supercidered

Sometimes hope and expectations are aligned. Not in the case of Bristol City FC though.

My hope is that before the turn of 2024 I can see that we made tangible progress and that we have improved as a team and as a club as a direct result to bring in LM and the 2 transfer windows. With a plan for the next stage of progress.

My expectation is that I'm going to be disappointed.

1 hour ago, Barrs Court Red said:

Was this the season some young guy scored a load of goals away at Exeter in a friendly (Gillespie?) everyone got very excited and…he never really made it? 

Hope it's not an Omen but the last goal I saw Gillespie (I think he was a scouser?) score was away at Forest. We went 1 up and were giving it loads to the Forest fans only to get walloped 4:1. That was a mid week game as well.

2 minutes ago, Natchfever said:

What other professional football club would employ either of those two into equivalent positions?

What a brilliant question that is !! 

I think we all know the answer as well.

4 hours ago, The Bard said:

the suggestion is we are going to be signing promising players.  We are going to be a very young side if that's the case.  

Experience isn't just about number of appearances. It's also about maturity of the individual.  Most males prefrontal cortex doesn't properly mature until mid 20s.  Emotional regulation/personality etc.  You could see watching the way likes of King/James/Weimann and Wells interacted with Scott/Conway/Bell when they first came into the side that their development as people was just as important as their footballing ability.  Pearson knows that this is what distinguishes the ones that make it from the ones that don't and positive role models is absolutely key to that.

Scott and Conway in particular have developed really quickly I would say because of the nature of the environment created by Nigel Pearson which is now being hacked to pieces by Tinnion.  There were worrying signs on Friday - bickering amongst players. A couple of times I noticed some not exactly busting a gut to track runners etc.

 

 

 

 

I didn't see that but that was probably because I had my head in my hands for most of the game!

If there is bickering starting and elements of not making the required effort then that is a big worry. For all NP's faults and there were some terrible matches in his reign, I never saw a lack of effort from his players or any bickering at any point. 

2 minutes ago, Ivorguy said:

Précis of above posts =. We are in a mess

Of the clubs own making.

8 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

I may be wrong re my understanding of his job description, but as Head Coach he should be coaching the players that the club present to him. It shouldn't be up to him to suggest players or have a say in recruitment. That would be a Managers job imo. The style of play he implements should also be the style of play that the club wants him to play, otherwise again , he is a Manager not Head Coach. Splitting hairs maybe but they were quite specific that after Pearson they would be employing a Head Coach (to improve the current squad on the grass).

I get all of that and I agree with you.

Whatever the squad looked like 17/18 games ago or now or for the rest of the season, is almost irrelevant in my eyes. Manning has been lauded as the mutts nuts and to much fanfare when JL & Co acquired his services.

As such, he needs to coach whatever he has available to him at any given point and get the best out of them. That's his job. If the players can't implement his plans and methods then it is up to him to adapt, change and make it work differently. To me, he just seems to do the same things and make the same changes and then expecting it turn out differently. Opposition Managers / Coaches have obviously sussed it and we are so easy to read.

13 hours ago, lenred said:

Maybe not.   But I did and I continue to expect us to be top 10 this season.   So if that isn’t achieved (and it wont be at this rate) then that will be on Manning.  And the style of football that we are playing is very much down to him also. So again he will be judged on that.   Let’s hope there’s an upturn soon.  

Agree with this.

However, we keep discussing that the current squad isn't Manning's and so he needs to build his own etc, etc. We also keep get told that he wants to play his style but some of our players don't fit that style. So my question is, until the players are what he wants then it is Manning's job to adapt to the situation rather than trying to make a silk purse out a sow's ear. That's what he gets paid to do. From what I see, he seems unable to adapt from his coaching playbook. 

On 03/02/2024 at 11:37, Leabrook said:

This summer could see us lose James, Williams, Conway, Wells, Pring, Twine, Cornick and King from the current squad. Some rightly and some wrongly but that is 8 senior players.  Another summer of overhaul.  

And then cue the same old lines from whoever within the club (take your pick). 

We've lost some players (see above) and we have some targets to bring in.

We can't compete with teams in this league with our budget.

We are looking to strengthen early so they get a full pre season and then bed themselves in to how we play.

Evolution not revolution.

We are making progress and getting the messages across in good training sessions.

Lets look at the Academy first.

Our aim is to be at least in the top 6 come May 2025.

I could go on but I think you get my drift.

On 03/02/2024 at 09:20, Better Red said:

Beat Forest Wednesday.

Sykes & Twine comes back.

The new winger looks a world beater.

We win 2 on the bounce

Can’t wait for everyone to then come back on here and say we are negative , crap football etc..

I have been watching for 45 years and we are in the ‘good years’.

