Bar BS3

Perhaps, but coming to terms with something they would have preferred to turn out differently & then being deliberately dim/obtuse are 2 totally different things. To claim the expectations of NP before the season started & whoever the new bloke is, with a third of the season gone & starting with already having to make up the defecit of NP's tenure, is just being ridiculous. NP has gone. His record here was poor-just about average. Our home form throughout his tenure has been pretty abysmal. The timing (injuries) made the decision surprising - but that doesn't gloss over the fact that we have hardly progressed in his 2.5 years in charge.

Isn't the difference obvious..? It won't be the new man's squad & he will be starting already adrift of the play off places, unlike the level pegging at the start of the season. He will only have 2/3's of the season to claw that back. Hopefully he will have his own ideas on players he'd like/not like to achieve his goals & won't have until January to make any changes to the squad whatsoever. Is it really that hard to fathom out how the situation & expectations might differ..?!

Because the new manager won't have has 2.5 years to have an impact. In 2.5 years, we started day 1 in 18th position & the last day saw us in 15th place. Fact. Steady, gradually progress in difficult circumstances - yes. Someone who looked like being a long term answer to taking us forward - 2.5 years, health problems & whatever possible disagreements didn't indicate so.

Or did he say they expected promotion & now want someone who can push us on.? Did I miss him say "whoever the new manager is will be expected to get promoted come the end of this season"..?

Has NP ever been exciting.? Are we looking for another manager who did well over 8 years ago & hasn't seen out a permenant contract at any of his 4 jobs since then..? What is Phil Brown up to these days..? Would he qualify as a good shout..?

I don't know their transfer business, but Transfer market indicates they made 4 free transfer signings, some loan signings & 2 undisclosed signings. Doesn't look like they spend any if much atall...?

Yes, granted that is a different pedigree - but it's not stopped Manning doing a great job of having Oxford 2nd in the table, 3 points off the leaders, being 2nd highest scorers in the division & 2nd best goals against. That's the point - anyone could work, or anyone could fail. Just because they've done well in the past at a different club with different players, doesn't guarantee anything & most big names will have failure on their CV alongside any achievements they may have - otherwise they wouldn't be available.

If we had "done an Ipswich" & appointed Mckenna, a fair number of our supporters would have apparently been really disappointed & let down by the appointment. Why are people so adamant about wanting a "big name" to justify it being positive..? Any household ne manager is highly likely to have failed previously to be in an available position (Eustace could be deemed the exception) Or, we go for someone who's doing well & making a name for themselves - unlikely to poach that from our level or certainly the level above - so a manager who's doing well at the level below us isn't "uninspiring" - although, of course, it is a gamble. Without clubs taking those gambles, new big names & success stories don't happen & they soon become out of our reach for their next move. Of course, I fully understand that we have tried that route before & failed - Mcinnes, Tinnion, Holden etc... But GJ did well & Wilson & SOD (arguably "bigger" names didn't achieve anything. So - simply put, it's daft to discount an up & coming manager - but obviously comes with risk aswell. Let's face it - most managerial appointments don't lead to any great level of success. Notably, Pearson's didn't..! A good enough job steadying the ship - but hasn't moved us on a great deal, results wise. Can another manager/coach get more from our current squad.? Who knows - but we are going to find out over then next 18 months or so - whether they are established, or up & coming really doesn't make much difference to how they are going to impact us.

You hope our players refuse to play for our new manager..? What an absolutely ridiculous thing for a supporter of any club to hope..!

Despite your obnoxious opening to your post, I generally agree with the main point of it. But absolutely would not want him to just grab the first/any potential investor that came along. It has to be the right one, with backing, substance & commitment to taking the whole club/Bristol Sport entity forward. Otherwise examples of what xan easily go wrong are in evidence throughout the football league. I hope & believe that SL has that about him & will wait for someone suitable, rather than grab the quickest opportunity to cash out& say bollocks to everyone else - which he must be feeling more inclined to do by the day as he reads some of the stuff posted on here & other social media. His tenure has some fantastic progress to show, along with frustration at failing to get the playing side where we'd all like it to be. I believe his intentions have always been for the best interests of the club & city as whole - those haven't always paid off - but compare us now to before he took over & the whole thing is light years ahead of where we were - we just haven't nailed it on the pitch.

