Baba Yaga

Looks like the new stand will be making its debut tonight...

https://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/20242/january/club-statement-south-stand-sign-off/

Surely with all that extra support and a trip to Anfield as a reward they're going to be really up for tonight, here's hoping Norwich teach them a lesson just to round off the last day.

From the outside it looks like Vince's decision making is poor by always backing managers with no experience, maybe it has worked for him in business like that but clearly it's a disaster here. For me their best move would be to sack Deeney and bring in someone experienced in the lower leagues like Cotterill if he was interested and hope he can save them. They look doomed which is a pity as I want them to stay in the FL.

Just now, 1960maaan said:

Just been asked a question I didn't think of.
Can you get a beer in the ground ?
Do they have a fan park like us ?

Never thought about it until just now.

When I previously went there were a good number of stalls outside the ground selling beer/cider more than at AG and it was quite a fun vibe, probably helped by there being very little else within walking distance (they have the shopping centre but I mean to drink). Don't remember a fan park. You could also get drinks inside the stadium but that was in the home section, assuming it will be the same though.

Over the years it feels like we have suffered from more than our fair share of rubbish cup draws, this looks to be the most exciting 3rd round draw for 30 years so pleased for that and especially in midtable seasons the cup runs can be welcome distractions.

A performance like Watford tends to only happen a few times a season at the most. Would have been happy with a scrappy 1-0 tonight but in the end at least it wasn't a loss. Poor performance although Birmingham were worse. To be fair though the recent form has been great and looking forward to Millwall.

20 minutes ago, chinapig said:

Not necessarily outside of England!

In any event the phrase top five leagues routinely refers to

England/Germany/Spain/Italy/France

Going from the email the top 5 leagues would be... England 1/2, Spain, Germany, France.

So it has the championship and French league above Italy, I think this is an error as I doubt any list has it in that order. A bit of a slip up from whoever checked it, that's assuming an email that goes out to thousands of people gets checked...

11 hours ago, Charlie BCFC said:

Not sure we were overly lucky tonight when you see that pen given against us

My point was about the 2nd and 3rd goals because most weeks we won't get bad goalkeeping like that for the 2nd and then a big deflection for Knight's goal. But you're right about the pen and if you factor that in then we had a big decision go against us too, having watched it back I'm with the people on the radio after the game calling it a joke decision.

Had a fair bit of luck in these last 3 home wins but it's really good to get the results so he can get to work with the pressure on him at reasonable levels. I moaned about the subs in Blackburn game but tonight his subs changed the game. Good interview with Mehmeti on radio Bristol too he is one doing better with the new boss.

Don't think having 5 games at 12.30 makes sense from a broadcasting point of view, and I would be amazed if the reason they are doing that is to be considerate of the fans.  I will be interested to see if there is a stronger reaction to this when more fans realise how many of their games are due to be moved around next season?

However I noticed that in the 2nd German division they have no Saturday afternoon games at all, with 2/3 early kick offs and the other 1/3 evening kick offs spread over the weekend, they still manage some very high crowds so maybe the strong reaction I expect with the EFL next season isn't going to happen.

Not that I follow the NFL or any American sports but the format of the champions league from next season reminds me very much of that with a regular season where teams play a random combination of teams then have a play offs at the end. It looks awful to me but now that the big clubs have that the next progression is to prevent relegation from european competition for themselves, and I am sure when that is achieved they will be back 5 years later to move their big ESL games to weekends rather than midweek games, and after that to move venues for some games to different countries around the world etc. For me these are all poor developments but money talks in these situations, and with thanks to a powerful media the next generation of fans plus foreign supporters will get on board to the new ways just fine.

I don't think it is the end of football though, teams are still passionately supported where the quality of football is low and I think the lower levels English football would adapt if it came to that here too. 

41 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

It certainly would bite.

I've looked at their 2021-22 accounts, even with those arrangements they are £30m or so all-in turnover wise.