Give Liam a chance it feels like we are building something.

The growing attendance and away followings say it can’t all be bad.

If we maybe 3 quality players to the squad in the summer which is already competitive then we have a chance of a top 6

I can't believe I just saw a squadron of pigs fly past my window!

I was at the last game pre COVID versus Fulham.

We had the block next to the Dolman. It was full and the atmosphere was brilliant.

Both the stand and the concourse is blocked off. It was brilliant. Really enjoyed the atmosphere and being able to see the whites of the Fulham fans eyes! 

1 hour ago, Street red said:

Worse than a Welsh cockney

There can't be anything worse than a Welsh Cockney unless it's Welsh Cockney that supports the G@s.

11 hours ago, TheJudge07 said:

Good luck to the lad, but our strategy is all over the place. The kid looks like a winger .... which is fine except we havent been playing with them.  He also hasnt broken through in Belgium so the question is why? i dont care what he has done at Youth Level. Seb Palmer Holden has scored loads of goals but is on loan and not near the first team. 

we have signed 5 players. 1 is injured, 2 are coming next season, 1 is a work in progress and this chap is unproven. we really need to improve the first 11 now and sadly we havent done it .... again!!!

I'll probably get shot down for this but my opinion is that this season was already written off a while back. The hierarchy wouldn't say this publicly of course they wouldn't. However, if you do business in a January transfer window and immediately loan them back it only confirms this. Bird would be ready and good enough to play in the Championship now and Stokes, although untested at this level would have the ideal opportunity to be given minutes in a team that is unlikely to be in a relegation battle or top 6.

Bird looks like we decided to go for now rather than chance a fight for him when his contract is up in the summer. I'm sure Derby liked the idea of having him back on loan with a tilt promotion and that may have been what got us the player. The same with Stokes given that Aldershot have a chance of promotion as well. 

I'm ok with the Mebude signing but he hasn't been signed to propel us in to the top 6 this season and neither have any of the others. The Twine one is the one that baffles me because unless Burnley stay up, I can't see any way he will be a City player next season.

1 hour ago, Never to the dark side said:

Easy jet have pushed there Bristol to Newcastle flight on Saturday mornings out to 12:35pm arriving at 13:40pm.

It would then be a fifty mile dash to get there for 3pm.

So it looks like a overnight stay in Middlesbrough on Saturday night.

Not keen on going up and back in one day which will include coming back via London

Hoping it will be worth it after putting in all that effort to get there,and back.

I checked a week or so ago and there is a flight to and from Exeter with Loganair. However, it was nearly £300 return each. As much as I love an aaway jolly. That ain't happening!!

5 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Just demoralising isn't it Super.

We twisted as the injury crisis this season reached the apex in late October 2023.

We didn't have a specialist RB for weeks, at Cardiff we fielded Pring at CB, Sykes at LB etc so badly stretched as we were.

Inevitably a new manager may have some new ideas and inevitably there will be an element of transition. That's fine up to a point but is horribly self-inflicted by in particular Jon Lansdown and Tinnion.

I thought thst were building something under NP and his coaching team (plus Gould while he was here) and I also thought the base of 4-3-3 was the correct shape...now I'm not so sure, I'm not especially sold on the back 3 for one.

Demoralising is another apt word.

I'm not against a Project per se and haven't been in the past. However, this continual rinse and repeat just smacks of mismanagement and I mean from the hierarchy rather than any individual Manager or Coach. When you add the minimalist approach to telling the fans a truthful and straight communication view and plan, it all adds up to mistrust. Priority from here on in is to get that trust back and my view is that is going to be very difficult. 

As fans, we may not like what that truth and reality is. However, I would bet that the majority of fans would take the truthful harsh reality rather than the current approach which has permeated for far too long.

16 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

What I mean is, the odds are we will be out of the FA Cup and more importantly 10 points or more odd the playoffs unless you're more optimistic than me so whether we like it or not, there is an element of Work In Progress.

I dunno about 4 or 5 light but do think the squad lacks depth in some important areas and did under NP. Twine made a good start, hopefully his injury will be short-lived..

...Sykes-Conway-Twine in a 4-3-3 could have been an interesting frontline tbh but sadly we seem to have left 4-3-3.

Referring to your post an hour ago Mr P.

It is a work in progress and that is because it was forced that way by getting rid of NP and bringing in LM. They are chalk and cheese as individuals, experience and views of the best way forward. No point in going on about NP as that ship has long since sailed.

When I look at back at the progress or rather lack progress in my opinion as shown in the stats above by TheJudge07, the anger and frustration rises again. There is every chance that we don't make it through to the next round of the FA Cup and if so, I can't see any way we are finishing top 6. All feels that season 23/24 has been a waste of time and money.

