Red Exile

9 minutes ago, Hartleysbeard said:

I follow your logic and who’s to say you’re not correct in that assessment. However, I don’t think it should a surprise to anyone, either now or three years ago, that as a club we are in a position both financially and within the league hierarchy, where we need to sell in order to progress. Of course it hurts to lose your best talents, but look at what’s coming through too. There will come a point, if we can get promoted, where we no longer need to sell those assets in order to progress. 

Selling to progress I get - but that means replacing the players sold with something better - better individuals or a better, broader, deeper, squad. It doesn't seem to me that the Alex Scott sale has resulted in that. But who knows what the plan is - the silence from the top is deafening. I've put in many decades - and fast losing patience.

Just now, Hartleysbeard said:

Given that Pearson had a good look at our situation and got to understand the way the club operates during a temporary period prior to taking the job on permanently, is it not reasonable to assume that the ‘shared vision’ was reached on the understanding of what resources he would have available? Therefore, if play offs was the stated aim, failure to achieve that within the agreed tenure, would be justifiable reason for no contract extension. 

I guess that would depend on 'the understanding of what resources he would have available' - which I imagine at the time included a striker and a midfielder we've sold for millions more than has subsequently been invested in the squad. What I mean is that stating an objective and then failing to give the person responsible for delivery the tools to do the job seems a pretty daft way of deciding whether to renew their contract. But far from the daftest thing about Steve Lansdown's time running the show.

7 minutes ago, Hartleysbeard said:

Ultimately he’s come in to help achieve playoffs within the agreed tenure, and if we aren’t making progress towards that, then it’s right he goes.

This is the bit I struggle with. Looking objectively at City's current squad who would reckon it one of the top 6 in the Championship? Its all very well for the club to state year after year that our target is the play-offs, but you don't achieve that by selling your best players and not replacing them. Pearson is making bricks with straw, it seems to me that play-offs or the boot is a near impossible brief with the resources he has.

2 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Surely the whole point of foundations is to ensure the club is not reliant on one individual to get results both on and off the pitch?

I genuinely admire your optimism. I wish I had it. For me Steve Lansdown's ownership has been characterised - on the playing side of the club - by foundations built of sand. Of course it may be different this time...if it happens, which I'm rather hoping it won't.

22 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

I’d just be incredibly frustrated. And I really wouldn’t want a manager who wants to tear up the direction of travel of the last three years and start yet another rebuild. 
 

Basically I think Pearson is doing a good job and should have his contract extended. I’m not going to pretend I’d suddenly start boycotting the club if he went but it would be the most baffling and disappointing decision I could remember in my time as a City fan.

I agree with you but I'm pretty sure that for the sake of my sanity I'd be encouraged by my family and friends to take a step away.... (is that laughter or tears?)

Btw the appointments of Tinnion, Millen and Holden were decisions every bit as baffling to me...possibly more so.

Thing is...if you don't believe that Nigel Pearson has a sense of what needs to be done to get the club into a fit state to have a stab at the play-offs and perhaps promotion, and you don't trust him to work out how to do that within the financial constraints set by the owner, then you have to have faith in the latter - Steve Lansdown - to have a better plan.

One of these men has achieved precisely what we purportedly want to achieve. Steve Lansdown has had 15 years since we last got to Wembley to set us on the road back there - he's not made it.

I happen to rather like Nigel. Like Cotts and GJ he a man who speaks his mind, takes the supporters on the journey, seems to know what he's doing. It's not necessary to believe that he is the 'messiah' to question the alternative - the alternative being that Steve Lansdown knows what to do next. After all these years I'm afraid I have no faith in the Lansdowns.

1 minute ago, Sheltons Army said:

I’ve seen some ridiculous decisions, appointments etc  at this football club over the years 

But this is ..just a different level.....unbelievable, .....really quite depressing 
 

...mind you replacing Danny Wilson with Brian Tinnion, and Steve Coppell with Keith Millen were decisions that set the bar quite high!

37 minutes ago, Blagdon red said:

Those final group-stage games will surely be played simultaneously on the respective days. So, I'd suggest that there will be no need for 4 KO times. It may therefore end up as 3pm, 6pm and 9pm (it's already confirmed that the opening game will be a 9pm kick-off / 8pm UK time).

I'd have said that was right - and if the first game is a 9pm KO then it might be fair to assume that that is the TX slot for the top match each day - so look at the top seeds and assume they will be playing at 9?

15 hours ago, Never to the dark side said:

Would anyone what the kick off times will be in the group stages,if they have been announced.

Thanks

Not announced yet - good luck with the tickets. We're in the draw. Been lucky at some tournaments, not at others. 

18 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

Interesting and thank you. But let me ask why does the lack of support for Pearson in the transfer window translate into a desire to see him given a new contract? If the current owners don't support him then why do you want that relationship to continue.

