Red Exile

2 minutes ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

We lost 6-0 at Ipswich in the season we got to the play off final vs Hull ... 

I was there, went to almost every match that season and what a season it turned out to be! Long trip home that evening but it didn't feel like a thrashing though, Bradley Orr was sent off early in the second half, which hadn't helped. So we lost but it was the core of the promotion side from the previous season and we knew they were a resilient bunch. And GJ was a proven winner...one of my favourite City managers. 

13 minutes ago, Supersonic Robin said:

I'm interested to hear the thinking behind some of these views? Some pretty bold criticism in there - what makes you think he was THAT bad/incompetent? (I'm not contesting you, just interested to hear the explanation)

I'm sure @billywedlock can explain what he meant but for what it's worth LJ's weaknesses were set out time and again by the sceptics (like me!) whilst he was here.

My take would be that he got the job because he was SL's vanity project...SL would pick a winner. LJ had no track record of achieving the promotion we were told was the club's ambition.  His best sides seemed to be picked by force of circumstance, when he had choices to make he often made the wrong ones. He seemed incapable of arresting losing streaks, paralysed on the sidelines watching the game go by. He loved another 'club in the bag' but the clubs never seemed to make a set. He had resources undreamed of by any City manager in my 50 years supporting the club...and squandered them. In my opinion, which I appreciate can be contested, he left us in a worse place than he found us...and we are suffering the consequences. Should never have been appointed. Not a bad man, I liked him as a player, and I felt for him at times, out of his depth. Thankfully it's in the past.

8 minutes ago, One Team said:

Their forum is quite a read. 

Lots of “enough was enough” type comments. 

Enough of what? One point off promotion, two points off the title? 

If they were outside the play offs or way off automatic and they had that defeat they perhaps I’d see the point. 

I’m not much of a LJ fan but it seems very harsh. 

Well they've won 1 in 5 and already shipped 5 goals at Rotherham and 4 at Portsmouth this season...I would imagine they'd be looking at streaky Lee and think 'here he goes again' and have pulled the plug before they're on a club record losing streak. LJ has form when it comes to falling out of contention...and no form at all when it comes to seeing the job through. They've got a decent squad. They should be expecting promotion.

I was surprised he was appointed in the first place.

5 minutes ago, One Team said:

Ipswich Town?

Had occurred to me! But Ashton's only just appointed a new chap to that role.

I'm not sure why LJ wants to be a manager. He appears to have a decent reputation as a coach but has zero track record of actually leading sides to league success, at any level. 

4 minutes ago, IAmNick said:

Wasn't that us?

Yes...the perfect fit! For me SLs loyalty after that dreadful run at the start of 2018 summed up everything wrong with City. 

Just now, Fordy62 said:

What he does next is a genuinely interesting question… I think it’ll probably be league one again. 

I wonder what the record is for number of games managed without ever gaining a promotion? He's currently on 449. I know he liked to set records.

I'd have said LJ was a perfect fit for a club with lots of resources and limited expectations.

Sunderland was always a gamble for him...going to a club that actually expected to win promotion, something LJ has never achieved as a manager at any level in well over 400 matches and never looked like achieving with us for all the 'clubs in the bag' he was handed. Be interesting to see what he does next. 

1 minute ago, Shaun Taylor said:

you've left those dark league one days behind!

...for now!

Hey, onward and upward...

2 minutes ago, Shaun Taylor said:

I struggle to work you guys out compared to the likes of us you have everything in place but seem destined to stay mid table in the championship year in year out which can become boring for the fans who expect much more.

well...I can only say that the year-in, year-out, revelation of new ways in which we can be just a bit too rubbish to succeed has its own fascination. 

A 2014-15 romp is of course a joy, but very much the exception!

7 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

I am aware of numerous media being City fans (though bizarrely locally none apart from Richard Latham who have reported on us, are) but always find the Rovers bit of this statement a surprise.

Their gates are frankly rubbish & if we think we are underachievers, then they are far worse.

 I just don’t understand the point of them.

Nor me - but I worked with two who were open and unashamed in their support for the blue few.

