B-Rizzle

1 minute ago, Evs said:

Seriously you think the jury is out on the pitch? He has had the best players sold out under him for FFP reasons and had to clear out LJ ridiculous high earners for the same reason. Built a squad that clearly plays for him and the shirt and an identity is forming and the fans are getting behind it. Pretty sure most are not saying he is the messiah but just done a really good job with no support from above and he is being treated with contempt from the Lansdown’s.  

I get your point but also think that’s easy to say when we’re sat 8th in the league. We’d only have to be a few points worse off and we’d be just above the relegation zone and the outlook looking quite a bit different. This is my point about 4 defeats in a row potentially changing perspectives.

I agree with the lack of support from SL but I standby the fact that progress on the pitch has been slow to steady at best.

Next few months results are massive for me in making my mind up.

Also, this thread is now 30 odd pages long and you’re all whipping each other up when there’s not actually been any more news. 
 

Take a breath, everyone, and think about it.

So much hysteria on this thread. I totally get the frustration of the Lansdown’s lack of transparency in recent times but so many are talking as if NP is the messiah. I agree he’s done a good job in difficult circumstances and that we’re now in a healthy position football wise (with a optimistic future) but the jury is still out on the pitch, to a certain extent. If we were to lose the next 4 games, how many on here would have changed their minds. A lot, I expect!

I was very much in the Pearson out camp last Christmas before he started sorting things out a bit.

I’ve never been quite convinced by him nor do I buy into the ‘he’s sorted the wages out’ narrative as that’s not his remit. However, I do respect the circumstances he’s worked in, the stability he’s slowly built and the strong foundations of a squad and coaching staff that we now have.

He definitely doesn’t deserve to be sacked but I do understand the reluctance to give him a new contract as he hasn’t ever quite done it on the pitch consistently, yet. I think this season with the good squad we now have is key in my mind about whether he deserves a new deal and the next couple of months could be key in this. Have a good run = new deal. Go on a bad run = could easily be sacked.

My biggest overall frustration in this is the lack of comment from SL from so long which has resulted in so much speculation. I wish he’d communicate better, or allow his employees (Tins) to on his behalf.

Just now, Mr Popodopolous said:

There is an element of truth to it, provided that a takeover swiftly follows.

Of course I’m speculating and any potential takeover is hypothetical. I’m just trying to present a different interpretation of recent events because I’m struggling to make sense of them without!

Just now, Barrs Court Red said:

There’s no potential sale. 

How do you know?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This must be something to do with a potential sale, no?

SL has had a lot of grief in recent months: first over the lack of investment following the sale of Scott and now this. While I agree with most, that this doesn’t reflect well on SL, it does seem to me that he’s preparing for a fairly imminent sale…

He’s making us more financially attractive and doesn’t have a manager under a whopping long contract (that future owners might want to replace at some point).

We might not like it right now, in the short term, but if this strategy results in us in getting the best possible new owner then isn’t this actually good stewardship from SL and good for Bristol City?

(it’s always good to play devils advocate a bit otherwise people just keep whipping each other up into hysteria)

No news on this yet?

I’ve no idea what the craic is with Phil Alexander but to me it’s becoming clearer and clearer that SL in general is succession planning and preparing the club for a sale.

A previous poster compared us to Ipswich pre their takeover and commented that they were appealing FFP-wise. Is that not what SL might be doing now, getting finances in order? Yet, everyone’s slagging him off for not pushing the budget. Isn’t a sale what these same people want?!

We don’t have details yet but am surprised how many people seem really attached to Alexander and are furious about this.

Has he done that good a job so far? Too early to tell really but can’t say I’m overly fussed.

Think many are using it to push an anti SL agenda without knowing any facts.

4 hours ago, phantom said:

There is this though, good to see the City cat has progressed so well 

 

Percy Parrot?

Gary O’Neill once he gets sacked at Wolves

13 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

The irony of someone bringing up the “five pillars” is that they weren’t inherently a bad thing - and Nige has delivered on them more than any other manager since their inception (on the ones he can impact). IIRC the pillars were:

- Investment in the academy and production of home grown players Big tick in the box for Nige for facilitating the pathway 

- Community Engagement Not necessarily NPs remit but club do well here - think of the donation of food etc

- Improved stadium facilities Not in NPs control - achieved

- Signing players under 24 primarily achieved

- Operating sensibly financially As the figures prove, NP has achieved this absolutely 

So, he’s done everything that the only coherent strategy SL has espoused has demanded. What more can he do and what more can SL want?

 

I agree with you but also think your post sums up entirely what the issue is…

What more could Pearson do? Answer: coach a successful football team. Make us better than the sum of our parts. Get us winning more games than losing and get us climbing the league? Sound like a big ask, it is but that’s literally the job of a football manager/ head coach.

All those things you list are things the club have achieve that aren’t primarily NPs role. He hasn’t lowered the wage bill, improved the academy pathway and singed young players. He’s worked in a wider team that have achieved those things. Credit to him that he’s been willing to do that and certainly credit to him in being bold with playing young players but I don’t buy into giving him credit for financial matters - THAT IS NOT HIS JOB.

And all this is precisely why I’m not 100% sold on him as we’re pretty bang average and have been the entire time under his tenure. I think SL also feels this and that’s why I don’t think we’ll see him here loads longer.

My view is:

The club HAVE invested (certainly prior to Scott’s sale), using the Semenyo money. But perhaps this hasn’t been to the degree that some hoped/ expected, particularly since some big earners have left and we’ve pocketed £25m. I, along with others, feel we’re a little short in numbers and there could be issues if there are significant injuries to our GK, a centre half or another striker (we’re already struggling having TC out).

