 Feb a bloke who’s previously employed and worked with  Warnock takes over as CEO here. If I were Pearson I’d be very keen to be on a better run and further from the drop zone. It would be a classic Warnock scenario to come in for a few months, give things a shake and see us safe.  

20 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

£650k, but still a shocking waste of money.

Started 5 games in his time with us.

Yeah as you say, what a  waste. Presumably hundreds of thousands in wages on top.
 

There was a tendency to sign players on the up and then just stunt their progress in our reserves before chucking them out on loan. Current financial issues have stopped that… let’s hope the club remember when times get easier! 

6 hours ago, glynriley said:

Wonder what he cost in wages for that meagre output. Boils my piss when you think of what Lansdown,Ashton and Johnson pissed up the wall

 

That was another £1m wasn’t it? Or have I dreamt that up?? No doubt it would have been I’m that region by the time we settled his wages/contract.  
 

I’m sure MA would claim we got our money back! 

Just now, italian dave said:

Cheltenham, wasn’t it? 

Hegelar, another strange one. Looked great, for about a month….!

Yeah as one of the posts above says, the level of waste at that time was crazy. Don’t get me started on Diony and the German keeper - Gieffer? Loans but they all carry a cost. 
 

yep Cheltenham managed by GJ at the time. I think! 

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I can guarantee we lost a shedload on Gustavo Engvall.

Eisa, I maybe miles off the mark, but I didn’t like the amount we paid to a club managed by GJ.

Because they offered him a wage he couldn’t refuse.

Yeah we just have lost the lot on Engvall. Just got sone of his wage off the books I reckon.  
Hegelar was another strange one at that time. Barely played and discarded. 
the message was always that we got our money back… did MA think we were stupid? 

I forgot where Eisa came from! His future career suggests we paid well over the odds. 

Just now, deadredfred said:

Ooof me OCD. Sack the graphic designer. Why aren’t the categories consistent?!

Yeah. Looks like Boro take 30k to every away game… when we all know that only The Gas can manage that sort of crowd. 

57 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Hence why I don’t think some people were inclined to quash that rumour.  £4m one game into the season for a key player sounds much better than £750k doesn’t it.  Mr Ashton didn’t get good fees all the time did he.  Not the only example either.

Yeah. Funny wasn’t it how we never seemed to lose out on any deals under MA… always got our money back or better… or did we? Mo Eisa was one that stood out for me. Apparently after one invisible season here we turned a profit! Made no sense, the club was in full spin mode back then. 
I’m pretty sure we allegedly got out money back on Engvall… that really would be fantasy stuff. 

I don’t think anyone has mentioned him so far… Luke Ayling. £300k.

I believe a deal negotiated by the master of “trading” Mr Ashton, on the owner’s say so for being not very naughty at Cheltenham Races. 
What ever happened to Luke???? 

34 minutes ago, Vidal said:

Have to be honest I’ve never wanted a manager to go as much as I did LJ, should never have been given as long as he was.

Or given the job in the first place! 

9 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

This really bugs me.  Why didn’t he say no then?

As per a chat with our mutual friend…LJ wanted Toney that window.  Well, guess what?  DMac went on Sky and said he wanted £10m and player loaned back to see if Posh could get promoted.  Ok, some of that was DMac bluster, but essentially we couldn’t afford what LJ wanted in the winter window.  So you start to explore other avenues.

Even if LJ himself told me himself he didn’t want Wells, I wouldn’t believe him.  He might have wanted Toney over Wells, wouldn’t we all.  But for a manager who has gone on record saying he has final say (not just the once either) to say he had a player hoisted onto him is bullshit imho. Not having a go at you btw.  We broke our recruitment model for Wells.  LJ knew what he was getting.

Again, LJ will have final say.

Was excellent on his debut, having not played for 6 months, but LJ flogged him, subbed him because he was knackered, and it ended up in a dressing room argument.  He signed Benkovic and didn’t play him too.

