Red Exile

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.

double post

Noggers I recall you defending me against the LJ glee club when I was calling him out on the occasion of one of his more incompetent late stage losses - against Barnsley as I recall. I was very grateful. I think we have to acknowledge that reason went out the window when judging Lee Johnson. He had a clutch of devotees who simply couldn't believe he wasn't up to the job...the job being getting us to the play-offs. Those of us who called him out were clearly motivated by hate - rather than the evidence of the league table. But hey.

Great thread. Strikes me - looking back to the early 70s - that all the great City line ups had a consistency and the teams that 'more than the sum of the parts' feel. I can't disagree with the 76-77 side as the greatest, not least because even after all these years - and I was in my early teens then - I could still name each player and their position. But the same would be true of the GJ side that got to the play-offs, or the Cotts side from 2014-15. I mean Flint & Wilbs are unlikely to feature in lists of the greatest ever City players - but they were vital cogs in well oiled machines - and it was a pleasure to watch a team playing so effectively as a collective.

It was a depressing listen. 'Hoping for the best' - I thought. As for Lansdown - I'm not sure why anyone would invest in football if it wasn't for the glory. The idea of a financially sustainable Championship football club is almost laughable. We don't have to speculate on the health of a 71 year old billionaire to appreciate that 20 years of investment - the best years of his billionaire life - have delivered precious little glory....a cup win in the lesser cup (followed by a defeat), some lower league promotions (to compensate for relegations) a solitary play-off 15 years ago (which we lost). His media recognition is at best the occasional local radio interview...the promotion of a golf venture in Guernsey is hardly 'hold the front page'. If he's known for anything its stupendous investment in one of the most mediocre under-achieving British football clubs...but with a nice ground. Other than as a legacy project for his unimpressive son I'm not sure why he bothers - from that interview you'd have to assume that he appears to be thinking the same.

Excellent post, and I'm certainly not a 'disciple'. The missing bit for me is communication. If that is the strategy let's hear someone at the top shout about it...very happy for them to take the credit when it pays dividends. All along in the Lansdown years the missing piece has seemed to me to be taking the fan base on the journey. With very rare exceptions - think Cotts and the recruitment in the summer of 2014 - when there has been a tale spun - think '5 pillars' or Mark Ashton's offerings - there have been too many gaps in the narrative, gaps that can easily be filled by speculation and conspiracy theory. I know that OTIB can descend into daftness at times but the people I know in the real world who post on here are all thoughtful, intelligent and well respected in their professional lives. Having worked in the media all my life I don't think any of this is all that hard to deliver, but it requires engagement with supporters beyond amusing social media posts and post match interviews, engagement which treats them like intelligent stakeholders with a contribution to make.

A really fine away win. Excellent performance.

On that basis to watch the club stream across the season - currently £170? - would cost 46 x what? £30? I'm not sure there would be many takers for a Robins TV subscription at that price. I'm not sure that increasing the revenue is the club's challenge at the moment. It's the investment of the revenue we have.

Good for him. Good luck!

...beautifully put.

Speaking for myself it wasn't the 'splurge' that was hated under the previous characters but the pointlessness... ...EDIT: beaten to it by @Lew-T

I'm sure you are correct, but that lack of ambition has a far longer pedigree. My in laws support Hull - two stints in the Prem and a cup final.

He's had 20 plus years to make his riches count. I don't spend a day travelling to the Gate and back to admire a stand. I'd happily have had the worst ground in the Prem.

I think we all would be wary, but the reality of professional sport is that it's about ambition. SL has thrown a blanket of unambitious mediocrity over the club for years.

Thing is - the STs are sold, and counted in the attendances regardless of who turns up. Its not the first time I've bought a ST in the Lansdown regime only to think a few weeks into the season that the optimistic prospectus on which it was sold was all smoke and mirrors!

TC was invited onto the Board, was he not - different times, the club was run by people with the same passion as the fans on the terraces. We were all in it together. I've seen little evidence of that in recent times.

Amen!

...worrying, and in itself a completely incompetent way to run a football club.

You wouldn't be alone!

I know his admirers will point to the new stands and training ground, but folk don't go to football matches to admire the architecture or upholstery. Bottom line is that no one compelled Steve Lansdown to buy the whole club - make it his club - run it unimpressively for two decades, lose millions, win next to nothing, tack on a rugby club and basketball club (basketball!!), hand it over to his unimpressive son, disappear into tax exile... Its a high profile entertainment business, the Lansdowns appear to have no flair for either publicity or entertainment. Sad times - yet again.

I understood from the Twitter intro to the clip that the full interview was about his new golf venture. This was the City related question. Could be wrong of course!

Well I imagine most OTIB users do just that, taxes pay for things like school and hospitals... ..but hey, lets not derail this!

Made some dangerous crosses - but nothing special. Glad we signed Roberts!

Get in! Played well. Tough match. Impressed with our control in possession. Not something I’d often say! That is a fine away win.

Let's hope so!