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

It seems the more choice he has the worse he gets.

Yep. I can't totally blame LJ for mucking up the best chance we're likely to have had to get the Prem in my lifetime - he should never have been given the job - but the chap was both out of his depth and cocky with it. As was our CEO at the time. It's the cockiness that always grated, no humility whatsoever. Both thought they were God's gift...as a consequence of which I feel only slightly bad in saying that I'll delight in their every subsequent failure.

59 minutes ago, Fordy62 said:

How old mate? Mine still not particularly interested at 5. 

My three - at least one of whom is on here - @AberRed - were all taken along when they were 5-ish. None of them have ever lived in Bristol and their interest has waxed and waned over the years but today they are all in their 20's/30's and they are all City fans. I don't think they were given any choice!

If you move away from Bristol there is a certain credibility attached to not supporting United, or Liverpool. My only tip for taking youngsters along is bring plenty of sweets!

I've spent a lifetime working in the media, largely at the BBC - at times in the world of sport. There are a lot of City fans out there...and Rovers too. For all that it's not considered a football hotbed Bristol is a big place, lots of successful media folk are Bristolians.

As others have said City are, however, always considered by others as a side with 'potential' - which we rather pathetically fail to achieve. The pathetic nature of our underachievement gains us little sympathy!

If we went up it would be a big story...a love-in would start.

I don't think we are going up next season - but then I never do.

I am, however, perfectly happy to be convinced!

Today's performance was full of promise (if rather deflating - as ever). Thank you for raising my spirits!

Just now, Curr Avon said:

Sorry Cameron, but your non-shot, non-pass, non-run to the corner in the 95th minute will give me nightmares.

 

You won't be alone - I imagine Cam will be reliving the moment! 

1 minute ago, Fordy62 said:

Could be worse!

I remember those days! For all the frustrations of today we can be thankful we don't have to listen to LJ's Brentisms.

Although even he will be tested after a 6-0 thrashing at Bolton!

Almost unbelievable! 

But got to take heart from another fine away performance.

That was a fine win. First match at the gate for a while - delighted to see us playing some ambitious attractive football!

Outclassed at times today by a side with players who should be playing at a far higher level. Got to accept that.

However...we've shipped 6 in the past against far worse sides and recovered (Ipswich under GJ was a painful trip!)...and anyone watching us today would have seen signs of younger players gaining confidence and stepping up. We'll need them to do so. Ok, we'll not be walking this league any time soon but we'll have some fine local talent to enjoy watching develop. After several years of uninspiring dross there may just be the makings of a side we can get behind.

COYR

Deceptive scoreline in some ways. Obviously they are head and shoulders above us man for man...a Prem team playing in the Championship. Mitrovic is a class above. Any side with him up front should be walking the second tier. We are trying to take the game to them and they have ripped us apart at times. 

But we have given it a go. Bold as it seems to say this at 5-2 down at H-T, play like we are today week in and week out we'd win more than we'd lose.

Great article - and great to see that the thread started by my late - and cheerfully subversive - brother on the supporters club and GJ makes the cut as amongst our finest!

Andi would surely get into any City squad of the past 50 years - and be a crowd favourite. Energy in abundance and Ashton Gate crowds have always loved that. Delighted for him today. 

Following from a distance so can’t comment on the performance - but that is a big 3 points. Fair play to those who made the journey. 

For me the fundamental problem this season is our inability to nurse the ball and retain possession. We build next to nothing...our attacks are dependent on worldie passes or a bit of a lucky break. It's what makes it so frustrating to watch...and is why I've given up for the afternoon!

That said, we're not going to be relegated...it's going to be a season of frustration.

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

I remember listening to that game on the radio on the way to my aunt’s house as my dad had just had a phone call from her to say my Gramps had passed away.  Mabbutt scored, silly things that stick in your memory.  Didn’t we go on to lose?

I was there. Crushing disappointment! Through the 80s I kept a cutting of the photo of Mabbutt scoring - felt like the end of an era....as indeed it was!

Hadn't they just signed Trevor Francis for £1m - and we had a youngster marking him?