Given Bet365 are a Related Party I would suggest it is one for the League to look at.

Otoh we could bolster our revenue via naming rights. Stadium, HPC, individual stands etc 

Comparing them to other non parachute clubs that season 21/22. Forest averaged 6k more than them throughout the season and got to Wembley play off final and revenue was still 1.5mn less than Stoke. Boro just missed out on the play offs but got to Old Trafford in the cup, then in next rounds had home ties against Spurs and Chelsea and Stoke still had more than 4mn revenue than them finishing 14th and no big cup ties. It will be interesting to see 22/23 comparisons but at that time it seems like Bet365 were hugely altering the competitiveness of them, personally I don't have a problem with that but a little surprised they can get away with it.

35 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Talking of Stoke. One of the best financially run clubs in the League apparently.

Odd take.

Looks like their real advantage compared to the rest of the division is the sponsorship money that bet365 give them, its a good business model/financial situation from a competitive view point but will be interesting to see by how much this advantage could shrink when the ban on gambling advertising comes in force. It would be a lot harder for them to get away being a poorly run club if they didn't have an extra 5-10mn (very rough guess) a year to play with.

Maybe a bigger part of the gamble was that he thought he had taken Plymouth as far as he could? Rather than the allure of Stoke which as people have already said isn't all that.

Here is a vid with Ross McCrorie where he says he hopes to be playing by turn of the year.

I don't know how it works but I imagine the 4 west london clubs never play at the same time, 2 or 3 tops. Looking at Orient since its close by they are due to have a saturday 3pm kick off in league 1 against Blackpool, but Blackpool still have a 2nd round cup tie to play. That could potentially be a problem even though it most likely won't go ahead.

I have been to a game there, think it was about row 40 which was quite near the front of the top section and the view was bad compared to other grounds but for me it was still watchable, don't like the idea of being near the back though. Stadium looks a bit cheap from the outside considering it hosted the olympics and is around 10 years old but it was a bargain for them so I guess they can't really complain.

I like to feel like I am in an old ground but I still want a decent view.  Have been to less than half of championship grounds but I would say from those Hillsborough.

32 with City, 43 total.

I was looking into this last week and Everton/Luton have had better fixtures than Bournemouth/Burnley. I believe Everton have already lost at home to Fulham, Wolves and Luton and are the 1 team who drew with Sheff Utd. If Calvert Lewin gets injured then they are with problems, still look like staying up at moment but I doubt by such a big margin. Also I expect Luton to not pick up too many more pts before xmas despite them having a respectable start I would say.

47 minutes ago, sephjnr said:

Except that the change will not be reflected inside their own nation as local fans will not give much of a damn, be priced out of attending or be North Korea'd into attending. The kind of growth a sport requires is a level of organic community that is completely antithetical to how a dictatorship rules its populace.

I looked up Saudi Pro League and found this video that made some interesting points... On the dictatorship ruling its populace it suggests that it is one of their big considerations but there is currently a football culture in Saudi where nobody cares about any of the clubs except the 4 biggest ones.

9 hours ago, chinapig said:

There was no point in anyone else bidding as Infantino had already indicated that Saudi Arabia would get it.

It is after all a great football nation as shown by the fact that Gerrard's team had almost as big a crowd at their last game as Scunthorpe.

To be fair there aren't really any great football nations at all to choose from in Asia or Oceania and every country there will have low attendances like that in their top flight. By the time this comes around the Saudi Pro League will probably become by far the biggest from that region and it could be surprising to see how far their obscene amounts of money changes the perception on them being a football nation.

Not the most exciting pick but can understand why you would go for Eustace, someone who has good knowledge of the division and has worked with a limited budget. It does look like from interviews and brum fans opinions that they had formed a strong team spirit there, hopefully that wasn't a one off.

Don't remember the football being particularly great back in August but same with most champ teams and they clearly outplayed us especially 2nd half if I recall. Would be interested to know whether he played many academy players in the last year because I think he will have to here? 

