Alessandro

I’m not on a points scoring mission, I don’t need the likes - strange you think that…and strange you seem rather sensitive at someone challenging you - given your earlier posts and wish to give it the old I told you so quite prematurely about Manning to several others - all rather stones in glass houses. As you said yourself, it’s OK to be wrong. No incandescent rage needed - you are incorrect there. Difference between you and I is you’re happy with the basic burger and I’m not. Then don’t be surprised when people challenge you when you suggest that the burger is as good as it can get.

The behaviour of the Lansdowns and their historical appointments suggest you might not be wrong. I also get the sense they really, really want to ‘prove people wrong’ who have criticised them. “See you in the premier league” Tinnion is an extremely telling quote.

“We all wanted Nigel to achieve our ambition to be promoted but, with our recent results, feel that now is the time to make a change to give the club the best possible chance of success.” - JL ‘We want to get promoted this year' - Bristol City board on decision to sack Nigel Pearson - from Gavin Marshall

Your posting comes across as someone who the club would absolutely love - come pay your money and don’t complain. I ordered the £50 steak rare and it came well done, but the setting was nice and they tried their best so…I didn’t say anything. Perhaps maybe you don’t go to games or have a season ticket, follow from a far, hence the apathy? A post which completely lacks passion and ambition. I personally hope, wish and want so much more - and do you know what, it’s possible. It’s not a pipe dream. It’s not about entitlement, it’s about ambition and application.

People confuse SL’s success as a businessman in a completely unrelated field as a foundation to run a football club. Even with finances he’s not managed it properly, has he?! FFP anyone? And the biggest elephant in the room, he wants to sell, but he’s built something he can’t sell! That wasn’t very good planning was it Steve….it’s like the old man who spends £250k over the market value doing up their bungalow and want it back when they sell, sorry it’s still a bungalow. SL continues to run the club like it’s a small business, he wants to be over every decision, every invoice, every meeting - he now does it through his son and lackey “see you in the prem” Tinnion - with no doubt weekly if not daily phone calls. 20 years counting and it hasn’t worked, will it ever change? Doesn’t look like it. As time goes on you get more of this concerning dictator feeling/behaviour setting in too - an ever smaller group of people in “power”, a delusional sense of entitlement “this is my club” and the world (City fans) are against them. In fact the appointment of Tinnion is perfect because he was always likely to ‘fail’ as he’s completely unqualified and inexperienced - so now he gets flack from us and the Lansdowns can put their arm over his shoulder and say look how mean those horrible city fans are - and they can all continue living in their detached from reality world to excuse their continued lack of progress…everyone else’s fault but theirs. OK artistic license on last paragraph - but the rest stands - until they relinquish control of the day to day to 2 or 3 top top talented directors and coaches, we’re treading water at best and the losses will continue to mount.

Sack or don’t sack - we need to invest in the squad - so I don’t like any option involving that. As we’ve seen and the Lansdowns are finding out…holding back funds from a manager you ultimately cut your nose off to spite your face. Review at end of season for me. If he does go, Tinnion also has to IMO or the charade will continue. Let’s ******* have some people in positions of power at the club that actually inspire excellence.

“We all wanted Nigel to achieve our ambition to be promoted but, with our recent results, feel that now is the time to make a change to give the club the best possible chance of success.” - JL We want to get promoted this year' - Bristol City board on decision to sack Nigel Pearson - from Gavin Marshall

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People can talk about feelings and memories - but here it is in cold hard fact, easier to understand when seen - we’re trending downwards and worryingly so.

Hamburger Hill springs to mind

Last week he publicly questioned their mentality. This week he’s publicly questioned their ability. With results the way they are, it won’t end well for Manning. We’ve got 3 HUGE games against Cardiff, Ipswich and Swansea up next - 3 games with heightened emotional attachment. He needs results soon or it will get very toxic.

Interesting comment, given your posts in this thread..pot kettle. Your thoughts on Manning, the clubs decision making and our chances of promotion, as set by the club?

Ah I see we’re not taking the rough with the smooth very well…

@Marina's Rolls Royce any thoughts?

Right 10 minutes at 10 men

Is that 4 players in as many weeks that have been injured again whilst either nearing the end of rehab or recently returning from injury? Not good.

I know and what the **** is that about?!? How on earth can that be the case? Motivation and effort the absolute bare minimum - if that’s not there…huge questions to answer

People saying “this is better”…is it? All I’m seeing is Wednesday sitting back a bit more and looking to catch us on the break, which they very nearly just did. We still don’t look anymore likely to score despite some more ball in their final third. EDIT all Wednesday at mo

It’s really, really not very good. I just don’t understand. Are we a footballing team or a direct team? They don’t seem to know. Where’s the movement? Where’s the energy? Why are we playing like strangers so often? Why are there such massive gaps in the middle and Manning persists with a stretched 3 at the back and wide pushed up players with little cover in the middle? Why so much lack of composure? Why does this team, that should be doing so much better, show such lack of quality, effort at times and so few chances created?

Well throwing Rennie under the bus hasn't helped with injuries yet...

I think lessons will be learned from QPR and we will up our game today. Away from home might suit us - if Wednesday have a go, which they need to, we have the ability to punish them and win well. If we're dragged into another scrappy game, it's coming down to that one moment where someone on either team takes a chance for 1-0 either way. As others have said, would be good to see us control more of the game today too.

Yes I thought the same thing - they're all salesmen though and he's clearly learning fast

It’s interesting for me as I never really expected top 6 this season under NP - especially after selling Scott - unless the chequebook suddenly opened in Jan (which it didn’t) - so my eyes were always on next season - where I felt NP could start to really show the fruits of his foundations and be judged fairly on results. Why am I frustrated/concerned/now a little negative about next season: 1) Apart from the club taking us for fools talking about top 6. 2) I have my concerns that appointing Manning just isn’t that continuity appointment from NP. Is that a problem? Well maybe..: My question - is his style of football (desirable as it may be) realistic for us as a club, with our budget? Is his style of football too expensive for us? If so, can he adapt to find a way to “successfully” work with the resources he actually has? Successful being a ‘top 6 challenge’, not us playing some nice football a couple of a times a month amongst many frustrating losses. Every mid table championship team can do that. So it feels like we could be heading for another re-build and one we might not be able to afford - if it’s not working this time next year, what then? Another re-build again? And so on so on. The Lansdown Loop. Ultimately if you like the guy you’ll be patient, if not you won’t. We all do it, we all have a personal hunches on managers. Feels to me like nice guy, good coach, Wrong time wrong club. How long will the majority of fans give Manning - Time will tell. As always I’ll sign off with hope I’m wrong.

I’m not ready to criticise Manning for blooding or not blooding youngsters yet - far too early to say. We will probably have to reflect on that in at least a years time. One thing that is a fact - the necessity for NP to bloody so many academy prospects has meant we’ve seen so many come through, yes - but….. Where has it got us? If we’re going to achieve our goal of promotion, the academy has to be one cog in the machine, not what we rely on: We’re still at a hit rate of about 1 a season max that could be sold for good money to the prem and about 1 to 2 players a season max looking like they could be a consistent part of a top 6 team. So although we’re ‘producing’ players in the academy…it’s still a case of they’ve got to be good enough for a top championship challenge eventually. I don’t want us to simply become a nursery for young players who ‘get a game’ while we remain mid table at best in the champ only for the best of them to be sold and the worst released. I think we’re still some years off the academy providing the first team with 3,4 or even 5 players with the potential of the likes of Pring, Conway and Scott etc over a shorter period of time than 3, 4 or 5 season time span.