Rich

17 hours ago, Waconda said:

Playing a 19 year old Centre Forward at Wing Back in a Championship game when there were other options available was a ridiculous decision.

I can't believe that some people have gone so far down the rabbit hole that they attempting to equate this situation to that of Clive Whitehead or Chris Sutton.

We all know it was a mistake, attempting to justify it is embarrassing.

As others have stated, this wasn't his first time in that position and, the mistake if you really want to call it that, was rectified at half time. I think you do have to give someone a bit of time to try and turn things around. Maybe he came up against opponents that were just too good for him at this time.

I would assume, you being a "professional" in the game, would know that it is more than possible to play in different positions, and, at no time was I down a rabbit hole trying to equate the situations of years ago with the recent exposure of the young lad. Merely stating a fact that it's been done before and, expanding it as a point of discussion, which worked.

What I find strange is, a "professional" slagging off a fellow professional, suggesting he be sacked/removed/moved on/got rid of, whatever you want to call it.  Plus denouncing in a brash way, anyone who supports that person while disagreeing with your version of events on a public forum.  That I would suggest is embarrassing.

17 hours ago, harrys said:

Two perfect examples, 9 points off both of them now but the gap is far bigger than that as we all know, PNE were capable of doing the double over Bournemouth while we just downed tools twice, Swansea have had some great victories recently and were described as playing “champagne football” by the sky commentator last week, both these teams have bright new managers and also lost their best players in the summer to be replaced by free signings

I made the mistake of looking at the City Site for the points totals on the printed table, didn't include last nights results. It's actually ten points above us.

To be quite honest, I couldn't give a toss about either of those clubs, the grass always being greener elsewhere. Do you honestly think either would have been able to do with getting rid of was it, fourteen players? And, would any of those mentioned ever chosen us over those clubs, at this time?

Our problems are much deeper and I'm pleased we have an experienced manager just about keeping us afloat. Everything spoken about regarding who would have done this, or who would have been better is all hypothetical. They aren't here, they most certainly wouldn't have come here and who'd have known if they'd done a better job here, or even a worse job. Pure speculation. 

Bradley Orr. Midfield to right back.

Charles Charlie Charles was rubbish in goal but, Brilliant with the ball at his feet.

1 hour ago, harrys said:

We’ve missed the boat with the hungry young coaches that were available, they’re doing fine at Swansea, Forest & PNE 

I'm sure another young hungry coach will come along shortly, that's what happens. Would we make the correct selection though?

Swansea and Preston are currently 6 points better off than us, not too great an example. Of course they could get automatic next season. I'd think the Forest squad was superior to ours and, added to in January, something we couldn't afford to do.

12 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

I was always on the Gerrard side of the Lampard-Gerrard argument. Miles better player.

For Chelsea, Lampard played often as the “1” off Drogba and his average position was akin to a second striker. Huge number of shots taken. When asked to play in a midfield 2 for England, he couldn’t do it - instinctively pushed forward and meant our best CM had to sit as opposed to go box to box, detracting from his game. As we also didn’t have the same focal point as Chelsea, Lampard didn’t pick up as many “spares” to shoot in the forward position.

I’ll die on this hill, but Lampard was a very overrated footballer for who found a system that was a perfect fit but was poor - and unintelligent on the pitch - outside of those confines.

England problem for years, the pressure of having to have the best player from the best team as guaranteed starters, regardless of the impact on the team.

56 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Being able to play multiple positions is the sign of an intelligent and all round footballer - best exhibit in our squad is Scott, who’s played RB, RWB, DCM, CM and ACM this year. He can do it because he’s got the awareness, without needing the leadership/talking as much. 
 

If you take Bell at RWB, yes, he may be able to play there eventually but currently his positional awareness (stemming from an instinct to get further forward) makes him high risk.

I agree that you don’t always know the best position at a young age - coaching 10 year olds who all want to be strikers beat that into me - but what you look at in any fundamental different position is the basics - eg as a defender, how’s the positioning, how’s the awareness, how’s the “stance”, do they do force diagonals, do they time the tackles correctly. Unfortunately you cannot typically learn that at the championship level “on the job”.

With Bell, again, Pearson would have seen the “physical” attributes of pace and stamina, and technical of crossing, and would have wanted to see could he do the above. And although those aren’t really talent factors, they’re bloody difficult to learn which is why you don’t see wholesale position changes from 18+
 

 

You're not suggesting that Bell was selected to play there, without first being tried on the training ground, or occasionally in the under 23's, are you? That would be high risk.

Why do some people on here think that some players, maybe being described as a striker, think that for some reason, they can't adapt and play in a different position, as and when necessity dictates? 