It’s interesting to hear the club say we’re right on the limit of our wage budget complying with FFP. Haven’t quite got my head around how this can be.

Quite a few people have commented on rumours that SL isn’t sold on NP and for what’s it’s worth, I’m not 100% sold either. Currently looks unlikely that NP will be offered a new deal.

Are the club (SL) holding back a little either with a view that they’ll invest more heavily with a new coach in the future, or, is SL preparing the club to be in a good position selling wise. E.g. get the wage bill under control, invest a bit in youth and bank most of the revenue from player sales so that the club are in a good FFP position so that future investors have more FFP wiggle room to ‘go for it’ a bit more when they first come in?

He’s likely waiting until the window closes and then will sign for someone. I expect he’ll sign somewhere in early September. If he’s not got a club after a week or two then he’s clearly not played this situation very well.

3 minutes ago, tin said:

It’s pretty clear we are recruiting players who a) have potential and we can develop to sell on for a profit, and b) will fit into our strict wage structure. That limits who we can realistically target  and clips the wings of the recruitment team IMO.

Generally, we’ve done that pretty well. As someone else said, Nige has generated £35m in transfer fees in 2023 and spent about £5m so I’m not sure that’s a fair stick to bash the recruitment team with. But I share the frustrations that we should be aiming higher, and that’s down to SL loosening the purse strings. 

That’s fine but that policy suggests that our wage budget is significantly lower than rivals which I don’t think is true (apart from parachute payment teams).

If other teams can recruit from abroad to fit their wage structure, why can’t we?

I do accept the clubs stance on prem loans being too costly though but I’m not sure I quite buy into the rest of their narrative. 
Having sold Scott for £25m, we should have enough free money to replace him with someone who is more than an academy prospect.

Having offered Kalas a contract that wasn’t signed (yet), we should have budget for another centre half.

Think the Europe point is a good one. We never seemed to recruit from Europe, then we had a bit of a foray under LJ which largely didn’t work out and now we’ve reverted to domestic recruitment only.

Think we’re missing a trick tbh when you look at other teams in the league.

3 minutes ago, jaydee=inspiration said:

So hang on a minute can someone please clarify, the woman who accused him of said crimes has just had his kid and they are still together?!?! I thought they were two different people according to the statement the club has just put out!

If so the following two paragraphs in said statement are truely bizarre

Throughout this process, the welfare and perspective of the alleged victim has been central to the club’s inquiries, and we respect her right to lifelong anonymity.

We also have responsibilities to Mason as an employee, as a young person who has been with the club since the age of seven, and as a new father with a partner

The alleged victim has a right to life long anonymity which is exactly why they won’t tell you that the person he’s had a kid with is the same person - that would ruin their anonymity, wouldn’t it… as bizarre as that might sound.

24 minutes ago, prankerd said:

This is a bit of an odd case, if there was no pictures or voice recordings, would this even be an issue anymore? 

Kurt zouma had a recording of him kicking a cat, Cristiano ronaldo had a dodgy case where he paid off a woman accusing him of rape, ched evans got given a chance again after his career was destroyed.

Just look at bristol rovers very own joey barton, the guy was a horrible man who still has a career now.

Where do we draw the line of who shouldn't play football anymore? 

 

In my view, you’re right to a certain degree but you can’t hide away from the fact that the recording IS in the public domain. He may not have been found legally guilty of any crime but as that snippet of evidence is public, the public will make up their own minds about him in line with their own moral compass.

My question is:

Are United actually able to legally terminate his contract if he’s not been found guilty of anything? If no, then it’s conversation over regardless of how any of us feel about that.

Personally I get Utd’s point about also having a responsibility to MG himself and rehabilitation etc but I think they can still ‘support him’ without keeping his employment as a footballer.

This is rubbish news! Feel so sorry for TC - thought he was going to go from strength to strength this season.

On the frustrating amount of injuries front, does anyone have any data (Fevs?) that can compare the amount of injuries to senior players we’ve had compared to other sides in recent years? 

21 hours ago, Just8 said:

Hate that term. It usually implies they're faking it or making a meal of it and shows a complete lack of empathy for a player who may be going through a difficult period and who we're meant to support.

Fair enough. Don’t mean it in a derogatory way against Naismith himself at all. Shall I try again?…

Seems like Naismith is quite injury prone at the moment which is a frustrating one for him and us. We need him available more than he was last year, especially with Atkinson out for another few months. 

Naismith becoming a little bit of a sick note? Frustrating one.

Do we still think the Kalas offer will be on the table once Roberts signs? Do we still have the budget/ space for him? Particularly as NP likes a small squad?

Depth:

Pring

Atkinson, Roberts

Dickie, Vyner

Tanner, McRorie

Are we more likely to go back in for Currie or sign up Kalas? For me, there’s only space for one more body in that back line without things looking too ‘busy’.

Thoughts?

It’s pretty fair enough that Bryan is considering other options. If they don’t materialise then of course NP would still be up for signing him. That is literally how the transfer window works. There’s nothing to get pissy about.

The only issue is if NP feels we need to move onto other targets and that waiting for JB is too greater gamble. If we sign Roberts or Currie then that will put Joe Bryan’s return to bed - regardless if he finds a contract abroad or not. 

6 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Yep, come in for a day or so, do a set of benchmarks, give them their summer programmes and then get regular updates from them whilst they’re on hols / international duty.

Yeah, but that isn’t advertised as ‘first day back’ on socials at the start of June, is it?

Still seems weirdly early but the previous point about lots of players on international duty makes some sense.