Tin Soldier

1 hour ago, Barrs Court Red said:

That’s certainly true, but it’s all too late.  
 

Stadium - After many false dawns, it gets delivered and I don’t think anyone could argue that it’s not a fantastic venue.  Thing is though, it could have happened when he took over or joined if memory serves me correctly.  But Steve knows best right? 
 

Training Ground - Danny Wilson was crying out for a new facility how many years ago? It seems a decent site, however it’s not really delivering a competitive edge. What’s the facilities like at other clubs, did this just see us remain in near parity? 
 

The Academy - Strange choice as it was already there. Yes it’s been backed well more recently and is delivering.  Certainly one of the highlights

Championship football - True, but the last 3 years especially have been terrible.  

Correct, all the tools but no idea how to use them

1 minute ago, LondonBristolian said:

There were no trains and no buses. And many people have unavoidable Boxing Day commitments. If he is complaining about that, it shows a remarkable lack of insight into other people’s lives and ability to adapt to circumstances.

No trains and buses but plenty of grounds had good attendances. West Brom Boxing Day is a plum game for anyone. Fans have become restless and voting with their feet.

1 hour ago, Spike said:

That's the issue though, managers being given crap situations and told they come in aware of that with a plan to turn it around but get sacked before they get to the point where they can actually act on their plans. I still believe that Pearson plan is to make it to the summer where he can actually rebuild us with a lot of players going out freeing up the finances to make those changes. 

The issue is that fans get resless because we're underperforming but we're probably underperforming because so many players haven't been offered the contracts they were hoping for. I think that's where Pearson has lost the dressing room, having 7 players offered new contracts on less wages and 3 players basically being told "you're out". It doesn't matter who comes in that's the situation and although it's not been created by Pearson or his future replacement it has been created by the poor way the club was being run and the players know that. 

I think we'll see a lot of players leave come the summer, the difference will be in who will be replacing them, Pearson who had been here long enough to know where we are struggling and what he's wanted from day 1 or a new guy who will only have had a short amount of months to fully assess everything and he'll need to have made a shortlist of players that he can get for next to nothing. 

Pearson is agreed to the job, he's in it for the long run, if he's sacked then the new guy will know he'll be losing key players, know that we've got a large number of players running out of contract and knowing he needs to potentially sign 6-7 players with no money. Who in their right mind would look at a club who's never been Premier League with all those issues and go "yeah, that's the job I want, along with whatever other debts get added when Pearson leaves"?

I think as it stands January is where we will see if Pearson can get a few deals done to help the squad out which could potentially get us through this season without being relegated but regardless whoever takes over is going to inherit at least 5-7 disgruntled players who may not have a future with us regardless of what he does. 

Agreed, probably get relegated. Get rid of this shower of shite, hopefully rebuild and go again.
But Div 1 is a tough Div to get out off. Personally after all the mistakes, the whole structure of the club needs to change. It just ain’t working under Lansdown. 

1 hour ago, B-Rizzle said:

I respect the work Pearson has done to lower the wage bill in a big way, some of the attacking football we have played (at times!) under is tenure, and the emphasis he has placed on giving youth a chance.

But, imo he hasn’t done enough to improve the players we have or make the current squad better individually and as a team. He has constantly reminded us of the lack of money available but the biggest part of his job is to coach and prepare the team tactically to win football matches. I don’t think this is his strength. I also find the public lambasting of his signings strange on a number of levels.

Within our current financial restrictions I strongly feel we need a Head Coach/ Manager who can work with the group he’s given to maximise their potential. An older school manager is not the skill set we currently require.

For that reason, I’m Pearson out. 

Agreed, over the last few years, we have sold all the decent players AND lowered the wage bill. Then you wonder why this club is being relegated. FFS! Some on here need to wake up and get real.
The blame is on SL - no one else.

21 minutes ago, The Coach said:

People like me? Who actually understand where the fault is and where it started? Is Pearson to blame for everything? No. Has he made mistakes and deserves to burden some of the blame? Yes.

What is this squad capable of? Because I’ve heard this tune for about 4 years and we’ve got nowhere. Because this squad is simply not good enough. 
 

This is all de ja vu from the Millen, Mcinnes era rtc. We’ve been here before and made the same mistakes.

Reality is. It’s going to be a miracle to remain  in this division until we clear FFP and can start making actual decent investments and not make the same mistakes when backing Johnson. 

 

 

If you sell all the family silver (like Ashton & SL did), in the end you are left with peanuts.

31 minutes ago, Ivorguy said:

What Board?  That is a key component of our problem

There is no “Board”. SL is the Board, and if you don’t like it ……

Shambles of a club. KCUF Bristol Sport. It is killing Bristol City.

For me I don’t blame it just on NP. For me the onus lies squarely at SL.
This club has been badly run for many years. League 1 is about our level nowadays.

22 minutes ago, sticks 1969 said:

Just seen the goal on sky and can’t believe how many empty seats in the south stand 

 

TBH, I think a lot of the “plastic” fans have given up on City nowadays. 

Too many plastics/bottle jobs down AG nowadays. Mind you, I have been out on the Cheddar Valley this afternoon!!! 

RIP Maxi Jazz - one of the pioneers of 90s Dance music. Sleep well my friend. Sad day.