 

I like aspects of LJ, but I just don’t buy the “it was a Mark Ashton signing”, much as I’d love to shift 100% of the blame onto him!

Agree…. Much as Ashton was a slimy so and so… JL had final say on all signings (as you say, he said this over and over) and SL had final say on spending.  Ashton paraded around a lot but was, ultimately, chief negotiator…..

Because of his persona, Ashton became an easy target to deflect attention away from the real decision makers/purse-string holders. Every time there is criticism of our spending through this period it needs to be shared between the 3 of them. 

4 hours ago, Numero Uno said:

TWENTY ONE players removed from their Under 17 Squad for failing MRI scans (i.e. they were proven to be nearer 27 than 17!!).

I assume Roger Milla was in the squad? 

Happy New Year! 
2023 could be our year!

or not!!!! 

Done. I’ve answered as best I can but atmosphere isn’t all about the stadium. Ashton Gate can be quiet as a library or rocking. The stadium doesn’t change but results/performances/apathy/positivity about the club do change and drive the atmosphere. 
On the assumption things are going well on the pitch, I find generally that traditional style stadiums are best for atmosphere while bowl lack something. 
good luck with the surgery and studies! 

36 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

A truly great photo of two great footballers and sportsmen. Take note CR.

I saw him on TV in the 1958 Sweden World Cup but when I had a ticket for England v Brasil in 1963, he was injured so didn't play.

RIP Pele.

I’m a little to young to have seen him. Gutted for you that you didn’t see him. He was outstanding and I can watch highlights of the 70 World Cup Final over and over again. 

18 minutes ago, Bobby Bollax said:

Vivienne Westwood as well

RIP Queen of Punk and another who used her fame for good purposes. 

RIP. The greatest. He changed our game forever and was a thoroughly decent human, unaffected by the fame and money. 

2 hours ago, Eddie Notgetinya said:

Maybe we should hand them out at the turnstiles, might make it an easier watch 

I spotted 11 people heavily under the influence of sedatives at The Gate on Boxing Day.  

39 minutes ago, Fuber said:

We still have less coaches in the current team than what LJ had at any point. Former had two assistants. No reason not to have more than 2 coaches.

Yeah LJ has two assistants/coaches and a goalkeeping coach. That’s plenty of senior coaches.

I think that the same as Euell, Fleming and Mountain? 

Holden also had the same structure.  
 

In fact Pat Mountain is the only constant. Perhaps he’s the issue?

11 minutes ago, AshtonRobin21 said:

As it stands, Nige probably has 1/2 games to save his job. 
 

No chance we start adding to the back room staff now.

Exactly and he was going to work with the coaches he inherited…. Until he didn’t like them and got his own in. He already has his people here…. Or will he sack one of Euell or Fleming to bring in the latest “his man”? 

37 minutes ago, Harry said:

Well, I say busting myths. Maybe I’m more trying to stir the pot. But here goes anyway….

At the start of the covid break, March 2020, we had Lee Johnson in charge. 37 games had been played. We were 7th. 1 point off the playoffs. Since the turn of the year, we’d won 5, drawn 2 and lost 5. 
 

In those 12 games of the calendar year to date, the following players were regulars :

Bentley, Kalas, Baker, Dasilva, Massengo, Weimann, Wells. 
 

7 players who have all been part of Pearson’s squads in the 22 months he’s been here. 
 

We keep hearing about the massive job Pearson has had to do. We hear that he’s had to get rid off bad eggs, overpaid primadonnas and not have any funds to bring his own players in. 
 

7 of the team that had us in 7th place after 37 games have been at his disposal. Sadly Bakers time was cut short, but he was available for Pearson for a fair while during his tenure. 
 

Players who have left the club under Pearson are :

Szmodics, Elliason, Morrell, J Smith, Bailey Wright, Matty Taylor, Korey Smith, Rory Holden, Adelakun, Diedhiou, Baldwin, Opi Edwards, Gilmartin, Hunt, Lansbury, Hinds, Mariappa, Paterson, Rowe, Walsh, Watkins, Wallocott, Nagy, Nurse, Palmer, O’Dowda, Janneh, Bakinson, Britton, Cundy. 
 

