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SecretSam

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  14. The Official Milton Keynes v Bristol City Match Day Thread

    in The Havanatopia Match Day Archive

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

    Be interesting to see him with the shackles off, hopefully once we are safe.

    The tactic of giving him and Kodjia an hour or more and then bringing on Wilbraham and Agard is genius, Tomlin and Kodjia are players who need constant monitoring and then Wilbraham and Agard give our opponents something totally different again to worry about.

    Kodj looked utterly f**ked by the time he went off!  Wilbs and Agard a smart move, Tomlin's not fully fit IMHO.  But given the conditions, and MK's turgid performance, I'm surprised we didn't bag a third

  15. The Return of the Five Pillars .. Yayyyy...

    in Football Chat

    Posted

    1 minute ago, lanceloto said:

    hough I'm not sure why they need to share the 5 pillars with us except as an excuse for not winning matches. My fear is that they will hide behind the pillars instead of standing aloft them... Quite deep that...

    Because we are effectively the customers of the club, and therefore stakeholders in its success?

  16. The Return of the Five Pillars .. Yayyyy...

    in Football Chat

    Posted

    Just now, Mr Popodopolous said:

    ..we had a flawed academy I feel for some time until this, surely a reason why so many managers were reluctant to use it.

    I think part of the problem was that we had managers who wouldn't use it.  If you develop kids and play them, and they fail, so be it.  But if you develop them and don't give them the chance, how can you judge your success?  And the academy must be doing something right or big clubs wouldn't keep poaching our players from it.

  19. The Return of the Five Pillars .. Yayyyy...

    in Football Chat

    Posted

    2 hours ago, LondonBristolian said:
    • Community Engagement and promoting "health, social inclusion, participation and education" via the Community Trust.
    • Investing in the academy and youth development to bring young players through.
    • Aiming to sign young players with potential who'll increase in value and having a database of potential talent so we have good ideas for future targets in all positions.
    • Financial control and prudence
    • Building a new stadium and investing in training facilities.

    Right: now, then, cards on the table, I'm a strategist - no, not a gamer, I develop strategies and business plans for a living.  Not in football, but hey, it's the same principles.

    So, my assessment of the five pillars, which are in effect a series of objectives and a kind of mission statement:

    1. Community engagement, etc: you always have to have an awareness of the environment in which you work.  City are not going to attract floating fans; they can't pull in people via TV; so they have to go out and get 'em.  Community engagement is crucial.  For a good example, look at Millwall, who've really done a good job.  This is a MUST these days, for any organisation - you can't ignore your current and future customers - it's sound business sense
    2. SL is rich.  Bristol City are not.  SL may quit, move on, etc etc.  Let's be honest, no-one will join City rather than (say) QPR or Burnley or other Championship clubs - we aren't strong enough.  So we need to grow our own.  We've all been banging on about this forever, but are finally seeing some fruit - Joe Bryan, for example.
    3. See point 2, above.  Sound business sense - develop organically from within, acquire when necessary, but don't risk too much - spread the risk and invest in potential growth.  It's a cost-effective strategy: you may get the odd duffer, or kid who doesn't quite come through, or it doesn't work out - or you might get a nailed on star.  Who the hell had heard of Kodjia before he signed?  Yet he looks a real find, albeit a little raw...
    4. See point 2, above.  We have to live within our means.  Bleating about SL getting his chequebook out and moaning that we are a 'big' club is pointless: we have to grow as a financial entity, which will enable us to enhance the team, which will make us better, etc etc.  For examples of clubs who over-reached and nearly died, look at...er, us, Portsmouth, Bolton, Bradford, the list goes on...
    5. These are the club's main fixed assets, which need to be enhanced to generate revenue.  The 'old' AG was crap.  Old, cramped, outdated, poorly laid out - but above all, it made NO MONEY outside match days.  A fixed asset that sits idle for 6 days out of 7 is a terrible waste of money and potential.  And a nice ground and facilities will help attract players; one would imagine some kid who's being chased by 3 or 4 clubs might come to the one with the nicest ground - I don't know - but Bristol's a lovely place, so if the ground's nice as well, this might just swing it.

    In short - it's nothing earth-shattering or innovative, but it is a sound platform for taking the business forward.  It's a plan, and having been a City fan for 40 years it's about funking time we had one!  Everyone seems to view these 'pillars' as a joke or corporate BS - but they are not, they are the basis for how the club - ANY club - should be run. 

     

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