It depends largely on what players we have available. I doubt that any other point this season will present us with any more winnable 2 games. We need to be getting 4 points from them but I'm not sure we are capable of winning games at Championship level with less than 11 first team squad players available. With a full/near full strength squad I'd be hoping we'd win both. 2 draws may be all that we can hope for right now.

Yeah probably. That was their jobs, for which they got paid very well. If it weren't them, maybe others might have done better - or worse - who knows.! They both helped steady the ship, but we can't keep treading water & NP has his own health issues to worry about - not that that makes the timing of his removal make any more sense.

What a stupid comment.! Ask Blackpool, Sheffield Wednesday, Rovers, amongst many others - just how their ownership is better than ours.

I think people need to be careful what they wish for..! There are many, many examples of far worse than we have had.

Get a grip.! He was a bloke, being paid very well, to do a job. Parts of that job he did well - but overall our results under him were pretty uninspiring for 2.5 years..! Definitely surprised at the timing - bit other than that, I've hardly mustered more than a "meh" at him leaving.

What a bizarre post to put on a forum of a club you can't be bothered to support because things aren't the way that you like them & you refuse to contribute too to help. Self important, much..! I certainly couldn't be arsed to read it all, so have no idea if is original post was Nostradamus like, in hindsight.

I have no idea who you are or what you know - but this post would have carried so much more substance if it were posted before the Cardiff game. I already know that he's getting sacked if we didn't get anything at Cardiff..! And the Rowett rumours have been circulating for a couple of weeks. Interesting reference to the OOC player suggestion - I've been thinking this for weeks as the injury list has grown & grown & was thinking it must getting close to being an essential, short term, option.

I think that's what we need to find out. Everyone seems outraged. I'm not - but I'm certainly surprised - especially at the timing. If we make an appointment this week that has clear merit to it, then it will make sense. If we have no plan in place then it's hard to see how it was the right decision to make at this time.

If we just wanted an "interim" manager for this season - there would be no point whatsoever in replacing NP, who was out of contract then anyway. The only reason the decision has been made now MUST be because we have a plan in place. If we don't, then it makes no sense whatsoever..!

Ro protest before we know is being brought in as a replacement seems silly to me. OK, obviously it's not - but for all we know, we have lined up the next Mckenna. The time to protest in any way would be if the new manager takes us backwards - not because we've decided to part company with a manager who has his own health problems, has made very little tangible progress on the pitch (some, but still terribly inconsistent) despite having done a good job in cost cutting - which was desperately needed. The timing of the decision to part company is baffling - injury crisis & no apparent loss of effort or belief in the players towards NP. 2 very winnable games up next & now heading into them in even more dissaray that we already had with all the injuries. Timing is utterly baffling bit overall decision - well, that depends what the plan is..! Can we improve - definitely. Will we improve - who knows.!

Let's see who come in next & how they get on with the job - then judge it. At present we are an established Championship club with great facilities, but not looking any real threat to gatecrash the promotion places & that is after very slow improvement during NP's tenure. Will we implode & plumet, or get someone who can get more from what we've got.? Could be the right move, could be a disaster. We shall see.....

If you've monitored his teams closely then you are far better placed to conclude that. As I say - I've heard that about other managers who haven't turned out that way atall & visa versa (SoD)

You supported us through the 1980's & have never felt so let down by our owners..? Through the Scott Davidson & David Russe & Les Kew eras.... Do you not think you are being a tad over dramatic..? I have definitely felt way more let down by people in charge of our club that I do now.

I can't say I've monitored his teams that closely. From what I can see, he's generally regarded as having improved Burton, Birmingham & Millwall in his time there. Steve Cotterill was supposed to be a bit dull & old school when we appointed him. I'd have no problem giving him a go at things here, as we are now needing to appoint someone.

I'm not particularly angry. Surprised at the timing & that results during a period of such an injury crisis would force the decision. I certainly wouldn't feel any reason to boycott games.!