Midlands Robin

Wouldn't have predicted this 10 minutes ago. COYR

TGH has been getting better and better for us. My big worry is that he'll end up back at the Baggies. I know we've got an option to buy so fingers crossed we'll act on that.

Wow, pick that ****** out.

That simply can't be true. We've been told by those at the top that this is a side capable of promotion and that it was down to the manager that we weren't seeing this on the pitch.

Lots of knocking it around the midfield with not a lot else. One good break but other than that....... Erm, yeah, OK

Something I think everyone wants to forget.

The road to promotion starts here.

Last time I went to Vicarage Road (2014 FA Cup Third Round Replay) I recall they had a lovely Balti pie. If anyone wants to sponsor me, I'd gladly go back there on Boxing Day and confirm if that's still the case.

Have we spoken about Ian Baird yet? His last act as a City player was to leave the field giving a two fingured salute in a pre season friendly following our relegation from the 1st Division. (Championship) The led to my favourite One Team in Bristol Cover. "Yes Ian, we know which division we're in but whose fault is it?"

Counting all City games, cups and friendlies, including Wembley, a rather pathetic 12. God loves a trier.

I thought it was a really good listen with some very thoughtful contributions. Enjoyed it.

"People who know me know that I like to play attacking football, on the front foot with a high press" Note - If he does say this, look to see if John Lansdown's lips move.

Three points in the bag but seemed harder than it should have been

"Nigel Pearson's Red Army" coming across loudly from the stands.

Wednesday have their tails up now. Need to concentrate.

I see Swindle are taking the first round of the cup seriously.

Don't fooor chrissst sakes play a driiinkimg game where you have tooo take a drinkky every time Trevor Challis mentionssss High Press or Pressing. 15 minutes in aaaannd I'm pished ass a farrrt.

Is, I hope.

Barton - Because he's a massive ***

How about a bit of Wurzels action? (to the tune of "Don't tell I tell ee") Well I've never needed school, never needed college Got a rich dad so life ain't bad. I don't need no football knowledge I never couldn't see the point of Nigel P. 'Cos I'm the Chair, so I don't care, So don't tell I, tell 'E! Don't tell I, tell 'E, that's my philosophy When fans do swear, and tear their hair, Don't tell I, tell 'E! Old Brian T one day, told me how we should play. If we don't press, we'll be in a mess, said Nige "Do it my way." He just glared at me, and I hollered "Leave I be, 'You'll have to leave, said my Dad Steve," So don't blame I, blame 'E!

Fantastic summary of events. To me it's clear, reading between the lines, that the board wanted NP out but the timing was an issue. When to sack him was their problem. We know from Nige's own words he was having some health issues and needed a back operation. If the board were to sack him after that they'd look totally heartless. Was Tinnion aware that some key players were due back from injury this week? A match day squad bolstered by some returning players would have been likely to win the next two games therefore you couldn't justify sacking Nige after that. They pulled the trigger now by gambling on a negative reaction from losing the David Brent and Cardiff matches. The board probably expected a stronger reaction to those two defeats however, the bulk of the support saw a team ravaged by injury but still trying and with a bit of a fair wind could have got something from at least one of those games. Because of the issue of when to fire Nige, the board may well have had their defined plan on a way forward but would have had no real idea on who would be available to take over. They've made just about as big a total bollocks up of it as its possible to do.

Very believable until you get to the part about being able to implement his own fresh ideas and vision. That's not on the agenda at all.

Yeah, I don't see Tinnion as the spawn of Satan. He has put himself right in the firing line though. He's been providing the football advice to the board. Yeah, of course, a head coach could come from a variety of backgrounds. I feel its more likely to be one with less experience due to the clear desire of the club to control everything. With this mindset, Nige was a dead man walking anyway. With his health and the need for an operation, with two very winnable games coming up and with his increasingly public comments, the board were simply looking for the right moment to bin him and implement their coaching plan.

I think @Davefevs has absolutely nailed it. Going forward this is all on Tins. Tinnion was employed initially as loans manager and later as academy manager with the specific brief of preparing the youth to play in the first team. That meant ensuring he worked closely with the manager to understand what the first team were doing. Now, on his latest promotion he has become defacto first team director of football and has dictated the style of play from top to bottom. Both Tinnion and Junior have spoken about a single style of play throughout the club. It's clear to me that is "their" style and not the first team managers choice. I fully agree with the comments regarding the next appointment. It will be a young coach who will do as they're told and stick purely to coaching matters. He'll get what he's given in the transfer market and have to work with that. We are set for LJ mark 2. No doubt the board have looked across to Suffolk and seen Ashton do exactly what he did at City and bring in a coach with no managerial experience, flood the team with Ashton signings and see the team win promotion and go on to sit in second place. Who wants to bet that defeat at home to Ipswich was the final straw. If this plan fails which I'm terrified it will, we are truly ******.

Getting out of Bristol Sport is going to be an absolute nightmare. As already posted above, the easy but very expensive option is for a new owner to buy the lot but no one seems to want that. If you want the football club, what would you actually get? Even assuming the Lansdowns would be happy to just let that part go. In truth all that would be up for sale would be the men's and women's teams and the HPC. The ground and the forthcoming arena would remain in the Bristol Sport portfolio. We would rapidly find ourselves in a Coventry situation. We have to keep the football team and the ground together but how that happens under the current structure is anyone's guess. At the moment, to get the Lansdowns out and move forward we are in more trouble than we realise.