Gert Mare

But they insisted on a small squad and there were injuries to 12 players. Judge the man against his best 11 fit and playing, not when 50% of his squad is on the treatment table. The comments about top end is ridiculous when you consider the blindingly obvious constraining factors. It was nothing less than a diabolical non-football related decision.

You’re not alone in your feelings towards what has happened in the last few weeks. The squad was thin and unfortunately blighted by injuries, yet we were still competitive. We also never had a consistent spell of losing matches which was a good sign. There was me thinking that NP might finally be given some money to show what he could do without his hands being tied and instead I hear rumours that he’s about to be given the bullet?! Shock was an understatement. When the reasons came out for his departure then the feeling was a mixture of ‘deluded / completely lost the plot’. That was it for me, I was done. Haven’t watched a match since, but as my heart is with the club (not the owners) I’m staying on this forum and watching things unfold. If Manning isn’t given any money to spend then I don’t think he has a hope in hell, but I think he will be given money to spend as he has been given a 3.5 year contract. Tactics are ok, but you need players to buy in ‘in their heads’. NP had the players bought in. Let’s see what happens. My stomach is in knots. I feel like it’s only heading one way….straight down the Khazi!

Not like Bristol Sport to treat their ‘customers’ with contempt?

And that nobody agreed we had a top 6 squad! I think Liam’s just found that out today.

They’re all ready and waiting in our academy Har!

I saw a lot of similarities between Dicks and Pearson which is why I felt buoyed by the appointment. Dicks downfall was his unwavering loyalty to his 'boys', but anyone who understands the history is that there was a lot of squabbling in the board room, lots of ego's and costly power struggles. They do say history repeats itself........

Those who think that creating greater disparity between football clubs is for the good of the game aren't seeing the whole picture. The day that football truly becomes a closed shop will be the death of the great game. It's a real shame.

You cannot compare LM with LJ. LM hasn’t started anything yet with this club. It might take many months to get an understanding of LM and then there will be external factors (like injuries) which could easily skew the external perception of ‘success’. Whilst stats have some relevance in football, following a defined process can be worked out and counter-acted. The most important requirements are natural ability (skill, strength, speed, awareness) , speed of thought (decision making), character (psychology / self belief ) and empowerment. You need to have certain attributes depending on where you are positioned in the team, but as a collective you only have 2 outcomes (score a goal / prevent the opposition fro scoring a goal). Football is a simple game and it doesn’t need to be blinded by science. Coaching is great, but natural ability is instinctive. We can make average players better, but football geniuses are blessed (they also know it because they are adored which in turn fuels their ego and self belief and they are able to be even more expressive and confident on the field of play). This is why psychology (mindset) is one of the most important things in any sport. When they talk about ‘great man management’ they usually talk about managers whose players have total faith in their gaffer, feel valued and are encouraged to express their ability. Great players understand their responsibility to still be part of a team and help other team members to score the goal (Goalscorers turned providers etc) Maverick’s tend to be more about doing something impressive for themselves as opposed to being impressive for the benefit of the ‘team’. Sometimes Maverick’s can turn a game on its head, or sometimes they can be seen as a ‘luxury’ and can go missing for parts of a game or a number of games if they’re not feeling the love. Good players are confident, have ability, are aware not just of the tactics and a plan, but they are aware of opponents intentions and seem one step ahead. They have options, tease the opponent (Cat and Mouse - as LM said), wait for the opponent to show their hand and counteract it quickly. If LM can do these things and can get the players he needs (not necessarily from the academy) then he’ll be successful. Better to be unpredictable in your approach. If you can do that it makes the opposing managers job almost impossible. The match could end up 4-3, but my god it’s edge of the seat entertainment! LM states he wants to go high press and said that if the opposition goes high press then we’ll just play over it. So what if the opposition play over our high press? That’s what I am interested in understanding. What’s plan B and C LM?

Worked it out ages ago. They didn’t want to give money to a manager who took Leicester up and who built the future Premier League champions (5000-1) against. Smell the coffee? It’s about egos. You can’t instruct someone who has been there and done it to do something completely ‘Your way’ when your track record of success is poor. It’s not rocket science.

Yep, with you on this. Each to their own though. Unless you stand up to it you enable it to continue. It’s difficult to split feelings for the club from the owners so many fans choose to let it go. I’m out until they are out. Wish Liam all the best and hope they let him have some money to spend. I just can’t support the current regime though.

Harry and Lou-Lou are left answering all those phones ringing off the hook

We dust ourselves down If you can’t be in possession then be in position Box Entries The Cage I usually have to change tactics 4 or 5 times during a game He DID say he likes a blend of youth and experience and he also said that you need to look at the Academy first….for experience? Be prepared for a lot of “In terms of” during interviews.

Good luck Liam. You’ve taken on a massive challenge with unrealistic expectations. If you can turn water into wine you’ll have my utmost respect. Brave, Brave man.

Great shout! I’d have @Kid in the Riot in there so we can stay in touch with the mood of our fan base. I’d also have @Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan involved to simply cut the Sags to absolute shreds about anything they do.

