Mendip City

Agree with all of that but I’d add that we hold the board AND Liam Manning to account. He’s bought into it, believes it… otherwise why take the job. We need to hold them all to account when the inevitable “rebuild”, “mentality”, “fitness”, “3 window” stuff starts getting spouted. This is a top end squad or so we’re told… a comfortable top half finish will be easily achieved, surely???? I’m not letting it go either!

Popular with the fans, done a good job, it would be as mad as when Birmingham sacked Eustace or Sunderland sacked Mowbray. There’s another example….. struggling to think who

The question misses the target for me NP’s team was doing whatever it was doing…. Would probably have finished better than last year and somewhere in mid-table. That was not good enough, rubbish even - or so we are told. This is a top-end Championship squad, JL says do, LM believes it (or why take on the job?) and presumably so does JL’s voice of football BT. I’m expecting a decent run of results now and charge towards the play-offs. If not JL, BT and LM deserve all the criticism they get.

Interesting. I think that identifies the problem with “trading”. You need very good scouting and recruitment. How many have that long list have been improved upon? Or replaced by players who could be as good…. Or in time as good. I’d argue none of them. So we are going backwards.

Agree with all that. But he isn’t young and up and coming and easy to manipulate so doesn’t fit the (latest) mould.

And the one above appears to be a generic design with Bristol City written on it…… a template!

I found myself on the list. what’s the plan??? Are we buying SL out???

I’ve given that a like…. It deserves much more. I’m a bit younger but also bought shares… it was OUR club back then.

Yes, and I have wonder what those people who saved the club would have said if you’d told them the club would plod between the second and third level of football for the next 40 years with no tangible success….

Good points re City Group. You don’t need to look as far as Michael Appleton…. our very own up and coming coach LJ being a serial bouncer!

I’m surprised this isn’t getting mentioned more. He’s jumped around a lot. In his head it’ll be ambition but unless he’s successful here he’s going to look a bit patchy. Massive gamble to “kick on” with a permanent mid table club that’s spent 40 years in the middle two divisions….

I think we didn’t have enough time off over the international break….

If we’re doing worse than when he took over and we’re playing a series of dead rubbers the atmosphere will be poisonous towards JL and SL. They’ll hate that and do the honourable thing…. sack their latest golden boy. I feel for Manning a little…. Only a little. It’s a stupid decision to jump from high-flying Oxford (so soon into his time there) on the bluff and bluster of JL to join a club that’s been trapped in the second or third level off English football for 40 years.

No need to worry, he’s been brought in to improve things with a play off quality squad. If things aren’t better he’ll be gone. Surely?

I think we’re agreed on most things. Certainly the clumsy departure of NP which, in turn, has heaped pressure on LM. All the stuff JL said about top end, top six, the budget etc and the assertion we’re underperforming with what we’ve got…. It can’t be unsaid. It’s nonsense of course, mid to upper-mid table would be respectable for this squad. Your point about power shifting from Steve to Jon is interesting - Steve always loyal and sometimes too loyal. Jon…. Trigger happy? Lucky old Pat Lam that Steve is still close to the rugby team!!!

I take your point but you’re effectively saying that he’s taken the job not believing he can do better than the previous man and that the job became available for reasons other than the previous manager wasn’t doing well enough…. We all know Nige was sacked for reasons other than results…. But that’s the message given and how Manning and his “top end championship squad” has to be assessed. He’s the Lansdown’s boy. He believes what they’ve spun him, believes the project….. or he should have told them to stick it. I’ve never in 40+ years known a manager have such a clear objective “top end”. Let’s see…. But if we’re not top end, those of us who “got” where Nige was taking things will, rightly, be angry.

With a top six squad don’t forget.

I broadly agree with you but it is a bit Manning v Nige. Manning signed up to this gig, the he will know the board expect “top end” championship…. surely JL mentioned this at interview stage? He must believe he’s more capable of that, with these players, than Nige. If we lose today we’ll be miles off “top end” and he’ll have a mountain to climb. I hope he does well but am I confident? No. Hopefully LM won’t regret jumping ship so early from Oxford. He’ll have received a pay bunk-up I’m sure but I think the objective from the deluded ownership is near impossible.

Agree, I really hope we don’t grow the squad too much. Looking at your list, I’d think Benarous is a space - he’s played senior football but if/when he comes back (let’s hope he does but it’s been a very long time) he’ll likely be back to “prospect” status rather than first teamer. A bit off topic but seeing that list graphically explains to me just how off the mark JL’s assessment of us being play-off quality is…. I think we’re still where we have been for a while, lower-mid-table and slowly improving to genuine mid-table, with a fair wind and bit of injury luck we could be top 8. I hope I’m wrong and Manning can get the extra 20%+ out of this squad that’s going to be required to hit the ownership’s target.

This is it! The point of this thread should be about how exciting or not appointments were (I wanted both GJ and Cotts as it happens). The point here is managers with experience do well here…. We’ve yet to have any tangible success from a young exciting up and coming boy wonder tracksuit head coach…. But the Landsdowns love it, keep going back and as you say it’s madness. Let’s hope Nanning bucks the trend set by Tinnion, McInnes, SOD, LJ, Holden. An array of well qualified head coaches with no achievements here between them. Good luck Liam…. Let’s hope you’re not interfered with and bring us some success!

Knowing the way Nige operates, those breaks were probably more for the players psychological wellbeing, keeping them mentally fresh. Seeing the same faces every single day and doing the same things isn’t great. As others have said, modern footballers aren’t doing nothing or stuffing their faces with fry-ups the second they have time off! But JL is now some sort of fitness guru so who am I to argue….. Actually he just sounded like one of those business “leaders” who don’t trust home workers and want them in, under their nose, to micromanage….. micro meddling from the Lansdowns more like!

I agree. Short would have also learned tons from repeatedly working with Warnock (which I see as a bonus). Oxford also have Derek Fazackerley as some sort of DoF type character….. bags more management experience than Tinnion. Not that Tinnion will be going anywhere any time soon, unless the Lansdowns disappear.

The appointment of Head Coaches has, it seems to me been far less successful that the appointment of managers at our club. head coaches: holden LJ SOD mcInnes managers: pearson cotts GJ Millen I think all before that would have been titled “manager”.

Well they’ve played in the top flight since we last did. Oh and won the league cup. We’re such massive underachievers!

He was once FL’s assistant manager… what difference that makes I do not know!