Of all of those gone, 30 listed, not a single one has gone to a higher ranked division and not a single one has been a success anywhere since. 
Of that list, you could probably get an argument for Paterson as being a decent player here, Diedhiou was generally pretty useless but for the odd goal and had cult status, Korey had a good career here but was on the wane, and Eliasson had a “good cross on him” but little else. 
Of all the others, there probably aren’t many fans who could put up a good argument for why they should have stayed at City and in most cases the majority of the fanbase were happy to see them go. 
 

So, let’s disregard all the financial arguments. Johnson had money and Pearson hasn’t. Yes, I get it. 
But the squad that Johnson ended with here in March 2020 contained 7 of the same squad Pearson has had at his disposal and 30 other players which no one really wanted here anyway and were not bothered when they left. 

Pearson has managed to replace those 30 unwanted players with Semenyo (a sought after talent), Scott (a much sought after talent), Conway (a potentially sought after talent, Atkinson (a £1.6m centre back), James & King (2 of his own studs who’ve won a premier league), Naismith (the player of the season at a team which got to the playoffs), Klose (a man with recent prem experience and promotion from this league).

So, the question is, Johnson got that bunch of players, most of which no fans really wanted and who have done nothing of note since leaving City, to 7th in the league, whilst Pearson has had 7 of the regulars from that Johnson team plus his own additions of generational talents and premier league players. So how did Johnson manage to get what could be easily argued as a worse team man for man into 7th place and nearly into the playoffs, whilst Pearson hasn’t managed to string any kind of form together over a 22 month stretch with arguably a better squad? 
 

I really feel that we are over-egging the impact the financial situation is having on Pearson’s job. Yes, the financial situation is very real and he hasn’t had a great deal to play with, but the squad now is arguably better man for man than the one Johnson had. Should Pearson be getting much more out of this squad than a record of 24-19-41, a 28.5% win rate, when Johnson was getting a 46% win rate from a worse bunch of players who needed to all be removed from the club!
 

Personally, I think the bloke is getting away with murder. 

Interesting post. I’ll add another possible myth. I keep hearing that it takes ages to change around the culture and that’s still a work in progress (despite having brought in players specifically to improve that - King, James, Simpson while he was here) and his own coaches.  

How long did it take Steve Cotterill to turn around the culture of a relegated club that looked heading for a second relegation? No time at all, pointing the right direction immediately and promoted a year on.

How long did it take Gary Johnson to sort out the “soft underbelly”? That run of defeats at the start of his time - then it was sorted. 

Pearson has a book of excuses as long as your arm but we’re no more a problem club than many of our rivals…. Does Mark Robbins constantly moan about the hand he’s been dealt? I could accept it if he had some humility but his arrogance is so misplaced.

2 hours ago, OddBallJim said:

I know... NP's post match interview was a bit bizarre I thought.

Almost like he was trying to get sacked I thought…. Wouldn’t be surprised if he felt success here now was a decent pay-off and early retirement.   
 

As for everyone suggesting Shakespeare - which of the coaching team NP brought in (to replace the existing coaching team he was going to work with) do you think he will sack? Euell or Fleming? 

10 minutes ago, Ghost Rider said:

And Lingard 

And Harry Maguire

13 minutes ago, Midlands Robin said:

Which Middle Eastern state has yet to buy a Premier League club?

Qatar……. 

The RoI squad doesn’t include Max O’Leary. He seems to have spent a number of games sitting on the bench for them.  Wonder whether he’s chosen to focus on us rather than drag himself around Ireland/Europe not getting a game? 

1 hour ago, Son of Fred said:

What a way to earn a very profitable living -

A career in getting the poke.

Getting the poke…. Box entries…. Same thing