Also hope the ownership can drop their disappearing act as well that might help the rest of the staff to have a better chance of succeeding this time around, after avoiding the last manager I hope every effort is made to make Eustace a success.

Just now, Ghost Rider said:

I've been thinking about this for a few days, but one name that keeps coming back into my head is...... Frank Lampard. 

So, I'm here to make a case for Frank Lampard as our potential manager. It's not just a whim; there's some real substance to this idea. So, why do I think Lampard is the perfect fit for us? Here's the lowdown.

First things first, let's talk Derby County. Remember how Lampard led them close to a Premier League promotion? In a league as unpredictable as the championship, we need a manager who's been through the grind, and Lampard has. He played some lovely football that season, and only lost the final to an insanely talented Leeds side managed by Bielsa.  

Lampard's love for nurturing young talents is another compelling reason. His time at Chelsea showcased his dedication to youth development, with the likes of Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham. Given our own budding youth academy, having a manager who's all about bring through academy talent and the next generation is gold for us (and whats wanted).

The style of football under Lampard is a breath of fresh air. He loves attacking, free-flowing play that gets fans off their seats. We're not just looking for wins; we're searching for those thrilling, heart-pounding moments. Lampard's philosophy aligns perfectly with that vision.

Now, remember, he's not just a manager; he's a football legend. Having someone who's been there, done that on the pitch can be a game-changer. He understands what it means to put on the shirt and step onto the pitch, and that experience can be priceless in motivating our players and the contact he has within the game will be huge.

His work ethic and ambition are off the charts.  Lampard's hunger for success is the kind of energy we need right now.

Lastly, there's the cultural fit. Lampard's down-to-earth nature and commitment to community engagement align with the spirit of Bristol City. It's more than just what happens on the pitch; it's about being part of the community and being accessible to the fans.

So, there you have it. Frank Lampard has the Championship experience, the passion, and the style to transform Bristol City. The potential is huge, and I'm all in for the Lampard era at Ashton Gate. 

 

My tin hat is firmly on, and I can't wait for the "welcome to the forum Frank" comments  

I do think Frank has taken some tough jobs, Chelsea and Everton are 2 of the biggest basket cases in the prem right now. In a way I am more excited by the prospect of a name like him or Warnock than I am about the likes of Rowett or Eustace both of which I am struggling to get enthusiastic about. Truth is I am stuggling to care because we got rid of the manager I wanted. I have heard that Lampard is a very poor man manager though, and if he started with the same run of results he had at Chelsea last year then it would be pretty embarrassing.

Just now, downendcity said:

What I find most frustrating about this whole situation is that BT has overseen the development of probably the best group of academy graduates for many years, if not ever.

Under NP's management Tins' work with the academy has been made doubly effective by having a manager willing to blood young players and to trust them to become integral parts of the first team, albeit some of that might haven out of necessity.

There is little doubt that our academy is probably our most important assert going forward. Will the next manager be equally prepared to continue the academy pathway to the first team, as did NP?

 

To be honest I think that they won't have a choice, the plan from above is for a light squad and for the numbers to be made up by the academy. I was watching an old video recently where they explain how before buying a player on a 3 year contract it will always be assessed if there is someone in his position they think is ready from the academy, and if Tins says there is someone they think is ready in 2 years then they shouldn't offer someone else a 3 year contract. The club feel that we clearly have the best academy in the south west and so we are in a great position to get the best talent in a large area but to keep attracting the talent we also need a pathway, can't see that strategy changing and if the Andy King stuff is true then if anything we are going to go further in this direction and there isn't much room for discussion.

Just now, Ska Junkie said:

Does anyone else get the impression they're leaning towards Nathan Jones as isn't that the way he had Luton playing, fast, high press etc, etc?

It just sounded like Luton to me.

SL has spoken about wanting to emulate Luton, but I would still be very surprised because of how badly he did at Southampton.

And seeing how LJ interviews have been picked apart on here I dread to think how it would go with him as manager.