I don’t really care to be honest. I’m past caring. Everyone is entitled to their opinions which I respect. Just saying how I see it. Only time will show the true effects of the decision that was made to part way with Nigel Pearson and if there is some element of truth in what KITR says about the health concerns then it should at least have been handled with more dignity. I appreciate those that who will choose to carry on despite the changes as I stated. You can still be a passionate fan of Bristol City FC regardless of your own personal opinions. I’ve just decided for myself that I’m not going to invest in the Lansdown project and I’ll continue to dream of the day when the football club (and only the football club) can untangle itself from this mess. Might be waiting a long time but hey-ho it is what it is.

I still think it was a serious mistake to sack NP. It certainly was a grave one for me in supporting the club whilst the Lansdown’s remain at the helm.

Do you believe that the Lansdown’s would tell any prospective manager the truth about their role at the club? Apparently Nigel was sacked because the under 23’s weren’t in the top 6, but probably could have been following games against Sheff Wed and QPR? Spot on. Totally deluded. No offence to Manning or anyone accepting the widely accepted poison challenge of becoming the new ‘Head Pelham Puppet’ at Ashton Gate, but nobody with any serious ambition in management is going to want to work under this noddy setup. If Manning or whoever else comes in their yardstick won’t be a winning streak when people return from the treatment table, but whether or not they can put half of the academy in the top 6 with 12 key players out injured. They’ve said it themselves, it’s a sackable offence. This football club is so interwoven with the Bristol Sport monstrosity that has been created by these clowns that we are struggling to find a serious investor. We’re totally entrenched by these wallies and it’s such a shame watching fans reluctantly sucking it up, accepting we are where we are and supporting whichever ‘puppet’ accepts their career ending move. Torn between the passion for YOUR club and the total shit show that has ruined it. I admire your passion to let things go for the sake of the team, but I just can’t let this one go myself. Thanks for the cash and the investment, but in order to reach the Premier League you need a blend of youth and experience and there has to be a balance. Never seen a side full of kids from the Championship reach the Premier League and don’t expect to see it in my lifetime with this club. Oh, and P.S. Stop sending me emails about watching the ******* Flyers. Once these muppets are gone I’ll come back. The only way to get rid is to vote with your feet and not simply roll over for a belly tickle and an insulting pat on the head.

Prepare for a totally underwhelming appointment

Having watch Brian Tinnon's video several times I have come to the following conclusions: - 1) "What is best / we want AS A FOOTBALL CLUB" = What Steve and Jon want 2) All teams will play the same way and young players will move up to the 1st team when required. 3) Spending money on players isn't sustainable - SL has invested in the academy and infrastructure (rather than spend vast amounts continuously in the transfer market and expects to see the return on that investment). Therefore, the academy is where the new "Head Coach" will be told to get new players from as they will have been trained to slot straight into Championship level football and understand their job 4) The new "Head Coach" will be expected to do exactly as they are told by SL / JL. They will need to be involved in training, play attacking football, utilise whatever resources they are "told" to utilise, without question, or face dismissal. 5) The new "Head Coach" will have to accept opinions from others who hold high positions within the club regarding team selection. Any inference as to who should and shouldn't be playing should actually be taken as a "firm directive". 6) Regardless of injuries, financial constraints, experience of regular Championship football, level of development, age etc. the team MUST be challenging in the top six or the "Head Coach" will be scapegoated for failure and dismissed. 7) The "Head Coach" must not have a strong personality or consider any instruction by the board to imply as "advisory" or they will be dismissed. 8). Supporters, sorry, CUSTOMERS must get behind whatever decisions the club makes as SL/JL are OWNERS, not CUSTODIANS of the Bristol Sport Group of which Bristol City FC is just one entity and tenant of a multi-purpose event stadium. 9) SL/JL or any other member of the club will not just front a response every time some of the customers may feel upset about any club decision. 10). As Brian Tinnion stated (and has been said many times before). This will be about sustainability, not a bottomless pit of cash, it's where we are, it's where we are going in the future, so shut the **** up and live with it!

They shot themselves in both feet and we laughed at them………..then we proceeded to shoot ourselves in the head.

I think I’ve seen enough now, especially with Tinnion’s interview posted earlier. We’re basically a club that will be run with the academy providing players to the first team and as soon as an offer comes in for those players they will be sold. No big investments in the market, just kids. The new coach won’t be able to question those above at all and will be sacked if the kids aren’t in the top 6. I’m now officially done until the Lansdown’s are gone. Just a bunch of complete head’s gone’s!

So from what I understand Tinnion says…. ”The next Puppet (Head Coach) has got to develop this team into the way the Lansdown’s want without questioning them at all. And then you’ll see a lot of young players coming through the academy into the team because we’re not prepared to spend any money in the transfer market when we’ve invested in the academy instead to make this club sustainable. And the coach has got to do exactly as they are dictated to by the Lansdown’s. TOUGH! That’s what the Lansdown’s are doing and if you don’t like it as fans you can **** off because we don’t care what you want. The next puppet (Head Coach) will do exactly as they are told and will be scapegoated if promotion isn’t achieved despite having no input of their own. Shut up and do as you are told or you’ll be sacked. Oh, and you’ll get sacked anyway when this cuckoo idea fails”

Lots of lip licking and rigid body language. The actions tell more of a story than the words.

Wow, just wow! Delusion confirmed directly from the crayon munchers mouth. They have an idea of the puppets they want to speak to next for the position of “Do as you’re told”. **** right off!

That was nearly it for me too and then they went and appointed Nigel Pearson and it felt like they were going to finally make a good decision for the club.