As we haven't done much by way of business that will have an immediate impact in this transfer window. Then we look at the Summer transfer window. If we don't recruit early and well then I'm sure we will get the line that the new players need time to bed in etc, etc.

I continually feel in limbo and or in some sort of perpetual holding pattern.

5 hours ago, Real Red said:

Arriving this week, new batch of hats. Email us for details oneteaminbristol@icloud.com

View full range at otibclothing.co.uk.

There is a black beanie available to with OTIB logo in Black

£13.50 Beanies
£16 Bobbles

 

Nice work. Especially like the retro badge Beanie.

8 minutes ago, Super said:

early days i know but some interesting names in this list for new manager

Paul Heckingbottom 1/2

Michael Duff 8/1

John Eustace 10/1

Gary Rowett 12/1

Alex Neil 14/1

Steve Cooper 14/1

Nathan Jones 20/1

Nigel Pearson 20/1

Chris Hughton 25/1

Daniel Stendel 25/1

Dave Challinor 25/1

Lee Johnson 25/1

Mark Warburton 25/1

Neil Lennon 25/1

I think the short odds on Heckingbottom has as much to do with the geographical aspect of previous jobs and where he is based. Personally, I think that would be a risky job to take from his point of view.

1 minute ago, Super said:

I don't think he's a bad manager wasn't a bad result yesterday either. 

I watched it and thought the first half was bloody dreadful. A Better second half and thought Huddersfield deserved to win it. Seems strange to bin him after such a short period. It begs the question of who could do any better? You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

1 minute ago, View from the Dolman said:

Always good to get answers from actual lived experiences!

That said, I don't see anything wooly in the Laws of the Game wording yet it feels like there's more chance of seeing Pele riding a unicorn during an EFL match than a goalkeeper being penalised for it.

I absolutely agree with you.

I've not seen it enforced at any level so I can only assume that the Refs are briefed by the FA and or Ref's Association. Pre-season every year we get a briefing from the FA about changes to existing laws and also what Refs are being assessed on during matches. I can't remember the 6 second rule ever being mentioned.

52 minutes ago, View from the Dolman said:

If they HAVE to adhere to the laws of the game, why are goalkeepers not routinely penalised for committing the offence of "controls the ball with the hand/arm for more than six seconds before releasing it"?

The 6 second rule is a bit wooly in that it is more of a guide than a strict 6 seconds. In essence, it is up to the Referee to take a view on whether or not the Keeper is routinely taking the p!ss (technical term).

I'm only speaking as a Manager at a decent level for many years and that is what I've been told by Refs when I've asked the question. They have added that they would normally warn a Keeper that if they do it again then they will apply the necessary punishment. Hope that helps answer the above but probably not. 

1 hour ago, REDOXO said:

I agree completely. The bloke broke the rules, but the ref is at fault, because the poor old ref didn’t take the time to read the message and ignore the rules he is paid to enforce and is criticized for not doing properly after every game 
 

I suspect if the fella had gone to those lengths he knew there was a booking coming if he took his shirt off, but really didn’t care. Good for him!
 

The FA may show some leniency if he Or Leeds appealed but I would not bank on it. If I remember correctly England and Scotland were fined for wearing a Poppy not that long ago. 

Unfortunately, I believe that there is no right to appeal a Booking for any reason.

7 minutes ago, Forest Red said:

Which one? Lettuce wrist Mcflappy Turner or too petrified to leave his line Vlachedimos? 

They sound like characters from Blackadder The Third.

9 minutes ago, Fjmcity said:

dont spoil the narrative, you woke snowflake

Now now. We don't need more OTIB civil wars breaking out. 

My view is that the majority of us around during the times when violence was at its worst through to the Nottingham Wine Bar times to the Swansea at home game fairly recently. These things happened and people who were there and saw it look back at it and reminisce about it. Mostly, remembered with some humorous stories that happened because if the incidents rather than 'ooo look how hard I am' etc, etc. 

Like or not it was a part of football history (and continues to be to a lesser extent) as a whole and like other bad stuff from history it should be learnt from and not deleted.

One thing I can't stand are people being all high and mighty and condescending about things in general, not just football.   

I certainly have no flag to fly for Liverpool, if anything, I don't like their fans for many reasons.

However, I think this is a master stroke by Klopp. Top of the League and in the EFL Final. It could give that extra impetus for the 2nd half of the season. The players and the fans will be even more up for it. I also think the timing helps if they don't go on and win the League because it won't look like he's walked away because they didn't win it. All in all, he's been brilliant for English football and good luck to the bloke in the future.

To be fair whilst this is a surprise, it seems a good deal for all.

He got on my nerves sometimes with his whining at refs in particular but all in all a good bloke.

Good luck to him and will always be welcome at AG.