I've seen many posts moaning at team selection where so and so has been played at wing back or,  shunted to full back, or wherever. It just seems like another tool to have a bash at the manager.

If you've ever played the game, it is quite possible for a player to be adaptable and have the attributes/skills to fulfil a number of positions. I've seen lots of cases where players have started out as a striker and ended up as a quality defender, or even a defender turned into a keeper. I understand this happens a lot on the training pitch to see if those players are adaptable, or give them a different perspective on what's required elsewhere. It's all part of their football education.

Most recently people were moaning about Sam Bell being used as a wing back.  I expect the reality is, like others, we/he won't know his best position for another couple of years yet, along with the likes of Scott, Pring, Towler, Benarous, I believe even Weimann is classed as an out and out striker, when he's more versatile than that. And Scotty was signed as a fullback, I believe.

I'll name a few more: Whitehead, winger to fullback then centre back. Burns, striker to centre back. Cashley, full back to keeper.

Feel free to add any more that have changed position.

12 hours ago, harrys said:

Blackburn & PNE have had 28 each in the last 4 seasons to our 8 !!!!
Managers who know the dark arts?

DC and GC on the dark side were two and the legacy carries on for a while after.

Haven't both those teams got players that play for pens?

3 hours ago, NcnsBcfc said:

As others have said some great posts over the 20 pages so far.

I'm sure looking at the our stats since January 2021, most fans of other clubs will be incredulous as to how we are still in this division, and have never been in the respective relegation zone in either season.

Ultimately as a club we appear somewhat rudderless at the moment, and seem to be treading water will this mythical "Let's get to Summer 2023, and then all the problems will be sorted mantra". Hence the 3 year plan that was mooted

For me at the moment, there doesn't seem to be much of a plan, other than trying to reduce the wage bill, and stay in the division; and my hook or by crook, that's what NP has done. I still  believe the team is playing better football this season than last, on the basis of how many of the games we have lost have been by the fine margin of only 1 goal. 

We are not the basket case of the relegation team of 2012-13, that still had some decent players in it as well. It's difficult to see anything positive about our current situation other than the emergence of a number of promising young players, that due to the squad issues have been given opportunities that perhaps they wouldn't have had in previous seasons.

Really this squad hasn't been pushed or found itself fighting for it's life in a relegation zone either. It's all a question of what the expectation of what the board/owner is at the moment. We seem to have coasted through two seasons of some pretty turgid football at times, but of course this season we are in the top 6 for goals scored (shame about the goals against).

If we really had an ambitious plan moving forward; it'll'' become evident in the Summer. We will have to sell one or more of our jewels in order to take the pragmatic approach to revamp the playing squad, alongside taking massive amortisation hits on a number of players just to get them off the playing budget. It's a shame of course, that once again we have become a selling club, but ultimately what is point of keeping players like Semenyeo, HNM and Scott if as a squad you are failing in so many other areas?

Or do we do the safe option, release a few this summer, and plod into the next season; once again hoping just to finish outside the bottom 3? It's all about expectation isn't it?

Personally I can't see any decision being made about NP until it is either forced by us being in the bottom 6 after 10-12 games of the 22-23 season; or a falling out over ambitions/priorities over the summer. I'm sure NP is aware of the latter, so that won't be an area of contention.

 

Good post and a reasoned summing up of the current position, though I'd add that, reducing the wage bill has been harder than first thought, with some movement in January expected, both ways. This has probably impacted on the three year plan. Also, not unlike last year, selection has been difficult due to the sheer amount of injuries to a smaller, less experienced squad, resulting in inconsistency in selection, formation and results. I think this more than anything else has impacted our season.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see a parting of ways, as Lansdown doesn't seem to enjoy people running his team/club, who know football and aren't afraid to call a spade a spade, ultimately being a challenge to his authority. I expect another young hungry inexperienced manager, sorry head coach, to be appointed by Lansdown, as he's previously stated his preference for young and hungry employees. 

On 03/04/2022 at 20:05, robin_unreliant said:

I bet Steve is glad he didn't just sit on his HL shares now. They have gone from over £24 a couple of years ago to under a tenner now. We know he has diversified out of HL, not just spent it on Bristol Sport. Still, I believe he still owns something like 6% of HL, so a not inconsiderable loss for him. I'm sure he can still pay his heating bill though. 

Even those shares being less at this particular time, as they do fluctuate which I'm sure you know, he'd have still made considerably more just sitting on his shares, than investing in BS. That's possibly why Peter Hargreaves has managed to double his personal fortune compared to SL, in the same period of time. Or there abouts.

