mozo

Unless I've missed it, there seems to be very little chat about the comments from Gould that we're in the market for players in January due to our current emergency. I wonder how we make those deals? Seems like a bad market to be in, particularly when you're in a panic.

It's yet another instalment in our club's grand tradition of finding a way to self-combust! Ha - yeah, what a great squad Hudds had back then, mind

Agreed. However...making every pound count sounds like a fantastic business philosophy, but football is a strange business. Recruitment in football (the expensive bit) is very high risk due to injury (see Williams) and a variety of influences on form. Can we get our money worth out of Wells and Palmer? Doubtful. For starters how do you create a system that not only accommodates them both, but also works to their individual strengths? Could we compensate for the waste spent on those two by getting unexpected value out of young players like Scott and Bell? Hopefully, and perhaps that's what RG was on about; getting equivalent value on the pitch from the squad as a whole to the money spent overall.

I want the TRUTH!!!! [Wait for it...]

But do Steve L, Jon L and Gould meet with her to discuss their PR messaging on Radio Bristol and the like? Let's assume not, because otherwise she's either not helping them at all, or they don't listen.

I'm still waiting for a DM from Headhunter offering me a top PR job! I'll tell you what, more swearing from the board when they're interviewed would be great. "Geoff, we know we've been ******* shite this season so far and it's a right ****** that Nige got ill. Don't worry, we'll get these ***** motivated even if I have to kick the shit out of them!"

Cheers Fevs. Lisa Knights seems like a nice person, but boy there's a lot of amateur comms from this club. Edit: I guess I'm talking about exec level comms here. I'm sure they're happy with the general daily Twitter output.

Totally agree ? The tone of recent statements gives the strong impression that the board are confused about how to proceed. You can't help but think that the club is scrambling to figure out how to delicately separate from Pearson without giving the game away.

Yeah, I didn't take issue with Gould's Cisse comments. It was more the Rennie reference, our unconvincing current set up and, mainly, I just wanted a cheap laugh! Edit: also while I'm banging on about this PR appraisal, Gould was well within his rights to sidestep questions about the playing style and any on the pitch specifics. A gentle "I'm not the best man to talk about that" would be fine. The high press comment was ill-advised and he got dragged into justifying the playing style.

Good question, not sure [edit Fevs has answered]. It's simple stuff: 1. What do we want to say? 2. What is an easy way of saying it? 3. Say it like you mean it. "Nige is desperate to come back" is good. "I'm sure he does want to return" [said in uncertain tone] is not so good.

Nah, it's just basics FFS ?

Don't worry because our physio has loads of experience and will pick the team and Cisse does loads of jobs, so will cover the physiotherapy, and Scotty is a club legend so will do the 1st team training, and Kadji has just signed a deal so he'll head up recruitment...

I don't see any problem with the club just being honest and transparent if that were the case. "Nigel will take the next two weeks to recover and reassess when the International break is concluded. He's desperate to be back and we want him fit and well and back in the dugout. We don't want to speculate about what happens if he can't resume his duties because we're optimistic that he will, and for the time being we'll speak with Nigel at regular intervals and keep the fans in the picture too." All sounds reasonable and we know where we stand. Instead we get weird answers to straight questions.

It's not what he said, it's how he said it. He kept avoiding giving straight answers. Why not emphatically say that Nige wishes he was back with the team? Why not emphatically confirm that we're desperate for Nige to be our long term manager? Why not emphatically confirm that we are in contract negotiations with Massengo? If the whole point of the interview is to give reassurance to fans you have to be specific and assertive, not vague and evasive. It's really in keeping with the bumbling public relations output that Bristol City operate. Always trying to stage manage but always doing so in a clumsy way. Remember the Diedhiou statements from Ashton, and the radio silence appointing Holden, then the misinformation about Holden's coaches, then Jon L goes missing during the Holden sacking, then Lansdown does a radio appearance and patronises the supporters trust and casually drops a bombshell that we're looking for investment in the club and since then no further detail. Now another clunky attempt at reassuring fans and we come away wondering why Gould was so unsure about everything he said.

Illness is like a pack of wild dogs: it can't defeat Big Nige. Get well soon Mr P.

There are so many out of work managers and coaches who could have the sufficient influence and steadying hand, who would be grateful for a short term payday, that I don't know why on earth we wouldn't?!

Yep

Following the update today I feel that Warnock at City is more probable than it has ever been before! (Short-term)

I had a really busy day at work today. I'm so relieved I didn't log on to Otib!

Agree with a few points made... There are plenty of legitimate excuses for our poor season, but, 1. It's the manner of the recent defeats which is unacceptable, and 2. I didn't expect NP to achieve instant success but I really expected him to make us a tough nut to crack. We're more like a soggy biscuit. Also, I agree that the lads need a serious team building exercise out in the wilderness somewhere to reset the mentality. Beating Blackburn seems impossible right now, but to record a second successive home win could be a turning point.

It's tricky because it appears to be sacking season and people are becoming available. Plus you get two weeks break to get the new gaffer on the training ground. But...I think it's harsh to sack anyone after the Coventry game. Let's see us when we have James, Atkinson and Williams.

When you think that we've had the Forest loss, the Coventry loss and two 0-3s it's definitely the right time for a multiple thread temper tantrum! Waaaaaaahhh!!!!

Pearson DoF, Farke head coach. ?

Hopefully he's alright. It's a worrying situation that we're on a run of poor form and just when we need strong leadership we find ourselves with Fleming and Ball leading us out. That's no disrespect to them because even they would not have even imagined this turn of events back in the summer.

You might have nailed it tbf. Does 1 big chance only give an xG of .5?