What a night! On my birthday that game.
Finished work early for the game.
Plotted up in Rising Sun with a fair few prematch. Ding dong prematch.
Great game to watch. Back in town afterwards. Rammed with City. Just a brilliant night out. Miss the Bristol derbies to be honest as nothing comes close nowadays. Think it would be good for us supporters to have them again as I hate the srekcuf! 
All feels a bit plastic nowadays - no needle. Miss it.

Merry Xmas all you City fans.

Such sad news. Grew up with The Specials. Iconic band. Loved them. RIP Terry Hall. Greatly missed by many. Great video on YouTube doing Monkeyman with Amy Whitehouse at an outdoor gig.

5 hours ago, CyderInACan said:

What a night. I really thought we were on the cusp of something amazing that season, that the future was bright and we were in the ascendency. Football eh. 
 

 

About as good as it ever got at AG (certainly since Div 1). What followed was a shambles. Mismanagement, poor decisions, selling all the family silver, etc. And here we are 5 years later. Real shame.

The club has been heading towards relegation for the last 3/4 years. Needs a “root and branch” overhaul IMO, starting with SL. But even if he wanted to sell, who would buy it? Shambles. Just feels a complete shambles to me.

13 minutes ago, red kev said:

Should never be forgotten or underestimated how sir terry cooper pulled this club up by its boot strings. I loved that man!

Agreed.

I’ve said it on here a few times, but TC was the guy who saved BCFC. The Lansdownes should remember TC with a statue or something to remember what he did for the football club. The south stand should be renamed the Terry Cooper stand IMO. Shameful how he is not remembered at AG. LEGEND!

Great memories and quite scary when you think back how bad it got down AG in 82 etc.

I used to sit in Dolman B block and could hear Tony Harling as clear as day during the match. Think the blond was a stripper from Chaplins in the centre but may be wrong as visited a few strip clubs back in the day - Oops?

Nuff said

5 hours ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

Good doc, and focussed more on the fan side of things rather than the games which was a different angle to the many many other docs on Italia 90.  This was the first proper tournament I remember.  I had the Mexico 86 sticker album but can't remember the games, but Italia 90 I remember trying to recreate the David Platt volley in my garden in the dark after watching the game!

I was at the Bologna game with a few City and saw that Platt volley. Probably one of the best moments watching football in my lifetime. Italia 90 has to be one of the best world cups ever. Everything about it was just insane. England fans reputation, the Press ganging up against England, Moynihan, then the Press loving England. We caught the overnight choo choo to Bologna and still feel privileged to have witnessed a World Cup. Would recommend it to anyone wanting to follow the national team.
Great laugh guaranteed with experiences you will take to the grave. Loved it.

Gazza below running to the England fans at the final whistle v Belgium after the Platt worldy. Gazza was probably the best player I ever saw in an England shirt.

18 hours ago, The Constant Rabbit said:

No

Lansdown will keep the mill turning until the indoor concert / convention / basketball area is done, and then the feelers will go out again.

If we manage to become a top six side again, and show consistency then that's when SL is likely to pull the trigger IMHO

@Mr Popodopolous

If you want some fun - go check out SL and Botswana - ask why we went on tour - ask why the land that the Game reserve(s) sit on was specifically chosen. Start here: Mashatu Investment

Then ask - who in Botswana gained from it - and what role did they play in Botswanan Govt. Then, if you are really bored, cross over the heads of depts, to people on boards of various Pula / SL shelf companies involved with 'clean water' - you may find some names match.....

 

Lastly - mining in Botswana is easy - getting an exploration permit is not. Imagine if you were doing a humanitarian gesture by looking for drinking water and you just happened to find a vein of gemstones. Imagine.

Why all you'd need then is a sympathetic minister willing to change your exploration license. Who is football mad. Who also has some land going attached to a failing business. Imagine the odds on that ever happening. It's like saying the same fellow would get the contract to provide all the tourism / mining infrastructure too.

 

Nah, too crazy right? BCFC went to Botswana because..., umm, well....

 

Knock yourself out Pops, it will take a deepish dive, but you will find the answers.

Think it’s called corruption?

20 hours ago, GrahamC said:

This is a ******* weird thread.

We don’t play again for 4 weeks so we should sack Pearson now because of the possibility we might lose that game?

Is that really what is being suggested?

Even by OTIB standards this is odd.

There are some dipshits on here that just want NP gone. NP is going nowhere, most know that. Just ignore the same old numb skulls on OTIB that just don’t understand the last 3 years mismanagement issues at AG.

4 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

He was “at it” today.

But that ain’t good enough.
He can not be allowed to choose when he plays and when he doesn’t. He is best as an impact substitute IMO.

He looks like he’s been on the old wacky backy to me. Looks far too chilled out when he’s playing.

You been on the piss up North street again Maggsie ?

@Davefevsa lot of data, detail and info - well done. I could some it up much quicker SHITSHOW of a club.

1 hour ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

That 2015 squad was dismantled quicker than a formula 1 car 

Agreed.

That was the big chance missed by Lansdown IMO. He probably regrets it now in terms of the way SC was treated. Brilliant squad, a couple of additions (Gayle would have been quality IMO). Also a Richard Gould style character holding the purse strings would have stopped the likes of Ashton & Johnson spunking the £££s away. What a shambles.