In regards to the seniors getting a discount, I know a lot have a good disposable income but, there are also many that survive on a pension alone. Even with private pensions topping up some, there are still many on reduced income compared to those working. If prices were kept the same across the board, many long term supporters would be denied the access to attend games. Leaving only those that are working and well paid and those retired and well catered for financially. Personally I only receive £177 per week, as my only income. I do get a free bus pass though. So without discount, I won't be able to attend.

This is probably a long term aim of the owners, to attract a support base from the more well off sections of Bristol's community.

6 minutes ago, italian dave said:

Wasn’t it something to do with him wanting to play an international??

Yes, something along those lines and, JW didn't play him in the league match, so he got upset. Understandable in one respect but not to react as he did. I think we had him on loan and if he'd have gone to play for Grenada, he'd have missed games for us in a months loan/trial.

34 minutes ago, Rich said:

First heard in a Gloucester cup match at AG in 1983. There was a crowd of 13,000 but a very high ratio of lads and, the emotion from the previous years struggles produced a noise from that chant that has stayed with me forever.

Got my year wrong, twas 1981, just after relegation.

Just now, Miah Dennehy said:

No, definitely heard it on the Tote when I stood there and I moved to the North Stand enclosure in the very early 80s.

I think I got mixed up from our 1982 demise and our 1980 demise, they merge into one. It must have been the 1981 Gloucester cup match just after our relegation from the top flight, I know it was at AG.

7 minutes ago, Miah Dennehy said:

I'm pretty sure that chant was around in the 70s. We used to sing 'the Gas, The Gas, You'll never get rid of The Gas' in reply,

Much later for that reply.

2 minutes ago, Miah Dennehy said:

Actually I think it has more to do with Jason Roberts, City are despised by the locals in Grenada after the way they treated Roberts and when he went onto to greater success with Rovers , The Gas became every Grenadian's second favourite team..

 

**** me, we must have upset a lot of people over the years, being as nearly everyone has Roverz as their favourite team. Well, according to the habitual liars that's the case.

Strange how Roberts came here on a months loan (I think), and from what I remember, threw his toys out of the pram because John Ward dropped him, he only managed 3 appearances. At the time, he wasn't good enough or consistent enough for us as we mounted our promotion challenge. But was good enough for you and the third tier until, you never matched his ambitions and he handed in a transfer request. I think he had a bit of an ego issue.

16 hours ago, CiderJar said:

We used to sing "The gas, the gas, we've got to get rid of the gas" because of the stench from the gasworks at Eastville, and they decided it was a compliment.

First heard in a Gloucester cup match at AG in 1983. There was a crowd of 13,000 but a very high ratio of lads and, the emotion from the previous years struggles produced a noise from that chant that has stayed with me forever.

I remember the headline in one of the nationals, "Butchers of Bristol". Yes, the game made the national papers, probably not many other games on.

7 minutes ago, harrys said:

Nothing more tedious than scrawling through past posts so I’ll give it a miss, plenty of Rovers flags in the Windies for the cricket I noticed

Nick Higgs takes them out in a spare suitcase and hands them to the locals.

On 23/03/2022 at 15:05, Mr Popodopolous said:

Infrastructure expenditure is exempt- he or the club could spend all he wants on the ground, same for the Youth Academy and other items e.g. Community Trust and Women's Football.

Can't we employ the players part time and to make up their hours and good pay, employ them as a maintenance team.

Think I've posed this question before. Why can't players be paid for work outside of football, everybody else is entitled to, unless written into their contracts of employment?

7 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

What Pickford has done is irrelevant. On loan at Preston he was already superb at 21

Who has said that ?

Irrelevant? I was making a comparison of what can be achieved regardless of age or experience.

1 minute ago, And Its Smith said:

Depends how much he improves between now and then if given a run of games. Many players improve with experience, especially goalkeepers. Unless you think Max’s ability has now peaked?!

Would be surprised if he didn’t improve with more game time. Very surprised. He hasn’t peaked yet 

He's 25 and had lot's of chances to take over the reigns. I know this is exceptional but, Pickford made his debut for England at 23 and has been almost ever present in that time.

I'm genuinely pleased for him that he's been selected and it could be the spur that drives him on to work on and improve aspects of his game. But I remain convinced that he lacks certain attributes to be anything  other than he is now, a stand in. I expect him to find his level lower down the leagues.

1 minute ago, nickolas said:

I hope we dont!

Other way around please. Then bring in another keeper to provide proper competition.

11 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

If we sold Bentley and told him he was our number one then I’m confident he wouldn’t leave 

And he'd be a very lucky chap.