Good question. My answer would be that if they don't want to support him he will, presumably, go.

If I was offered a choice I'd rather the owners left the stage...but I've thought that for a while. The elder seems to have become disenchanted, his few comments seems to indicate his focus is elsewhere - Guernsey...Botswana - what I recall of his limited City related stuff is uninspiring or suggests resentment at the neediness and presumption of the fanbase. As for the younger - words fail me.

Football is an entertainment business.  I have sufficient geographical distance from Ashton Gate to make the journey seem a long one...a very long one if there's nothing entertaining at the end of it. You need hope. The Lansdowns offer none these days - by contrast Pearson has the qualities that a football fan of my ilk respects, and offers some hope.

9 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

So it's a reaction to a lack of support? It's just supporting the opposite of what Lansdown is doing because Steve is the big bad wolf who won't spend the money?

Did either of you vote to sack him in December?

I don't think I voted in the poll but after the WBA game I'd lost patience...but not necessarily with Pearson. What's changed is the Scott sale and what I perceive as a failure on the part of the club's owners to invest in a way that a) supports the manager and b) indicates ambition. Look at the bench yesterday - I think Pearson is being asked to make bricks with straw. Now when it comes to 'fickle' I've done my time, 50 years, watched us at Carlisle and York etc, and right now if Pearson left the little hope I had of progress would walk out the door with him. If Lansdown is the 'big bad wolf' its because he's donned the costume...there was never any need to, he's rapidly squandering whatever goodwill he had left.

Well well well! Dogged second half defensive performance. The sort of match we’d usually lose. Credit all round. 

Really struggling to put two passes together here. Defending with gusto though. 

Jason Knight making a difference. Tenacious. 

Looking much better 

Incredible! Great though! Haha. 

Lucky to still be in this - but we are. 

This is terrible. Laughably poor. 

Watching from Italy. Blimey. Being outclassed by a club that hadn’t a pot but a handful of seasons ago. Nice one SL. 

Better side and for once took our half chances. Plymouth are by no means a bad side. Good to see less of the panic in possession that has afflicted our performances in recent times. Impressive win. Encouraging!

One of the more entertaining goalless draws. Fine Championship contest. 

25 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Unless someone is taken ill or gets injured in the warm up I can’t see it being anything else.

Saw a few random comments on social media about “giving Roberts a go” or picking Naismith In midfield instead of Williams (!) & wonder what these people are on.

Pring was excellent at Swansea, Williams rivalled Sykes for MoM.

We don’t have loads of players (TGH’s absence means one fewer) but we do have a decent, tight squad.

Can still see a draw though.

First match I can get to this season. Looking forward to it.

12 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

I’m not so inclined as to trawl through peoples posts from 2016-2020 so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.

I think the fixation on whether you were ‘right’ and others were ‘wrong’ is a little odd though. In this context it’s completely subjective. Did Johnson leave us in a better place than when he arrived? Probably. Did he get us promoted? No. So I suppose it comes down to what your expectations were of his appointment. 

Give me 'the benefit of the doubt'?

You've been on this forum for years - you don't recall people calling for LJ to go and others defending him? Don't be daft. It went on for what seemed like an age until he finally got the boot.

I'm not 'fixated' own whether I was right - although I was as it happens, right in that he was never going to get us promoted, he's never got anyone promoted. Expectations? - managed by the club's owner - personally, I was at Charlton when he appeared sat next to SL. My heart sank.

EDIT: ...anyhow, we are all City fans, and the LJ years are behind us. No need to rake over the embers of discontent! Or at least not with Lee Johnson. Pearson is a manager much more to my liking.

12 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Not sure that’s quite true..

I haven’t seen one person post on here that LJ should’ve stayed as manager - unless you can prove otherwise.

People just take objection to the personal comments. His height (irrelevant), his ability as a player (irrelevant), even (weirdly) his marriage for some reason?

You can find all three of those in this thread - almost 4 years after his sacking! 

If people want to debate his performance as a manager, especially when you factor in the disparity with how he was backed compared to Cotterill (or even Pearson!) that’s a valid point of debate. The fixation on the personal stuff is bizarre though. 

I was a critic for more than a season before he left. Never mentioned his height, but perhaps balked at his Brent-isms. Nothing against him personally in truth, just not up to the job. Poor appointment. I got dogs abuse from folk determined that he would succeed. They were wrong, and were wrong month after month. All arguing he should stay...until he left. Did I keep a list of names? - one or two come to mind! I'm sad that I and others were right. What a waste of time and money the Johnson years proved. It wasn't necessary to 'hate' LJ or any of his characteristics to call him out as not up to the job of leading a side out of the Championship.

LJ doesn't particularly interest me these days but I object to the rewriting of OTIB history.